Bayonette bulb socket and Nissan problem

[walberts]

This past weekend I was out past dark and put on the running lights. They came on and in a bit, I noticed that my port light had gone out. I bought new bulbs the next day and when I went to install the bulb, I found I couldn't get a grip on it to turn it in the socket. Just the crown of the bulb was accessible and no matter how I tried I couldn't turn it.

I tried vasoline on the terminals and base. No luck. The socket prevents you from getting any purchase on the bulb.

Has anyone else experienced this problem and if so, what was your solution? I finally gave up. I was afraid I'd break the bulb and cut my fingers in the process.

Also, on my Nissan 6, the screw that stops the engine from turning is completely useless. It's in as tight as it goes, and the engine rotates easily. That's a problem at slow speeds and under sail. Anyone had that problem? What did you do?

[SkipperJer]

I broke the bulb with a screwdriver, grabbed the bulb base with a pair of needle-nose pliers and twisted it out. It took a considerable amount of more delicate clean-up to rid the socket of corrosion before I reassembled. Moisture seems to get in no matter what. Now I remove the bulbs in winter and clean things in the spring as I put them back in.

[walberts]

My problem wasn't getting the old one out, it was getting the new one to twist back in.

[Bill]

Also, on my Nissan 6, the screw that stops the engine from turning is completely useless. It's in as tight as it goes, and the engine rotates easily. That's a problem at slow speeds and under sail. Anyone had that problem? What did you do?

Remove the engine while sailing. We store ours on the sole between the main and fore cabins and replace the plug. If you've ever seen an Ariel or Commander healed over with the engine in the well . . . .

[SkipperJer]

duh. Sorry about that.

My old fixtures have a pressed in rubber base that brought the contacts up into the sleeve from the inside to complete the socket. If that base is pressed in too tight I don't have enough depth to get the tangs on the light base in far enough. too far out and they can't make contact.. There are also two configurations of bulb base with slightly different arrangements of tangs.

I've fiddled with these old lights just enough to be ready to replace them despite how much I like the way they look. They leak and require constant attention.

[walberts]

I was afraid of that idea ... replacing the old lights. I like the original look, but... I will wait to see if any other suggestions arise. I have a piece of rubberized material that you use to open stuck lids on jars etc. I thought I'd try that ...

[Scott Galloway]

Regarding the Nissan problem: I also have a Nissan 6 hp motor on my Ariel. The manual states that the screw is designed to adjust the amount of force required to turn the engine, but also states that it is not designed to lock the engine in a particular position. So at low speed under power, the torque will cause the engine to wander even if you do tighten that screw fairly well.

It would be nice to remove my motor during a long sail and place the well plug in the well so that I could keep the sea from coming up into the well, and reduce drag. But for me that is not feasible, nor desirable

I use a lifting davit to lift my motor into and out of the well when I am at the dock. I have to use a tabernacle system to pass under a bridge on my way to sea, so there is no way I am going to lift that 60 lb motor by hand out of the well and carry it into the cabin with the mainsail up except in an emergency. I probably sail slower because of that. I really don't want to trip over a motor when I am below for that matter. I have pulled the motor at sea with the davit. The davit installation IAW the Ariel Assn Manual places the davit in the path of the boom, so if had to lift the motor with the mainsail up, it would be a poor time for an accidental jibe. In an actual emergency, I did pull a previous 80 lb engine on a close reach with an experienced helmsman. It worked, but on a close reach and heeled over, pulling the engine was no fun.

My solution to keeping the motor somewhat stable is to run a large diameter length of bungee cord from the forward port leg of the pushpit three times around the OB Motor handle (below the throttle) and then around the forward starboard leg of the pushpit. When it is in place, there is tension on both ends of the bungee, but I can adjust that tension by slipping the bungee on the motor handle. The bungee holds the motor pretty much in a straightforward position in line with the keel. I take that bungee cord off and lower the motor handle to close the hatch when I am sailing. I keep the screw on the motor tight while sailing. Sailing in conditions from 1 to 30 knots in variable ocean swells on all tacks the motor stays in place fairly well. At least I have never considered any minor wandering to be a problem.

I have thought of building a simple U shaped device that would slip onto the forward edge of the lazarette hatch and lock in place there a thumbscrew similar to the one used to secure your motor to the forward edge of the well. The motor arm could then be placed in the U, and would not wander. Of course that would only work if the lazarette hatch were open.

[walberts]

Thanks for the responses. I will try the rubber pad to replace the bulb. If it doesn't work, and I need to replace the running lights, I'll check the forum to see what has been used by others.

As far as the engine goes, it has been a really good alternative to the 2- stroke Mercury I used to have. I have no complaints about it except for the issue of its not locking in position. I agree that pulling it out and stowing it below is just too much to deal with on a day-sail basis. If I were making a long passage it would make sense, especially if I could hang it on the push-pit. But that's not the way I usually sail and I still don't have a push-pit! So the engine stays in the well.

Has anyone designed a plug that will fit in the engine well with the engine in place? I think I remember reading about (What is his name? The man who owns the yacht "Atom") fabricating a piece like that for a yacht with a similar problem. The downside was that the engine was fixed in place and therefore lost the advantage of being turned when backing or manouvering in tight situations. But the hole in the transom problem was solved.

This past weekend we were out in 20 knots, gusting 25, and had to triple reef to keep the speed down enough to avoid drowning the engine. We did fine, but I was concerned about it. I'd really like to just remove the engine and put in the plug in situations like that, but it was blowing so hard and we had to motor out into the bay before we could begin sailing and at that point there was no way I was going to give any thought to removing the engine. There was enough to pay attention to as it was. So the idea of a way to plug that hole and fare hull where the water rushes up as you reach and exceed hull speed, while still leaving the engine in place, seems like a worthwhile trade off to the manouvering problem created by fixing the engine position.

[Hull376]

There are lots of discussions on options for making the motor well water tight with the motor in place and in heavy seas or healing. I'll take a picture of a solution I use which is less complicated than the one in the Ariel manual. I cut a cover out of plywood that fits over the top of the well and has a U shaped cutout where the shaft is. A hole located below the cooling water exit (when the motor is aligned) allows the water stream to flow out. A rubber gasket is glued to the underside of the cover where it mates with the top of the motor well. Bolts with wing nuts going through this cover and the holes in the tabs on the sides of the well hold it in place (these tabs with holes usually mate with the tabs and holes on my well plug---but they can also hold a cover in place). The cover slides underneath the motor on the top of the well after the motor is set into the well since the prop won't fit through the U shaped cut out for the motor shaft--- but it slides in easily (I know a pic would help, I'll find one). This isn't as "aero" as a flush well plug, or something that lines up with the hull, but it is a good compromise for ease of use and still keeping most of the water out.

Also, if you overtighten the screw on the Nissan 6 too many times trying to lock the rotation, you'll break the internals. I did this and had to order new parts. I don't find that the motor rotates except when running at slow idle so I haven't messed with an alternative locking mechanism.

[Scott Galloway]

The forward edge of the outboard well in my Ariel was raised. This was accomplished by bolting a teak riser on top of the forward edge of the well. The riser elevates the motor somewhat, but I can still close and latch the lazarette hatch with the Nissan 6 hp motor in place in the well, and that was also true of its predecessor, a Honda 7.5. So that means that my motor is slightly higher (perhaps three inches) than it otherwise would be if the teak riser were not there. I sail around with all of the sails up (main and class jib) at 20 degrees to 35 degrees of heel on windy days, and sometimes at 40 to 45 degrees of heel for short periods, and to my knowledge I have never drowned the engine. The engine is mounted at on the centerline of the boat, so should remain above water while you are sailing, should it not?

I would like to see a photo of that OB well plug, but I have a couple of questions for anyone who has built a device to keep most of the water from the lazarette hatch when the motor is in place in the well, or for anyone else with an opinion:

Question 1: A lot of water sloshes around down in that lazarette hatch, but the great big well opening and the drain hole seems to allow it to drain back into the sea before it reaches the motor. If one plugged the well so that most of the water did not get into the locker, but some water did, that basically means that the entry of water has been slowed and not stopped. When the boat is heeled there is no way for that water to drain from the lazarette locker. It will remain against the lee hull. Then, after a long tack with a slower entry of water would this water become problematic on tacking? Where does it go when you tack? In other words, with no great big well hole to drain the lazarette, what happens to the water if the exit opportunities for the water are limited? Perhaps this is a problem and perhaps not.

Question 2: And here is a heavy weather concern: I find some level of comfort in the fact that were I to suddenly have a lot of water in my cockpit, some of it will flow through the three inch louvered vent in the vertical front lazarette hatch and down the well. That should speed he process of draining a flooded cockpit and increase safety in the process, should it not?

[Hull376]

Scott,

The problem I had when not using a cover or the well plug was, as you say, water collecting on the lee in the laz---- and it not draining out of the hole in front of the well as long as I was on the same tack. Even worse, I have had enough water to float a 3 gallon fuel tank and found it upside down when opening the hatch after several hours!


With a cover, a little water comes in, but if fitted right, not much. I'll let someone else try to answer your other questions. Here are some pics of my plug, and the simple cover I use.

[Ed Ekers]

Scott I agree with you 100%. I too have experienced the well serving as a big drain. In terms of heavy conditions I recall a time sailing down the coast when we took a couple of breaking waves over the stern and added about eight to ten inches of water in the cockpit. While the scuppers were doing the job, after I pulled the hatch board off the lazarette the water drained out immediately. Our feet were still a little wet but what the hell at least the boat was thanking us for the weight reduction.