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Should be OK. I know Airmar advise the use of water based antifoul on their plastic thru-hulls but they aren't made of PVC. If you try it let us know the outcome, I have an application for that myself. I loaded an ultrasonic antifoul system into a PVC tube as an experiment and the tube itself is collecting marine life!

Not a bad effort. I particlulary like the fact that he broke out a serial port to PCB pins so Bluetooth could be added. I use a Smart Radio SR161 with a Sphinx Electronik BT module, connecting via that to the laptop rather than hard wiring. It allows use from anywhere on the yacht. Cost of that setup was about AU$160 but I got a good deal on a couple of remanufactured SR161 radios, which are no longer available.

Forgot to mention, the yacht will need to be registered on a national registry. Also, as some have noted above, radio licences are required for some types of radios. And of course visas will need to be obtained for all counties visited that don't have a reciprocal arrangement with your passported country, including those of all crew. You'll also have to make yourselves aware of notification requirements. e.g. Customs MUST be notified 96 hours before making port in Australia otherwise big fines will result. Other countries, other rules. It's all fairly tedious. You also need to clear out of

Skipper will need an International Certificate of Competency before leaving. Yacht will need to be hauled and inspected for Cat 1 safety. All passengers/crew will need passports. That's about it.

Ferro group is over yonder: http://crew.org.nz/forum/index.php/forum/26-ferrocement-boat-owners-association/ See ya there.

I don't plan to live ashore again until I'm too old to handle a yacht. But then again my situation is different to most, being 62 and single I can do whatever the hell I want. Already sailed Newcastle to Christchurch once in a friend's yacht, plan to do it all again in my own soon. Just have to keep rationing those fun vouchers and working on getting the yacht prepared.

TCP is no longer published in hard copy, but you can download in PDF format here: http://www.thecoastalpassage.com/ Get onto their mailing list and they'll remind you when each issue is available. Published quarterly. Here's a good summary of clearance formalities: http://www.noonsite.com/Countries/Australia/?rc=Formalities Best to contact Australian Customs directly for overtime fees, or just try to arrive midweek. A recent antifoul will most certainly save you a lot of money and headaches, especially for a timber yacht.

I'm solo in a ferro yacht so I'd say the 3rd fire extinguisher is a bit of overkill, as is possibly the 2nd one. I could also do without the expense of a liferaft, considering I never intend to bail out. Statistically, that's the easiest way to die at sea. More examples could be found but it would be gilding the lily.