Frank
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Posts posted by Frank
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3 hours ago, waikiore said:
I second that, got soaked but it was great to see lots of old friends and a sailing dinghy display! Reminds us what we have missed in the commercial boat shows these days.
I haven't been to a boat show for years as they are just a massive yawn with Powerboats predominating and maybe a few production yachts. I only missed this Wooden boat show as I was sailing but I hope there is another !
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If the Bronze rods are Aluminium Bronze then they should be as good as new , probably true for Phosphor Bronze as well, also I have heard of Hard Drawn Copper being used occasionally . For SS bolts I would want to see the condition at the hull/keel junction to ensure there is no crevice corrosion or pitting. The installation sounds like its substantially over engineered which was often the case for boats of that era, a good thing of course
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7 hours ago, CarpeDiem said:
New Zealand has ACC.
While ACC is often unfair to the victim and victims often end up worse off, that's just the way it is.
Our ACC is considered world leading and is envied by the developed world.
Its not a perfect system but I'm told by my American friends the alternatives are far worse, ie you have a very litigious society and insurance gets way more expensive.
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This whole thing about Space/time being warped by gravity completely does my head in, I accept it but I simply cant visualise or grasp it.
Quote from the interweb
" Time measures speed, while gravity does all the work. When a clock is in a stronger field of gravity, the atoms in the clock feel the pressure of more mass. The force of gravity slows down the frequency of atoms, a clock slows down, and the time on a clock has time dilation.
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Talk to Kerry at the Marina shop (Insurance broker)
kerry@themarinashop.com
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LOL, I had exactly that block/System on the Carpenter and had the same failure after 20+ years of solid service. I repaired it by drilling out the pins, making a new strap and bolting it back together, looked a bit agricultural but gave me another five years. Now it has been replaced with near new system from a Young 88, All that said I recommend you get new blocks, forget about welding unless you can put an external doubler on it.
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3 hours ago, K4309 said:
Crikey, that is a feckin awful story. Enough to give me nightmares.
Might go and sort out my forehatch cover so I can open it form the inside.
Yes it certainly got my attention, I worked for Air NZ engineering for many years and I recall that a crash axe was always strapped to the cockpit bulkhead as mandatory emergency equipment. I have sometimes pondered carrying one in the lazarette, probably a standard sharp wood axe would do and could be used to smash the perspex of any internally secured hatch. I recall the author of the article commented on how tough the GRP was but adrenaline kept him going and probably provided freakish strength. Matt of IT is right its a good idea to have a think about the emergency procedures for a fire.
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I recall in the 80,s reading of a fire in a GRP yacht where the children of the owner were sleeping in the quarter berth. Attempting to rescue them from outside the companion way he was defeated by dense smoke. Entering via the fwd hatch he could not traverse the saloon due to the vinyl lining on the roof burning and raining molten balls of fire, (this being the cause of the dense smoke). With the children now screaming he exited and smashed through the deck above the Q berth with a crash axe and then extracted them from above. Both survived but had to be hospitalised due to smoke damage to their lungs. I was building the family boat at the time and cancelled plans for a soft roof lining which I had otherwise been quite keen on. I also repositioned the fwd hatch to be directly overhead the Vee Berth as its original position it was too high above the sole to be any use for egress. I don't recall the detail on how he accessed the crash axe or why it was onboard but it saved lives.
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14 hours ago, ballystick said:
Gas fitters can issue a compliance cert that is suitable for the insurance company, it includes signs, new hose, auto shut off, gas pressure test, CO meter etc. it can be expensive depending on each installation
That's what we did, we installed the copper gas line to keep the cost down, the Gas fitter did the final hookup and test etc.
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For those pondering a LiFEpo retrofit the battery, 3 KW Inverter, DC to DC charger, Solar Controller, and associated components are under the fwd end of the RH bunk in the photo. The space it occupies is modest and would easily be accommodated In a small yacht. The DC to DC charger is on the Bunk Front but has yet to Kick in (18 months ) as solar has been sufficient (440W of Solar on the roof)
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Here is a Photo of the Inverter/Battery Compartment in the land Yacht, the cable run from the Battery to the Inverter would be approx 1M , the cable outer Dia is 16mm and I'm guessing the thickness of the insulation is 1.5 mm ? giving a core dia of 13mm ? If so the cross section is 132 mm Sq. For the curious I have included a photo of the El- Cheapo Breville Induction plate we use, it was $80 at Noel Leemings from Memory. Our meals on the H20 Yacht and the land Yacht tend to be simple so we only ever need one burner/plate as neither of us are particularly fond of cooking.
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4 minutes ago, K4309 said:
Those were just the examples I have seen. Certainly much easier with the tennis court sized cat for solar, and tropical sun.
No reason it can't be done in NZ, it's just I haven't heard of it, which also appears to be the OP's question. Obviously a charge source other than solar would be a bigger factor in NZ. But in saying that, many boats already run generators or have alternators that are comedy large anyway.
The basic concept has been proven and is very good on tropical cruising boats though.
On your typical radar arch on say a 40 ft offshore cruising yacht you would have near enough real estate for 400W , even if a bit shy,wing panels could be added.
Lithium batteries have substantially lower internal resistance so charge quite a bit quicker than AGM
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9 hours ago, CarpeDiem said:
What sized cables do you have on that? To meet the standard @ 240amps/3kw you'd need 70mm2 for a 1m distance between battery and inverter.
That's some pretty hefty cable
Off the top of my head I cant say as that work was done by Half Moon Bay Electrical , they also did the AC side and organized the Inspector for the compliance sign off..
I will check it out later and report back
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Foot Note
A while back we calibrated the system monitor and needed to take the battery down to about 10% . From memory we had to boil 36 jugs of water (1L) together with a heat gun on low power and all the lights one etc it took well over an hour as I recall and the solar was disconnected. Day to day we have never sucked it below 75% but that might change when we are in the SI in Autumn.
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9 hours ago, ballystick said:
Now insurance companies coming down hard on gas systems, requiring gas certificates for systems that have been present in boats including production boats since launch date, 30 years plus. After my last gas cert bill of $1600 plus I am contemplating switching to LiFePo4 batteries, incuction hobs and an air fryer oven in a solar/alternator combo, has anyone completed this changeover locally, what size inverter and battery Ah sizing etc?
On our Campervan the specs are
330 Ah Lifepo Battery, 13 V
3KW Inverter
440 W Solar
We run a 2100W Plug in Induction plate
800W Kettle
800W Microwave
Isotherm 12 V fridge (has a small freezer compartment)
Rooftop vent fan runs 24/7
Lighting, stereo etc etc
This system barely breaks a sweat and we will be adding a dedicated freezer later. So far the DC to DC charger has never kicked in ie Solar has been sufficient.
Caveat, we don't boil a kettle or use the microwave while cooking on the induction hob. We have used the kettle and MW simultaneously just for laughs, and it was obviously no problem.
Induction hobs regulate power uniformly down to about half power and then they go into some kind of Cycle on - Cycle off mode. For the type of meals we prepare I don't see the power draw going anywhere near the full 2100W. The Induction hob is the fastest cooking system I have ever used.
Needless to say the van does not have any LPG and if I ever built another boat I would install the above system in a heartbeat but it was expensive. On the boat we have an Alcohol stove so gas not an issue. On another boat im involved with we had to create a sealed gas Locker and replace all the plumbing with plastic sheaved copper tube except for the last bit where it couples to the stove, we did all the work ourselves except for the final hook up and certification. That piece of paper cost us $1200 5 years ago.
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5 hours ago, aardvarkash10 said:
Shelley Park was where Mrs Aardvark's parents sailed out of. Doesn't look a lot different now!
It hasn't changed at all, lack of road access is the main reason and long may it remain so
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5 hours ago, aardvarkash10 said:
Nice housings! Teak, or mahogany?
SO has pelmets over the cabin windows and I fitted LED strips under them, four circuits individually dimmer controlled. Great indirect lighting and turned right down you can find your way around the cabin but there is no point source to mess with your night vision.
Recycled Mahogany, pelmets are a good idea, might have to steal that one !
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What My Son did on the weekend,
He made a set of Lumineers for the Saloon Cabin, did a nice job and the work a treat
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Made a boat, this was my father's first and only keelboat, he loved sailing but mum didn't like anything that heeled over so he sold it and built a ferro launch which was pig heavy and did not really heel much, but she still refused to go on it anyway.
Its all done from memory and an old photo but I'm fairly certain it was a 1916 Seabird 26 hull with modified rig and cabin. The second photo is the Shelly park cruising club members greasing the timber planks for a haul out session in the early 60,s lard from the freezing works was used as grease, yes rats were a problem at the club and still are.. Dads Boat is 2nd from left above the man with the hat and pipe, hard chine hulls seemed to be common back then, simpler times I suppose pre GRP.
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On 28/01/2024 at 3:53 PM, aardvarkash10 said:
SO has an Eno gas stove and it's a pita. Expensive parts, safety cutouts have a will of their own, I'm over it.
So we went back 35 years and got a Marine Stainless 2 burner Kero stove. I love it!
I have tried running it on a mix of different fuels because of the cost of Kero @ $6 a litre!!! In the end nothing burnt quick or clean so it's back to Kero but it's Jet A1. Buying it 10 litres at a time from the local airfield.
This is a quick test run before it gets fitted next weekend.
Mate those are Gold ! we have the Seven Seas Marine version jetted for Methylated spirits its 50 years old and still going strong. We buy fuel from TMK in 20L containers without the dye which otherwise clogs the jets. With Alcohol there is no smell but the Kero burns much hotter , only sticking with Meths because my wife is prone to seasickness and doesn't like the kero smell.
Spares can be purchased here
https://www.caravancamping.co.nz/shop/specialist-stoves/stove-parts/stove-parts-general/
Meths here
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2 hours ago, prince rupert said:
I would want to use it offshore. I heard in the USA starlink cracked on people doing what you did and kind off told them they d interrupt the service If used inappropriately.....
I am happy it worked for you and that you managed to get away with it, I don't know if I can be comfortable relying on it like that...
I saw somewhere that folks are setting up "Starlink for RV" (Starlink Roam) on their boat it is OK for coastal with a range of 30 NM ??
Others on here with more knowledge will correct/confirm.
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Cant see a problem with it, pick your weather window carefully or use a weather routing meteorologist like Bruce Buckley etc
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On 20/12/2023 at 11:15 AM, Bad Kitty said:
Get something turned up to fill the gap for now, it doesn't need space shuttle accuracy.
What he said, or stacksome SS washers if possible.
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Like you I tried mainsail battens, they were hopelessly floppy so I switched to PVC conduit which did the job nicely but from memory it needed to be 25 or 30 mm dia.
They were a PITA to stow so after a few seasons I went back to a simple battenless tent, easy to fold and stow.
Wanted Dinghy - wood or glass
in Classifieds
Posted
There is a sistership to Titus Canby at Shelly Park, called Isapingo, the owner is looking to get a bigger boat.