From Latitude 38
March 2002

Seayanika Update -- Heavy Lifting

Thursday, February 14, 2002 -- It’s going to be a big day tomorrow.  A 10-ton hydraulic crane will arrive and position itself next to Seayanika to lift our 80-hp diesel motor, a 12kw generator, washer/dryer and a portion of the mast into the boat.  We’ve been saving all these heavy items for what's become known as 'crane day.'

 Erik Vader (center, behind motor) guides

 the main engine down the hatch of the

 Cal 46 he and wife Katriana are building

 from a bare hull.

There have been countless preparations in anticipation of crane day.  First the engine room had to be completed including the stringers to support the hefty Ford Lehman diesel.  A platform for the generator needed to be fabricated and mounted.  Three coats of paint were applied to all the surfaces and sound proofing was installed.  Erik used a hoist (not quite rated for the weight of the engine) to lift the diesel from the skid it had rested on since 1974 in order to remove the mounting brackets.  These brackets had to be installed in the engine room before the engine went it.  All plumbing for bilges, hot water heater and anything else that was going to be located in the engine room had to be dry-fitted and removed so that when the engine and generator were dropped in (hopefully very gently), these items wouldn’t get in the way or broken. 

Until recently, Seayanika herself rested on the original factory skid, which was nearly 28 years old and termite-ridden.  Because of the substantial weight to be added, we decided it was time to do some serious improvement.  We purchased seven boat stands, placed them in strategic places, and cut away most of the factory skid.  (Good firewood!)  We found some gelcoat damage on the hull under one of the skid support arms.  Oh well, another project for another day.

The washer/dryer will be lowered by crane through the companionway.  As it weighs a paltry 185 pounds, the crane is not necessary.  But hey, it’s here, no need to invite hernias.  Once it has been lowered, it will still need to be moved to its permanent location in the aft stateroom through two doorways.  Erik assures me we have 21 inches of passageway width, 'pleeeenty of room' for the 21-inch width of the appliance.  Huh?

The reason for installing a 35-ft mast piece during crane day is so Erik can get some measurements for the shrouds and locations for the chainplates.  We're hoping to attach the upper shrouds to the outer hull and the lower ones inboard on the cabin house.  This placement should give us the clearest deck passage forward without having to be contortionists.  The mast piece will be removed by the crane after the measurements have been taken.

The last thing we need to do to accommodate the crane is remove the cockpit sole and the "tent" structure that has protected Seayanika from the elements over the winter.  I hear we're going to leave this for tomorrow morning in case of overnight humidity.  A flock of friends will be coming to help with the final preparations and to manhandle the power plants into final position.  I think I am going to park myself well away from the whole process.  My idea of party time does not include the visions of thousand pound hunks of metal swinging through the air over the boat -- and me.  Yikes!

Friday, February 15, 2002 -- Crane Day! -- Not to be irreverent or insipid, but oh-my-God!  There is nothing spookier than seeing your several thousand dollar, thousand-plus pound motor dangling 30 feet in the air.  I’m crossing my fingers, toes and eyes willing the puny chain to hold the weight of the monster.

The day began about 7:30 a.m. when the first friends arrived.  First came Danny with the donuts, then Lee, Nick, Dan, Steve and Kevin all wandered over with their trucks and testosterone.  Horizon Crane Services showed up promptly at 10:00 o'clock with an enormous crane that had to be maneuvered into place on top of the hill next to Seayanika.  Just getting this truck up our narrow winding street was an undertaking.  Once in place, four massive pods like spider’s legs emerged from the sides of the semi, lifted the crane off the truck and leveled it in preparation for some heavy lifting. 

The first item to be lifted was the generator.  It had to go in via the cockpit sole and then be pushed over to its mounting plate.  Erik had made a ramped skid to facilitate the process, and it went smoothly.  The main engine was next, and without a hitch it was chained, hoisted, boomed and lowered through the cockpit to its resting place on the mounts.  It actually looks smaller inside the engine compartment than I thought it would.  The washer/dryer lift also went smoothly, and was lowered through the companionway.

I thought the 35-ft mast section would prove problematic because it had to be lifted by one end and held about 55 feet in the air while the testosterone party fed it through the opening in the cabinhouse and onto the mast step.  But this didn’t prove to be a problem for either the crane or Ed the Magnificent -- the crane operator.  Once the mast was in and wedged into place, Erik took his measurements for the chainplates, and the section was removed.

The hoisting, start to finish, only took about an hour.  However, counting crane set up and take down, celebratory donuts and coffee, and the video taped post-hoist interviews with the participants, we managed to burn up the two hour minimum.  By noon the beer was flowing, and needless to say, not much more was accomplished on Seayanika for the rest of the day.

 Our next project, so I’m told, is to install the spade rudder which we have just ordered to be made.  Erik says we start by digging a hole, four feet deep, by four feet long, by two feet wide......Oh joy, hand me a shovel!