Tim C

What is an 18 ft?? I hope it's not a modern boat with fibreglass, carbon etc being measured in a 300 year old English Kings Shoe size??? But congratulations on getting on the water as well!!

Do we actually have a official safe air draft number for the cable up the river yet? I'd love to do the trip on Pulse...

Nothing wrong with full length self tacker battens. They allow 'roach' down low if the sheeting position is effectively forward of the clew. They also protect the sail nicely when it is rolled up. As long as the battens are tapered and not too stiff they will be fine in the light.

Much as Rotoroa is a new jewel in the Hauraki Gulf, when you're there reading the history of the place, it's hard not to think that an island rehabilitation centre would be ideal still. The community model of helping people has not been successful...

I'm thinking of my next navigation kit purchase, and wanting some opinions here. I'm thinking of a chart plotter of 150-200mm screen optimised for sailing boats. I'm not interested in fishing, and so many seem to be aimed at that. I'm currently running Navionics, which I'm happy with, on other devices. But would look at options. It would be nice to have lay lines etc. Also, I'm wondering if others have integrated their tiller pilot with their chart plotter successfully? Removed are outrageously expensive on both major brands, and so thinking of options... 10m catamaran, so not needing b

I've just put a Honda 20 hp on my 10m cat. It is about the same weight and cost as a Yamaha high thrust, but has a 12 A charger. I've always started and run by outboards (for the last 15 years on Pulse) from the deep cycle house bank with no problems. It means you get to use the charge from the motor to the batteries all the time. Note the Honda has a pull start as well as electric. Very nice engine at 46 kg dry.

Their are now 12V electric water heater available from Australia. A friend has installed one in his Cat and seems happy enough. It means you don't need a fast fitter, just the ability to make amps to run it. A Google search will find it.

Perhaps note this isn't an official rule change yet. Also a deep reef would be to trysail specs, which would be the equivalent of a fourth reef on most mainsails, to match the expected small area of a trysail. The change is aimed at allowing short handed boats the rule option of not having to change to a trysail if the rig and crew strength make the change to a trysail challenging if not dangerous on deck. Either will be allowed (as I understand) Alternative steering gear is required for Cat 1. As mostly do catamarans that is not hard to achieve. I can see an underhung stern rudder

It's not cavitation. It's ventilation. Air being sucked down to the prop from the surface. Cavitation is very unlikely on the small outboards and speeds we operate at.

Probably it should be for officials to reply here officially. But the last YNZ conference saw lots of sensible and assertive discussion about options going forward. It is very possible sensible options will be offered to skippers/owners to trysail vs reefing options going forward. Lots of discussion of flares vs LED or Laser options, but none of the electric versions are SOLAS approved, yet. It is likely to be an option as soon as it's viable. Please be assured the people involved in these discussions are very experienced yachties and marine industry professionals, with both your safety, wa

I've found the problem with my iPad in bright sunlight is that even with charge going in, the charger won't keep up with the screen draw on a sunny day. The solution is to set it to turn off the screen every few minutes, but that is precisely what you don't want in a race situation, having to swipe a screen to liven it up, as you are glancing between woolies, instruments and navigation as helmsman. I run Navionics which I think is great. But the iPad is not the answer I though it would be. At night it is much better, and of course that is when good safety nav is needed. Great back up, but I'm

Which department do I complain to for an Orca trying to eat my rudders a few years ago? And is there a protest group for "protection of cruelty to foils" that I can join??

Hi All. Coastal Classic looms and anyone wanting a cat 3 for their multihull for the Coastal is welcome to PM or e-mail me as usual. I'm looking at October 15th, unless some tells me there is a race on that day. A good YNZ conference last weekend. Lots of discussion on Flares. It's not hard to see them be relegated to history in years ahead, but we need to have patience on this, as there are lots of wheels in motion to make it happen.

I hope you are getting good advice on laminates and sheer web design. And remember Aluminium has no place in the marine environment...

I'm completely biased, but I think my boat looks good, has two separate cabins, berths for six, cockpit seating for 20, and sails nicely. Not sure what more I'd want!!

All this stereo discussion and not yet a mention of surround sound! If you really enjoy music then 2 channel just doesn't cut it. When I change my seven speaker system on deck from stereo to 5.1 (Dolby or DTS) from DVD, it goes from good to magic. It's surprising how few marine systems get to 5.1, and in fact even very few car systems do. Yet you expect it at home, or at the movies. A concert in surround sound on the water is pretty special...

I've used the Wichard hanks on Pulse for 14 years. Never had a halyard or sheet catch them. I have reused about 2/3rds of them on replacement jibs, without heating them or anything. Especially good for storm jibs, staysails etc that you don't use all the time, as the hanks remain reliable, unlike pistol hanks. Great to load at sea, by smashing them on the head stay one handed. A completely underrated bit of great, simple kit...

No other vessel can 'hear' an EPIRB or PLB. They communicate with satellites, which communicate with a rescue centre, which then communicates with Police and Coast Guard resources. This all takes time. A private vessel near by would need to be diligently listening to Channel 16 to be notified and respond to the distress. Both DSC and AIS, with boats suitably equipped, identify a nearby distressed vessel straight away. No waiting time. For coastal distress situations I think further discussion on what is best needs to happen. I think EPIRBs may have been superseded for effective response ti

I think here is a reason we should now consider AIS beacons for coastal rescues as more useful that EPIRBS. An AIS position signal is instantly available to an AIS equipped vessel, and anyone with a smart phone and Marine Traffic.com loaded. (I'm assuming here that the site would transmit emergency signals as well as current ship traffic) No waiting around for satellites to pass over, then establish comms to a local vessel, via the patchy coastal VHF system...

It's about as useful as the (apparently) phone disused cable in Stockyard Bay, Kawau. It swirls across the bay just waiting to be picked up. Can't imagine too many landlines in that bay needing a cable. Yes surely it's time to pick up cables in popular bays that aren't being used!?

But that would make the boat heavier! Why would you want to do that? Surely it would only slow it down...

No idea what you are talking about! When have you ever seen my cockpit floor looking like a fatted calf has been brutally sacrificed overnight??

I'd suggest grind the cockpit floor from above. Vacuum, or carefully glue (as in resin with filler such as West 411) 10-15mm PVC foam of 80-100 kg/m3. If it is plain foam drill 3mm holes in it every 80mm or so, so the air can escape. With careful thinking, some plastic, timber and weights this could be done without vacuum if you didn't have access to a pump. Clean up and fair the foam, then lay on 600+ gm/m2 of e-glass. Ideally triax or quadrax if you can get it, as the load is impact so distributing the load in many directions is the aim. If you had 2-300 gm/m2 cloth you could do it in multip

Being ready to furl and then dumping the screecher sheet completely sometime works for a better furl, rather than easing the sheet. But bearing away works best, which is often not possible. Not sure if you are referring to my boat regards screecher or not? Yes I have one and use one, just I neatly tidy away the pole when not in use in the cat walk. And yes it is on one of my furlers. I find we can take it to 6 knots of boat speed upwind in the very light. After that the tacking angle is so wide it's not worth having up. The trick is not to get greedy, and get rid of it early. But that

It's a small boat with a small jib. I'd suggest running a light retrieve line up the jib to positively pull it down and retain on deck, before going to the expense and complexity of a fuller. Also, fully battened jibs don't flog when things are going pear shaped...