While Cruising back from Alaska I had the opportunity to talk to the original owner of my boat. He said the Camano 34's were never built as fishing boats and were meant to be cabin cruisers from the mold up and his boat was new built in 1976. Apparently the mold was used to build fishing boats at one time. That got me wondering even more.
A Ford Lehman expert said my engine was from 1971 or 1972. It seems odd to have an engine sitting around for 4 to 5 years as they are rather expensive and would be ordered only if a boat was being built for them. I'll have to check the ser# myself to see if I can determine age.
I also wonder about the build. If it was a cabin cruiser from design I wonder about the decision to not trim down the forward bulwark which extends past the pilothouse.
If the pilot house was already built it would make perfect economic sense to not cut the bulwark back for an easy step off the boat to the dock and for forward deck drainage but if the boat was to be a cabin cruiser cutting that back to allow the forward deck to drain would be cheaper and allow for easier cheaper, quicker, construction of the forward corners of the aft cabin. Not to mention easier dock access.
Also looking at the construction it appears the pilothouse was built first and the cabin and aft decks added later. Even today you could cut off the aft cabin and not effect any major cable or wire runs or operating systems.
Maybe they used a rebuild engine, or used engine, and gave the design and construction to the "new guy" and told him to use what was around the shop?
That's one of the neat things with old boats, history and mystery. I wonder if past owners would be able to determine that the boat cruised trouble free from Washington State to Alaska and back in the second decade of the twenty first cehtury? Maybe, maybe not.
Monday, 18 August 2014
Monday, 31 March 2014
Hull info
The semi-displacement hull has a lapstrake design, which makes perfect sense when building out of wood using 1" thick oak (or wood of your choice) planks. I think the 1971 market for these fishing boats preferred wood because there was little experience with fiberglass so they stayed with a wood boat look.
The result is a hull that has a minimum thickness of 1". I found out that most of it is not 1". When installing a triducer at what I thought was a thin spot I needed the extended transducer housing as the 1" housing was too small for my hull.
So the hull appears to be a little over 1" at it's thinnest which increases to 2" every few inches all solid fiberglass. It's just fiberglass and resin, no wood, no filler, just solid fiberglass. Think of a 1" thick hull with 2" stringers built into it.
This makes for a crazy tough and heavy hull. Between this very thick and solid hull and the extensive use of 1" marine plywood, heavy is a good description.
Though only 34' long it has been weighed at over 22,000 lbs and has a gross rating of 27,500lbs, which given it's narrow beam is almost twice as heavy as a much better outfitted modern 34' cabin cruisers.
I don't think the lapstrake is the most efficient hull design. It looks like more wetted area for the weight and more edges to work against the water and it takes more time to paint than a smooth hull.
There may be some anti-roll to having to push those edges into the water and many people think it makes the boat look great with a classic feel.
Under certain conditions little waves can slap up against those edges and be very noisy when trying to sleep. Nothing ear plugs can't deal with and sometimes the sound is quite pleasant if nautically inclined.
Given a choice I would go with a smooth hull at and below the waterline.
At anchor I use Rocker Stoppers. They turn rock and roll into easy listening. I'll have to do a separate post on how to get them to work properly. Just following the directions will have them floating and bobbing more than resisting rocking.
The hull with it's wide stern does not work well in following seas and can roll uncomfortably. In those seas we tack like a sail boat searching for the best line, only to find it and have to steer a new course to avoid crab pots, other boats or land.
The boat with the lower helm closer to the water line than most new boats, heavy displacement for it's size, flared bow and high foresides, can comfortably handle waters others wouldn't dream of.
We have had it in 10'+ swells with 25knot+ wind and waves. The swells were large enough that the boat would slide back as the swell passed underneath causing the water to flow against the prop making considerable complaining noises.
The boat was in constant spray with lots of white water on the forward deck. Very little green water which is a very good thing. The fish boat design is good but when the cabin was installed they took it to the edge.
This gives great interior room normally only available in much larger boats but it extends all the way to the edge of the forward combing.
The result is very limited drainage for water from the forward deck. Should the deck get pushed into a breaking wave, or worst yet green water as we have done with our Island Packet, the boat must carry that water until it drains through a very narrow pinch point behind the lower helm.
Most owners simply avoid such waters and given that some sets of waves were large enough to capsize the boat should the helmsman make a mistake that is the best course of action and that is what we are doing for now.
But eventually we will improve forward deck drainage, the aft window hazards and seal the rear hatches dramatically improving the ability of the boat to handle larger seas safely.
The result is a hull that has a minimum thickness of 1". I found out that most of it is not 1". When installing a triducer at what I thought was a thin spot I needed the extended transducer housing as the 1" housing was too small for my hull.
So the hull appears to be a little over 1" at it's thinnest which increases to 2" every few inches all solid fiberglass. It's just fiberglass and resin, no wood, no filler, just solid fiberglass. Think of a 1" thick hull with 2" stringers built into it.
This makes for a crazy tough and heavy hull. Between this very thick and solid hull and the extensive use of 1" marine plywood, heavy is a good description.
Though only 34' long it has been weighed at over 22,000 lbs and has a gross rating of 27,500lbs, which given it's narrow beam is almost twice as heavy as a much better outfitted modern 34' cabin cruisers.
I don't think the lapstrake is the most efficient hull design. It looks like more wetted area for the weight and more edges to work against the water and it takes more time to paint than a smooth hull.
There may be some anti-roll to having to push those edges into the water and many people think it makes the boat look great with a classic feel.
Under certain conditions little waves can slap up against those edges and be very noisy when trying to sleep. Nothing ear plugs can't deal with and sometimes the sound is quite pleasant if nautically inclined.
Given a choice I would go with a smooth hull at and below the waterline.
At anchor I use Rocker Stoppers. They turn rock and roll into easy listening. I'll have to do a separate post on how to get them to work properly. Just following the directions will have them floating and bobbing more than resisting rocking.
The hull with it's wide stern does not work well in following seas and can roll uncomfortably. In those seas we tack like a sail boat searching for the best line, only to find it and have to steer a new course to avoid crab pots, other boats or land.
The boat with the lower helm closer to the water line than most new boats, heavy displacement for it's size, flared bow and high foresides, can comfortably handle waters others wouldn't dream of.
We have had it in 10'+ swells with 25knot+ wind and waves. The swells were large enough that the boat would slide back as the swell passed underneath causing the water to flow against the prop making considerable complaining noises.
The boat was in constant spray with lots of white water on the forward deck. Very little green water which is a very good thing. The fish boat design is good but when the cabin was installed they took it to the edge.
This gives great interior room normally only available in much larger boats but it extends all the way to the edge of the forward combing.
The result is very limited drainage for water from the forward deck. Should the deck get pushed into a breaking wave, or worst yet green water as we have done with our Island Packet, the boat must carry that water until it drains through a very narrow pinch point behind the lower helm.
Most owners simply avoid such waters and given that some sets of waves were large enough to capsize the boat should the helmsman make a mistake that is the best course of action and that is what we are doing for now.
But eventually we will improve forward deck drainage, the aft window hazards and seal the rear hatches dramatically improving the ability of the boat to handle larger seas safely.
Engine info
Old rarely updated blog but here is a random post.
The 34 Camano is, as already mentioned, a 34' fishing boat converted to a cabin cruiser at the factory. I have one of the first few so converted and here are some random factiods I've figured out over the years.
My boat, #3, was actually built in 1971 but was sold in 1973. I figure it sat configured as a fishing boat, ready to go, for more than a year before it was taken back in an reconfigured as a cabin cruiser.
It has the preferred engine for fishing use, the Ford Lehman 120 model 2714. Most Ford Lehman 120's are model 2715 which is the 120hp model. The 2714 is much less, maybe only 100hp, due to a different injector pump which delivers less fuel per shot.
The 2714 was preferred for commercial use because it used less fuel and lasted much longer. It appears that many of the stories of the Ford Lehman 120's having great fuel consumption and lasting for 20 or 30 thousand hours were the model 2714 in commercial applications. That reputation is gladly worn by 2715's in pleasure crafts but they seem to be much more likely to have early deaths, higher fuel consumption and more overheating problems with #6 cylinder.
So far I have been unable to source the 2714 injector pump, they all seem to have been rebuilt with 2715 parts. I'll have to do more research and will not be surprised to have to rebuilt the injector pump myself, or convert. My pump is working well but leaks oil and needs to have that oil changed about every 25hrs or so due to diesel getting past the pistons.
My engine still has the original freshwater drive, though the pump has been replaced. I've been told the pump drive was a design flaw to save money. After an inspection I can see the problem but it looks like I've few seasons left.
The transmission has been replaced, and then replaced again. As is so often the case the second install was not done correctly but with over a thousand hours on the third transmission it seems to be doing well.
The 34 Camano is, as already mentioned, a 34' fishing boat converted to a cabin cruiser at the factory. I have one of the first few so converted and here are some random factiods I've figured out over the years.
My boat, #3, was actually built in 1971 but was sold in 1973. I figure it sat configured as a fishing boat, ready to go, for more than a year before it was taken back in an reconfigured as a cabin cruiser.
It has the preferred engine for fishing use, the Ford Lehman 120 model 2714. Most Ford Lehman 120's are model 2715 which is the 120hp model. The 2714 is much less, maybe only 100hp, due to a different injector pump which delivers less fuel per shot.
The 2714 was preferred for commercial use because it used less fuel and lasted much longer. It appears that many of the stories of the Ford Lehman 120's having great fuel consumption and lasting for 20 or 30 thousand hours were the model 2714 in commercial applications. That reputation is gladly worn by 2715's in pleasure crafts but they seem to be much more likely to have early deaths, higher fuel consumption and more overheating problems with #6 cylinder.
So far I have been unable to source the 2714 injector pump, they all seem to have been rebuilt with 2715 parts. I'll have to do more research and will not be surprised to have to rebuilt the injector pump myself, or convert. My pump is working well but leaks oil and needs to have that oil changed about every 25hrs or so due to diesel getting past the pistons.
My engine still has the original freshwater drive, though the pump has been replaced. I've been told the pump drive was a design flaw to save money. After an inspection I can see the problem but it looks like I've few seasons left.
The transmission has been replaced, and then replaced again. As is so often the case the second install was not done correctly but with over a thousand hours on the third transmission it seems to be doing well.
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Espar heater install
A couple years later and and over 100hrs of use (no hour meter) the heater works well, still have occasional leaks at the heater and water pump but nothing worthy of repair.
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Gen in a Box
Lots of work has been done to Island Song including all new ground tackle, new exhaust, cleaning, sealing and a lot of 120volt work including new panels, circuits and now a storage box for the Generator.
The engine alternator is too small to charge the batteries well when away from the dock and we do like our mod cons so a marine generator is in our future, our richer future.
Our present is on a limited budget so we will have to make do with the generator we have. It is a noisy Honda 2000i. I know lots of people think they are quiet but not to me. I prefer solar panel quiet myself or at least as quiet as a proper marine gen and while the Honda is quiet compared to some it is no where near quiet enough for me.
I also want a storage box and I want to be able to run it in the pouring rain. Basically I want it all and I want it now...but this will have to do.
So here is the very first test run of the new Gen Box:
That is with about 7 amps. I said 10 but that was just a guess. A DB meter had it at 81 DB on the noisy end and less than 70 about 10ft from the front end. So it does make it much and the generator stayed so cool there was no need to measure that. I'll have to wait for a warm day to check it for cooling because with the 5c we have in this video there was no noticeable heating, in fact most of the generator was cool to the touch.
And here it is at idle:
That's all for now.
The engine alternator is too small to charge the batteries well when away from the dock and we do like our mod cons so a marine generator is in our future, our richer future.
Our present is on a limited budget so we will have to make do with the generator we have. It is a noisy Honda 2000i. I know lots of people think they are quiet but not to me. I prefer solar panel quiet myself or at least as quiet as a proper marine gen and while the Honda is quiet compared to some it is no where near quiet enough for me.
I also want a storage box and I want to be able to run it in the pouring rain. Basically I want it all and I want it now...but this will have to do.
So here is the very first test run of the new Gen Box:
That is with about 7 amps. I said 10 but that was just a guess. A DB meter had it at 81 DB on the noisy end and less than 70 about 10ft from the front end. So it does make it much and the generator stayed so cool there was no need to measure that. I'll have to wait for a warm day to check it for cooling because with the 5c we have in this video there was no noticeable heating, in fact most of the generator was cool to the touch.
And here it is at idle:
That's all for now.
Sunday, 20 November 2011
34' Camano fish boat turned cabin cruiser.
The 34' Camano is not related to the much more famous 31' Camano.
Here is the info I have, please comment if you have more.
Thermodyne hull
Made in Seattle, WA
Here is the info I have, please comment if you have more.
Thermodyne hull
Made in Seattle, WA
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