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BMW56

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Posts posted by BMW56

    insurance - marinas

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    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, but they wouldn't provide a formal quote without a survey. I've not needed to make claim, so can't comment on my experience in that respect.  My other comment is that Youi's salespeople are quite aggressive keen.

    Suck or Blow

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    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.

    Dermatitis?

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    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.). 

    Lost Dinghy

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    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.

    small outboards 2.5-3.5hp

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    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 enough to buy new to replace them, so I was looking at second hand.

     

    I found a near new tender on TradeMe for a good price, but I also found I could buy a brand new Parsun 3.6 with a 3 year warranty for much the same money as older second hand well known brands so, after quite a bit of research, that's what I got.  For me at the time it was a choice between a 5-year old unit with unknown history and no warranty, or a brand new one with 3 years warranty.  I also did a comparison with a new Mercury 3.3, which was the equivalent of the Mariner, and for around $350 less money I got twist grip throttle, metal prop instead of plastic and ever so slightly more horsepower.

     

    If I compare the new Parsun with the old Mariner, (which was effectively identical to the new Mercury other than covers), the Parsun is much nicer to 'drive'.  The twist grip throttle is so much better than the little lever on the body of the Mariner/Mercury.  It was the loan of the bigger Parson that convinced me of this.  To get a twist grip on the Mercury I would have needed to go up to the 5hp model, which was over twice the price of the Parsun, so on that (perhaps not very sound) reasoning I figured the Parsun only needs to last half as long to be an equivalent investment.  For a 2-stroke, the Parsun is noticeably quieter too.  I can't compare performance in terms of power, as I now have a different tender, but it's certainly fine for what I need.

     

    As it turns out I still have the 5.8hp Parsun (sort of inherited it), though I seldom use it.  It's a good motor and has had no problems since new, however the smaller 3.6 motor is lighter, and therefore much easier to manage (important consideration).  I only use the tender to get to and from the mooring so high speed is not important, but handling in and out of the car, on and off the tender, up and down the slipway, and onto the pushpit of the big boat if I want to, certainly is.

     

    There are some cheap and definitely nasty outboards for sale, so buyer beware, but some of the shall we say 'less expensive' brands may be a good buy if you are on a budget.  The dealer told me he has just as good a spares supply as for Honda and Tohastu that he also sells, and very few warranty claims.  So far I'm happy, and if I can get 10 years out of the motor before I need to send it for recycling it will have cost me $85 per year - not too bad.

    Filters

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    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.

    Marina eWof requirements

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    I do know of some incidents and Deaths, mainly from the safety training, but no idea if these were in NZ or not.

    The main reason the regs were introduced was to bring us into line with International standards and as Oz has written many of the standards, NZ adopted them. Hence many of the Regs have A/NZ before the number.

    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 accidents in NZ.

    Bird deterents

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    What next so are there compass steering them to our boats , the reason I believe is we aren't on our boats enough , so they are left alone to do what they want I think

    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, 

    Bird deterents

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    if its just the magnets then boats with cockpit speakers maybe are staying clean, or you  might need to hang them up in the rigging? Worth trying to see if it works if you are having a problem with birds.

    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.

    Bird deterents

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    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 are attached to the birds wings rather than their body the effect may be greater due to the moving magnetic field.  However I didn't find any empirical evidence that magnets are an effective bird deterrent.  That's not to say they aren't and there's possibly good reason why they could be.

     

    I was thinking the same as Wheels about how well other (cheaper) magnets might work.  I note the commercial units advise against dismantling, which makes me wonder if they are doing something clever, such as using a Halbach array to increase the field strength and change the field pattern.  The orientation with respect to the Earth's field seems to be important too.  Might need to find some magnets and do some experimenting.

    Bird deterents

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    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.

    Bird deterents

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    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.

    • Upvote 1

    Cruising the coast sailing engineless.

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    First hand experience of no engine yesterday. Sucked a plastic bag into the cooling water intake. It was a long sail home with next to no wind. More or less becalmed for a while. Fortunately the tide was going the right way, but I can see how easy it might be to get into trouble without the iron Jenny working. Bag removed today and all seems well despite having boiled the freshwater system.

    Bilge pumps

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    Wow! Some nice products from Smartswitch IT, and good to see them Kiwi made. Thanks for the info on the pumps too. One of the deciding factors will be the diameter of the pump as it needs to fit in a tight little gap between the hog board and bottom stringer. Some more precise measurements are in order.

    Bilge pumps

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    Thanks for all the advice.  It's really helpful.

     

    KM, I'm going for the transom.  I lifted the cabin sole and cleared all the junk under the quarter-berths yesterday and have worked out a route for a 28mm hose that won't need me to destroy anything structural or cut holes where I can't get.  I'll be going under the quarter-berth panels rather than just under the deck where I was first thinking. The run will be just a tad over 5m,  I need to get between the ribs and the hull in a couple of places, which is why 28mm hose will be the max.  The old pump has a 19mm outlet, but it's stuffed, so I may as well go bigger while I'm at it.  As you say, not much extra cost.

     

    One pump I've looked at is the TMC 2000GPH.  It will just fit in the space by the look of the advertised measurements.  Does anyone have any experience with them?  There's also a Vetus that might fit, or a more expensive Johnson that I think is going to be too fat.  The old pump was possibly a smaller Rule, but the label has gone.

     

    Idlerboat, I saw the DIY float switch instructions on another thread.  Maybe a good idea.  I'll look into that a bit further.  I'll also check out the ball bearing switches KM mentioned, and maybe the new iSwitches too!.

     

    After yesterday's effort my bilges are spotless!  A previous owner took the time to paint everything nicely, so cleaning is a breeze.  It was surprising what had found it's way down there though, and some of it was worryingly organic!

    Bilge pumps

    in TechTalk

    Posted

    My boat was broken into a few weeks ago. The villan(s) left the washboards out and the hatch open letting an unknown amount of rain inside. Apart from nicking some tools, they probably did me a favour.

     

    I thought I should check how much water had found its way into the bilge. Despite the carpet in the cabin being soaked, the bilge was all but dry. However I did discover something of concern that will be my winter project to fix. Unfortunately the bilge pump drains.... wait for it.... back into the bilge. There is about 2m of hose neatly coiled up beside the pump, so I think this may be a previous owner's unfinished project.

     

    I'll need to get it sorted, but first I have a couple of questions you guys might be able to help with. The boat is a Spencer 28.

     

    The first question is where is the best location for the outlet? I can get from the bilge, up inside the galley joinery and out through the hull relatively easily with a short run of hose. However the skin fitting could be be under water with a good heel on (about 150mm below the toe rail is the highest I can get) and there's not really any place to fit an anti siphon loop that won't look unsightly. From what I'm reading, using a backflow preventer valve might be risky.

     

    The next easiest option is to go out through the transom via the quarterberth. I think I can position the outlet so siphoning won't be a problem, but this is going to require a much longer run of hose, with a number of turns along the way. I estimate about 5m all up. How is that going to affect the efficiency of the pump?

     

    A third option might be to drain into the cockpit via one of the cockpit lockers. It would be a much shorter run, but I don't like the idea of possibly oily bilge water being discharged onto the cockpit sole if we are also dealing with some sort of flooding emergency.

     

    Next question is the pump. The present one looks quite old. I can't see a brand on it, but it's a low profile automatic type. I haven't tested it yet, but I'm thinking it might be time for a new one. The electrical connections are a mess, so it will need to be rewired properly. So any thoughts on what are the good brands, what size, etc. Is it better to have a separate float switch? Some advice suggests using two pumps so as there is a backup if one fails, and extra capacity if there is major flooding? Thoughts on this?

     

    Of course I can look at my nice dry bilge an think the pump will never be needed. Like the last one that probably hasn't moved a drop of water in the last 20 years. But it's about being prepared for that day when something unexpected goes wrong isn't it?

     

    Thanks for any thoughts and advice.

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