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Without wanting to shift this into an even more political area (mods!!!!) the situation is a result of residents voting with their short-term brain. If you oppose the rate increases that are required to continue services and to ensure that systems like sewage are consistently n+20% capacity, you have ipso facto agreed to the inevitable less than ideal outcomes. In Rodney, there has been 40 years of retirees and small farmers screaming about their limited means while they crosslease and subdivide their nest egg properties (generalisations, but not by much). Hence, the Mahurangi shitflow.

Last week I attended the wonderful Paul Whiting Tribute in Auckland. I mentioned to Penny Whiting that I am the administrator for the Whiting 29 website and I was keen to build up an online register of Whiting 29's. She then presented me with this massive book which contains historical documentation and photos on every Whiting 29 ever built. What a find! I have now digitised all the pages and uploaded it to our website for all to enjoy: www.whiting29.org Regards, Geoff

Yes, it is a shame that Matakana Oysters need to close. But, some would question the logic of trying to grow and sell filter feeders downstream from a major urban area. A bit like trying to run a tranquil monastery retreat on Quay St, then complaining there is too much noise and traffic. Asides from a failing wastewater system any urban area is going to produce large quantities of things filter feeders are going to suck up that are very bad for you. Road run-off for example. Including heavy metals from break pads. How much agricultural land is around and upstream of the Mahurangi now

Suddenly your user name makes sense

I dont think this is an economical or practical repair in the long term even in the best case scenario, that said you could go down the quick and dirty route and just get it welded as is. File and sand to an acceptable finish while you find a secondhand winch.

In-fes-tim-inal, adj, an infestation of extremely small battery problems. See: extrarodentially and infesterminal

Yet for the entire history of yacht batteries in NZ they are in wooden boxes under a bunk with no outside vents fuming away under the squab usually. Number of FLA incidents compared to boating hours is infestiminal.

Clearly they should ban storms in the area

Just like Western Springs speedway, and Ardmore Airport. "It's noisy here" disregarding that the facilities were there long before the whining latte drinkers moved in. And for the record, I don't just blame Watercare, every facet of Govt, local & central have been asleep at the wheel as a lack of planning & sensible policy has taken it's toll on the NZ environment & lifestyle. I'm not prepared to give them all a free pass because they're throwing money at it now.

This is what the CURRENT standard Says; 2.9.3 Additional requirements for lithium ion batteries The following additional requirements apply: (a) Lithium ion batteries shall be installed in locations that ensure the battery manufacturer’s specified operating temperature limits cannot be exceeded and are appropriate for the IP rating of the battery and its management system. (b) Each lithium ion battery shall be provided with a battery management safety system (BMS) either integrated into a battery pack or as a separate component located adjacent to the battery. The BMS shall cont

I get it Aard, but there is little we do in modern civilization that does not induce toxicity into the environment marine or land (we are not going back to live in caves) - yet, it appears to be that the biggest polluters get away with it that do 99% of the damage, and recreational boaters who in comparison would release an infinitesimally small amount of toxicity have to follow the rules. Sorry - it's bullsh*t.

This has been mentioned before but there is no coordinated policy to control biofouling. If the govt wants less poisonous leaching from underwater coatings then failing a breakthrough in technology (let's face it, despite millions spent on R&D there's nothing but vague promises and aspirations) there needs to be concomitant policies that enable boat owners to clean their vessels easily, regularly and economically. Instead we have the removal of hardstands, grids, poles etc, the increase in fees to use existing facilities and an acknowledged decreasing effectiveness of coatings. Now so

On average every four weeks but it varies between years and during season. I use either a scrubber brush or a home made appliance based on a Scotch-Brite like cleaning pad sized 30 by 15 cm. Hull depth is a mere 25 cm so no diving needed. Hard to say. If memory serves I had these alternatives: Finding a source of illegal anti-fouling -- still needs cleaning but less often and only during second half of sailing season. Hempaspeed TF Hempel's Silic One which is more complex to convert to and softer. I was told it would not work on an a boat that lives on

I met Drew Smith while he was in Westhaven getting his 34 ft boat ready for the leg from AK to Rapa-iti, a trip of about 2500 miles. Here's his website https://farotherside.com/ His route is something like this He said he needed to head south to catch the westerlies before going north, he cleared customs on Easter Sunday. The weather eased for a few days before the next system came through, here is the next system He sent me message saying all is well, and while we are all tucked up and warm I can't help but spare a thought for Drew out there on his own

Imagine if you could feed it to dairy cows , replace palm kernel with it..... Actually there are a lot of people making money out of it already -though none have stopped the spread.

The Paul Whiting Tribute is being held at the Ponsonby Cruising Club on Thursday May 15 2025. The Whiting designed and built 'Taranui 3' (the plug for the Whiting 47) and the mighty 'Magic Bus' will be on display right outside the club. Viewing of boats and design plans from 5pm. There will be a tribute to this remarkable young New Zealander at 7.00 pm upstairs at the Ponsonby Cruising Club. Come and enjoy our excellent dinner menu and full bar facilities. Intro of Penny Whiting MBE, Tony Whiting and Grant Whiting by Kevin Lidgard. Ponsonby Cruising Club Phone (09) 376 0245

And tides.

We have always maintained overseas registration of our yachts. Swapped to Poland when UK SSR required a residency in UK rather than just citizenship. Registration in Poland was quick and easy via one of the online registration agents. We departed Opua in early March and had no issues. We did make it clear the vessel was NZ duty paid so reentry is easier. Cleared in ton Guam 30 days later no issues and now clearing into USA (Alaska) with no issues. registration of vessels is no new thing and many yachts use flags that are not the country of residence of the owner, no big deal.

One of the advantages of an extraordinarily low sailing budget is that extraordinarily large problems arising from expensive options are null and void.

Oh simple me, I go sailing to relax, enjoy the environment and not worry, so that ruled out Lithium batts of any type (and the cost) have I suffered-not a whit.

Id just like to re-iterate -the issue is that (IMO) Lithium Ion has no place on a yacht. LiFePo4 only!...

Absolutely Aa, a 3 year election cycle is entirely incompatible with long term infrastructure planning. The constant chopping and changing of the national land transport plan, hospital builds or even Cook Straight ferries illustrates that well. Now, to rapidly step away of the political aspects. People never think they might be part of the problem. It is always someone else, and normally some large organisation that is easy to blame. Ignoring the fact that those organisations are made up of (largely) hard working and dedicated individual. Example of "I'm not part of the problem"

Thank you Frank. I took the drum into 'Machine Part Welding' in Penrose today (they do repairs on aluminum cylinder heads, amongst other engineering). The engineer described a process almost word for word as you explain above, which gave me confidence they could do the job. Thank you Psyche and aardvarkash10 for helping work through the options. I am not sure yet whether Harken still supply these drums (waiting to hear back). I have found online 2 retailers in the US that have the drum; they are both seeking about $US3.6k (about NZ$5.9k) for the drum plus shipping. There is a 2nd hand wi

My understanding of all the Lithium style batteries, the Marine LiFePO4 are the least fire hazard of all, perhaps even less of a fire hazard than AGM or old style Lead Acid Golf Cart type. Don't hesitate to put me right though - what I know about electrical things is less than Donald Trump knows about how Tariffs work.

1964 documentary series on islands in the Hauraki gulf. A glimpse into a past long gone. The series was reprised in 2018 by the original presenters daughter. Those are also available on nzonscreen. https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/islands-of-the-gulf-rakino-and-kawau-1964/quotes

If you have a hankering for some Windward Leewards this winter. This might be only winter racing in Auckland with this format. BBYC Winter Series is based on 5 Sundays with a Harbour Course. And 4 Sundays with two Windward Leeward races, usually held in the Back Paddock. Will be a bunch of 88s, 1020s and similar sized keel boats. Entries close this Friday. Harbour and Windward Leeward entry options. Individual racing is also available. Sailing Instructions https://bbyc.org.nz/sailing-instructions/ https://bbyc.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/WInter-Series-NOR-2025-Final.pdf

But it's what you do if you don't want to pay for a proper filtration system and appropriate drainage on the hardstand. Even with integrated vacuums, dry sanding toxic poisons is simply crazy.

Totally in reverse of best practice and the rest of the world

After reading that article, it's a lost cause and the minister is basically doing performance art. 150 tons washed up on one beach? I think the best strategy right now is hope because unless something happens in the marine environment i.e. a predator or some other controlling factor then we are in the hands of fate. Suction dredge and one tiny fragment turning into a football field in three months? 6 1/2 million so far to try and solve the problem with a dredge, my only comment is that it sounds like great work if you can get it.

I reached out to Altex and they said would need to remove before putting #5 on. We put Warpaint over Vivid Petit and the adhesion isn't the best. When we get barnacles it pulls Warpaint off down to the vivid.

No one local would fill mine as they need to be NZ registered and certified - seems odd if they are available as close as Aussie and no manufacturer has bother to register them here as corrision on steel ones in a marine environment is an issue

Matauwhi Bay , they are universally known as the mudcrabs, and fouling no where near as bad as Opua

God thats depressing...' *calls hard stand and makes booking for next bum paint*

That is what I'm on about. The vast array of portable lithium type batteries we all have now, and largely forget about. AIA (or one of the large insurers) report a 17% increase in house fires last year. That is attributed to the greater numbers of portable lithium type batteries in use fairly much everywhere. Was in Milldale today and noted a brand new very large house that had fresh fire damage. Back of the house was clearly involved, two floors, deck, cladding, smoke damage everywhere I could see. Windows blown out with broken panes still hanging. And no, that wasn't the recent Mil

I did a bit of hand wringing before I chose LiFePO4. (Actually ordered firefly carbon & cancelled as there was a wait) All that time I've had cordless drills, mini grinders, a laptop and multi phones living onboard with little much of a second thought. A little strange how we perceive risk. I've used an abused these other chemistries for years, (on land) hence no qualms at all.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BVCeecbTH/ DoC acknowledge storms spread weed: Since 2021 it’s been found in Hauraki Gulf and Northland as well as the top of Coromandel Peninsula. Modelling shows it could spread and establish as far south as East Cape. Unfortunately, exotic caulerpa spreads very well in storm events through the movement of fragments and larger broken-off chunks.

How many people have smoke alarms on your boat? As IT wisely points out, there are many ways to start a fire in an electrical system, not just the battery. And who has no other portable electronic devices on the boat? No phones, laptops, air-buds, smart watches, vapes, stereo remote controls, party lights, battery banks, handheld VHF's, electric outboards? I think there is a real risk of fire on a boat, but it isn't from just one source. Consequently it is wise to plan for and assess the risk. Smoke alarm, well placed fire blankets, fire extinguishers, grab bag for a quick get-a

Personally I've NEVER seen a recreational vessel with a fire proof battery box... With LiFePo4, you are MUCH more likely to have an electrical fire at a high resistance connection or failed appliance than at the battery. Pretty hard to make the entire electrical system fireproof. IMO better to put the main battery switches somewhere easily accessible and/or have remote cut-off switches so you can easily shut down the power source. And decent extinguishers. I think a LiFePo4 battery fire is EXTEMELY unlikely, especially in a system that meets the standards for monitoring and auto shut

Well that is a fact free load of emotional ladeda. Doesn't even have a date on it. Is it from a decade ago? @Black Panther, is that a current thing or some sort of old posting? Watercare already have a multi-billion dollar project underway to sort it. It's been underway for 5 to 8 years, depending on which bit of physical works you say is the start of the project. Historically Rodney District Council had a wastewater treatment plant next to Robertsons yard. It was hopeless. The main issue is that Warkworth's poo pipes leak like a sieve, so every time it rains the WWTP gets inund

Tomorrow night.

This is called taking the law into one's own hands, its vigilantism against bottom hugging greeblies 😁 It's what happens when there is a failure in policy which is unacknowledged and a need to take action, I have no doubt that if there was a glow in the dark additive that was easily available such as tributyltin, people would use it.

After 30 years in contact with Aluminium I suspect additional shop time might be needed drill out some of the locking grub screws and careful use of heat to extract the bronze ring . They will need to clean the crack surface to thoroughly remove any oxidised material, it can be a surprising amount, they will also remove the anodising around the weld margin. Post repair you will need to get the drum stripped and re-anodised. It looks to be a relatively thin wall casting so distortion might be a risk and as already mentioned the welded area will be weaker than the parent material. It mi

Thanks motorb, aardvarkash10. I will check out the options during this week. I have identified the cause. There is a bronze gear fixed to the bottom of the drum with stainless fixings. Galvanic corrosion around the stainless fixing has put pressure on the drum. Kicking myself for not spotting it and attending to it. Today's job is to strip the gear from the partner winch, clean and duralac etc. Learnt something new about my boat, the hard way again... kind regards Kieran

My enduring memories of the little I know about Poland....

It was a phone conversation with work safe last year that told me the problem was a requirement for a tapered thread valve and the possibility that a tapered thread in a fibreglass bottle would split the neck open. At the time they would not consider a parallel thread and o-ring... I suspect the guy was also worried at the possibility someone might try and use an incorrect thread. But would love to be proven wrong, or opinions to be changed, I would still like to buy a couple of bottles if I could get them refilled.

Pity that official can't see the successful and extensive history of scuba tanks which work at 3000 psi and are hydro tested to 5000 using a similar system......

Matauwhi Bay is pretty popular with liveaboards. Short walk to Russel town and supermarket, Boat club right there for social stuff, nice dinghy pontoon. Also very sheltered for most wind directions

Juice panels are either nominally 12v or 24v depending on the size. If the maximum "open circuit" output of your panels is around 36-40v then they are actually nominally 24v panels - the same voltage as the larger Juice panels. If you need smaller panels then two 12v panels can put in series to make the output nominally 24v (actually maximum around 36-40v open circuit). It is true that a higher voltage set up will give better low light performance because the panels will only charge when their output voltage is higher than the battery voltage. Even an MPPT controller will only charge

Hmm, not exactly accurate. “12” volt panels often run at 20 odd volts with MPPT, and the voltage has nothing to do with low light ability. A decent controller will adjust the panel voltage to get the max power point -hence mppt.