idlerboat

Gearbox failure is not fun... Lost it ....twice...in 18 months on one of the larger boats I skipper. First time a 7 mile tow and then through a barred entrance.... Second time had to run the salt water deck wash on it to keep it from overheating...then did 170 NM to where it could be hauled....all the time expecting it to clap out completely. ...and I had already been told that due to the boats size that it was a salvage company only that could tow it as all the local volunteer boats in the district were to small.. I have to say though that it is a very rare occurrence. Of all the last

Yep...as much as people keep saying to me..."your steel boat is only a bit stronger"..."and a lot slower"... That suits me just fine. I am under no illusion that my boat is indestructible....far from it. ...and no its not going to surf at 3 times the wind speed.. But the practical truth is as a fully framed steel vessel...its about as strong as you will get without being very, very wealthy. As to speed ?..about half a knot slower compared to modern production boats on same runs at the same time. I am not very very wealthy and like going places that are a bit more of a risk. ....but then

Hi ..crap heading...didnt know what else to put. Im finally going from oz to New Cal then Vanuatu ..and beyond. Been a long time coming. (On my own self built boat : ) )...now thats good .. Nice connection with msm.org.au/ pm me if i can help some one.

Huge numbers in western bass straight..Victoria. locally known as the ship wreck coast. Problem was it was the landfall place after "the long journey" At night they would often make just a bit to much northing,,,.....

sorry should have been clearer... Newer is isat 2.. No external..antenna Older is 9505 with standard external (not high performance antenna) I am sure that an isat 2 in a powered cradle with high performance external antenna would be excellent........ but you are looking at about three grand... The thing with iridium is that it passes you from sat to sat...Having it drop between a sat is a nuisance. Bouncing around in the fly bridge of a large sports fishing boat under way makes it hard to stay connected no matter what... A yacht on a constant heading seems easier.. All of the above is

...no...biggest to hit Fiji since records were kept..

...compared to using a standard iridium phone and running txt only....not much difference in cost.. Looks like a "yellow brick" with a different label ? You can buy cheap second hand phones now. Yes it is water proof....but you cant do direct to vox (land line). This may be important if needing to talk to older relatives in an emergency. Iridium Go has created a lot of disappointment...its internet speeds are slow (and are now stated as such) it is very much phone app based ... Have been running Go and a newer and older model standard iridium phone all side by side. Older iridium dosnt

Yep now cat 5... (surprise surprise...it just made it to the Australian news cycle, about when the Australian flights were cancelled) Very interesting to see what happens now. Some long range forecasts have it getting much larger.. Travelling west, then curving south...travelling west again just below the southern islands of Vanuatu, and below New Caledonia, then turning north AGAIN..about half way between New Caledonia and the Australian East coast... That takes it out to a week from now... Winston is a very naughty boy....

I used scales exclusively when doing a major faring job. A calculator was the other essential piece of equipment. Pour in hardener to pre weighed container...(or a scale set that will zero out) .dosnt have to be accurate...just a guess. 50 gram container. Then multiply out in grams the amount of resin ... So 105 grams...a ratio of 5 to 1.. 105 x 6 = 630 grams total..plus the 50 gram container.. pour resin in till the scale comes up to 680. A pedestal drill on slow as a giant mix master..

....I have been watching winston since he was a little low pressure boy. He has displayed a complete lack of regard for rules and decency; I am very disappointed that so little news on this side of the ditch has happened. W may even hit cat 5. Fiji is not ready. For what its worth..passage weather had w track very close a week ago. My cruising and weather friends have been watching this play out since then. The biggest surprise to the weather people is the northerly run. W may recurve after Fiji with plenty of power due to the unseasonally warm waters...and go hunting again....

Romany, the problem is definitely with the BEP meter. I have rung them direct and talked to them about this issue before.. They have told me that the shunt wiring and placement of the shunt is also critical to accurate readings. Pressing the manual synchronise buttons when you know that the battery(s) are fully charged will give you an indication of what is going on... I am looking at both a 12v and 24v set right now and the 24v unit has a voltage of 27.2 but is showing all available amps used up

I totally agree with "cradle to grave" analyses. Advertising the good bits and ignoring the bad, should stay on breakfast cereal packets ! Another question is if the production of lithium can be scaled up to meet demand. (and also how large are the long term easily accessed reserves).

HHmmm I do understand and sympathise BP... I would suggest saying "I am waiting for a phone call about it"...(which is universally understood by the younger generation)....and then handing to them that must be obeyed a small plastic bucket.. ...preferably while practising signing your name in "slash ink" over the side with that , that god gave us blokes... Exclaiming "Oh bother there is no phosphorescence at the moment...but dont worry I will show you and your friends a bit later"... You will probably still have to repair it, but it may stay working for a bit longer.........

An interesting conversation... First to the fast charge necessity..I dont use my engine as a battery charger. My solar panels and wind generator keep pace with my needs in all but exceptional circumstances. If I needed more power I would add more panels and more batteries followed by a small diesel generator as a last resort. Fast deep charge by virtue means less battery life. Ultimately it depends on how much power you use. Now I am a live aboard and have been for many years....even though I live in a marina, my only power needs above what I produce is for an occasional heater. ....and i

....the boat I am on tonight was designed by clever people... It must have taken them years to perfect the benched toothbrush to toilet vectors... ....on both heads..... But there you go...perfection is possible. The designers added a degree of subtly by installing vacu flush dunnies..the ones with the closing flap. This allows one to contemplate the full horror of the "swimming tooth brush" without actually blocking the heads pipes .( The blocking is left to the new brands of indestructible face wipes and of course tampons) But in your case.. The answer is simple......allow the frui

I am a firm believer in AGMs. They are a set and forget solution. FLAs are a pain...and to be blunt are the reason why AGMs were invented. If you are running your system to the point of critical discharge then you need more input and more storage. Over a ten year cycle AGMs are quite cheap. Especially when you consider that with a proper set up the only maintenance is to check the hold downs and check that the terminals are clean !! No frigging around with decriminalised water and glass n rubber thingys.. I run 4 @ 105 amphrs and 2 @ 33 amphrs...for house. (the 33 amp are in case I need

Surprised its tufnol for starters....any reason for this ? Any modern plastic shaft bearing material should have very limited swell due to water. It is normal to do the bearing calculations on shaft size...housing size.....and the method of location. (retaining) An interference fit usually involves cooling the bearing in dry ice or liquid nitrogen to shrink it and then quickly installing. The design measurements work around this shrinkage. More common is installation with expanding glue. This stuff is amazing and actually works by the exclusion of air... And it comes in a plastic bottle.

....Given that I am part way through a 2000 nm delivery and am stuck waiting for a new gearbox....... I thought I would put my 6.3 cents in.. The problem with small boat coastal passages is that the boats are small....... Coastal conditions can change very quickly and by virtue sea state can get short and sharp. 2 metre steep and close seas can need the most demanding of attention to steerage in a small low freeboard vessel. Its not fun. Heading out to sea to longer frequency waves means.....you are a long way from shore..and safety for a small vessel. Sorry if I am stating the

As an essential piece of life saving equipment , the larger ones are better..

To make it cheap and easy.... Get one hand ascender and one chest ascender. I like tree climbers harnesses but a bosun chair will do. The chest ascender attaches to the bosun chair with a carabiner.....Then with a piece of shock cord from the top of the chest ascender to the bottom of the hand ascender. (There is attachment holes to suit) The hand ascender has a web loop that is long enough to reach your feet in a sitting position. You need to VERY securely attach a halyard at the winch end, and then also either tie of with a small amount of slack the "sail" end or weight it. Once all pu

A++AA ! ...as the old saying goes "all strength to your arm" a run on BP under the watchful eye of that vessels tyrannical captain may be good for the soul. (I assume he knows how to behave if you take over as skipper for the duration )

Wiped my tears, Cleaned the boat up , big time, installed a fridge lid hold up...(now why didnt I do that three years ago)....and started some dangerous dreams...

As I have mentioned and others... most of the time if you are not racing, the chart plotter needs to be down below. My solution (which I do understand is not so easy for others (( I designed my lot from start up)), is to have the chartplotter visible from the helm position....even though it is below. In my case its a simple swivel that goes from pilot berth, to nav station to facing up the companion way. Others here have since made more complicated mounts. If the sea state is too rough for this....you should stand off anyway. (Losing your specs (serious) is a far worst senario ! I would a

.......try $35 K for a full ready to go 37 foot fiberglass, solid build , cruising yacht. With all new standing rigging.....a 6 man life raft in survey.....and everything else that you would need to go.......and I MEAN everything ! Super cheap older cruising yachts are now there for the adventurous. Wish it had been the case 9 years ago when I first started building due to a lack of money....

...just for fun, the most unusual outboard motors I have seen where on the Mekong river. Hand crafted slab timber river boats. They where ANY motor that could be made to run , with a long tube and shaft bolted straight to the output shaft. No gearbox, neutral; was lifting the prop out of the water. The whole lot in a crude steel frame with a single balance point so it could be steered. From little single cylinder stationary motors to old 4 cylinder morris engines....right through to V6s taken straight out of some wrecked modern car. Boy did those V6s fly !! ...and ....they where coo