Island Time

You guys are right, but once a family comes along, looking after them must be no 1 priority. Place to live, food, clothes, education once that age. There are many who struggle with the basics. To say priorities, while i agree to a large extent, is not the case for all. We are lucky to live in NZ, where boats are even possible. For many in the world its a ridiculous dream. Count your blessings, and go sailing!

You guys are doing well to still have a boat while you have a young family. I had no boat for a few years (5 or 6) while the kids were young. Suffered withdrawl symptoms bad Eventually, by the time they were around 7 I'd managed a Noelex 30, then by about 10, the current 40 footer... It will come if you are obsessed!

Well, I agree with that as well. The fact is, everything else aside, building a low volume of boats up to 50 ft here in NZ is not going to happen. IMO because of the imports setting entry level pricing, for entry level boats, that are practical, but may not be durable. Every industry is going through, or has been through, the same issues. Our society is way more disposable than it was, and requiring a much higher level of comfort. For costs to halve, is unrealistic. The (old) boats cannot be replaced for anything like their current values, let alone halving them! The number of middle c

That will be an issue. Many won't be able to afford the ongoing maintenance - even if the purchase price has halved, maintenance will be the same.

What you to are missing, IMO, is that many people don't have, or believe they don't have the skills and time required to do this type of thing. If you guys calculated the costs of labor (your own) at even a moderate level, it would not be economic. However, very few of us, if any, can turn our obsession into an economic entity...

Flocking Seagulls!!

Simple - cheapest boat they could do at the $. She should have been called the Arapaua - always stuck to the wharf!

Great opportunity to sail back from Europe or the States!!! Make sure you get a bill of sale for the boat for $3.50 for NZ customs

Actually Rats, IMO some of them are. Some have the new engines, repaints and new sails.... But I'm biased towards Farrs!! The ones that don't have the maint done and good gear are NOT worth those prices at all...

There are cheap "deals" now. Many boats for sale for what a suit of new sails would cost for them, and a tiny fraction of what a new equivalent would cost. But, if you want a decent boat, it is generally cheaper to buy the best of type, rather than the cheapest purchase price. If you are a long term owner, maintenance WILL cost more than the purchase price. Yes, it can be put off for a year or three, but it will catch up in the end if the boat is not to deteriorate..... Just using Bene's as an example here; Like a bene 46 for $165K USD or or a 1st 40.7 for $127 or a 34 for $100 K

Not much to see if you don't stop! Stopping is harder on the West Coast... By the way, I make it 535 NM Picton to Opua via West Coast, and 650NM Opua to Picton via East Coast. The West Coast is certainly more open, with fewer usable harbors, and generally more exposed to the Weather. However the S Wairarapa Cost and East Cape are places to treat with caution (So's Cook Strait, but that should be OK as you can leave with a good forecast... Best of luck with your trip, have a great time!

Yep, the only place to go is New Plymouth. In a big NW it can be closed. The harbor is rolly in NW conditions, and the facilities for yachts are less than good. Your trip is likely to have the wind FWD of the beam the whole way. And potentially strong winds. Personally, going North from Cook Strait, I prefer to go up the East Coast. More places to stop, and more interesting. I'd come back south (are you coming back??) down the W Coast.... Good luck!

First let me say I have no experience of this particular engine. However, I would suggest that if this is held in by friction, it will be an interference fit, and pressed into place. May be hard to get out, especially cold. Without the interference fit it would risk dropping in to the cylinder with temp change and vibration. Why take it out at all? IMO it will be there to assist in complete distribution to the cylinder for combustion.

A significant percentage of the cruising boats that go from NZ to the islands every year are in a similar situation to these guys. Everyone must start somewhere. However, i'm surprised they got cat 1. Part of the regs are to do with crew experience - C4 had little. A simple addition to the crew, or replacement of one of the members, with an experienced offshore sailor (or 2) would have made the boat a lot safer. IMO. There is nothing wrong with storing your liferaft on or at the transom. No lifting or carrying required, and the ability to potentially launch it when the boat is inverted. Ho

I watched the vid. I thought it was a pretty typical voyage from NZ for a beginner crew. They did say they lost the "main" liferaft - and there def was another on deck, but perhaps smaller. They had a few issues, but they were lucky the weather was pretty benign. It's interesting how the general public seem to see crossing oceans in a small vessel - not at all like reality! I'm not all all sure that any of the crew actually understand what a broach is!

Well, if that is the case it's incompetence. Should have been easy enough to have performance requirements written into the upgrade contract. Standard practice... And how about the sea trial in Singapore? Surely they tested the speed and consumption?

Yep, seems like more of the same. Hayden (SOWID) whats the real story??

Yep, that is pretty normal. The official service agents should have the info to reset it to the factory "unused" state, but it is not meant to be in the public domain - too easy for idiots to enter any old thing, and the system loses most of it's value if the wrong numbers are used. AIS units are the same (or should be - some from ASIA are not). Good luck!

A proper joining link will be as strong or stronger than the chain - no risk!

Eric, You can fix that chain pretty easily - cut the bad bit out and get a joiner link from KM on here - hell give you a quality joiner as strong as the chain...

OK, what I heard was that there was a meeting last week (not sure if it was a special one or what), at which the Kawau Yacht club was discussed, and that there was a deal that has been done to open it again with new personnel. All second hand, no real details or official confirmation. I thought it would have been the meeting you went to Wild Oats, but obviously not. I was wondering if it was true.... Perhaps just I rumor, but I hope not! What did Chris Dickson's email say?

Nobody went to the meeting last week? Anyone know the facts, rather than rumors?

Who was at the squaddy meeting the other night and can tell us the details of the resurrection of the Kawau Club ?

Actually, the use of stainless steel keelbolts presumes they won't get wet as well. Stainless is not really suitable for installations below the waterline, where it may come into contact with stagnant seawater. Monel would be heaps better... Galv is better in some situations, as is bronze.,

I have done a bit of research on the 40.7 over the last few days. As tuffy said, there are reports of two of them leaking from the rear keel bolts when max backstay is on, in one case from new. There are two cases of lost keels, one from a severe grounding, and this one, from as yet unknown causes. There have been 550 first 40.7's made, and they have sailed several MILLION miles between them. Still, a failure rate approaching 1% is still too high when it is such a major component. You have to consider operator error in these cases - the backstay, - what was the system in use, and was