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Old 01-03-2013, 01:40 PM   #101
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Spotted an interesting gadget on eBay today. It's a weather station that sends wireless data on the 915MHz band to a central controller. The sensor panel is also solar powered with a battery backup.

Data includes rainfall, wind speed and direction, humidity, inside and outside temperature, barometric pressure and it has a perpetual calendar and an atomic-locked clock that gets its data from WWVH via radio. It keeps historic data and has a USB interface so you can save the memory to your PC and reset it once it's full, and this also allows posting meteorologic reports to the internet. Very impressive for under $100 ... if I can get the US vendor to reduce his silly postage costs I might buy a couple of them.

I keep finding things that weren't done properly and fixing them. Case in point is the fishing rod holder on the pushpit, which was held at a weird angle with lots of washers under one bolt, which being ordinary steel had rusted solid. Once I removed this it became obvious that the reason it was at an angle was because the bolt holes didn't align, so the idiot who installed it had simply used thin bolts and wedged them in at an angle, the washers being there to assist this. Gawdelpus! Filed out the bracket holes, installed two matching stainless screws, bingo! No more ugliness.

Some 2" reflective tape arrived the other day, and that was used tonight to spruce up the ragged looking life ring, which also got some stickers applied with the name of the yacht. Spiffy indeed. Now all I need is a couple of mount brackets and it's done.
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Old 01-03-2013, 07:11 PM   #102
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Up feeding the ducks some Salada crackers at 5:30am - as you do - and noticed them getting spooked by movement in the water. Dug out an old hand line and a rubber lure and landed this guy after about 20 casts.

Since I had already filled up on Corn Flakes and was feeling generous, he was returned to the river after the photo.
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Old 01-04-2013, 01:17 AM   #103
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DidjagiveimakissRexy?
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Old 01-04-2013, 01:51 AM   #104
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Acanthopagrus butcheri actually. And I'd love to see Rex try to kiss a Black Bream, they have nasty little teeth that would rip his stupid mouth off.
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Old 01-04-2013, 05:29 AM   #105
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Hrm, not sure I'd want to even kiss anything caught up that end of the river, let alone eat it.

Q: What's wet, hairy, smells like fish and ends in "UNT"?
A: Rex Hunt.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:16 PM   #106
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There's a certain sequence of actions and a bit of design work that has been keeping me awake nights lately and hampering progress.

The helm needs to be covered. This is obvious because the lower section is timber and would leak rain water into the bilges easily. It could be sealed and a small pump fitted to keep it drained, but then I'd have no access under the rear deck to get at the diesel tank to starboard, cavernous storage space to port or steering gear aft. So, it has to be covered.

The troubles here are threefold. Firstly there's the backstay, which is a single 6mm wire that splits into two at an inverted V-coupling. This is right in the way of any potential roof. The other is the engine, which needs to come out but simply can't be removed if I enclose the helm. Finally, if I install a bimini with a visor then there's no access to the boom for sailing trim without unclipping it, which is bloody inconvenient to say the least.

I wish I could have seen how she was originally built, I just can't conceive of a solution without either: 1. shortening the boom, or 2. moving the backstay. And either way the cabin will have to come apart to some degree to get that engine out.

I've studied other Hartleys on the net but the photos seem to concentrate on the interior living areas, since they're being sold as potential living spaces and not cruising yachts. My Tasman has a big flat roof, which is ugly but effective, and the backstay was moved to the top of that. One bonus with this idea is that plenty of solar panels can be mounted on it easily, but the design really only suits the tropics. I've even considered using some of the cheap Bunnings folding plastic tables as a roof.

Any suggestions will be taken on board and considered.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:17 PM   #107
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Quote:
Originally Posted by delatbabel View Post
q: What's wet, hairy, smells like fish and ends in "unt"?
A: Rex hunt.
Like.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:28 PM   #108
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Old 01-06-2013, 03:26 AM   #109
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Quote:
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The helm needs to be covered. This is obvious because the lower section is timber and would leak rain water into the bilges easily. It could be sealed and a small pump fitted to keep it drained, but then I'd have no access under the rear deck to get at the diesel tank to starboard, cavernous storage space to port or steering gear aft. So, it has to be covered.
I'd be inclined to seal the timbers anyway. Even if you covered it, in a seaway you're likely to get splash and foam coming into the cockpit and there needs to be sealing and drainage.

If the cockpit sole is above sea level then you don't need a pump. Seal it, and then run a drain from its lowest point (best thing to do is to fix the floor so it has a slight slope aft) and put a drain right through from the cockpit sole through the hull and into the drink. That is going to be faster to drain than a pump anyway.

If sealing it is going to prevent you getting into the engine bay then cut the wooden sole in half, put the drain in anyway, and have it hinged and/or sikaflexed for removal. If you sikaflex it then you have to replace the sikaflex each time you have to remove the sole but that's just a squirt from a tube anyway.
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Old 01-08-2013, 02:08 PM   #110
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All good advice in a steel boat Del, but the wooden floor is likely to rot if subjected to too much wet weather. I need a roof anyhow, being a redhead I fry in anything remotely resembling warm weather. I'll investigate running a passive drain but I fear the concrete bulkheads will thwart that idea.

Thankfully the 18 gauge red wire finally arrived from Noo Joisey, so rewiring has begun. Yes, it was cheaper to import than find it at a reasonable price here, strangely.

So far I've replaced one 4 metre section that contained 17 wires with a mere six, all new wires. Three blue wires were unused, the seven black (negative) wires were replaced by a single heavy wire direct from the battery to a neutral link, and the reds were reduced from seven to six by rationalizing the design.

Red wire decays faster due to the dye used in the plastic, and mine could be heard snapping as they were bent between my fingers. The original bundle was cable tied, then wrapped in insulation tape, then encased in a split piece of plastic plumbing hose, with both ends filled at the timber by a Silastic type clear goop that had turned to hardened rubber. What a mess. I did the sensible thing and used standard grey conduit.

After waiting a month for Shenoa's paperwork it finally arrived Monday, but was totally inadequate. The previous owner hadn't changed the rego into his name and simply sent me the old paperwork that should have been lodged in September. No receipt, nada. A panicky and very firm email got him into action today and he has now sent a receipt and a transfer form assigning the boat to me. I'll send in both copies with a cheque for the registration, which is due in 10 days, and being good government workers they'll accept it because it contains money.

The tricky bit is that I'm supposed to present original Evidence of Identity, which is really only possible if you show up personally. Damned if I know how that will work out, but I sent them my drivers licence number and passport number so maybe they can use those.

The Maritime Safety Queensland website is somewhat of a joke actually. No central mailing address, no transfer fee costs listed, email link is useless because it only goes to the web developers. Bloody state guvmints, hate 'em.
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Old 01-08-2013, 02:59 PM   #111
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Don't know much about the Qld mob, but AMSA are brilliant. Very efficient.
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Old 01-09-2013, 02:11 AM   #112
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Agreed, and I have no complaints against NSW Maritime either. Let's hope it's a trend and MSQ can do the job efficiently.
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Old 01-09-2013, 05:35 AM   #113
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I thought QLD was the most expensive Rego in Australia, its only $75 in Vic
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Old 01-09-2013, 07:44 AM   #114
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No such thing as recreational boat registration in the NT. They scrapped it many years ago because of the cost of administration.
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Old 01-09-2013, 01:14 PM   #115
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I thought QLD was the most expensive Rego in Australia, its only $75 in Vic
At $290.30 it's a few bucks more than NSW. In fact since the yacht has no engine it doesn't need to be registered at all, but it's moored at anchor and I'd like the authorities to be able to find me if it "wanders off" as happened to the previous owner.
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Old 01-09-2013, 01:15 PM   #116
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No such thing as recreational boat registration in the NT. They scrapped it many years ago because of the cost of administration.
Tassie's the same I believe. As long as you're not in another state for more than 3 months, no rego required.
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Old 01-10-2013, 06:11 AM   #117
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Quote:
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At $290.30 it's a few bucks more than NSW. In fact since the yacht has no engine it doesn't need to be registered at all, but it's moored at anchor and I'd like the authorities to be able to find me if it "wanders off" as happened to the previous owner.
No cheep!!! what do you mean "moored at anchor"Arnt you on a mooring? or is this like your potato scollops instead of potato cakes?
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Old 01-11-2013, 03:57 AM   #118
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No cheep!!! what do you mean "moored at anchor"Arnt you on a mooring? or is this like your potato scollops instead of potato cakes?
Lots cheaper than car rego. Moored at anchor means what it says, the current mooring location on the Brisbane River isn't subject to fees. The yacht was moored on a home-made mooring in the same location but this pulled during a storm and was discarded by the last owner.

So Qld can actually be cheaper in this regard. Not many spots around Port Phillip where you can get away with that!

Oh yeah, and unless someone has found a way to grow potatoes at the bottom of the ocean inside a shell, there's no such thing as a potato scallop. (I'm from Melbourne ...)
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Old 01-11-2013, 05:05 AM   #119
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This may clarify things:

Moor \Moor\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moored; p. pr. & vb. n. Mooring.] [Prob. fr. D. marren to tie, fasten, or moor a ship. See Mar.] 1. (Naut.) To fix or secure, as a vessel, in a particular place by casting anchor, or by fastening with cables or chains; as, the vessel was moored in the stream; they moored the boat to the wharf. 2. Fig.: To secure, or fix firmly. --Brougham.

One can moor to many things, including an anchor. I could have simply said "anchored" but that implies a temporary situation or location. I could also have simply said "moored" but many would interpret this as being at a fixed mooring or facility.
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Old 01-11-2013, 05:53 AM   #120
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Tom-a-to: tom-ah-to. Upstairs: on deck. Downstairs:below. Galley:kitchen. Dunny,bog,loo,lavatory,thunderbox:head.

As Billy Spokeshave once so succiently put it, a rose by any other name is still a rose. Nautical terminology is a niceity and there are some who thunder on ad nauseum about what is right and proper. The bottom line is as long as everyone knows what yer talking about, then everything is fine.

There are some areas where the nautical term is absolute, such as port and starboard, as distinct from left and right, but otherwise some nomenclature can seem somewhat pompous.

That's what I reckon anyway..

Be that as it may, I eat potato scallops. The term describes a shape rather than an animal as in: Scalloped Potatoes Recipe - Taste.com.au
But, a 'cake' is not something which can be attributed to potatos cut into scallops.

But...'flake' remains one of the best things about Melbourne fish and chip shops.....
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