Finishing boat work and ready to go

Amekaya on the hard for a bottom job.

During the months we were in the Rio and not travelling I was able to finally finish the engine reinsulation project that I started over the summer. The puzzle-like task took lots of thinking to ensure pieces were installed in their correct order. The new insulation was thicker than the old and changed the way pieces fit together. Because of the increased thickness many of the pieces required trimming because they were made from templates of the old pieces. Finally, it's finished and will hopefully last another 10-15 years.

The old pieces of insulation laid out to make templates from plastic sheeting.

The finished engine compartment with new insulation

Another issue I never thought much about was the solenoid for our propane system. I never thought much about it because it seemed to be in good shape. I thought that at some time I would buy a spare

The original solenoid installation.

and then I discovered that the original part was no longer available. Often when an old part isn't available the new part is an easy fit but as I began looking for a replacement, I discovered that a direct match would be unlikely. I contacted the factory to little avail and then wrote to IP guru Norm Pierce who provided some insight on the installation. The big question was the size of the connections.

The old and new fittings with the locally procured one on the left

I borrowed some fittings from a friend with the 2 common size connections (1/4 and 3/8") to check for compatibility. After much effort I was able to disconnect the gas supply hose from the solenoid to try them and found that neither fit.  One was too big and the other too small. So I ordered the solenoid that had a 5/16" fitting through the West Marine store here in the Rio and the part actually got here quickly.

The old solenoid removed.


I tried that fitting on the supply hose and it fit. Hurrah! But now I had to get the existing solenoid off to get access to the flange on the line to the stove. To do that I had to destroy the solenoid so I could get a wrench on the flange. It’s always a leap of faith when you have to destroy the existing and functioning part to install a new one. The 5/16" connector fit the flange but the other connection in the solenoid kit was 3/8". Having destroyed the working solenoid I had no working solenoid, no way to make it work and most importantly no way to use the stove. All the connections on the old solenoid 5/16". Here in Guatemala many people cook wood or charcoal but lots of people cook with propane. So, gas is readily available and so are parts. I found a gas service shop where I was able to get the exact connection I needed, installed it and we can cook again.

The new installation

We are again enjoying the holidays here in Guatemala as we accomplish our boat tasks and wait for our new batteries. The weather has cooled off immensely from the summer and is in fact cool with highs some days only reaching the low 70'sF. There are many beautiful days with nice blue skies, warm temps and a nice breezes but too cold to swim. We decorated the boat for Christmas and enjoyed several parties. The Gualtematacas celebrate with families and lots of fireworks. For the time between the holidays the Rio fills with holiday celebrants from the City coming to their national playground.

Decorated for the holidays.


Our biggest project that kept us in the Rio much longer than planned was our replacement batteries. After I left in August to return to the US the boat was at Catamaran Marina. We paid the marina for their staff to check our boat and service it weekly. Among the tasks to complete was to check the power and ensure everything that should be on was. We left the fridge on but unfortunately the power wasn’t checked, our battery charger was off and the batteries died.

Finally our new batteries arrived.


We checked the batteries and only one was actually bad but the rule is they all need to be replaced because the old ones will wear down the new one. In October we spoke with Karen at RAM and she told me they had six new Grp 31 AGM batteries. I asked her if she could hold them because I did not want to install them until December when we would be ready to leave. She said she would order more so when we installed their inventory she would have more to sell.

The original battery installation had neatly run rows of cable with the batteries aligned.

When we visited her in December after our travels, we were advised they had sold one and would have to order more. Into the second week of January and the batteries had still not arrived with no firm date available. We had found another store in town that had the batteries and were able to get them installed in a few days.

The new installation with wires running in multiple directions but it works.


The installation was a challenge because the new batteries were bigger than the old but they required a confusing array of cabling to make them work. But they are in and working wonderfully.
During the hiatus we had all our canvas cleaned and the isinglass polished by one of the canvas shops in town, we had a local contractor sand and apply a maintenance coat of Cetol to our teak and had our fuel cleaned to ensure there was no lingering issue from the water we suffered when we filled back in April. Our canvas looks great, the teak looks great and our fuel had no traces of water! Yay! We’re ready to roll.

The refinished teak

Two engine related tasks that needed to be accomplished were repacing the engine impeller and cleaning the fuel. I checked my log and was not sure exactly when the impeller had been changed. The last record I had of it was 3 years ago. But, a year after that we had completed a 1000 hour service which should have included changing the impeller but I hadn't noted it separately. On examination it was clear the impeller needed to be changed.  

The old impeller before removal.

Since April when we resolved the fuel issue  there has been no evidence of water or dirt. But as a precaution we had the fuel and tank cleaned and found no water and only a little dirt. Hopefully, it will prevent any problems while we're cruising.

The photo doesn't show how clean the bottom of the was after the cleaning.

Everything on the boat was checked, everything worked and we felt confident in leaving.
Knowing we had a good tide and a relatively calm weather window we untied the dock lines on 16 January and motored down the river to Texan Bay for the night and the next day left the Rio for Belize. How great to be off cruising in salt water after spending 9 months on the Rio.