Fogg

Exactly! Fogg was spec’d for the tropics hence the A/C. If I was buying new in NZ I probably wouldn’t opt for it but go diesel heating instead. But hey you know, the boat you buy comes with some toys and it’s just human nature to want the toys to work!

Hatches alone don’t work on warm still nights! Esp after running engine the aft cabins get v hot.

The OceanAir guys did a great job abs got me up and running again. Firstly, I had stupidly activated the child-lock mode whilst trying to change from F to C. 😳 Although the error message wasn’t exactly obvious. Secondly, I didn’t realise that I have 2 completely separate units onboard. The newly discovered unit looks after the 2 aft cabins and was hidden underneath one of the deep cockpit lockers. 2nd 😳 Both systems needed re-gassing but once I was shown how to drive the 2 separate systems I was up and running. 3rd 😳 It’s actually a better system than I realised. Happy to d

I’ve found those open style of wheels only work ok for lighter dinghies with small outboards. But if you’ve got a medium sized dinghy and outboard eg 3m with 8hp+ o/b they very quickly get bogged down on anything other than firm surfaces. Soft sand stops you dead especially if you’re trying to pull the dinghy up the beach on your own. For best results there’s nothing to beat the closed pneumatic wheels which work well in most conditions except soft mud of course which kills everything.

The problem with Auckland and the surrounding regions is that too many people live too far away from their place of work. This struck me when I moved here 20yrs ago and met people living on the north shore who worked (and commuted) to East Tamaki for example. WTF?! Where I came from nobody in their right mind would live north of London and commute daily through the city to work south. And this is even proven by traffic flows. Apparently if you take a helicopter view of the morning and evening rush hours in Auckland central it is very difficult to tell which pic is which - which is almost uniqu

Burnsco sells dinghy cleaner. It works great.

What’s best logistics to get a family ashore in dinghy and into a taxi around Putiki Bay area? Kennedy Pt? Ostend? And leaving the dinghy for a few hours.

Jeez I came across someone recently in Auck but I can’t for the life of me remember who.... if it comes back to me I’ll let you know. I could do with a second set of bedding myself.

I’ve not used B&G as I’m a Raymarine lifer. But I suspect if you’re used to B&G you would find a switch to Raymarine a big step backwards from what I understand (both reliability abs usability). On my latest boat I’ve inherited a Raymarine setup (again) so I’m stuck with it for now but it’s a long way behind the great systems they were in their heyday 20-30yrs ago. Don’t do it would be my advice!

The Seafarer looks ok although I couldn’t see many pictures of the 3m so it’s hard to judge. But on paper the TrueKit beats it in my opinion eg the TrueKit 3m is 9kg lighter, has much wider tubes (460 vs 380/410) has 2 seats and is $900 cheaper. My davits would appreciate the 9kg weight difference so I think I’m probably still heading towards a TrueKit.

I will take a look at the Seafarers though as I haven’t so far. I def want max lightness (if there is such a thing)!

The problem I had with my Beachmasters (both sets) were mixed metals causing corrosion around bolts and at least one lost spring. To be fair they sent me replacements free so they’re service is great. And until recently I still thought Beachmaster were the best wheels until I saw the TrueKit ones.

You’re right it’s a combo of NZ designed, German high quality material (Valmex which can be welded not glued seams), some assembly in China then finishing and final add-ons and QA in NZ eg wheels or extra lifting points etc. I was very impressed with the thought behind the design. Even their own wheels are similar to the Beachmaster metal wheels (which I’ve had) but better - fully 316 and easily removable for weight & storage (which my Beachmaster wheels weren’t). Hard to fault from initial inspection. But of course it’s still a soft bottom skin not solid so potential to tear unl

I’ve recently taken a fancy to TrueKit. High quality and v light and NZ product. I went to see them and was impressed. Going to get one. The thinking man’s Takacat. I think their 2.5m is 24kg and the 3m is about 30kg. Take a look: TrueKit Boats

In Auckland or Isle of Wight? Next year?

It’s supply & demand. There’s an acute shortage of 15m+ berths all over the place and the quantity of new boats being launched in Auckland alone is making it worse. I was on a waiting list for weeks to get mine so I struggle to see why the marinas wouldn’t capitalise on that. Until the recession bites of course...

Kind of surprised JS hadn’t done his homework on that.

No but this is his latest special offer: https://www.trademe.co.nz/trade-me-motors/boats-marine/yachts/keeler/auction-3009729595.htm

It’s a futile effort trying to sell it. Whatever value can be salvaged in undamaged parts (possibly only bits of the rig which might be v old anyway) will be lost when the buyer pays for the cost of transport and disposal of the rest of the boat. The numbers just don’t add up and the first buyer probably finally worked this out after ‘winning’ the worst prize in TM history.

8 to 12 is a huge jump that’s nuts

You’re also forgetting that this is the NZ marine services industry so you need to allow for an excessive number of ‘experts’ who all add big margins and continuous delays but very little value and need to do each job 2-3 times before they finally remember to look up a ‘how to’ video on the internet to learn how to finish the job they started 9 weeks ago.

The bracelets show location!!! So if bracelets from different boats suddenly come close together then the GPS tracking will alert the authorities that the people wearing them are now too close eg. on the same boat having a party. But I imagine 2 boats anchored 50m apart is fine.

But I bet if people were given the option to either self-isolate at home wearing a ‘privacy-invading’ bracelet for 2 weeks or spend 2 weeks in a MIQ hotel room - then suddenly most people would quietly drop their ‘privacy is sacrosanct’ principles and happily go home with some temporary tech jewellery.

I am being kind! 😳

As the article says everyone will be wearing a mandatory digital tracker confirming their health and location for the 14 days. They use the same system in HK to confirm new arrivals are staying at home for self-isolation as required. Only NZ uses a ‘strategy of hope’ aka “trust” combined with occasional phone calls or even a door knock when the case officers feel like it’s a nice day for a walkabout to pick up some more donuts.