THINGS TO DO IN CASCO BAY

                                        (Please use a chart to locate the islands in Casco Bay referenced here)

• Golf on Chebeague Island (207-846-9478)
• Free camping on Jewell Island (some camp sites sit right on the edge of small cliffs with beautiful views!  No reservations required).
• Hiking on Jewell Island.  There are old war bunkers and towers to explore, as well as hiking trails.
• Walk around Peak’s Island.  Peak’s also has a small gift shop and ice cream shop right near their dock.
• 4^th of July Fireworks in Casco Bay.  The fireworks are held in conjunction with a concert by the Portland Symphony Orchestra.  Please  see http://www.july4thportland.org/ for more information.  You can take the boat down to Casco Bay to watch the fireworks and listen to the symphony over the radio if you prefer.
• Yarmouth Clam Festival, July 19-21.  http://www.clamfestival.com/home.php  Always a great time, you can walk to this festival right from our docks.  A favorite event is the Guv’nors, a Beatles themed band that plays on Saturday night.
• Pearl’s Seaside Market & Café, right off the dock on Cliff Island.  207-766-2312.  They have a great ice cream store, as well as homemade cinnamon rolls on Sundays!
• Lobster boat races throughout Maine.  Please see http://www.mainescoast.com/lbr/races2013.htm for the schedule.
• Shark’s Cove, Long Island.  This cove contains a sandy white beach, and while private, the public is allowed on it from 9-4.  Boats can only anchor in the cove, however, and then access the beach via kayak, dinghy, etc.
• Eagle Island.  http://www.pearyeagleisland.org/aboutisland.htm.  Moorings are available, and this state park requires a small entry fee.
• Camping on Whaleboat Island.  http://www.mcht.org/preserves/whaleboat-island.shtml
• The Basin Preserve, Phippsburg

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/maine/placesweprotect/me-basin-preserve.xml

RESTAURANTS IN CASCO BAY

• Chebeague Island Inn & Restaurant, Chebeague Island.  207-846-5155.  Their mussels are amazing, and there is both inside and outside dining.  It’s best to make a reservation, and call once you grab a mooring off the dock.  They have a skiff that comes to pick you up.
• Dolphin Marina & Restaurant, Harpswell.  207-833-6000.  This restaurant has a fantastic view, and boaters can tie right up to the dock to eat here.
• Diamond’s Edge Restaurant, Great Diamond Island.  207-766-5850.  This is another great island to walk around on while you’re out for lunch or dinner.
• Saltwater Grille, South Portland.  207-799-5400.  Please try their cracklin’ calamari….it’s phenomenal!  They have a dock you can tie up on.
• Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster, Freeport.  207-865-4888.  Right on the wharf, this place is BYOB, and also sells live lobsters!
• The Falmouth Sea Grill, Falmouth.  207-619-7711.  Located next to Handy Boat, this restaurant has great views from both floors, with a bar on each.
• Cook’s Lobster House, Bailey Island.  207-833-2818.  While here, please go check out the world’s only cribstone bridge, which made it onto the National Register of Historic Places.

Last October, Yankee Marina partnered with Sabre Yachts, Mack Boring, Yanmar, ZF, and Garmin in a project to commission Mack Boring’s demo boat, a new Sabre 38 Salon Express. The integration included engine, transmission, electronic, and hull systems. This was the first time Sabre had installed ZF 2800 Pod Drives coupled to Yanmar diesel engines. For the application, twin 8LV 370hp Yanmar engines were used. The resulting integrated propulsion, steering, and automatic trim tab system, as compared to traditional shaftline propulsion systems, was designed to achieve faster cruising and top speeds, greater fuel efficiency, improved maneuverability, and quieter operation.

Due to Sabre’s production schedule, the boat was delivered to us during our busy fall hauling period just seven days before she was to be transported for exhibition at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. Fortunately, we were asked to handle the project in the spring and had plenty of lead time to prepare.

Planning stages and the team:

Our planning began by researching all the intended work to ensure that we would be ready and that all electronic components and other materials would be available. As part of this process, we needed to source an auto pilot system that would interface with the ZF Drives. After extensive discussion with a number of manufacturers, a collaboration was developed with Garmin to obtain the release during beta testing of a new auto pilot with a special processor and wireless remote.

Next, a detailed work plan and daily work schedule were prepared to meet the boat’s departure date. As the boat’s arrival date drew near, the team was finalized to include 4 Mack Boring engineers, 2 ZF engineers, representatives from Sabre, and up to 14 of Yankee’s crew. With as many as 10 engineers and technicians working aboard at a time in tight spaces and coping with drying times and fumes, the schedule extended well beyond the normal work day.

Project completion and sea trials:

The boat arrived at Yankee Marine at 4 p.m. on October 8 and work began immediately. After securing the boat on jack stands, several technicians worked well into the night to prepare the bottom for painting. As the work went forward:

• Electronic systems were completed to NMEA standards, resulting in an interactive network of Garmin instruments, including radar, chart plotter, depth sounder, auto pilot, and data displays.

• Steering was achieved through a unique fly by wire system, enabling the helm to be operated manually or through the use of a joy stick.

• An Interlux barrier coat and bottom paint were applied, the ZF 2800 Pod Drives and trim tabs were undercoated with Velox antifouling paint, and the cabin sole was finished with several coats of Epifanes varnish.

The sea trials were the successful culmination of the project. They entailed several trips down the Royal River and into Casco Bay, involving multiple launchings and haulings, including the installation of new props to obtain just the right pitch. The boat and her systems performed perfectly and we knew she was ready for delivery to Mack Boring.

Just as scheduled, on Oct 15, we prepared the boat for shipping, including removing her mast and props so she would fit on a long haul boat carrier. As she left for the over the road journey to Florida, we were glad to have been a part of this great partnership and knew that she would serve admirably as Mack Boring’s promotional representative. Our confidence was borne out, as she performed perfectly during demonstrations at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show and then was piloted by Patrick McGovern, Chief Operating Officer at Mack Boring, to complete her maiden cruise to the Bahamas.

Scott DuBrow, Manager, Marine Sales at Mack Boring summed it by saying:

“Thanks again for your teams work on the project. They did excellent work under a tight deadline and best of all the crew had a great attitude. It was a pleasure to work with such committed people.”

“The fuel tanks are leaking”….No boat owner wants to hear these words.  No boatyard service manager enjoys saying the words to an owner.  The owner of MOON STAR a Kadey-Krogen 42, Hull #94, built in 1986, had noticed a small amount of fuel in the bilge, and was expecting to be told that a hose or fitting was loose and needed to be replaced.  The boat was being decommissioned for the 2010-2011 winter storage season when the mechanic doing the work made the discovery.  The owner discussed the time intensive project that he was facing with Yankee’s management team.  Upon hearing the extent to which the engine room would have to be dismantled in order to replace the fuel tanks, he saw the opportunity to accomplish something he had been thinking and dreaming about for some time…….A Complete Engine Room Refit.

MOONSTAR’S engine room had been added to, and improved over the years.  Upright brackets had been built and installed to hold pumps, strainers, and various components.

Hose and wire runs had been added often with function taking precedent over form.  The result was a very busy engine room requiring a series of body positions and creative maneuvering to move about and perform routine tasks.  Too frequently one emerged scarred by the many exposed hose clamps & other sharp bits.

The owner was thrilled at the chance to gut (literally) 90% of the engine room space and start from scratch.  The general idea going into the project was to update and improve access to every system, and create a clean, safe, and possibly even comfortable engine room work space.  To really make the project impressive the owner and head of mechanical services at Yankee decided this would be a good time to add an aqua-drive and drop the hydraulic PTO pump for the stabilizer & bow thruster systems onto the lower pulley on the front end of the engine, creating a flat deck that would surround the engine.

“Make me say, WOW!”

“I want to look down into my engine room and say, ”WOW!” With that charge from the customer,  the project was initiated before the Christmas break of 2010.  The engine room was photographed, the boat was prepped with protection, and systems were methodically unplumbed, unwired, labeled and removed.  Next the engine, generator and bulkheads holding the tanks in place all had to be removed.

The tanks came out with a considerable effort.  The old tanks were cut into thirds, to allow them to fit through the existing engine room hatch in the salon.  Thru hulls were removed, and cabling that was potentially going to be reused was labeled & coiled against the forward engine room bulkhead that was being left mostly intact.

With the tanks out of the boat, measuring and ordering, the new tanks were possible.  It was decided to reduce the size of the tanks by 100 us gallons each.  Doing this allowed the new tanks to be fit without altering the existing engine hatch opening. It gained additional space for placement of pumps and water heater as well as more stowage for bulk oil and large items. Structural supports for the old tanks were removed and new ones built.  The grinding and glassing part of the project also involved the filling and glassing of old thru hull holes.

New longitudinal stringers were built to support the tanks. Old plywood/glass platforms, often soggy with moisture and oil residue were replaced with newly-built structures on each of the engine with hatch covers to access new seacocks & strainers, as well as handy stowage for supplies and spares. The lower bilge & sump were re-glassed and the drip pan redesigned to ensure any and all drips and spills would be captured. A dripless shaft seal now allows a bone-dry sump.

Composite construction materials were utilized to prevent any future chances of rot.  A heavy glass support was built aft of the engine to mount the Aquadrive.

The engine and genset both got a touch up paint job while it was out of the boat.  New engine beds were glassed in to hold new mounts.   New bulkheads were constructed with vacuum bag high-density foam core platforms and fiberglass laminations finished with gelcoat.   Thru hulls and strainers were relocated and installed.  Three new custom battery boxes were built to hold the engine & house banks as well as port & starboard inverter banks.

The tanks took a long time to come.  When they did arrive they were painted with Amercoat 450H for corrosion protection.  Sylomer urethane strips were then glued with 5200 to the underside of the tanks to seat them against the fiberglass.

A lot of hands were needed to lift the tanks into place!

Tank bulkheads were installed with fasteners.  With the space created by reducing the tank dimensions, custom fiberglass platforms were built at the aft end of each tank, the starboard one would become home to the new water heater tank.

The system components could now start to be relocated and installed, paying particular attention to hose runs & wire runs.  The fuel tank bulkheads were each installed with an easily removed panel across the top edge of their full length, allowing wire runs to be accessible but hidden.  This will help avoid future cutter as changes and additions are made. Aft of the fuel tanks Panduit was installed to contain all wire runs to the aft bulkhead.

The fuel delivery lines to both the engine and generator had been copper piping with inline valves along the fwd bulkhead.  The new layout with easily accessed and labeled manifolds on each tank with fuel lines routed out of harm’s way.

The hydraulic PTO was relocated to the stabilizer pump and the relocated thruster pump powered off the stabilizer pump with in-house fabrication and welding.  The pump bracket was fabricated, aligned and installed with spare belts in place for ease of servicing.

The generator was installed further aft than the original location and spun 90 degrees  to improve access for servicing.

A custom platform was fabricated to create a level surface at the curvaceous aft end of the engine room.  Doing this permitted the inverter battery boxes to be mounted further outboard than the original location, really opening up the aft space.

The finishing touches included new Soundown, sound-deadening material throughout the engine room. A Lonseal commercial vinyl flooring product was installed over gel coated flat surfaces & hatches. White powder coated aluminum grating was installed to cover the Soundown overhead completely, making the overhead easy to keep spotless.  New LED light fixtures, and a red custom Krogen “K” in the hatch step finished things off nicely.

The project was completed during the scheduled winter & spring layup period.  An ongoing dialogue with the owner was maintained to ensure that we were meeting his needs, budget and scheduling to the best of our ability. Creative input came from all those involved.

MOON STAR was sea trialed in the spring of 2011.  The mechanical and electrical technicians made a general overall check underway for any leaks from the dozens of new water, fuel and hydraulic connections that had been made.  A very close inspection was made to check the alignments on the Aquadrive and jackshaft connecting the PTO hydraulic pump to the engine pulley underway and under load.  They also confirmed voltage outputs from the engine alternator, generator and inverter system. With all systems operational, MOON STAR and her owners enjoyed a full summer of cruising.

Plaque placed in engine room at owner’s suggestion.

Her owner sums it up:

“I now have an engine room that is clean, bright, safe and designed to stay that way. I’m delighted.”

My favorite features include our online forms that can be submitted electronically and our blogs that I hope you will find informative and concise. Take the time to enjoy our “Repower of a 1986 Sabre 28, Conventional Shafted Vessel to Saildrive;” this is a first-of-its-kind repower and we are looking forward to the sea trial!! We also have biographies for our managers and most of the photos on our site are taken by our crew.

Having been President of Yankee now for more than 4 years, I am pleased with the significant changes we have made and look forward to continuing to make our company better and better to serve YOU, in the future!

As we move into the spring of 2011, we are ever increasingly committed to partnering with you to provide the best boatyard experience available, realizing that your time is limited and your desire is to have your work done RIGHT the first time, and ON Time, with professional and courteous service!

Looking forward to seeing you all very soon!!

Hope you enjoy our new website!!

Warmest Regards,

Deborah, President

Repower of a 1978 Sabre 28  Conventional Shafted Vessel to Saildrive

Old Volvo MD7A 14hp.

Old engine compartment after the Volvo MD7A had been removed.

Old engine beds removed with sawzall.

Strut and shaft log removed and no longer needed.

Layout for new engine saildrive platform.

New structure installed with hole cut through hull for saildrive. Started out by making cardboard templates; dropped in place; leveled it fore, aft, port and stbd; scribed around the new tub and hull; then cut to fit.

Engine compartment all gelcoated and saildrive in place.

Lower unit of saildrive through hull.

Engine bolted to saildrive.

View of stbd cockpit locker looking down on saildrive unit.

Raw water plumbing, fuel and wiring completed.

Folding prop installed on saildrive.

Installed Yanmar Engine Panel