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idlerboat

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Everything posted by idlerboat

  1. I find that the one minute 35 seconds to tie my very tidy winch bonnet on, (and stuff my plasticine in if going off shore) no problem. I like full and clear access to my winch ...definitely on deck with no sides, tops or lockers to foul ropes or trip on. I also have a rope capstan (along with chain gypsy) which I use for a number of different jobs. These jobs may have the "pull" from any direction. Be very careful with lose chain or rope solutions on deck. If you have to bugout in a hurry in deteriorating weather this can be very dangerous for a lot of reasons.. My chain runs into a
  2. Yep..kids plasticine.. The coloured sticks that when they all get mixed together end up grey/ brown. !! It stays soft enough that it won't do any damage if it goes through the winch. My blob is about 8 years old ..
  3. A large gob of plasticine !! Tried and tested by hundreds of cruising sailors. Stuff it in the hawser pipe before sailing . Lasts for ever and is close to 100 percent water tight even with big greenies ..
  4. Why would an anode cause problems?
  5. idlerboat

    Keel cooled

    I have had keel cooling for many years. The system has done 1000s 0f NM with no problems. I also have a dry exhaust. Even in the hottest water it has never been a problem. (In fact I have looked at putting in a bypass valve to increase the engine temp.) The benefits are many, one of which is being able to motor in waters that have a lot of "stuff" in them. Being able to use a completely un-marinised engine can save thousands of dollars, which in turn can help pay for the keel cooling. The engine parts are then cheap , off the shelf "normal" engine part costs. I run an Isuzu industrial engin
  6. I use the large plastic "squeeze to undo clips. One at each end and one in the middle. This allows you to have the middle and foot end clipped and the head end undone for easier access but still holding everything in in a rolling sea .. And seems to be more comfortable for those prone to "the ills". When its very bumpy you clip the head end one up. The width of an average persons shoulders is as high as you ever need to go..to fall out over that means you have put the mast under water !
  7. I have a evakool 60 litre fiberglass , it has been going continuously for 10 years... And as been mentioned before.. We make ice cream : )
  8. Apart from the obvious addition of something else that can go wrong principle...A lot of cruising yachts I know have tried them and then got rid of the because they stuff up their anchors self stowing. The benefit of not having one mainly applies to an all chain rode. As long as the chain rides in the set groove of the anchor / bow roller it will rotate to the right orientation for self stowing. This is not always the case for anchors on a swivel (or rope rodes)..
  9. idlerboat

    Masking tape

    .....automotive plastic mask.... The stuff designed for twopak. Just practice a little on removal time. To short and the finish will string, to long and it will show brittle notches.
  10. Ignition source sparking from a circuit breaker on a lead acid battery.... is a very good reason NOT to have post mounted fuse or circuit breakers. Run sensible cables to an area outside your vented battery enclosure.... and then use your breaker system of choice. There are very few volatile vapor sources on a yacht. Potentially one of the most explosive is the battery system. Most yachts dont have inboard petrol motors. Ignition protected starter motors and alternators etc are actual not needed (or legally required for survey in a diesel installation. That leaves your Gas locker. ...your out
  11. idlerboat

    Tef-gel or?

    The bottom line is to try to permanently electrically isolate the dissimilar metals. Many things mostly work...some for a long time some not so long. Duralac works, tefgel is less toxic. Machinary antisieze comes in many flavours. Common is copper or nickle based, but a whole raft of other stuff like...ally or graphite may be thrown in...The problem is...you are adding dissimilar metals !! Lanolin or clay based grease works for a time...If you drill and tap and use lanolin, then pull the fastener out and recoat every little while it works. You obviously cant do that if you chose riv
  12. You may be able to ream it out to an even hole yourself by hand. A hard plastic bush of something like vesconite or similar works well and if you make a little extra as a spare now, you can tap the old one out and put a new one in further down the track when it wears again. Loctite (and others) make a glue especially for gluing plastic bearing / bushes to metal housings. Vesconite or similar materials are easy to drill and shape. You will find that you can even do a bit of backyard machining by putting a bolt through the bush, with a washer each end and nut, then spinning it all in a dri
  13. A friend of mine who runs a junk rigged ketch uses one with great success. Due to the amount of halyard needed to be pulled in due to the block ratio , it makes it way easier for him when sailing solo (which he does a lot of the time).
  14. What IT says Engines on smaller yachts are not heavier than what your rig should be well able to take. If you want to be careful, then run your halyards to brace your load. (like extra stays in line with your lifting angle) Perhaps run your main Halyard as an extra topping lift. I welded a lug in line on my boom, specifically to lift the engine. Having a centre cockpit with a lifting floor makes it very easy.
  15. The area is not a good place in severe wind on sea. Stockton bight needs caution in these conditions due to short steep breaking seas. Catamarans are not good in these conditions, and once rolled dont right... The three deceased were trapped in the hull. Getting out of an upturned hull , cold , dark and being thrashed around may be a lot harder than some think.... The two who did get out (or were possibly already out) had life jackets on. There is no question that the life jackets saved their lives. Please remember the size of the vessel we are talking about before too much blame is pu
  16. The following quote by wheels ,is a comment that I understand. It reflects a real frustration . But I have a different view and would like to see what people think. Quote MultiQuote
  17. The removal of the forestay is very common for access to travel lifts. Particularly in the case of cruising vessels with high stuff on the stern such as wind generators or Radar. It usually works out easier to remove the forestay than undo all the stuff on the blunt end. For a boat that has been sailing for two years or so, it is not a bad idea anyway...take the opportunity to get the sail off the foil..lay it out on the grass and have a good look. You may find that it is actually stuck up there, which is great fun if it shreds at sea and you need to get it down in a hurry. Taking the furle
  18. As above.... VHB tape. .. Test your tape first or use 3M. Dont use the thin stuff...you need flex. and a low modulus scilicone. If you use scilicone then tape/mask a boarder onto your windows that lines up where the scilicone will be. Gently rough up the area with 360 grit ...(Careful to keep it only where the paint will be) Paint that area with a scilicone based exhaust paint. This painted area is called a frit. You will see that it is on all fixed windows on cars . Its purpose is to protect the tape and scilicone from uv degradation. Somewhere on the net is a several page article I
  19. I find rock climbing tape works... Its very strong !! Its rated. As a loop for shackle attachment or around a fully welded D..... It needs to be either old school bow line tied with the bitter end quick stitched or cable tied. Or double back folded and fully machine sewed with appropriate thread and care. Measure the length and then take at least 20 mm off....you will pull it up enough to hook it on : ) A run up each side of the vessel, as close to centre as possible. This allows you to go up either side ..But travel on the High Side. Remember you can get deck washed on the low side
  20. So good to see the above opinions. Clip on.... You would not believe how hard it is to see a person in the water in a swell at night... A life jacket is essential... But... You would not believe how hard it is to see a person in the water in a swell at night... A search area gets larger at a frightening rate by time... You would not believe how hard it is to see a person in the water in a swell at night... The average head is 300 mm x 200 mm...That is what a FLIR camera will pick up. That is your only hope by aircraft or high end rescue vessel. The life jacket with SOLAS
  21. There is a large amount of all purpose fixed shank anchors. In essence you can divide them up into two groups. (Not including Danforth or Bruce for good reason) The flukes go up, and the flukes go down. Most of them have similar shank lengths and angles, compared with an old school CQR or plough anchor which has a longer shank, and that annoying floppy bit. There is so much "information" about anchors..... They are crap if the boat has dragged....and amazing if the boat has survived a severe blow... A million variations and permutations....(including personal pride and prejudice and a
  22. As IT said. White wires are the bonding system that connects bronze through hull to the anodes. Sometimes this is connected to the boats overal earth / Negative / ground ... Lots of variations exist depending on what is bonded and why..... To be blunt, often there is a lack of coherent reason ! Colour coding is a great idea but the reality is that very few boats are fully wired to spec (and there are different specifications as well. ) Retro fit wiring makes it even more complicated as this is almost never done to any specific colour code. American specifications can also cause prob
  23. For cruisers.. The best use for a whisker pole is to pole out your genoa when running down wind and just off..., to stop it doing the "stingray" ...and if you dont know what that means..just have a look at the front section of a stingrays "wing" when it moves through the water . Try it ..you will love it. ps..beautiful versions were made for just that job in either spruce or bamboo in the past. super light, and just strong enough so that they would break if to much strain came on the rig while the skipper may or may not have been having a quick nap.....
  24. Posted Yesterday, 07:45 AM Hi CH,..yep 35 amp. A very standard small engine alternator. They are incredibly reliable due to the low loads. Charging output is the same as a car alternator. (reasonably dumb, internal regulator). ...and yes not very efficient...but... 500 amps of batteries (even AGMs like I am running) are (should) only being charged less than half of that amount, because you should never pull them down any further... The combiner isolator is between a single start battery and the main bank and is smart. It actually "pulses " the connections between the two banks until t
  25. I have over 500 amps of AGms, plus a SLA for the engine. The engine bat to house has an isolator combiner between them. I run a small frame 35 amp alternator !! No problems... I live aboard and have TV fridge stereo computer and much more... Plus 2 solar panels (200 watts) . Never had a problem with lack of power or over heating...
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