Stepping Out, Spencer Saraband, 2389

[Jono G 43]

Sorry, yes Chris.  Must have been rushing.

Great story.

[aardvarkash10 1,057]

Building a spinnaker sock

Mrs A is terrified of putting up the spinnaker due to my ineptitude on the foredeck.  Between guys, sheets, poles, halyards uphauls, downhauls, and canvas, I am less perplexed as overwhelmed.  Getting it up isn't the problem (typical bloke) but pulling it all back in is exciting.

So, having read a few instructables and watched a couple of videos, I figured we can put together a reasonable spinnaker sock/douser to reduce the amount and volume of Mrs A's screaming to a bare minimum.

Today is ideal weather for such construction given its raining and sh!tty outside, and Mrs A is already huddled over the sewing machine running up some new covers for the squabs, so the timing is right.

I'll let you know how it goes...

 

 

[aardvarkash10 1,057]

part-way there...  8m of tube constructed, 4m to go

 

[aardvarkash10 1,057]

I started a repair to the cabin top a couple of weeks ago.  I went out today to continue with filler and hopefully sanding and a primer coat.

It wasn't to be.  But I got a Mitre10 tarp rigged as a boom tent and soldiered on fitting the diesel heater for winter sailing.

The heater unit is located in the rear starboard locker, and pumps hot air through 80mm Marley downpipe to a floor level vent in the galley, port side of the companionway.  Yeah, odd to not have it all on the same side of the boat, but engineering limits were run into.

It was a relatively pleasant afternoon except for one exciting moment when I was head-down to my waist in a locker and suddenly found I couldn't get out.  Adrenaline is a wonderful molecule.

 

[whitepointer 34]

I’m keen on fitting a diesel heater as well, but will  I still have interior condensation issues, ply cabin and deck with no head lining, if it doesn’t remedy  that I might put up with being a bit cool and just wipe up with a towel in the mornings

[aardvarkash10 1,057]

1 hour ago, whitepointer said:

I’m keen on fitting a diesel heater as well, but will  I still have interior condensation issues, ply cabin and deck with no head lining, if it doesn’t remedy  that I might put up with being a bit cool and just wipe up with a towel in the mornings

No, you will have warm dry air fed into the cabin and so it will remove condensation.  The damp exhaust is fed to the outside via a skin fitting to save you being gassed to death!

[Black Panther 1,686]

We had a,fair bit of condensation pre heater. With it almost none.

[Fish 0]

On 26/06/2021 at 6:07 PM, aardvarkash10 said:

I started a repair to the cabin top a couple of weeks ago.  I went out today to continue with filler and hopefully sanding and a primer coat.

It wasn't to be.  But I got a Mitre10 tarp rigged as a boom tent and soldiered on fitting the diesel heater for winter sailing.

The heater unit is located in the rear starboard locker, and pumps hot air through 80mm Marley downpipe to a floor level vent in the galley, port side of the companionway.  Yeah, odd to not have it all on the same side of the boat, but engineering limits were run into.

It was a relatively pleasant afternoon except for one exciting moment when I was head-down to my waist in a locker and suddenly found I couldn't get out.  Adrenaline is a wonderful molecule.

 

Hay AA10, I apologies in advance if this post upsets you.

Are you using that PVc pipe as a carrier pipe or an encasement pipe? i.e. is it carrying air, or encasing the fancy foil ducting stuff?

I've been carefully studying how to install a diesel heater in my old wooden boat, and am fairly cautious about hot pipes in enclosed spaces etc. I haven't yet found a suitable pipe for all of the ducting, other than the rather expensive foil ducting.

If you are using regular DWV PVC (drain waste vent, or in common language, downpipe) it is most likely U-PVC (unplasticised). It has a maximum operating temp of 60 degs, and, slightly more concerning, starts melting at between 79 to 84 deg C. Refer the Marely Design manual, section 1.3 Thermal Properties (page 2)

DWV-Technical-Manual-Update-April-2016.pdf (marley.co.nz)

My understanding is, for all of the diesel heaters I've looked at, the air temp exiting the unit can be as hot as 90 to 110 degs. Note, that is the air temp, not the exhaust temp. The PVC pipe might not be to good if it heats up. Note that dioxins can be given off by PVC when it gets hot.

PS, what brand heater are you using? I was really keen on an LF Bros, but I think they've been sold to Heatport, so I may just have to get one of those.

[Ex Machina 384]

Yep the heated air is very bloody hot 

[aardvarkash10 1,057]

hmmm.  Thanks folks.  YEah, DWV pipe.  Interestingly, the material at the hot air outlet is a plastic of some sort as are the supplied junctions and outlet swively eyeball thingee.  It doesn't appear to be fibre reinforced or anything special.

We are talking chinese kit here however.

Its all just loose fitted at the moment pending buttoning it all up, so I may look for some insulated tubing to run inside or instead of the DWV material.

[Ex Machina 384]

16 hours ago, aardvarkash10 said:

hmmm.  Thanks folks.  YEah, DWV pipe.  Interestingly, the material at the hot air outlet is a plastic of some sort as are the supplied junctions and outlet swively eyeball thingee.  It doesn't appear to be fibre reinforced or anything special.

We are talking chinese kit here however.

Its all just loose fitted at the moment pending buttoning it all up, so I may look for some insulated tubing to run inside or instead of the DWV material.

Yep have the same kit and the outlet gets jolly hot to touch but doesn’t offgas or go soft . 
 

dimond roofing and metalcraft roofing both do galvanised 80mm down pipe . And you could insulate it with the socks made for heat transfer system ducting which is easily got at big box hardware stores and electrical wholesalers .

[aardvarkash10 1,057]

I think the easiest approach is to use the stuff delivered in the kit and reverse the air flow I had planned.  I'll use the floor vent I had built as the air intake and put the outlet right next to the heater unit (venting into the unused 1/4berth).

Thanks everyone for the advice - I'm glad I was my usual slackbastard self and hadn't finished this off yet.

[aardvarkash10 1,057]

Fitted.  The heater sits in the starboard rear locker.  Hot air vents into the starboard quarterberth, intake heating air is drawn from a vent in the front of the port quarterberth.

Combustion exhaust vents into the cockpit via an insulated skin fitting.  Fuel comes via the main diesel water separator / filter, the pump is located in the engine space.  Wiring to be finished next weekend.

[Fish 0]

What brand kit did you get Aardy? I'm still keen to install one, but am torn between the cost of a known brand or the potential quality issues of one off AliExpress, along with noise and ease of operation.

My missus says we have to be using the boat more before I can spend more money on it, I'm telling my missus if we had a heater we could use the boat more... (something about the new mainsail, anchor, chain, engine, prop shaft, rudder bearings, batteries etc that makes her think I'm spending too much money on it...)

I haven't been able to find any info on the plastic duct fittings. All I know is that all the brands use plastic duct fittings. Some plastics are heat stable, and others aren't. I do know that PVC pipe is actually only about 20% poly vinyl chloride, the other 80% is fillers, extenders and weird sh*t...

[Black Panther 1,686]

I used plastic duct fittings as supplied. No problem. 

[aardvarkash10 1,057]

18 minutes ago, Fish said:

What brand kit did you get Aardy?

I have no idea.  The documentation, such as it is, is one A4 sheet of Chinglish that appears to have been photocopied a gazillion times.

I suspect that they are all made in the same factory in China - they all look the same on aliexpress.  As it turns out I got this one of a guy here who was going to fit it to a motorhome but sold the RV before he got to it.

I paid $150 for it.  If it lasts two or three years, I've had my value out of it.

We are wanting to do more winter sailing and heat is comfort so its an investment not a cost!

[aardvarkash10 1,057]

I got a couple of small signs engraved using signomatic.co.nz

Upside:  Easy process, relatively cheap @ about $20 all up (I thought), and I was in control of it all including size, layout etc

Downside:  The website advised 5 - 7 days delivery.  It took 2 months.

Upside:  Comms were good.  When they hadn't turned up after 4 weeks I emailed.  They advised they were really sorry, had left their end, post is a bit dodgy atm.  Also, they are in Sweden!  They reran the order and resent in case it was lost in mail.

Downside: 25 days later, still no signs.  Contacted them advised them, asked for refund.

Upside:  Refund was in the account three days later.

Upside: First set of signs arrived yesterday.

Would recommend?:  Yes, but only if you are not in a hurry.

[harrytom 675]

You have your Spencer up the Clevedon river?? Do you have a exhaust shut valve?why I ask as it is common for eels to work there way in to the exhaust and you may think they will come out on fire up of engine apparently not so. This was the advice an old boy back in 1996 gave me when we moored up at clevedon. It was already fitted.

[Black Panther 1,686]

That's just weird

[harrytom 675]

5 hours ago, Black Panther said:

That's just weird

Thats what I thought at the time but others said same thing.