Great day followed, by a craking sail in ideal conditions on the the Sunday!
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Westerly Centaur – Gemini.
Tide Times
Saturday 12th October – Springs +3
1150 – HT
1250 – Grounded
1450 – Dry
2320 – Approx – Re-floated
0020 – HT
Notes
- Next time try adjacent to the posts, one boat length away, see GPS coordinates.
- Next time if too dark to travel further pick up a mooring buoy as quite confined.
- Next time try drying out for shorter period
- There was a tap on the beach that could be used for a pressure washer?
Expecting a seized piston ring or two, found that all three con rods are bent 🙁
Great day with Yachtmaster Examiner/Instructor Mark Lewis, who is based on the Orwell River, and Principal Instructor at Shearwater Sailing School.
My notes for future reference, diagrams by Mark:
Boat-Handling-In-Tight-Spaces – PDF Document including diagrams
Coonections appear to all be as they should, nothing loose!
But, burners still fail to ignite.
The right burner is better, but only manages to light after a considerable amount of time.
I’ll ask Ely Boat Chandlers for a replacement.
Here are some pics:
Photo credits: David Hadlow
On the left is the larger Johnsom pump impeller, on the right is the earlier Jabsco.
Z Spars are upgrading me to a larger model FOC, how is that for service!
The problem is to achieve an acceptable angle, I reduced the inner tube by approximately 200mm, now just before the boox is horizontal there is no spring and the two tobes are tight together.
The mast foot fitting extend up inside the mast making it difficult lower the mast bracket further, but it could possibly be lowered by 30mm.
Photos taken when removing the Volvo Penta MD2B from Gemini:
Next time I would wrap the engine in an old duvet to further protect the woodwork.
Plate between block and timing gear housing leaks when engine cranked:
But, not when the raw water pump rear cover is removed:
It looks like the leak is only there when the system is pressurised,and the oil seems to come, not from the rear of the pump cover but from between the engine block and the front plate.
The parts explosion:
It looks like there are 2 missing bolts securing the plate to the block.
(Jan 2018 – NB. I think back in 2016 I purchassed and fitted these 2 bolts and that cured the leak. Now the engine has been rebuilt the leak is back. Is it possible that when it was rebuilt these 2 bolts have been again left off again? It would be relatively easy to put all the outside bolts in and miss these 2 inner ones?)
This picture show a new plate being held up in front of the gears of the gears just to give an idea of what is behind:
Just in case the worst comes to the worst:
The raw water strainer has always been located under the port quarter berth, which has been an irritation. It is now located next to the engine! Plus, an ‘L’ valve so that the water can be pumped from another location if required
Here is a pic of the chart holder:
Made in teak ordered from www.kjhowells.com
Just need to add a lip to the bottom, and a pencil holder!
New jacklines fitted:
Even used seizing wire!!
To go with the 2 new safety lines – no excuse for falling overboard now!!
Just fitted 2 x PFE-1 portable aerosol fire extinguishers, 1 in the cabin, the other in the companion way:
http://www.nrgmarine.com/aerosol.html
The world’s most versatile and compact Fire Extinguisher.
• The only type of extinguisher suitable for both Liquid fuel and Electrical fires.
• COMPACT – 70-80 Smaller than Conventional Extinguishers
• NON-TOXIC – Human Safety Guaranteed
• CLEAN AGENT – Environmentally Safe
• NON PRESSURISED – Zero Maintenance
• NO RESIDUE – Avoid Costly Damaging Clean Up
• NON HARMFUL – Safe for Engines, Transformers, Electrical, Mechanical & Electronics
• 3* to 7 YEAR GUARANTEE – Reliable & Very Effective
(*3-4 years current stock, 5 years marine/harsh environment, 7 years domestic environment)
The old panel only had 6 fuses and was very corroded. New ‘blade fuse’ fitted with more space and 110% more reliable.
Another project completed!
Last year the water pump had an intermittent fault causing the engine to overheat.
As well a replacing the pump, a new exhaust temperature alarm has been fitted.
Any further failures at least we will have an early warning.
Attempting to replace the existing anode:
Anode on hull, turning the nut also turns the stud!
Stud inside with earth:
Other stud:
Both studs:
Another project:
Another projectc completed, 1 x 40 watts & 2 x 20 watts permanently connected with an additional 100w to plugin at anchor.
Connect the GPS128’s blue wire to the Icom’s central core. Connect the Icom’s outer core to the Garmin’s ground (black wire). You’ll need to check that the Garmin is set up to output NMEA (look at the Interface page and set it for either NMEA/NMEA or None/NMEA.
Garmin 128
Need to check this is set to outpu NMEA, by default it is set to Garmin
ICOM IC-505
YBW Thread:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?424925-ICOM-IC-505-direct-to-GPS&p=5210968#post5210968
Success:
I am looking at fitting centre cleats on Gemini, and cleats such as these are just way to expensive:
So I am looking in to geeting some bespoke cleats made ot of 316 grade stainless steel, her is what I have so far:
The idea is that these will just drop over the toerail and be secured with sikaflex and 3 bolts.
Here is the finished article:
This is the genius bespoke stainless steel fabricator that made them.
Now fitted on to Gemini:
Glen inspecting the rigging and replacing bulbs
Thanks to Les of East Coast Offshore Yachting I now have a working engine, and a cool one at that!
The bracket is broken on the water pipe, the cable tie fix will last for a few hours but I need a more permanent solution?
It was a case or 3rd time luck as I must have made every mistake possible, it took all day and did not get home until 10pm. First I fitted with tails on the wrong side, the upside down! It made sense for the pipes to be at the bottom, but the connections fitted better the other way around so I tried that 1st, DOH! Anyway I could probably do the whole job in less than half an hour now.
As the last pic shows I also installed an exhaust alarm!
The question now is whether it would be a good idea to now replace the missing thermostat?
There were a total of 381 drownings and water-related deaths the UK in 2013, according to a report published today by the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF).
This compares to 371 water-related deaths in 2012, and 407 in 2011.
As in previous years, fatalities at the sea, on the beach or shoreline accounted for nearly a third (115), while a further 22 deaths happened at harbours, docks, marinas and inland or coastal ports.
More than half of the deaths (227) in 2013 were in inland waters, such as tidal and freshwater rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
Eight deaths occurred in the bath and six in swimming pools, while three happened in areas that are not normally watercourses such as marsh and flooded land.
http://www.pbo.co.uk/news/536907/new-uk-figures-reveal-381-water-related-deaths-in-2013
Floor is 88cm wide and 207cm in length.
Before:
After:
Thinking of Flotex:
http://flotex.karpetkingdom.co.uk/ViewProduct.aspx?p=181 but shame about the 7cm!
Here are 2 ways that it may be possible to drill a hole for a pipe:
I think there is already a small hole from the engine bay to the saloon, but it cannot be seen. If I fill the engine bay with water it does drain down to the saloon bilge so I know there is a hole somewhere.
The port locker looks like the best option, but judging where to drill a hole that would enter the saloon bilge would be difficult.
I may give up if it is too difficult, but the saloon bilge is definitely the lowest part, so it seams to make sense to be able to pump from here if required.
Planned cockpit cover for Westerly Centaur:
To clip on to top of dodger
Can anyone help?
I am trying to locate a sun cover for a B&G Focus:
I am looking at installing a Whale Supersub 650 automatic bilge pump:
with a SeaWorld bilge pump switch panel with alarm:
Where is the best place to locate the pump, under the engine or is there a better place?