Regal28Express

Purchased Jan. 23, 2016 (paperwork signed) (Note that this is a 2015 model year boat.)

Splashed for the first time ever: 1/22/16

Problem is, there's just a really short list of things to work on with this boat... Guess I'll have to spend more time doing this:

Potential future projects:

<RANT>

For such an incredible boat, I really can't believe:

1) The *premium* upgraded sound system has every possible adapter to insert any conceivable iPod or iPhone type device, but NO USB port or aux input jack. South Austin Marine graciously agreed to add an external "cigarette lighter" form factor USB / aux input jack.

UPDATE: After phone calls and emails to Fusion, we were finally able to locate the USB port on the wiring harness inside the cabinet. I was also finally able to get the AUX port connected too. AND... Turns out there might even be a bluetooth module! Haven't been able to get it to work yet, and probably wouldn't use it, as it would take up the aux port connection - and for $10 I got a bluetooth module I can externally plug into the aux jack.

2) There's only ONE 110V outlet, located in the cabin on the main galley unit (actually, we did eventually find the one hidden in the back corner of the head, on the underside of the cabinet), and only ONE 12V outlet - located on the dash. With all of today's power hungry high tech marvels, it would have been nice to have at least one power port in the seating around the cockpit, plus a couple in the main cabin for charging phones, tablets, etc. It's surprising that there is no 110V outlet in the cockpit area, and would be really nice to have an accessible 110 outlet in the engine compartment (though that may not be allowed by ABYC standards??).

<End_Of_Rant>

Things I really LIKE about this boat:

• • Bunk Size: One of the BIGGEST problems we've had with boats in the past is that the bunks are never big enough for two full sized people to sleep in overnight! This is an area where Regal does TWO things right: First, the Vee Berth is a full 6+ feet long, so a full sized adult can stretch out, and have enough room for TWO people to sleep in the Vee Berth. The Aft berth is also plenty long AND plenty wide for two real adults. The SECOND thing Regal did right was to make the aft berth OPEN. It's not the closed in "cave" that many aft berths are (small, low, dark, and something that would only appeal to a youngster as a secret hiding place). My "next boat" will probably have to be in the 40 foot class, so that we can get a V-berth AND still have a table / settee available down below. Turns out that "crosswise" sleeping in the aft berth doesn't work so well for a) older people (though this is alleviated with a 4" topper on the 4" mattress), and b) doesn't work for older adults that have to visit the head in the middle of the night - both have to get up when the inside sleeper has to get up...

  • Cockpit seating: There's plenty of it! Many boats up to 30 feet can only comfortably seat 4 or 5. The Regal 28 can seat 2 at the driving station (snugly), at least 2 on the salon across from the helm, and another two on the bench behind the helm. I would feel comfortable hosting 6 adults on an outing.

  • BOW THRUSTER!! For a single engine boat, the bow thruster is REALLY HELPFUL to get into slips on docks that are closely spaced.

  • Overall size: While the 8'6" beam can be trailered in theory... I really don't expect it to go down the road much. The huge benefit of the beam is that I can fit in less expensive slips!! And did I mention that it has a bow thruster?!

  • Single engine: For fuel economy, and maintenance reasons, it's really nice to only have one engine - instead of double the headaches and double the expense. The bow thruster is essentially maintenance free - and takes the place of one of the best reasons for twin screws (being able to spin the boat in tight spaces).

  • Something I didn't add originally to this list: Handling at low speed!!! The previous two cabin cruisers that I owned (a 27' Sea Ray and a 24' Bayliner) would both "wander" from side to side at slow speed. Not the Regal!!! I do a lot of cruising at slower speeds, and have spent a considerable amount of time poking along at 5-10mph. This boat handles just as well poking along as she does at full speed! It's nice to be able to get up and go when you want to get somewhere, but it's also GREAT to be able to poke along at trawler speed when you want to save gas or just enjoy the ride and the scenery.

The narrow width, with the length and layout, single engine, and bow thruster is a really nice combination that keeps the boat affordable to operate.

Things I'm not so sure about:

• Vacuflush Head: Really great from an operational perspective. So far, it's been a joy to have on board. Since we are on a lake, I'm ok with the amount of power and water that it gobbles. The only concern I have about it is that when it needs to be serviced, how hard will it be to take apart and take care of??

  • Will definitely need to add more 12V outlets and 120V outlets.

  • Ed pointed out that there is not a place for a passenger to stand on the port side of the boat. However, it is possible for a passenger to stand in the middle isle next to the driver's seat, and support himself from the grab rail at the cabin entrance.

Bottom Job:

• • Bottom job was provided by South Austin Marine, at the Lakeside Store. Cost was $3000 (included in boat purchase). Bottom job was to include 4 coats of epoxy barrier paint and 2 coats of bottom paint.

  • After boat was initially launched, it was allowed to sit in the water for about 2 weeks to develop a water line. Then, it was pulled.

  • 2/9/16 - Abel sent pictures of boat on jack stands at Lakeside location with the bottom sanded.

  • 2/10/16 - Abel sent pictures of the bottom with epoxy barrier coat on it, and then pictures with first coat of bottom paint. (NOTE: Was there sufficient time for 4 coats of barrier paint before the first coat of bottom paint?)

  • 2/11/16 - Second coat of barrier paint applied.

  • 2/12/16 - Boat back on trailer, spots that had been under jack stands were now being completed.

  • 2/15/16 - (Monday, President's day) - boat re-launched.

Performance:

• Before bottom job, top speed seems to be about 43 mph (measured on speedometer) at about 4900 RPM.

  • 3800 RPM - 32MPH

  • 3200 RPM - 25MPH, Trim Tabs up.

• After bottom job, top speed recorded at about 35 mph (measured on GPS) at about 4600 RPM, WOT.

• Following Volvo breakin manual guidelines of varying engine speed every few minutes. WOT only attempted long enough to check WOT RPM and speed, then immediately brought back to no more than 3500 RPM or less. Lots of low speed cruising, some slow cruising at 2000 RPM.

• First Fillup - fuel gauge read half tank. Took 27Gal, though this only brought gauge up to 7/8 full reading. If it were true, it would be about 4.8gph.

• Second Fillup - Fuel gauge also read approximately half tank. Took 20 Gal, and fuel gauge again only went to 7/8 full. Engine hour meter read 9.8 hours. This still gave a total average of 4.8gph, suggesting fuel gauge does not go to full level.

• After 9 months of running, WOT seems to now max out around 36 mph, around 4500 RPM.

Usage Model:

• • The boat is slipped in Lake Travis, Austin, Texas, year round, in a covered slip with power and water. The position of the slip provides favorable shade during the afternoon sun (the front of the boat is exposed to direct sun during early morning sun angles). While there is considerable boat wake, average (wind driven) waves are less than a foot. Large boat wakes are not more than 2 feet. Winds have been higher this year, with a typical breeze of 5-10mph.

  • We use the boat a LOT more than the average couple. Within the first year, we have already put 85 hours on the engine. We are typically out to the boat to at least check on it at least once a week. During the summer, we typically spent the night at least twice a month, frequently going out Friday night and returning Sunday evening.

  • Cruising excursions are usually fairly short, typically not more than an hour or at most two hours on the engine per outing.

  • While we do occasionally get up on plane when we're hungry and want to get back to the slip, most of our faster cruising is around 3500-3800 RPM. Much of our trolling around is at 1500 to 2000 RPM.

  • Due to the fact that much of our motoring is at lower speeds, our average fuel burn is about 4.5 GPH (fuel purchases are recorded in the log, along with hour meter readings, average fuel burn for that tank, and total running average fuel burn).

  • NOTE: We generally did NOT leave the AC running when away from the boat during the week. I currently have mixed feelings about this - not sure if it's better to leave it on and accept the wear on the system, or leave it off and accept the higher temps on the boat during the summer. Thankfully, the covered slip provides relief from the direct sun, and this year was not as hot as previous years. Will probably leave the AC (Heat) system on 24/7 for weeks that the weather may reach freezing this winter.

More Pictures

These were taken after the bottom job was completed.

Below is a picture of the dash after the Lowrance GPS / Depth Finder was installed (replacing the analog speedometer). It's really nice that the original depth finder and the new Lowrance work together without interference!

Below was a shot of the boat during the Austin Sailing Society "Hunt" in July, 2016. Had a great time playing chase boat, rafting up, and cruising all day.

Bumper racks were added at the end of January, 2017:

The above picture shows the Magma propane grill mounted on the stern. Overpriced, but it works great! Mmmmm... Burgers and grilled corn!

Finally dug out and installed the insinglass - Looks great, was a pain to get set up the first time (had to stretch and pull a lot, and figure out which piece went where, etc...). Previously, I didn't expect to need it much in Texas, but it could make our cockpit area much nicer during cooler weather evenings.

Regal_Repair_Issues

Above link provides spreadsheet layout of repair issues over time, tracked by the dates of all log entries.

ENGINE and other ISSUES:

• • The weekend of Feb. 29, we spent Friday night on the boat. Saturday morning, we fueled up and motored around the lake. Saturday afternoon, returning from lunch at Gnarly Gar, I was not able to get the boat up to 4000 RPM. As the boat got on plane and accelerated toward 4000 RPM, the motor suddenly lost power, with the tach plummeting. After trying several different things with no luck (including checking engine compartment and powering down engine), returned to dock at 2000 RPM and called Jason Noack, our mechanic at South Austin Marine.

  • 2/29/16 - Jason went out to the boat. He ran the boat, and verified that there was a real issue, but had not taken anything with him to diagnose it. (No engine codes were indicated at this time.) Since there was no engine code, and the engine ran fine at low speed, Jason suggested that the first thing to check would be the fuel pump pressure.

  • 3/1/16 - Jason returned to the boat with a Fuel Pump Pressure gauge, but discovered he did not have the proper fittings for the Volvo engine.

  • 3/2/16 - Jason tested the Fuel Pumps (high and low pressure pumps). Both were good.

  • 3/3/16 - Jason consulted with Volvo. They suggested that the problem may be the coil driver or the camshaft sensor.

  • 3/4/16 - Jason replaced the coil driver, tested the boat, and reported that it was running fine. Jason completed two trips from the slip to Starnes Island, with a power shutdown between trips. We drove out to the boat that night and spent the night.

  • 3/5/16 - Left the slip Sat. morning. Fueled up at the Emerald Pt. Marina gas dock, filled the water tank, and pumped out. Left the dock, and as soon as we got up on plane, the engine died completely and alarmed. Engine would not restart. Flagged down another boater who graciously towed us back to the marina. In the marina, the engine restarted, allowing us to motor back to our slip. Called Jason. Jason replaced the cam shaft sensor. Took boat out with Jason in chase boat. As soon as we cleared the no wake zone, the boat backfired when attempting to come up to speed. Repeated behavior on second attempt. Returned to slip. Boat has just over 10 hours at this point.

  • 3/7/16 - Jason consulted with Volvo, and was advised to 1) check wiring ground connections on back of engine (good), 2) try replacing engine control module, and if that didn't correct the problem, replace the wiring harness. Jason replaced the engine control module, but could not test the boat due to weather conditions. Plan was to test boat on Tues, and order wiring harness by noon Tues. if the control module did not solve the problem.

  • 3/8/16 - Jason, with helper (to drive chase boat and help get in/out of slip) tested boat. Still showed same problem, losing power when accelerating.

  • 3/9/16 - Jason and helper back out to boat to examine wiring harness. They were able to find a wire in the engine wiring harness that cause the boat failure when the wire was wiggled. New wiring harness ordered. Expected delivery Friday (3/11/16), with installation scheduled for Monday (3/14/16).

  • 3/14/16 - Jason out to boat to work on wiring harness. At end of day, this was still a work in progress.

  • 3/15/16 - Jason reported in the afternoon that the old harness was out, and that the job will probably not be completed until Wed.... UGH!

  • 3/16/16 - Jason completed the wiring harness installation and tested the boat.

    • Went out to test the boat - Ed came along for the ride. The engine worked great! Finally!!!

    • However - now the generator is DEAD - no lights, no attempt to turn over, nothing. Called Jason, flipped breaker and shutdown switch on generator unit, nothing. Jason said he would come out tomorrow to look at it.

    • Also noticed that the AC meter is stuck at 120V. Generator was dead, shore power cord was on the dock, and the meter still read 120V(AC), even though there was no AC power on the boat (microwave, etc. dead).

  • 3/17/16 - Jason returned, and discovered a 12V line in the wiring harness to the generator that he had missed when installing the new generator. Jason also confirmed the 120V AC meter was stuck. He was able to knock it loose, but will replace it anyway, as it is likely to stick again.

  • 3/24/16 - Verified Generator is now working.

  • 8/17/16 - New 120V AC panel meter had FINALLY arrived, was installed, and verified to be working. (This was reported after 3/16/16... Only took 5 months for the part to arrive at South Austin Marine...)

TV / DVD Issue:

• • Sat. night, 3/5/16, we were watching a movie in the cabin. 20 minutes into the movie, the TV/DVD player suddenly and inexplicably died. Player has red/green LED to indicate power to unit (red), and power "on" (green). LED completely went out. A couple of minutes later, after playing with stuff, the TV came back on. 20 minutes later, died again. Within a minute or two, the red LED came back on without anything being done. 40 minutes later, it died a third time. Brian at South Austin Marine put me in touch with Tony, their electronics technician. We scheduled to meet on the boat Thurs, 3/10/16, to drink beer and watch another DVD to see if we could repeat the failure for the technician...

  • 3/10/16 - Had pizza and soda with Tony while watching a DVD. Of course, it worked perfectly fine. We pulled the unit from the wall, and see that the only connections are power and the antenna cable. Tony suggested that if the problem repeats, we install an LED on the power cord to the TV. If we ever get the motor issue solved, I'll probably install a 12V outlet on the power cord to the TV so that I can plug in a digital voltmeter. Then, on outage, it will tell us if there was a power interruption to the TV, or if it is just the TV. Tony also tried the "sleep" function. The "sleep" function still leaves the RED LED on when it turns off the TV, and there's a BIG BLOCK WARNING in advance of the sleep function kicking in - so that was clearly not it.

  • 4/2/16 - Out to spend the night on the boat. Took several different DVDs. DVD player failed again. Worked better on some DVDs than others, but still failed after at most 20 min - total power going out. Tried replacing fuse. Will next install voltmeter on power going to DVD player.

  • 4/4/16 - Wired digital voltmeter into 12V line going to DVD player. Tried a different movie from previous nights. TV/DVD player had audio loss issues in first minutes, and completely died within 15-20 min - all lights out, everything was dead. Voltmeter showed 14.6V at TV (while running and also when dead). This suggests that the problem is in the TV/DVD player.

  • 4/15/16 - Ran boat after 20 hour service. Once back at slip, tested TV/DVD player. TV died within 30-60 seconds of turning on with shore power and charger enabled. Removed shore power, started movie. Ran TV/DVD for over an hour combination of no shore power, or shore power restored and battery charger switched off. Turned on breaker for battery charger, and DVD player died immediately. Nominal voltage with no charger: 12.6V, Nominal voltage with charger on, 14.5V. DVD player died at 14.1V as charger ramped up.

  • 5/14/16 - Ran into Jason when he was working on a different boat on L-dock. He had the new "wiring harness" that South Austin Marine had ordered on the advice of Regal. It turned out to be a voltage regulator. Input: 12-24V (Cigarette lighter jack); Output: 12V@4A (12V jack matching TV). I told Jason I would install the regulator, which was done on 5/17, and then tested when we spent the next weekend on the boat. The regulator puts out 12.2V under load, and works great. Jason mentioned that mine was the 3rd boat this has been installed on. Side note - 120V panel meter is still on order.

20 Hour Service

• • 4/4/2016 (Monday) went to South Austin Marine to schedule 20 hour service on boat (hour meter was then actually at 23.0 hours). Was told they would check their schedule and call me back that day or the next day with a time to pull the boat.

  • 4/8/2016 (Friday) - No word yet from Service. Called John in Service to check on scheduling. Boat is scheduled now to be pulled on Tues (4/12/16). Issues to be addressed:

    • 20 hour service

    • Replace 120V panel meter

    • Replace TV/DVD player (testing on 4/4/16 above demonstrated that the failure was in the TV, not in the power going to the TV.)

  • 4/12/16 (Tues) Boat pulled.

  • 4/13/16 (Wed) Boat returned to slip, 20 hour service completed. Nothing done about TV, panel meter not yet available.

  • 4/15/16 (Friday) Out to test boat. All systems (except TV) working as expected.

Transom Shower Issue:

• • Around 7/30/16, the transom shower failed. The hose jacket separated from the shower head, slid down the liner, and sliced a gash into it.

  • Ordered new 8' shower hose. Installed - but in the process, messed up the valve assemblies. IMPORTANT NOTE: When working on the transom shower, turn off water, and bleed pressure on BOTH hot AND cold sides!!! To replace hose, you have to disassemble the entire mixer assembly. Using a knife or screwdriver, pop the caps off the handles, unscrew the screw in the handle, lift off the handle, then unscrew the nut holding the mixer in the mounting box. THIS NUT holds the assembly in, but ALSO holds the VALVE assembly in the body. If water pressure has not been bled off, the valve body will shoot out, often throwing the rubber gasket and spring below the valve into the bilge...

  • Ended up ordering new mixer assembly. Installed, and spent multiple hours messing with the valve orientations to get the right combination for the water to go on and off correctly. NOTE: The handles turn ON to the left, and OFF to the right... This is counter intuitive, but there's nothing that can be done about it. Monty's transom shower works the same way...

Generator Issue:

• Labor Day Weekend - Sunday, 9/4/16, power went out at the dock, due to wave action on the walkways eventually breaking conduit joint on main power cables, allowing cables to chafe and eventually smoke...

• Started generator to run AC. Ran for about 20-30 min, and then died. Restarted, ran for a min or two, and died. Wouldn't restart after that. Took boat over to North Shore Marina to fill up gas tank (thinking gas may be below cutoff for generator) - still wouldn't start. Checked engine compartment, and observed the generator was showing an oil pressure error light and an engine over temp error light.

• Came back 2 nights later and checked on generator. Powering off DC to boat had apparently cleared the error lights. Generator started just fine, but I only ran it for a few seconds before shutting it down. Checked oil - it appears to be low. That may be the root issue. Will need to top off and try running for an extended test. Oil is still completely clear. Very low hours on generator.

• Added a quart of oil (first one cup, then a second, then the rest of the quart) - as it was hard to tell how much was really in it, and the assumption was that it was low enough to trigger an alarm). A quart was too much. Generator started, but after a minute or so started smoking badly out of the exhaust port (too much oil?). Then, within another minute or so, died again with the oil pressure and overheat lights on again.

• 9/11/26 - reported back to South Austin Marine.

• 9/14/16 - Bill called from boat (he was told it was the engine, not the generator...) - He removed about a quart of oil from the generator, had the same smoke issue, shut off generator before it died. He thinks it might be a ring issue (??) and is going to consult with Regal/Westerbeke. If it is a major issue, should still be covered under warranty, but would require pulling the boat out of the water to get to the generator. (ugh)

• 9/27/16 - Update (almost 2 weeks later): Spoke with Darrel at South Austin Marine. He indicated that Bill will need to go back out (tomorrow), pull the plugs again, and try to remove more of the excess oil from the plugs. Darrel was not aware that there was an original issue with the generator failing with an error code, and that error was the reason oil was added.

• 9/28/16 - Generator worked on. Back to starting without smoking. Oil level is where it should be. However, generator now is also back to shutting down after about 2-3 minutes (same error lights). Darrell spoke with Westerbeke. They suggested that the thermostat be checked.

• 10/1/16 - Follow up call from Darrell. Thermostat was not stuck. In speaking with the Westerbeke experts, the technician (Bill?) at the boat discussed with them that the generator was tied to the house or starter battery, and did not have it's own dedicated battery. Westerbeke recommends an isolated battery, as bilge pumps, etc. can pull down the battery voltage and potentially cause odd codes to be thrown. South Austin Marine is going to disconnect the battery and run the generator off a separate "shop" battery to test this theory. If the failure still persists, Westerbeke also suggested checking the fuel pressure. There is a port in the fuel flow specifically provided for monitoring the fuel pressure - but it is on the back side of the engine against the boat bulkhead, and basically in-accessible. South Austin Marine said they would bring in a Westerbeke technician if neither of the above two suggestions resolved the problem.

• 10/18/16 - Update - Darrell called about a week prior to report that they had ordered a cable to allow pulling data from the generator. Further testing indicated that the pressure out of the high pressure fuel pump was 0 psi. After more talks with Westerbeke, they suggested that it might be the low pressure fuel pump (the high pressure pump won't output anything if the low pressure pump isn't feeding it anything...). Darrell was going to have Bill check the low pressure pump (again).

• 11/5/16 - Update - Boat was scheduled to have been pulled this past week to repair the generator. Long story short, due to a generator failure on the Carnival Liberty (an ultimate irony), our cruise was cancelled, so we asked for the boat to not be pulled yet. Our generator repair was rescheduled for the week of Nov. 14 - which works out better for South Austin Marine, and is after Bill returns from additional Westerbeke training.

• 11/22/16 - Update - Engine and generator were pulled. Generator high pressure fuel pump was confirmed to be malfunctioning. New pump was expected to arrive today. Boat should be ready to splash by mid next week (with bow thruster repaired, generator repaired, and 100 hour service - performed early at 85 hrs, since the boat was already out of the water).

• 11/30/16 - Boat re-launched. Generator is reported to be fully operational and tested under load.

100 Hour Service:

• The "100 Hr Service" was performed at only 85 hours, since the boat was already being pulled, and outdrive removed for the above generator repair.

• Service should be complete by Nov. 30, 2016.

• 100 Hr. Service completed with boat re-launched on 11/30/2016. Bill (reduced since boat was already pulled and lower unit dropped for generator service) was $745.56.

Water Pressure Pump Issue:

• Sat., 9/10/16 - early morning noticed that water pressure pump was cycling about every 3-5 minutes, for only about a second each time. Checked all faucets and outlets - no leaks seen. Maybe toilet, pump, or other internal leak causing the system to lose pressure?? Water pressure was otherwise fine. Took a shower using internal water tank, and all works fine - just that the pump keeps cycling.

• Issue reported to South Austin Marine 9/11/16.

• Bill called today (9/14/2016) and reported that the the water pump was shot. Appeared to have a lot of trash in it from the original boat water system installation. He will have to order a new one and replace it (down in the lower bilge, attached to the bulk head, below the level of the engine. Easy to see - VERY challenging to get to!!!)

• 9/27/16 - Update: After several emails, the water pump finally arrived (it actually arrived last Friday?!). Scheduled to be installed tomorrow (Wed.).

• 9/28/15 - Pump reported replaced.

Forward Bilge Pump Issue:

• Tue, 9/27/16 - Went out to boat to check on things - with AC off, and water system off, noticed that one of the pumps was still cycling. Tracked it down to the forward bilge pump under the vee-berth. The pump is cycling on every 3-5 min, for about 1 sec. at a time. There is some residual water in the bilge, but doesn't appear to be enough to activate the pump. As short as the pump is running, no water goes anywhere. It just turns on, turns off, and slightly sloshes the water in the bilge. (what are the sources for water getting into the forward bilge??)

• Wed, 9/28/16 - Darrell called and reported that the frequent bilge pump cycling is a "feature". The pump has a timer that cycles the pump about every 2.5 minutes. If it senses water, it stays on, otherwise, it shuts off. Note - Amazon had a lot of low ratings on this pump not shutting off. I'm not sure I want a pump going off every 2.5 min. right under my bunk. Hm.

• Replaced forward pump with same model from Academy. New pump works as expected - no cycling.

Bow Thruster Issue:

• Thurs, 11/10/16, went out for short sunset spin on the lake before the boat was to be pulled for generator repair. Left the dock with no issues, motored up to cove on right past Arkansas Bend - when attempting to spin the boat around up deep in the cove, the bow thruster clearly turned on, but produced no thrust. Sound was different than typical - missing the geared part of the normal tone. Bow thruster motor also took a second or two to wind down after being turned off - instead of immediately stopping as normal. Returned to dock, again tried bow thruster while docking. Motor ran, but no thrust. Issue reported to Darrel Friday morning on 11/11/16.

• Wed, 11/30/16 - Boat relaunched. South Austin Marine (Able) said there was no problem with the bow thruster when they pulled the boat for the generator service. They also tested the thruster in the shop, and said the prop spun without any issues. However - when they launched the boat, and tested the bow thruster in open water - it failed. Same issue as reported: Able could hear the motor spin, but there was no thrust in either direction.

• Tues, 1/17/2017 - Darrell returned from Winter break, and his trip to the Regal factory. He reported that on the final day of his visit, the Lewmar rep arrived, and advised him that the Bow Thurster model installed on this boat was a BAD DESIGN. The design calls for a zip tie to be used to hold the shear pin in place. The shear pins OFTEN fail, and is expected to be the source of my issue. The GOOD news is that the shear pin can be accessed from the INSIDE of the boat, without having to pull the boat from the water to repair. As of 1/17/2017 (trip was during December) - Darrell said he is still waiting for the replacement shear pins to arrive.

• Friday, 1/27/2017 - Darrell emailed confirmation that the shear pins have finally arrived. He will schedule installation as soon as possible.

• Tues, 1/31/2017 - Bow Thurster fixed!! Tested Wed, 2/1/17.

Freshwater Leak:

• • Sunday, `1/29/2017 - Out to check on boat, and heard water leaking in the cabin area after pump turned on (water system and all other systems except AC are turned off when leaving the boat). Investigation revealed that the forward connector on the water manifold under the port side V-berth settee was spraying water. All items stowed in that area (including the soaked VHF radio box <with radio>) were removed and taken home until repair could be completed.

  • Issue reported Monday, 1/30/2017 to Darrell and Kyle. Leak was repaired on Tues, 1/31/17, and checked on Wed, 2/1/17. Darrell reported that it was just a hose clamp that had come lose.

  • Pictures:

The above picture was taken "upside down" with a flashlight looking back at the interior side of the storage area under the Port V-berth side.

Below I've circled what may be the connector that was spraying the water. To be safe, I would strongly advise replacing both of the connectors at this location, ideally also using a 90 degree connector to prevent the sharp turn in the tubing. Note that the tubing from the rest of the boat goes on to a barb connection with a hose clamp. If this connector is replaced, it would probably be advisable to cut back the tubing so that a fresh connection may be made. I doubt there's enough extra length in the hose to allow that, again suggesting a 90 degree fitting that might provide a little length relief.