Monitor Rebuild

I've finally gotten through the restoration of the Monitor wind vane.  This turned out to be a much larger project than I first imagined.  When I started in on this I pictured it as a simple cleanup with a few replacement parts.  Silly boy.  The wind vane is 28 years old and although it was well taken care of I don't think it was ever fully taken apart and cleaned up.  These older units built prior to October 1991 were made of 304 stainless steel which tends to develop surface corrosion in harsh environments.  They now make them with 316 stainless which holds up much better.  The 304 stuff is still OK but it requires more attention.  It needs to be cleaned, polished and waxed to keep it in good condition.  There's also a concern about crevice corrosion which can occur in tight areas that don't get fresh air such as in welds or between tight surfaces.  I did find one area that had signs of crevice corrosion but because of the location decided it wasn't going to be a problem.

The rebuild required a complete dismantling of the wind vane.  Once I had it torn down I went though and cleaned and polished every square inch to remove any sign of surface corrosion.  This took the most time and was the worst part of the project.  I used a product called Flitz and it made the job much easier.  Once I got everything polished I went back and gave it all a good coat of wax.

As I went through the restoration I found several parts that needed replacing.  The bushing retainers for the pinion gear were cracked and had to be ground out and new ones welded in.  There were plastic shims and bushings that simply crumbled in my hand due to age and salt water exposure.  The pulley used to adjust the angle of the wind vane on top was made from aluminum and was completely corroded.  It's replacement part is made of Delrin and should last a lifetime.

All the bearings are made of hard plastic and were still in good condition but I replaced them anyway.  The bearings on this thing don't come in one piece with built-in races.  The outer race is the inside surface of the tubing and you have to install each ball or pin roller separately which is a major pain.  I used dish washing soap to hold them in place during assembly but even then I ended up chasing little balls all over the cockpit.  Re-assembly of the pinion gear and it's support shaft into the yoke was by far the most frustrating part of this project.

I think I mentioned before how amazed I was to find that Scanmar kept records of every Monitor ever made.  Most parts were still available too.  The basic design hasn't changed much since it was first introduced back in 1975.  The biggest difference I found was in the pinion gear (part #36).  Where it mounts on the shaft the older pinion gear is shorter and uses a bushing and washers to take up the slack and correctly align it with the ring gear.  I had to replace the bushing and had trouble finding something suitable.  I ended up using a short length of 3/4" PVC pipe used for above ground wiring.  It says it's resistant to sunlight but I'm going to keep an eye on it.  Might make a cover for it to prevent the UV rays from breaking down the plastic.  A nice chunk of bronze would be a better choice.  If I wasn't so cheap I could have replaced the pinion gear ($274) and then wouldn't need the bushing.  The pinion shaft (part #33, $38) also had to be replaced due to wear.  I also ended up buying a "Cruising Parts Kit" (#801,$60) which provided most of the small parts I needed.  One problem I ran into is that there isn't really a manual with instructions on how to rebuild this thing.  The parts list has some very nice exploded diagrams but that's all you get.  Some parts, especially the yoke assembly, all have to go together in a certain order.  If you get it wrong the entire thing has to be taken apart and re-done.  I went through that more than a few times.  Each time you take it apart all the bearings fall out too.  Fun.

So, the worst part of the wind vane project is over.  Now I just have to install it.  I need to make up four backing plates for the mounting brackets so for now the wind vane patiently waits in the shed.

In addition to getting projects done for our cruise Cheri and I are also getting ourselves ready.  With less than six months to go we have both made umpteen doctor appointments to make sure we're in good health before heading out.  I've had some serious pain in my shoulder for over a year now and my doctor thought it may be a torn rotator cuff.  If it was actually torn an operation and rehab could take up to six months so I looked into that first.  An MRI showed it to be just inflammation so a cortisone shot and physical therapy will take care of that.  I also got a list of shots for traveling overseas.  Our family doctor helped us put together a medical kit and we discussed the best way to manage our prescriptions as well as assembling a stash of antibiotics and pain meds.  We'll be able to get most of everything we need (Rx-wise) over the next few years by having a family member get our re-fills through a local pharmacy and mailing them to us through our mail forwarding service.  We've submitted ourselves to a complete physical and several other exams not really worth mentioning.  So far we have clean bills-of-health.  I even got an eye exam and bought new glasses as well as a pair of prescription sunglasses with polarized lenses to cut the glare so I can see coral heads better when we're cruising around the islands.

So much to do, so little time.  This is all kinda stressful, ya know?  I need a vacation.

195:07:48:49