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Kevin McCready

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Posts posted by Kevin McCready

    What should I do?

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    A contract is a contract; it doesn't matter whether it's written or verbal. A court, if need be, will decide who to believe. Good luck. Hopefully they will come good with a prod, but if not ....

     

    And at this stage to put the matter beyond doubt if the prod works, I would get it in writing, even if they sign the back of an envelope, or they could agree to a recording.

    What should I do?

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    Looks like it hasn't even been filled and faired properly before the coat went on. In Contract Law if a contract goes sour you have a legal obligation to limit your losses. I'd notify them in writing ASAP that you are terminating the contract due to "non-performance" and you want a full refund for any deposit you've paid for materials.  You should notify them that you also want "damages" in the form of hard stand and haul out charges.

    • Upvote 1
    • Downvote 1

    antifoul wax paper

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    I'm about to antifoul and want to avoid the big buildup of mussels on the bottom of the keel.

     

    I've heard that after you lift and paint the bottom of the keel (where it rests on the cradle), you can lower the boat onto wax paper so that the antifoul doesn't stick to the steel cradle when you launch. Ideally you would hold the boat in the air until the antifoul is thoroughly dry but at $140 per hour that's a bit expensive an impractical.

     

    Does anyone know what sort of wax paper is best and where to buy it?

    Speeding fines on the water

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    I'm very sad to hear about the young woman's suicide.

     

    Since you've raised the issue again you appear to want a serious discussion. So let's have it without insults and assumptions.

     

    My earlier comment certainly didn't accuse you of being a rapist, so I let your previous outburst slide.

     

    People, including women, can be part of Rape Culture. Here are some ideas about Rape Culture:

     

    1. Rape Culture is much broader than the act of rape.

    2. Rape Culture is any culture which creates an environment where rape is more likely.

    3. Rape Culture is any culture which disses women by the mere fact that they are women.

    4. Rape Culture is any culture which says women are subservient to men's desires.

    5. Rape Culture is any culture where a women is afraid to go about her business without being harassed.

     

    Here's a link that might promote more understanding:

    http://kateharding.net/2009/10/08/guest-blogger-starling-schrodinger%E2%80%99s-rapist-or-a-guy%E2%80%99s-guide-to-approaching-strange-women-without-being-maced

    Cruising and Camping in the Hauraki Gulf

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    Gotta say I find the misogynistic comments here quite off and puerile . Not funny or witty either.

     

    Anyway I wanted to say that my wife is the same but once in a quiet anchorage is fine and doesn't need to go ashore. Depending on the level of motion- sickness you may find different things that work. Try standing up and balancing alone, with only a loose hold if needed for safety, and focusing on the horizon. If the motion sickness gets too bad a safety harness and tether on the leeward side to prevent going overboard with the lunch is needed.

    • Downvote 2

    Anyone in Waikawa who could help me boost my confidence?

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    Practice turns and going backwards in a clear area. Different boats will behave very differently. When I did my boat training one of the exercises was to hold position in a current on a windy day - think vectors. And if you are practising on a mooring buoy, don't run over it whatever you do or you'll cut it off or entangle the mooring rope in your prop. I sometimes took me three or four attempt to sail onto my mooring and I didn't care how many people were watching and laughing because I was having fun and learning.

     

    From my notes from other forums:

    "Boat Handling Under Power," John Mellor, Sheridan House, Inc., 1993. .. p. 37 "It is essential to appreciate that a boat with a rudder can best be turned at low speeds by driving a powerful flow of water from the propeller across the rudder; the slow water flow past the boat will produce very sluggish steering. A tight turn can thus be made by using a succession of short, sharp bursts of power, maximizing the turning effect of the slipstream while minimizing forward movement."

     

    I find that with our boat, the way to get her to go astern is to use short bursts of power, rather than continuous - if she is in continuous slow astern she will usually go where she wants to go, even if the helm is applied the opposite way./ right hand prop. If I shift into reverse while moving slowly forward she turns to starboard.

    I need to do a tight turn to port to get into my berth too and the left hand prop. is perfect because as I shift to reverse to slow down it wants to kick my stern to starboard which helps getting into my pen. Under my circumstances, a rght hand prop would be a total disaster. [kmc seems he could be wrong on this]

     

    The first "secret" to tight-quarter maneuvering the single-screw boat is to learn how to "back and fill" to "rotate" the boat, not "drive" her around. Using this technique, you can do 360-degree turns in EITHER direction in less than two lengths of your boat -- and, if you get good at it, it'll be 1.5 lengths or so. This technique consists of stopping completely and putting the helm all the way over and leaving it there throughout the turn. Then shift into forward and give the engine a quick "goose." You really have to hit it hard, so the first time you practice this, try it out in the harbor where you're close enough to objects to see the effect of what you're doing, but not so close you're likely to get into trouble. As soon as you've "goosed her" forward, throttle back, then immediately shift into reverse and "goose her" again -- hard enough to kill all forward motion. You will see that the forward goose has rotated the boat perhaps 30 or 40 degrees and the reverse goose has killed her way again so she's barely moved forward. Repeat the process over and over until you've rotated the boat ... because of stern walk in reverse, you'll find this works better in one direction than the other. For example, our boat backs to starboard, so rotating the boat to port is MUCH easier because BOTH parts of the maneuver (forward AND reverse) assist the turn. ... However, it CAN be done in both directions -- even in a breeze. #Secret2 let's say we want to back our boat (that backs to starboard due to propwalk) slowly into a narrow slipway. Start by lining up with your stern headed in toward the slipway and put your helm all the way over to starboard (and leave it there). (WHY put the helm to starboard? Because when you're backing slowly the helm has very little effect anyway -- especially with a full-keel boat, so putting it to port won't do much to counteract the natural tendency of the stern to move to starboard anyway, and we're going to need the helm to starboard for the "gooses" ... As soon as she's moving backward (and starting to turn to starboard), shift into neutral and coast. This will stop the propwalk and let you coast almost straight back. As you start to slow, shift back into forward and give her a quick goose. Because of the starboard helm, this will "hop" the stern to port without moving forward (completely offsetting the propwalk -- plus maybe a little more), and then you can then repeat the process. Now, this may sound a little complicated (you'll be following a slightly "scalloped" path), but you can back as slowly as the wind/current conditions will allow. Secret3# Weathercocking. How your boat behaves in the wind. when I planned my tight-quarters turn with the sailboat, I would intentionally stop with the bow at least 20 degrees or so off the wind IN THE DIRECTION I WANTED TO TURN ANYWAY. Thus, this turning effect aided the backing and filling rather than opposed it.
    For some discussion on backing a single-screw boat into a slip with spring lines (which is even slicker), check out my Website:
    http://www.his.com/~vann/KrgStuff/Krognidx.htm
     

    Anyone in Waikawa who could help me boost my confidence?

    in MarineTalk

    Posted

    Good luck. Just do it. Practice in calm conditions by yourself till you build up confidence. Always have a plan B in mind, eg always prepared to drop the anchor if the engine fails. Do things exactly the same in exactly the same way - it creates a good habit. Habit will save you when you're tired and the sh*t hits the fan. You will then by on autopilot.

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