Forgot to add.... we may not be using International Micron Extra.... we've seen the price of it!!!!
It'd cost us nearly £200 in paint....
Instead we're going to try either Cruiser Uno or Blakes Tiger.... not decided which yet... depeneds upon availability I guess...
Saturday, 28 February 2009
Tender
Well, the tender didn't take long to sell..... about 20 minutes in fact!
Its going to a boat that is off long distance cruising, and wants something that can be rowed.... a good choice....
The purchaser couldn't collect it this weekend though, which actually suited me, as its the last weekend i've got at home for a while now.... next weekend i'll need to nip down and get her ready for her lift out (remove cockpit tent, take dehumdifier off working top etc etc), and then the following two weekends will be antifouling, polishing and generally getting her ready for the season, plus, I think that the SSB and Watermaker will be turning up at some point during one of the those weekends, so i'll have plenty to keep me occupied!
I'm saving a bit of money each month at the moment to fund the various items on my 'must buy for the boat' list..... and have spent a fun couple of hours shuffling things around to try and decide what to buy first..... i've changed my mind as many times as the wind direction has shifted..... no doubt many more changes to come.....current dilemma is whether I fit a grounding plate while Morgana is out of the water, and then add aerial, LRC and Pactor as soon as possible, or whether to park all of that, and prioritise a standing rigging refresh, as the rigging is now 15yrs old...
Its going to a boat that is off long distance cruising, and wants something that can be rowed.... a good choice....
The purchaser couldn't collect it this weekend though, which actually suited me, as its the last weekend i've got at home for a while now.... next weekend i'll need to nip down and get her ready for her lift out (remove cockpit tent, take dehumdifier off working top etc etc), and then the following two weekends will be antifouling, polishing and generally getting her ready for the season, plus, I think that the SSB and Watermaker will be turning up at some point during one of the those weekends, so i'll have plenty to keep me occupied!
I'm saving a bit of money each month at the moment to fund the various items on my 'must buy for the boat' list..... and have spent a fun couple of hours shuffling things around to try and decide what to buy first..... i've changed my mind as many times as the wind direction has shifted..... no doubt many more changes to come.....current dilemma is whether I fit a grounding plate while Morgana is out of the water, and then add aerial, LRC and Pactor as soon as possible, or whether to park all of that, and prioritise a standing rigging refresh, as the rigging is now 15yrs old...
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Antifoul
Tender is sold..... just need to arrange collection....
Then I need to get the lift out dealt with so that I can get the jobs done underneath Morgana
Asking around suggests that the best antifoul is International Micron Extra...... so we'll be giving that a try this year
Then I need to get the lift out dealt with so that I can get the jobs done underneath Morgana
Asking around suggests that the best antifoul is International Micron Extra...... so we'll be giving that a try this year
Sunday, 22 February 2009
tender for sale
Just stuck the tender for sale on ybw.... if you are interested, its advertised at £150...
Wells-next-the-sea
Had a wander down to Wells yesterday by car....
Spoke to the Harbourmaster.... he's quite confident that we'd be OK to get in there, and it is quite a lovely little place, so thats added to the list of places to go....
It does however have an entrance channel that is somewhat nerve jangling when you see it from the land.... it even doubles back on itself, and does several right angle turns.... and in places is no wider than 50', yet surrounded by shallow water, so not obvious.....
We may well add it to the end of our annual Ostende trip.... if we are brave enough!
Spoke to the Harbourmaster.... he's quite confident that we'd be OK to get in there, and it is quite a lovely little place, so thats added to the list of places to go....
It does however have an entrance channel that is somewhat nerve jangling when you see it from the land.... it even doubles back on itself, and does several right angle turns.... and in places is no wider than 50', yet surrounded by shallow water, so not obvious.....
We may well add it to the end of our annual Ostende trip.... if we are brave enough!
Friday, 20 February 2009
lift out
Got a lift out booked for the 13th to 23rd March.... only challenge is that the yard don't have any space or spare cradles at this instant in time... it shouldn't be a problem, as several boats are due to go back in early march, and this will free up the neccessary space and kit.... but.......
I've got to get her lifted.... less for the antifoul, and more for the anodes... its starting to play on my mind, as now i've bought the SSB and watermaker, I can't afford a new prop!
I've got to get her lifted.... less for the antifoul, and more for the anodes... its starting to play on my mind, as now i've bought the SSB and watermaker, I can't afford a new prop!
Thursday, 19 February 2009
fitting conundrums
Some additional thoughts ref the bits i've just bought.... what else I am going to need....
For the watermaker:
I'll need the bits to tee into an existing through hull intake. The obvious one is the engine intake.
It will also need an outlet for the brine. This can be above the waterline, so a simple plastic through hull will do for that.
I'll need to sort out a feed to the water tank.... that should be easy, but just need to look at how its done. It needs a diverter of some sort so that the initial run can be fed off overboard until its running clean.
This would also suggest that I should sort out the water tank level gauges... they've never worked properly.... one only goes to a 1/4 tank regardless of levels, and the other flicks over to full regardless of levels.... Its not the end of the world as excess water in the tank will simply spill out of the overflow, but seems daft to be using power to generate water to put it straight back into the sea, so an good indicator might make sense.... maybe a flow meter if the fix for the gauges isn't obvious....
For the SSB:
I'll need to sort out grounding. I don't think the keel is going to be practical. Firstly its a long way from the sensible location for the ATU, and secondly, with a bonded in hull liner, running a copper strap wouldn't be easy, so it'll probably need to be a dynaplate. Upside is that there are plenty of obvious locations for it.
I'll need an aerial. I'm not overly keen on putting isolators in the backstay, so may well go for a long whip aerial... seen them at 7.5m and that seems sensible.
I'll need a pactor modem at some point. It'll have to wait though until i've replenished the funds
Last but not least will be getting an LRC certificate so that I can get sailmail or similar organised
Installation in both cases seems quite straightforward.... behind the aft cabins is a decent sized space that contains the steering gear.... its well underutlised, and certainly has enough space on the port side for the watermaker.... neatly out of the way, and well protected from the elements.
For the SSB, the ATU can go in the starboard equivalent.... again, well protected, and in this case, just a metre or so from the optimal location for a grounding plate, as well as very close (30cm?) from the ideal mounting point for a whip antenna. There is easy access to the inside of the hull to run the copper strip which can also be quickly protected by a splash of pain in an 'out of the way' location. It is also right on a cable run for taking the lead between head unit and ATU back to the chart table.
The one niggle at the moment is where to mount the M710 itself. It is a BIG unit measuring over 30cm by 15cm, and really needs to be either mounted standing (as opposed to hanging) because it weighs 8Kg, or flush mounted. I'm not sure that I have enough depth in the instrument panel to flush mount it, and besides... the flush mount kits are quite expensive.... It may well not fit in the gap above the instrument panel... so i'll have to explore options here... probably easiest when I physically have the unit, and can place it to see where it will fit.
So..... 2 more major items crossed off the crusing requirements list!
For the watermaker:
I'll need the bits to tee into an existing through hull intake. The obvious one is the engine intake.
It will also need an outlet for the brine. This can be above the waterline, so a simple plastic through hull will do for that.
I'll need to sort out a feed to the water tank.... that should be easy, but just need to look at how its done. It needs a diverter of some sort so that the initial run can be fed off overboard until its running clean.
This would also suggest that I should sort out the water tank level gauges... they've never worked properly.... one only goes to a 1/4 tank regardless of levels, and the other flicks over to full regardless of levels.... Its not the end of the world as excess water in the tank will simply spill out of the overflow, but seems daft to be using power to generate water to put it straight back into the sea, so an good indicator might make sense.... maybe a flow meter if the fix for the gauges isn't obvious....
For the SSB:
I'll need to sort out grounding. I don't think the keel is going to be practical. Firstly its a long way from the sensible location for the ATU, and secondly, with a bonded in hull liner, running a copper strap wouldn't be easy, so it'll probably need to be a dynaplate. Upside is that there are plenty of obvious locations for it.
I'll need an aerial. I'm not overly keen on putting isolators in the backstay, so may well go for a long whip aerial... seen them at 7.5m and that seems sensible.
I'll need a pactor modem at some point. It'll have to wait though until i've replenished the funds
Last but not least will be getting an LRC certificate so that I can get sailmail or similar organised
Installation in both cases seems quite straightforward.... behind the aft cabins is a decent sized space that contains the steering gear.... its well underutlised, and certainly has enough space on the port side for the watermaker.... neatly out of the way, and well protected from the elements.
For the SSB, the ATU can go in the starboard equivalent.... again, well protected, and in this case, just a metre or so from the optimal location for a grounding plate, as well as very close (30cm?) from the ideal mounting point for a whip antenna. There is easy access to the inside of the hull to run the copper strip which can also be quickly protected by a splash of pain in an 'out of the way' location. It is also right on a cable run for taking the lead between head unit and ATU back to the chart table.
The one niggle at the moment is where to mount the M710 itself. It is a BIG unit measuring over 30cm by 15cm, and really needs to be either mounted standing (as opposed to hanging) because it weighs 8Kg, or flush mounted. I'm not sure that I have enough depth in the instrument panel to flush mount it, and besides... the flush mount kits are quite expensive.... It may well not fit in the gap above the instrument panel... so i'll have to explore options here... probably easiest when I physically have the unit, and can place it to see where it will fit.
So..... 2 more major items crossed off the crusing requirements list!
water and wireless
I appear to have just bought a watermaker and an SSB radio!
a nice Icom M710 with 130 tuner, and a Schenker 30 modular watermaker.....
Better start looking for somewhere that does a LRC exam so that I can use the SSB.... and work out how to tee a salt water inlet off the engine intake...
slowly, but surely, we are getting her closer to being ready for long term cruising...
It does mean that the radar arch will have to wait though..... can't afford that now!
a nice Icom M710 with 130 tuner, and a Schenker 30 modular watermaker.....
Better start looking for somewhere that does a LRC exam so that I can use the SSB.... and work out how to tee a salt water inlet off the engine intake...
slowly, but surely, we are getting her closer to being ready for long term cruising...
It does mean that the radar arch will have to wait though..... can't afford that now!
..oh, and forgot
I bought the eyelts to complete the dodgers.... I did manage to fit one eyelet, but given that it was early evening by the time I got to the boat, and that hammering eyelts in on a pontoon can only be described as noisy, I decided to bring them home and complete there..... I did trial fit them, and they are about perfect size wise, so nearly completed!
back on board
Well, it was nice to be back on board, after not having been down to the boat since the new year.
The intention was to get the insulation fitted to the pipe work for the Eberspacher, and this was largely completed.
There is a total of about 18m of pipework, and I reckon that I've done about 12m, but crucially, done the 12 most difficult ones, so well on the way.
I've used a foil coated bubblewrap insulation, readily available from DIY stores, along with an aluminium foil tape, and loads of ultra long cable ties.... has cost me about £35, compared to the £150 it would have cost to use proper Eberspacher lagging.
As part of the exercise, I also replaced a length of pipe.... in M's cabin, one length of about 50cm is exposed, and inevitably has been somewhat crushed through accidental knocks.... its impossible to run it in a more protected location, so I have replaced it with a length of 110mm soil pipe.... this is pretty heat proof, and obviously crush proof, so a much better option. It wasn't however, without its challenges. The pipe ran from one bulkhead to another, and the Eberspacher pipe at 100mm is a bit smaller, so I spent a good 2 hours filing holes to get the soil pipe to fit. Eventually, with some assistance from a hammer, I acheived an 'interference' fit, so its good and secure.... the second challenge was fitting 100mm pipe to 110mm pipe.... I cut small slits in the flexible pipe, and then 'stretched' it over the soil pipe.... with extensive use of the foil tape, and then cable ties, I have a good robust joint that is airtight....
I think that the previous failures to start that I had with the Eberspacher have been related to this length of damaged pipe, for when I looked at the removed section, it was largely completely obstructed, with the inner having collapsed, so I think that the airflow was heavily restricted.
I trial fired the Eber up, and it ran beautifully, first go, and was noticeably warmer at the far vents. I reckon that when the insulation is finished, it'll run for much less time, as it warmed the boat up in less than half the time previously experienced.
Only other thing to report is that one of the stern lines was a little loose, and unfortunately, the bow has just 'kissed' the pontoon once or twice, and managed to knock a very small chunk of gelcoat off... so another repair job... its nothing serious, but a bit annoying!
I am in discussions with a friend who bought a boat last year, which was fitted with both SSB and watermaker, neither of which he is particularly bothered about keeping..... will see if we can come to a mutually acceptable deal, in which case, I'll have more goodies to fit, plus a few other jobs to do, such as fitting an aerial, ground plate, and doing my LRC exam.
Weather is improving rapidly, so optimistic for some sailing soon....
The intention was to get the insulation fitted to the pipe work for the Eberspacher, and this was largely completed.
There is a total of about 18m of pipework, and I reckon that I've done about 12m, but crucially, done the 12 most difficult ones, so well on the way.
I've used a foil coated bubblewrap insulation, readily available from DIY stores, along with an aluminium foil tape, and loads of ultra long cable ties.... has cost me about £35, compared to the £150 it would have cost to use proper Eberspacher lagging.
As part of the exercise, I also replaced a length of pipe.... in M's cabin, one length of about 50cm is exposed, and inevitably has been somewhat crushed through accidental knocks.... its impossible to run it in a more protected location, so I have replaced it with a length of 110mm soil pipe.... this is pretty heat proof, and obviously crush proof, so a much better option. It wasn't however, without its challenges. The pipe ran from one bulkhead to another, and the Eberspacher pipe at 100mm is a bit smaller, so I spent a good 2 hours filing holes to get the soil pipe to fit. Eventually, with some assistance from a hammer, I acheived an 'interference' fit, so its good and secure.... the second challenge was fitting 100mm pipe to 110mm pipe.... I cut small slits in the flexible pipe, and then 'stretched' it over the soil pipe.... with extensive use of the foil tape, and then cable ties, I have a good robust joint that is airtight....
I think that the previous failures to start that I had with the Eberspacher have been related to this length of damaged pipe, for when I looked at the removed section, it was largely completely obstructed, with the inner having collapsed, so I think that the airflow was heavily restricted.
I trial fired the Eber up, and it ran beautifully, first go, and was noticeably warmer at the far vents. I reckon that when the insulation is finished, it'll run for much less time, as it warmed the boat up in less than half the time previously experienced.
Only other thing to report is that one of the stern lines was a little loose, and unfortunately, the bow has just 'kissed' the pontoon once or twice, and managed to knock a very small chunk of gelcoat off... so another repair job... its nothing serious, but a bit annoying!
I am in discussions with a friend who bought a boat last year, which was fitted with both SSB and watermaker, neither of which he is particularly bothered about keeping..... will see if we can come to a mutually acceptable deal, in which case, I'll have more goodies to fit, plus a few other jobs to do, such as fitting an aerial, ground plate, and doing my LRC exam.
Weather is improving rapidly, so optimistic for some sailing soon....
Monday, 16 February 2009
new blog home
The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that yet again the blog has moved home.... it now lives on blogger.com.....
There are three reasons for this...
1] I got fed up of fighting the spammers trying to post links in the comments facility
2] I got fed up of writing the posts in HTML, rather than plain text
3] Blogger has some facilities that will be useful to me long term such as the ability to post via e-mail
Anyway...... off down to the boat tomorrow (its half term, and I have the week off)... we won't be sailing as the lock is shut for its annual maintenance, but just going down to check Morgana ober, and get a few jobs done... prime amongst these is lagging the heating pipes.... i'll get the bits before I go tomorrow.... the one bit of exposed pipe, I am replacing with a short length of exterior grade waste pipe... this'll stop it getting damaged when stood on!
The Eberspacher needs a service.... i'll give it a look over while I am there, but suspect that it really needs a new glow plug.... so i'll have to do that at a later date if it proves to be the case...
Other than that, not a lot going on.... must get a lift out booked, so that I can change the anodes and antifoul her.... the season isn't far off now!
There are three reasons for this...
1] I got fed up of fighting the spammers trying to post links in the comments facility
2] I got fed up of writing the posts in HTML, rather than plain text
3] Blogger has some facilities that will be useful to me long term such as the ability to post via e-mail
Anyway...... off down to the boat tomorrow (its half term, and I have the week off)... we won't be sailing as the lock is shut for its annual maintenance, but just going down to check Morgana ober, and get a few jobs done... prime amongst these is lagging the heating pipes.... i'll get the bits before I go tomorrow.... the one bit of exposed pipe, I am replacing with a short length of exterior grade waste pipe... this'll stop it getting damaged when stood on!
The Eberspacher needs a service.... i'll give it a look over while I am there, but suspect that it really needs a new glow plug.... so i'll have to do that at a later date if it proves to be the case...
Other than that, not a lot going on.... must get a lift out booked, so that I can change the anodes and antifoul her.... the season isn't far off now!
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
'Making' progress
I finished the second dodger last night.... they both need the brass eyelets fitting, but that can be done in a matter of a few mins...I did start on the parbuckle... all cut out, and ready to go, but after stitching the first seam, I decided that i'd wait and borrow the industrial machine again... This needs to be tough.... I can get away with less than perfect stitching on the dodgers, but if the parbuckle is to be used to lift me back on boars, I want to be damn sure that its not going to fall apart....I can therefore start on the replacement flag for the dabuoy.... to be made from a flourescent overjacket with reflective strips on it... and then on with the LED anchor light....I've sent a couple of e-mails enquiring about a radar arch, but not yet heard anything back after 4 days...Its left me time to think about what I want from the arch.... its main purpose will be to hold solar panels and wind generator, and provide the rearward mount for a bimini... but I also have in mind that it will be a davit as well... this will allow me to remove the current davits, and free up the transom for self steering.... I've got a Hydrovane in mind eventually.... but it'll have to wait... they are really expensive!I like it for two reasons.... Firstly, it acts as a great emergency rudder, and secondly I can set it off centre, meaning that I don't stop the folding transom seat from operating, and blocking the swim ladder.... I'd like to explore how easily it can be removed as well, with longer term planning in mind, thinking that I can remove it when we are just cruising around a local area, and then quickly remount it for longer passages....Not sure how practical that will be though.... My next 'making' challenge when this current round is complete, is a passarelle... a boarding gangway... i've seen some interesting plans for one made from a folding ladder, that looks great, would be cheap, and folds away neatly for stowage.... the challenge is the mounting on the boat... i've got some ideas about a bar through the toerails, and using that on the bow, but need to think it through properly yet...
Monday, 2 February 2009
Brrrr!
Sailing hasn't been top of the list for the last few weekends. Its been bitterly cold, very windy, and in the last 48hrs, snow has descended on the UK in quantities not seen since the 1970'sWe've had in places in excess of 12" of snow. Not a lot for some readers no doubt, but for a country that gets that volume of snow once every 20 years, we are totally unprepared. Hence chaos reigns!Its not the kind of weather that has you thinking of popping down to the boat for a quick afternoon on the water either!Progress on the 'making things' front has been somewhat reduced too.... the second dodger is completed up to the 'G', and there it has stalled while other things get in the way. Like work.The coming weekend boys trip is still planned, but we are keeping a close eye on the weather.... more snow forecast.... not that I am bothered about sailing in the snow, more concerned about making it down to Lymington in one piece!We have however, made one decision.... the tender... its just simply too tippy to be a permanent fixture.... so we'll be loooking at the cost of fitting a radar arch, and then putting the inflatable back on there. Or maybe if we can afford it, we'll treat ourselves at some point to a small rib....
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