BMW56

I went with Youi. 1979 Spencer 28 on a swing mooring. No need for a survey and the premium was quite affordable. They were one of the few interested in insuring on a swing mooring, so I didn't have many choices. Their only condition was that mooring inspections are kept up to date and done by an independent party (i.e. can't self certify). I checked out the policy against one offered by State Insurance (who did require a survey and would have required them on an ongoing basis) and the terms and conditions were very similar. State's premium looked like it would be half as much again, bu

If you blow the engine room will be under slight pressure and fume laden air could be forced into the cabin via various fortuitous paths if there isn’t sufficient ventilation. On that basis it’s probably better to suck, then you can direct any fumes and odours safety outside.

This stuff may be worth a try: www.ghostgloveusa.com It was originally developed for working with carbon fibre and epoxy resin. I got some from Mitre 10 locally, but can't find it on their website. I found it in the cleaning products section. I see it's also available on Amazon. There's also another one called Handshield Liquid Gloves that I have used in the past. I think it is supplied through the professional drywall supplies outfits. A mate gave me some to try, but I personally think the Ghost Glove is better, especially for mechanical work (grease, oil, etc.).

Hope you were able to make it to shore without getting wet. I had to swim when I lost mine. Paranoid now and tie on with two tethers if the wind is up.

The same thing happened to me a year ago. It's worth also calling the Police (Lost & Found Office) and reporting it as lost. If somebody finds it they may well alert the Police if they don't have a contact number for the Coastguard. The Police will also give you an incident number which you might need if you want to claim insurance, even though it wasn't stolen. Good luck with getting it back - I suspect somebody found my one and claimed salvage rights as I'm pretty sure I saw the outboard for sale on TradeMe a couple of months ago. No way to prove it was definitely mine though.

ArticleonStufftoday: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/100499575/first-boats-take-up-residence-at-new-te-ana-marina

It depends how much you want/have to spend I guess. I used to have a Mariner 3.3 which came with my tender when I bought it second hand, but then sadly it was lost when the tender took off in a blow, and hasn't been seen since (by me anyway, though I suspect somebody else may be enjoying it now). It was a good motor, but not without it's drawbacks. In the meantime I was lent a Parsun 5.8 to use while I waited for the insurance money for the tender. It was/is a great wee motor and I was sort of impressed. Eventually I got some insurance money for the tender and outboard, though not enou

I was having no luck finding fuel filters for my Isuzu diesel but then came across these guys: https://motorco.com.au Though they are predominantly an automotive parts supplier they appear to have an extensive range of filters including many rare ones. Prices seem ok and for my one it was free freight to nz, so about $30 all up. Certainly worth enquiring if you can’t find what you want locally.

So what's the plan? Bigger? Faster? Newer?

Article on Stuff this morning: https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/98428346/doubts-over-womens-harrowing-sea-ordeal

A good friend died in the 90s as a result of electrocution when working in a haulout yard in Kuala Lumpur. Cut cord on a sander apparently. There's merit in regular checks to identify faulty gear and remove it from service. Part of my work involves electrical safety on medical equipment. (Just back from checking out a GP clinic tonight.) We find plenty of faults that could have seriously adverse results if ignored, but early intervention means incidents are rare. Yes, we share many of our standards with Oz, but there is good science behind them, which is why we have relatively few electrical a

Totally agree Myjane. Trouble is I need to go to work to pay for all the boat expenses, otherwise I would be out there a lot more,

It will be a different type of magnet. With speaker magnets the magnetic field is mostly inside the donut shaped magnet. I think the secret may be some sort of array of multiple magnets that has a wide field, rather than just one single magnet. Just guessing though.

Thanks, looks interesting. I'll check it out.

He's certainly not keen to measure them!

I had a quick look last night and there has been quite a bit of research on how magnetic fields influence or disrupt birds' ability to navigate. Much of it was done using homing pigeons in the 1940s, though there are dozens of research papers since then that study the subject. There's no doubt that migratory and homing birds use the Earth's magnetic field to find their way around. Most of the studies use magnets attached to the birds rather than land based magnetic fields. It's well proven that this hugely reduces the ability of homing pigeons to find their way home. When the magnets

Some brand new Nova 28 sails on TradeMe this morning. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/parts-accessories/sails/auction-1399355427.htm

That's very useful to know thanks Vicki. I'm just over in Cass Bay, so it's the same pesky little b@$tards that are causing me grief. Plus a seagull that hangs out on the solar panel. Amazingly sticky poop! Somebody mentioned the magnets to me and I too was skeptical. Probably still am, but it's good to hear a first hand positive experience. I'm tempted to give them a try.

I'm interested to know what others have tried to keep birds (feathered kind) off their boats? What works and what doesn't? Has anyone tried the magnetic bird deterrents? My best success so far has been stringing up CDs, but they don't last very long in the weather.

Has anyone tried 'Warpaint' from Wetandforget? https://www.wetandforget.co.nz/products/marine/warpaint.html Any good?

When I worked at the hospital we used to buy lead for radiation shielding from these guys: http://www.dlm.co.nz/index.html Looks like they have a good range of products including sacrificial anodes.

Thanks for the replies. It's in at Oborns and sounds as if it should be a straightforward fix. Fingers crossed.

A seam on my mainsail has come adrift (quite badly), but the fabric looks fine so I'm hoping it will be a straightforward repair. Can anyone recommend a good sail loft, preferably in Christchurch? I'm thinking Oborns perhaps, but are there others to consider as well?