Tim C
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Posts posted by Tim C
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And remember that the Consumer Guarantees Act and Small Claims Tribunal may not save you with these outboards. It is a roll of the dice as to who hears your case. Do not rely on this to get your money back after buying a rubbish outboard brand.
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Clew height will be dropped on the next sail. But good for visibility cruising,
TC Design brand (as in made it myself) carbon furler. This is Mark 3.
The next one will have a swivelling tack. But it won't be a top down furler. There's some experimenting to go on with the next sail that's still top secret. I'll let you know how it goes once it's in action...
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Code Zero/Screacher is a fun performance sail, but really has a pretty narrow band of useful sailing, because it is not that big, and typically heavier fabric to cope with the loads. Anything you can do with a Screacher cruising you can do slightly slower with a main and jib.
But going downwind you need area. A positive luff gennaker that still roller furls I think is a very versatile sail. I use mine single handed and racing. I made this sail in 2005, when not a lot of sail makers were building this type of sail. It's practically worn out from over use. Not as big as a full race gennaker, but far more versatile and user friendly.
I'll be making a new one soon. Lots of ideas on making it better
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Very likely Pulse will be aiming for the FFD concert after the Mahu regatta. A walk is good for you anyway!
Ok, So, apparently Fat Freddy's Drop are playing a gig at Cable Bay Waiheke on Auckland Anniversary weekend Sunday night.
Does anyone know whether or not you can hear things like this from the water? And if so, would it make an interesting stopover for the night?
Perhaps Mahurangi Saturday night, then Cable Bay Sunday night? I'm assuming that the beach is public (for a bbq maybe?) but of course if it's private then this won't work too well.
Edit:
Just found out where the gig is, it's quite a long way from the water, so scrap this. Anyone got any better ideas?
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I've just found this thread.
Yes I had a Sail 15 hp outboard. Easily the worst purchase I've ever made. An excerpt from my disputes tribunal application, 2012:
"The Sail Outboard is not ‘fit for purpose’ in my opinion. It has continually broken down. There have been issues with the carburettor (There have been three carbs on this engine in the short life of the motor), choke jamming, fuel system failing, charging coils failing, starting system breaking, an oil leak, poor reverse performance due to poor reverse exhaust thrust design."
Unbelievably I lost the case, but there is another story.
The excuse was because my fuel supply was higher than the motor then it was an unusual set up.
I continually had to strip the carburettor at sea to get it to go. I sailed out of near impossible situations far to many times.
My advice to all is steer well clear of these knock off copied pieces of rubbish and stick to name brands, and a good local service provider .
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Many of the European imports I understand are sent with what appears to be brass type through hulls, that despite being CE and Iso standards are failing in a couple of years. Also, many of these boats (including the cats) have holes at keel level connecting the whole boat to one bilge pump. So in the event of a hull impact or through hull failure the boat sinks. Anyway, the wooden bungs may not be needed in older boats as much as new ones!!
We call this progress...
Whilst visiting my boat this week I read an essay by another long time cruiser in which he wonders why we all carry tapered soft wooden bungs attached to our through hulls. The reason being in 40 years he has never heard of anyone actually needing to use one. I thought about it and I can
t recall ever knowing of one being used in anger either.
Can anyone?
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I do hope if you are a Kiwi with a New Zealand built boat that you have read and considered the previous posts and discussion before asking this question...?
Hi There
If my NZ built yacht is registered off shore How often will I need to leave New Zealand
?? or will it need to leave at all ??
Thanks Ray
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Getting the uni's between the gudgeon and the rudder cassette is the easy part. Solving the sideways load, which puts all of that carbon into a peel failure mode, is the tricky part. As suggested above have flat plate holding the gudgeon tube on is good. Also wrap the uni's around the opposite way, at 90˚ to the major uni's, then cover what you can in double bias is also helpful.
If you can't do any of that the primitive fix is a bolt through the gudgeon. But that is an awful solution.
No matter how many uni's you put on, this sideways load will take out a gudgeon. It is a tricky detail to get right...
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I'd be keen
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Roughest part of my last trip, by far, was wind against tide just off Cape Rodney! So you are right
There are people that have sailed around the world and come to NZ that say the scariest piece or water they saw was the Motuihe channel with wind against tide.
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It would be interesting to see a popular European or South African production cat in a similar, flooded, condition. Except I bet you couldn't see it...
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Planning on the next two years. When I saw a Prout 33 come into Marsden cove and the skipper of the boat I was on commented that that boat sailed from Denmark, it kind of sealed that I could go too in my cat. Like many others, financing it is the major hurdle, but working on that...
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Any good sail maker should be able to supply you with much better battens. It does look like very old technology you are referring to.
An economic way to get heavy non tapered battens is to buy a whole coil, often about 30m. Good for the lower part of the sail at least.
I would have thought you'd be after 25mm x 10mm or so, solid pultruded battens. You can buy them pre-tapered. Tapering them yourself is a heinous task. Itchy and horrible! Don't do it. They aren't that expensive.
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Shann or QCD are the obvious marine ones. But also perhaps Polynet, which makes agricultural netting, and so sells fibreglass rods for under bird nets. May be cheaper...
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TC what would you say to a foreign boat that asked to pay for an inspection, and was prepared to listen to your opinion , and suggestions , but in the end whether he completely followed all the points was up to him, as he was not required to have cat 1.
If I did buy a boat off shore I would be doing my first trip without cat 1 anyway, unless I wanted to export an inspector!
I wonder if many yachties in say Aussie look at our system and think oh, I wish I had someone telling me I have to do this or that before I can sail to Noumea for the winter.?
Cat one for Racers ! Skipper responsibility for cruisers!
To answer that, I have done a couple of Aussie boats leaving back for Australia after competing here. The rules are slightly different, but only slightly. I'm sure they have a Cat 1 equivalent. Much of the reason for NZ Cat 1 was their insurance demanded it. That's quite possibly a reason for NZ owners to have Cat 1 too.
But the other reason that hasn't been discussed here is the sheer cost of rescue in the huge chunk of ocean that NZ is responsible for.
I fully agree with the skipper taking responsibility of the boat, gear and situation. If it goes wrong, and they are happy to take the consequences (likely death) then that's fine. So (personal opinion here only) how about everyone who leaves without Cat 1 signs a contract of not expecting rescue without this basic level of safety gear. And then gets the crew to sign this contract, and all of their Dad's, sisters, brothers, relatives, friends etc. Then ask their Mum to sign it. Face to face.
Because what happens is often someone ashore gets worried and demands a search after an extended period of non contact time with the boat. If the boat hasn't got an EPIRB (Or other means of location detection or communication) Just where does the Orion's, Navy, commercial ships start to look in a huge ocean? This search costs way more than the Cat 1 gear cost, or the overseas registration. You can all name extended searches for boats in this predicament I'm sure.
Hence why for a while NZ tried to get all boats leaving to Cat 1. The sheer cost of this search, and the real risk to all personnel involved looking in fraught conditions.
Please don't think, oh well I'll carry an EPIRB, but not the other safety equipment. The point of Cat 1 is to get you the destination safely, without needing rescue.
So no it's not a personal decision you make. It is one that will effect your family, and all in the Services that provide Search and Rescue services.
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Wow, Where do I start? (Trying not to be offended by the thread...)
If you have a multihull I would welcome you contact me directly to discuss many of these issues.
Escape hatches are not mandatory.
As mentioned many sensible solutions and compromises can be found by a sensible inspector.
I spend a fair bit of time doing my best to best represent the majority of multihull owners at any opportunity to update the rules. For instance, for Cat 3, you don't need bolt cutters or a stove.
There are many Cat 1 rules under 'negotiation'. There is a large number of very experienced yachties involved. To some degree our hands are tied by overseas ISAF regulations and the like.
I'd like one of you to name a specific piece of Cat 1 gear that you'd leave on the dock, in front of your family and /or crew, and sail away without. Go on, name it!
Personally I can't believe that you'd consider spending $800 on overseas registration rather than have someone have an intelligent look over the safety items on your boat?
It's fair to say I'd do the majority of multihull cat 1's, and a few monohulls locally too. Most boats I've left adding safety value well beyond the Cat 1 list. A good example is 90% of people I ask to demonstrate flares fail, but thought they new how to operate them.
I'd suggest anyone unsure of Cat 1 talk to a friend who's been through the process. Or talk directly to an inspector. They are all keen sailors and knowledgable people. They are there to help get you away safely, not stop people going.
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At the risk of having KM jump up and down, I'd recommend Vectran over Spectra. Similar price, but way less creep when under load for hours, such as a long race.
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Isn't it interesting that we (mostly) believe in Darwin's theory of evolution and survival of the fittest, and yet we don't allow that to continue? Part of societies and indeed the environment's problem is that there are too many people. Previously if someone couldn't use common sense, then evolution removed them from the gene pool to make the rest of a community/tribe stronger and smarter. Are individual failings more important than a positively evolving society?
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Ouch!
Now you are talking to someone who has a boomless, spreaderless rig, and a very unusual helm set up. I'm not one to accept any convention because that's whats' always been done before!
For hull materials yes I would use 'approved' materials. But in not structural areas such as wings for solar panels, or large hard tops that aren't walked on, I wouldn't hesitate to use such cores as polystyrene or polyurethane foam as they are lighter and cheaper, for example.
No development would get done in yachting if we waited for approval.
Having said that, almost no mid sized yachts get built in NZ anymore because of cheap imports. Our local builders and designers are seen as too expensive. Conventional marine electronics brands are perhaps facing the same thing.
Back to the point. AIS is an international convention. If the unit didn't comply, it would either not work, or send out such interference the local radio authorities would track it down and confiscate it.
Now I happen to know someone at the MED that tracks down radio interference, so I have asked him for clarification on exactly this. I will return with an answer.
The real point of this thread (I hope) is that one could go offshore on $5k worth of electronics, or $20k. The view at the tropical anchorage at the other end will be the same. The skippers risk vs cost analysis, vessel and seamanship skills will result in a successful ocean crossing, or not.
Many more people dream about going offshore than actually do it. Cost is one of the real barriers. Let's sensibly look at all options as a forum...
Would you build a boat with materials that only "might" be up to the task, as they are untested?
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I hear you on that. I've asked for the manufacturer to supply these details for our information. (compliance with AIS standards)
To be fair though, the IEC 60945 spec is for manufacturing of marine chart plotting equipment, and is relevant to the GPS chart plotter function on the Unit, and is a reasonable minimum standard for this. The certificate it advertises does not say it is for the AIS function, although I can see that should be spelt out. I think to use the word 'deceive' may be a bit harsh though...
By the way, I looked up the IEC 60945 spec - it is actually for a marine PC!! see http://www.ccs-inc.com/ccs-resources/profile/an-overview-of-iec-60945-certification-for-marine-computers
Do you really want to by gear from a supplier that has intentionally set out to deceive you??
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I've gone through the potential input and output electrical loadings on my boat, using various combinations of wind, solar and motor. This is assuming in cruising mode and getting to the islands may well include motoring.
Also I tallied up the various outputs of Nav and fridge systems.
The thing that springs to mind is that as soon as 24 hours, gets put next to an item, it consumes (or makes) lots of power. Fridges and Autopilots are challenging, and Nav systems add up too.
But on the plus side the conclusion I come to, and perhaps for you too KM, is that wind generation while sailing is really valuable. It keeps pumping in all day and night, takes minimal room and no fuel...
But at a sheltered anchorage you can't beat solar of course.
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My apologies to those on the site who's business is selling electronics. But the elephant in the room is perhaps these imported non name brand GPS/AIS units such as this, which seems to tick many boxes: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=897476130
As I said on a previous thread, the problem with marine electronics is that they are combining relatively two cheap things, ie a tablet and a GPS, making it waterproof, and then charging a great deal.
Now the above example is a brand we haven't heard of, Samyung. But then if you all check the back of your phones or computers that you are reading this on, they are very probably made in Asia too.
So has anyone actually got one of these units or similar, and got a story to tell?
Note I've had a 50% strike rate with non name imports. Outboard Motor 0, Wind generator 1...
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This is a real part of the electronics package selection process too, along with refrigeration, is to get the level of safety and 'comfort' aboard, while doing inside the cost, weight and charging 'budget'.
At sea solar power is often blocked by the sails, so much less use than at anchor.
But personally I think a modern yacht should be able to sail most of the time, without running an engine for charging.
Perhaps that's where some of the advances are in amp use reduction, notably Sat Phones vs SSB, and modern Radar. But you can go without either SSB or Radar.
Also it's deciding what you really need, rather than an endless list of electronics and fridges that prevent ever going to sea.
There are shops at your most of your destinations. Part of the challenge of sailing to another town is finding the local markets surely. So how many freezers do you need? Dare I say it, but freeze dried and can food still exists and has improved too.
I run 300 Amp/hr of batteries, that the wind and solar keep up with, nearly all of the time. So the challenge will be offshore electronics that fits within the amp and weight budget...
Unusual Outboard Brands
in TechTalk
Posted
There's a number of Honda's up here at Sandspit as until recently it was the only brand well serviced in the area. I've had a Honda 15 for nine years, and now a Honda 10 because at the time there was no 15 hp in the country. Both good, reliable engines. Best feature is the 12A charging, double the Yamaha 9.9. Certainly you need the barge props on them. Very likely my next engine will be a Honda 15.