collecting courtesy flags

For a couple of Christmas's and birthdays, we've been buying courtesy flags for each other as a bit of fun... they make ideal stocking presents... we're starting to build up quite a collection now, so today printed off a list and marked the ones we have, and the ones we want, to avoid repeat or dual purchases.... the list of ones still needed is very long, and we've identified at least another 30, plus quite a few that we'll probably add once that list is exhausted!

(For the landlubbers, when you enter the territorial waters of a nation state, you fly a quarantine flag - a plain yellow - until you are cleared by immigrations, and then you fly their national maritame flag - or ensign as it is properly known - from your mast, the whole time you are in their waters)

Its a fun way of dreaming about the trip we'll make in a few years time, and keeps the enthusiasm up... plus it also encourages you to think about routes and options, which is nice daydreaming!

less progress

An earlier start than yesterday, with plans to get the job completed.... but as is all too often the case with boats, the task ended up beating us, and we retired to try again another day.

Firstly, the bit of 3 core wire aimed for the steaming and deck light, appeared upon close inspection to be somewhat more corroded than we'd thought, so that'll need replacing... and I didn't have any... so instead we set about removing the old rusty rivets, and putting new ones in.... all good in terms of removing the old rivets, albeit a little hard, and requiring a combination of drills, and brute force with a hammer and punch, to then discover that the large rivets replacing them were larger than the largest mandrel on the new rivet gun... bugger... game over.

So, instead, we packed up and set off home.

Jim, upon getting home has discovered that his rivet gun does have the correct sized mandrel, so that's in the post to me, and i'll have another go next week.

You win some, you lose some.

masthead done!

A most productive day. 

My friend Jim came over to give me a hand with the masthead stuff... its really a two person job, with one pulling wires at one end of the mast, and one feeding at the other... it can be done alone, but its hard work.... so I was very grateful for the assistance.

My expectation was for trouble, so I am pleased to report that it has gone pretty much perfectly, and proved to be far more straightforward than I expected.

As we started the masthead was a bit of a mess..

With fittings from all the old equipment in varying states of decay, so this needed removing... but with care, as the old wiring becomes critical in pulling through the new wiring.

Usually, this task is a nightmare, and so, it was  pleasant surprise to find that the new wiring was pulled through without too much trouble.

We then mounted the new equipment, and suddenly the masthead looks ok again, and we are one step further to being ready to leave the marina for a sail.

I am particularly pleased with the combined windex/VHF aerial, which not only looks neat, but is nicely out of the way of the wind instrument sender.

We've still got the steaming light and deck light to fit and wire up, but the wiring is in place, so not the biggest of jobs, and then the rivets to drill out and replace, which should be too bad a job either... as Jim has treated me to a 'lazy tong' rivet gun, which make the job a LOT easier.... a giid few jobs off the to-do list today.... and given Jim's generosity, it is only fitting that he has the closing picture.... :)

which engine

This is the other big question.....

I've discounted the new, extremely cheap, engines coming in from China.... there are just too many quality issues yet.... we need an engine that we can utterly rely on for our long term plans. Maybe in a few years time, when they've got a track record, they will be viable alternatives.

In the meantime, I will look for pricing from the main three, Nanni and Beta, and Vetus... I've also come across Craftsman marine, which look very interesting... its a new-ish company set up by ex Vetus management, and their engine looks very very similar to the Vetus, and is based on the same block, which is widely used in commercial applucations globally, so availability of spares isn't a problem... I suspect they'll be quite competitive price wise... lets see.

new engine

Looks like Phoenix will be getting her new engine soon.....

I've got to work out the logistics of doing it now... there are a few challenges to consider.

1] Timing in getting the old one out... i'll need crane assistance from the yard, so that'll be a mid week job... and will require me to remove the access hatch in the cockpit floor.

2] Maintaining the waterproof-ness of the cockpit while the hatch is removed, without having to do the whole job of out and in over a couple of days

3] Sorting out the engine compartment, and timing the paint job for decent weather, so that it will actually dry!

4] Working out how to deal with the engine feet... will I need to put new bearers in, or can I use modified feet?.".. or something like a bar across the existing bearers?

5] Fitting a thrust bearing, or facing an alignment challenge...

6] Storing the new engine until it is fitted... will the yard hold it for me in their shed?... or will they be unhappy that i'm not buying through them?....

7] Lead time on the engine... will it be weeks and weeks?

So many questions to deal with.... it's going to be fun!

breezy

I've been down to the boat to check she's OK.... all's well with her....

Slso, while there, I collected the new starter motor, which i've sold on to another owner of a Lehman engine... so its not going to go to waste!

While I was there, I also snapped  few pics of the rusty rivets on the mast that will getting replaced shortly...

Bet they take some drilling out!

The boat seems quite dry below, bar the leak in the engine compartment from the access hatch... I'm not that concerned about it, as the hatch will be removed shortly, when we put a new engine in, and that's the opportunity to get it water tight, and in the meantime, the leak is only slight, and can't do the engine any more harm than has already been done!

I have however, ordered a heavy duty tarpaulin, that I will be putting over the whole cockpit area once it arrives... so that fixes the problem in the interim....

Hopefully progress to report soon, on the mast, and a few other jobs that need completing.