Propeller shafts sent to Miami for straightening, new shaft couplings have been installed to replace the damaged originals.

The external prop-shaft struts needed to be cut off so the shafts could be aligned properly with the engines then the struts welded back in the proper position. This alignment is critical to get maximum performance out of the ship.

 

New shaft logs where installed, new packing glands built and new cutlass bearings put in to finish up the drive train.

 

New propellers where made by the Michigan Prop Co. These new propellers are called “Workhorse” props used by the US Coast Guard and where designed and manufactured specifically for the “Dare” to give maximum fuel economy while underway and maximum performance while digging with the mailboxes. They are larger than the old props and are a 4-blade design instead of the less powerful 3-blade props previously installed.

New 1” thick aluminum rings have been place around the props creating the leading edge for the mailboxes. The positioning of this leading edge in relation to the propeller blade is critical to attaining maximum thrust through the mailboxes. We placed the rings 1” behind the prop center line for optimum performance without risking cavitation. The new mailboxes will meet up with the back side of this ring to form the mailbox tube. New cages are being made to keep stray divers, hoses and lines out of the moving propellers.

The new mailboxes have arrived from the fabrication shop in Ft Pierce, FL. Apple machine did a beautiful job getting them done. They have been beefed-up for additional strength and durability over the old ones. We made the main elbows out of ½” aluminum instead of the normal ¼” material and increase the thickness of the 4’ long extensions to 3/8” material as well. We will be using 6” I-beams for the legs to make them extremely strong to hold up to all the hard work they will see this summer digging on the Atocha site.

 

The engine room has been completely redone. All of the salt water thru-hull valves and strainers have been repaired or replaced, the bilge plumbing has been replaced, new bilge pumps and high-water alarms installed, engine starting air compressors rebuilt and serviced, two new emergency bilge/fire pumps are being installed this week, bilge and all walls have been cleaned and painted, new mufflers and exhaust has been installed, main fuel tank repaired and painted, new fuel lines and valves installed, new harsh environment lighting fixtures installed, new main electrical panel installed and wired.

 

The generator room has also been completely overhauled. The generators where removed, the hull repaired, two new 420gallon fuel tanks where installed, the old 500 gal water tank located beneath the floor was repaired and converted to a fuel tank, the old generator was replace with a new Kabota 38kw unit to match the other one installed two years ago, new ship/shore electrical panel and switches installed and wired, twin fuel transfer pumps are being installed to transfer fuel from the three new fuel tanks to the main mid-ship fuel tank giving a total fuel capacity of over 3,000 gallons.

 

 

 

 

New rudders are being made to replace the old bent ones. They have also been redesigned and extended to fit inside the new mailboxes properly. New rudder arms will be installed as well as a new hydraulic ram to power them. The ram will be fitted to a new I-beam that has been installed across the inside of the stern bulkhead. This was installed to stiffen and strengthen the stern to carry the load of the new mailboxes.

Four new 150 gallon fresh water tanks have been fabricated and installed in the galley bilge to offset the additional weight of the fuel tanks in the stern. This will add much needed ballast low in the boat to increase its overall stability during rough seas. A new fresh water pump and pressure tank have been installed in the engineering space behind the galley. We also relocated the fresh water maker to this location and replaced the old A/C unit with a new energy efficient system which dropped the load on the generator from 60 amps to 13 amps. This will also save us a significant amount of money on our electric bills while at the dock when they are using the shore power supply.

 

 

New keels have been fabricated under the three propeller shafts to add strength to the shafts and increase the side-to-side water resistance of the hull to help prevent the “roll” and make the Dare more stable at anchor. We also added stabilization wings to the outside corners of the hull to help with satiability as well.

 

 

The hull has been sand blasted below the water line and many damaged and badly corroded sections have been removed and replaced. It is now being prepped for three coats of primer and the topside hull will be painted with a two coat epoxy blue to match the Magruder and the bottom will be painted with two coats of good quality black bottom paint. The superstructure will remain white and the deck light grey.

 

The aft deck canopy supports have been modified to add deck space and make room for two new dive benches. Now each side of the boat will have a dive bench to accommodate more divers and visiting investor/divers

New dock line storage boxes have been made on the bow in front of the wheel-house in an effort to move more weight off the top of the boat and create better stability. The ropes where previously kept on the roof of the salon and are too heavy to stay there so they will be moved to the new bow storage boxes. The more weight we move down into the boat the more stable she will be at sea.