Spend spend spend

Ordered the instruments, vhf and aerial this evening.

Gone for basic Advansea instruments, with an analogue wind gauge. They are NMEA 0183, but seem solid, and keenly priced.

Also ordered an NMEA mux so that i can take all the instrument info to the plotter and a PC in the future.

The radio is a Standard Horizon GX2100E, with a remote command mike. I'm a real SH fan, and think their quality is superb. Also having had a command mike in the past in the cockpit, i'd never be without one again!

The radio has built in AIS, so that will eventually feed to the plotter, but in the meantime, will show on both the radio and the command mike.

Finally, an aerial... Nothing flash.. Just a 1.1m stainless steel whip.

I was also going to order the new bilge pumps and seacocks this evening, but have forgotten to check the pipe diameters for the engine intake and heads intakes. I'm replacing three seacocks (the engine and both heads inlets) as they are below the waterline and currently stainless steel... They'll be replaced with DZR versions.

I've also got a few new fittings to add... The fridge inlet and outlet (which will also service the watermaker), and three outlets for new bilge pumps. I've decided to fit seacocks even on the outlets above the waterline... For the sake of a few quid, better safe than sorry.

The bilge pumps are monsters!

Two biguns, at 2000GPH and one smaller one at 500GPH... That works out at a system that all full chat can shift 16,000ltrs an hour!

So, besides finalising the measurements for the above, that just leaves the fridge/freezer to order in this round.

Once that lot is fitted (via a lift out along the way), then i've only got nav lights to sort, and then bar finishing the starter and alternator wiring on the engine and flushing the fuel tank... and seeing if i can get her started... and we could possibly have a small trip out of the marina!

Not sure what the starter and alternator will be like after their little 'ducking' last autumn... They were thoroughly rinsed and dried, but perhaps 6 months of corrossion will have taken place. Only time will tell.