Monday, Aug. 27, 2018

Up to now, Sue has been the author of our updates. You could tell because they were interesting and nicely done. This update is from Brian, with a more technical, and likely less interesting, update. 

The engines are running fine after their recent tune up. The new air conditioning unit is working flawlessly in the 98-degree temperatures of Southern Illinois. The new electrical shore power switch seems to have addressed the remaining electrical gremlins. The area of concern the past few days has been the transmissions. Both have required continual monitoring due to higher than normal oil consumption. I got some great advice from members of the Marine Trawler Owners Association and Trawler Forum to help diagnose and evaluate the situation. My diagnostic tools consisted of two foil baking pans and file folders (see photos). This setup allows you to see how much oil is leaking from the bottom of the seal and how much is sprayed out around the seal.  Conclusion; the shaft seals are leaking and probably need replacement.   This requires pulling the boat out of the water, pulling back the propeller shafts, removing the oil seal bearings and installing new ones. The current options are: 1) move the boat a few miles up the Mississippi to Port Charles Harbor Marina near St Charles Missouri, where a well-equipped boat yard can make the repair or 2) try to make it another 300 miles to Green Turtle Bay KY which is the next marina equipped to handle such a repair. We are going with option 1.   The mechanic at Port Charles Harbor Marina believes he can have a look at the transmissions sometime Tuesday to confirm my diagnosis. 

We’ve heard St Charles MO is interesting. Per www.discoverstcharles.com, it was founded in 1769 as Les Petites Cotes ("The Little Hills") by French Canadian fur trader Louis Blanchette. The Spanish government controlled the Mississippi Valley between 1762-1800, and for a dozen years "The Little Hills" became "San Carlos Borromeo."  In 1804, on the banks of the mighty Missouri River, Lewis and Clark met here to begin their westward expedition. Shortly thereafter, the city became known as "Saint Charles." Meanwhile, Daniel Boone and his family built a homestead in nearby Defiance. His Booneslick Road later become the eastern starting-point of the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail. We are not sure how many days we will be there, so we might have plenty of time learn a lot about its history.