It has been a week and we’ve written nary a word on our exhaust system woes. Lest our regular readers start to worry that we just chucked the whole engine in the dustbin and fitted Galapagos with a Yuloh, worry not! We have our top men working on a solution even as I type.
Exhaust Elbow design #3 The weld failed totally as we docked the boat in Tacoma after a two week trip. Total engine hours: 148.
I’ll spare you a comprehensive history of the various exhaust risers we have had on the boat. But new readers may want to catch up by reading Engine Exhaust(ing) Episode 254 and Counting and Exhaust Elbow Blues, Reprise
Fortunately for us, our readership includes more than a few experienced engineers that have generously applied their talents to various projects on the boat. In this case, Steve Hulsizer commented more than once on the problems and issues we have faced with our exhaust riser. Offline, we corresponded and agreed to meet down at Galapagos this past weekend.
The back of Steve’s head as he examines the current riser.
Steve and Elsie Hulsizer are an interesting couple. They are veteran sailors, having cruised the east and west coasts of the U.S. in a variety of boats, most notably, a 32 foot Chesapeake sloop from Boston to Seattle via the Panama Canal. Their current boat is a beautiful Navy 44, Osprey, which they have taken to Alaska five times. Melissa and I were fortunate enough to attend a short rigging class conducted by none other than Brion Toss and held on Osprey a couple of years ago.
In addition to their extensive sailing resume, Elsie is an environmental professional and the author of two books on cruising our Northwest waters. Check out her work on Amazon. And, most important to our present narrative, Steve is a Professional Engineer with over 300,000 sea miles under his keel as a U.S. Naval officer and in the commercial fisheries and Norwegian Merchant Marine Service. He has designed exhaust systems for ferries, submarines and destroyers. Surely, this man can help us figure out a bullet proof, reliable and safe exhaust system for Galapagos.
So, what does Steve have to say about our exhaust system? He is recommending that we install a horizontal expansion joint (or exhaust bellows) as close to the manfold as space will allow. Then a vertical run with another expansion joint up about a foot above the resting waterline before making a 180 degree turn down. At this point we would add the water injection port before running into the rubber exhaust hose and the Vetus water muffler. The actual position of the injection port will probably be dependent on how much we can maneuver the hose and water lift. Steve would also like to see the pipe sized up to two inches in an effort to lower the back pressure on the system.
Steve recommended that I mock up the riser using standard PVC pipe, which I did on Sunday. The hard part was getting the piping stabilized well enough to have some confidence that I could repeat the performance.
Let’s fire her up!
Another shot.
After Marking joints and checking that the horizontal and vertical sections were level and plumb, I feel like this is a pretty good model of what we need. What I don’t know is whether I can really get that close to the wall on the right hand side after adding insulation. I also have to provide hangers at the elbows to support the structure. This is especially true with the flexible bellows that will be used.
So, we are making progress and it feels good. Melissa and I are both itching to get Galapagos back out for more adventures. The fall weather in the Puget Sound has been spectacular and we are missing it!
Days like this are fading fast!
