2021 R/V Preservation Work Weekends
The RV Preservation has been Launched after a one year Sabbatical and is now in the water ready to perform the Scheduled Dive Projects. Please check out the 2021 Project Schedule and register for a Project. The RV Preservation will be in Silver Bay for the summer after July 5, 2021.
The summer project season is fast approaching! Would you like to help in preparing the R/V PRESERVATION for an exciting season of fun and interesting projects. We are working on some still-in-progress items and include a number of improvements for the new season. Please review the "To Do List" and "Dream List" see if there is anything that you could help with.
To learn more about the RV Preservation Work Weekend and to view the "To-Do-List" please click on this link.
R/V Preservation Work Weekends
RV Preservation Work Weekends 2020 Photo Album
We invite you to join with us and get to know the R/V PRESERVATION and more people in the GLSPS. We'd love to share a weekend of boat-work and camaraderie. With the R/V PRESERVATION and Phil's camper, we can usually house up to six volunteers at a time!
This event is split into multipal days of the week or weekend. Please register for each day you are able to attend so we can plan a headcount, tasks and sleeping arrangements. We will also need to know your skill-sets, so we can assign a task to you.
Please join us for the learning, rewarding and comradeship you can only receive from an event like this.
GLSPS Board of Directors
Ken Knutson - RV Preservation Chairman
kknutson@glsps.org
612-578-1551
Closing Report:
RV Preservation Work Weekends 2021
The RV Preservation is in the Water!!
After seven weekends total of work on the RV Preservation, (mainly the last three weekends) we finally launched the boat on June 13, 2021. It was around 1:00 PM. We heard Charlie (owner of the Marina) and his associates start up the travel lift and head our way. We had to scramble to get the boat cleaned out, fenders and lines set. As soon as the lift arrived, we were ready for lift-off.
There were no issues with the lift or the launch as they hauled it over to the launch site. Tim P painted permanent arrows where the boat needed to be lifted! Thanks, Tim! When it was lowered, we did not find any leaks and we were golden. We inspected the vessel thoroughly and gave it the thumbs up, 👍 to head over to the dock.
We then docked it at dock number 23A which is the second row in the Marina. We then went back over to where the boat was sitting up on the hard for one and one-half years and hauled all our personal and GSLSP items to where we are now docked, including the dingy that was repaired by Mike Mack a year ago. We inflated the dingy and secured it on the top with the custom-made cover also supplied by Mike Mack. Thanks, again Mike!
There were a few things that still needed to be completed before we could perform the sea trials. After those tasks were completed, we finally departed at 2:35 PM and headed downriver to the harbor and on to Lake Head Marina to fill the fuel tank with fuel. We took a trip out on the Lake and side scanned the Thomas Wilson to make sure the side-scan sonar and all the other electronics were working properly. Everything was working great, the electronics, electrical, lights, freshwater pumps, drinking water system, hot water heater were all working within normal parameters. Including the upgrade to the Alternators on each engine that an additional electrical circuit had to be wired to each alternator so that they would charge at idle. (They would not charge below 1000 RPM). This was a flaw in the system from the beginning when the boat was first launched in 2006. It was causing an issue for the modern electronics that we have on the boat currently and had to be changed! They all work much better with a more stable voltage. Thank you, Corey Daniel, for performing that upgrade!
The engines are running great. We performed an upgrade on both engines as well. We now can change the oil filters with a new spin on filter with more modern-day filtering capabilities and, more importantly, they are easier to change when the maintenance is performed in the spring. Thank you, Tim Pranke, for doing the research on the upgrade and the drawings to make adapters for the old engine to fit the new filters. The large oil leaks have been repaired (last September) and are down to a minimum. There are always slight oil leaks on these types of diesels, so we found a couple of stainless-steel cake pans at the Meteor Project this year that they were throwing out and used them to place under each engine for oil drips along with the absorbent pads we use in the engine bilge to keep it clean from oil drips. This should work much nicer when it comes to changing out the absorbents, we use in the engine bilge. Cleaner engine bilge!
The engines have had a problem with hunting (up and down speed) at idle. The starboard engine had more of a problem but then the Portside engine started hunting as well. After investigating a bit more into the portside engine, I (Phil) noticed that it had a vacuum leak to one of the lines which led to the pneumatic governor. It was just loose and after tightening it, the hunting idle seemed to go away. However, the starboard engine is still a bit finickier. It was a little bit more of a hunting problem than the port-side engine. I tried to adjust it the best I could, and it does idle better. I think it may be a start to a deeper governor problem. It may have a leaking governor diaphragm which is part of the fuel injection pump. We will be testing it to see where the slight vacuum leak is. There is also a suspicion that the steel vacuum lines to the governor are leaking a the connections and may be caused by the vibrations of a diesel engine. So we replaced all the vacuum lines on the starboard engine and poof, the hunting idle issue seemed to go away. This is by NO MEANS a big issue or that there will be an engine or pump failure. The only issue is that the starboard engine started hunting after the fuel injection pump was overhauled. It did smoothen out after it runs for 15 to 20 seconds. It was never a huge issue but, I am just picky about my engines I guess!! Now the engine per like a kitten and the hunting idle was resolved after it was transported to the Silver Bay Marina.
We were also seeking a way to make a more permanent back deck canvas covering. We (Dale Koziol) contacted a canvas company up in Duluth that a couple of folks recommended. Corey Daniel is going to be lead on this process when he returns from vacation. We may end up making our own frame which needs to be strong. All we will need is for the Canvas Company to measure the frame and make the canvas for us. After a quote from the Canvas company that Dale was working with sent us a quote on the cost of the canvas, the Board decided to approve the expense. This canvas top is an especially important part of the boat. It sheds the water off the back deck, so water does not flow inside the cabin area when a large amount of rain enters the back deck. This finally was completed in the fall when we put the boat to bed for the winter season. Thank you to all that participated in the designing, purchasing of the canvas (Dale Koziol) welded the frame together (Corey Daniel) and installed the frame, (Corey & Steve Daniel, and others). The frame was installed in the fall to help make the covering of the boat much easier with the frame now in the back. We are all looking forward to experiencing the new canvas covering for the 2022 season of projects.
One other task that we were working on is the replacement of the window at the helm. It is whited out so much we can barely see out of it. It was made of plexiglass. It was also used because it has an opening in it. Which at the time was the fastest and easiest way to create an opening in the window to be able to shout out commands. Also, a great way to get a little air flow through the cabin area on warmer days. Corey Daniel had a connection at his work in Duluth that he would be able to get a Lexan window made at almost no cost other than buying the guy a gift certificate to his favorite restaurant? So Corey worked on it after June 22 when he returns from vacation. He completed the window installation the weekend before we transported the boat to Silver Bay Marina. Other than a few minor fixes that we needed to perform on-board the boat, it made it's trip to Silver Bay for the summers dive projects.
The scuba compressor was at Phil's Auto repair shop in Corcoran MN and Andrew Goodman, and Phil K went through the maintenance and preparation of it for the season before it was transported to the boat by Andrew G. Anyone wanting to help with the servicing of the compressor and would like to learn more about it, we always end up working on it at Phil's Quality Automotive Inc sometime in May. If interested, please let me know.
The new assigned date for transporting the boat to Silver Bay was July 2 - 5, 2021. Tim P was the Captain that will be running it up to Silver Bay. It is much later this year because we are all tied up until then. We are sorry, the trip was booked solid at the time, which is why I always encourage members to register ASAP to seal their seat. We had a lot of work to perform on the shipwreck buoys this trip, so we needed divers and personnel that can perform those duties and we are limiting the non divers on-board for now.
This is my closing report in which members can read in the "Project Archives" section of the GLSPS website. It may be a good newsletter article also. I uploaded a few photos to the GLSPS website I took during the work weekends. There will be more to add as I receive them from others. You can also check the website Calendar of events and go to the description of the project to see the task list as to what was accomplished the last few weeks.
Thank you to all that helped during the RV Preservation Work Weekends. (See list below). If it were not for you folks, the boat would still be on the hard in Spirit Lake Marina!! We REALLY APPRECIATE your help!!
Jim Christensen
Corey Daniel
Tim Pranke
Kari David
Sara Blanck and her Husband Greg
Ken Knutson
Phil Kerber
Thank you for your time and support!
Phil Kerber
President - Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society
Captain - RV Preservation Research Vessel
Safety and Dive training Officer (DSO)
S.S. Meteor Preservation Project Chairman
pkerber@glsps.org
612-720-2825