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Old 11-14-2012, 12:39 AM   #1
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Default Finally, the day has come

After a few months of anticipation living in Queensland at my brother's place, I'm now back in Sydney and finally about to begin work on Keppelena. I've been aboard and done a rudimentary inspection and there were a few surprises - both good and bad - and I'm confident this is a project I can complete.

For those who missed the earlier posts, I took a look from the shore to verify the boat's existence and then kept going back in late May/ early June. Sydney was raining hard and my father was ill further north, necessitating a rushed visit to simply deal with registration issues.

I was planning to continue on to Mackay for work but this didn't pan out. Instead I helped install some air conditioners in return for room and board in Ipswich. After my father's passing I stayed a little longer while waiting for some ebay purchases to arrive then returned to Sydney.

Surprises were as follows:

1. Fairly serious dry rot in the cabin plywood. I expected some, but this is fairly extensive. There's evidence of leakage into the galley but the rest seems to have stayed dry.

2. Bonus items not expected were a backstay antenna, a eutectic fridge and a brand new bilge pump that needs to be fitted. The head also contains a very desirable recirculating sump shower.

In all I'm still very happy I bought this yacht.

Unfortunately my inflatable dinghy vanished after 24 hours, so I'm bidding on a used 2.1m f/glass tender and should have it by the weekend. For now still living in the VW van. The dinghy may have been stolen, there were a lot of small vans bringing gear for a huge wedding at one of the $6M houses at the end of the road where I access the river. OTOH it may have just blown away in the hailstorm that happened the day after I went aboard. Either way it was going to be replaced and was a temporary measure, way too wobbly without a solid floor.

I've been using the extra time ashore checking out the location of showers, laudromats, cheap supermarkets and free internet services; and also doing some car maintenance and ordering stuff for the boat so it wasn't entirely a wasted week.

At this stage I'm going to be spending several months in Woolwich, cleaning and repairing stuff. If anyone in the area wants company for a casual sail please let me know, I'd love to get some exposure to that so the dream stays alive. Fortunately I no longer have to work, so this is now a full-time lifestyle.
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Old 11-14-2012, 12:55 AM   #2
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And the adventure begins.
Great to see you getting stuck in and it is good to know you're happy despite the odd gremlin turning up to spoil the party. The dry rot can be a bother depending upon how much timber needs to be removed.

If the rot is not so bad, a liberal treatment with Everdure can work wonders and leave the affected area stronger than timber alone. Everdure is easy to apply and is of structural benefit. It is very thin so that it is easily absorbed by the timber...It cannot be thickened for fairing, but makes a good key base for the application of any 2 part fairing compound.

The eutectic freezer system (I assume the compressor is engine driven) is for my money, still a far better system for voyaging boats than a 12v refrigeration/freezer combination.

It sounds like you are going to have fun!
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Old 11-14-2012, 02:52 AM   #3
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G'day haiqu, yes I'd love to drop by. I'm in North Sydney and Chiara Stella's in Lavender Bay but a trip out to Woolwich to see what you're working on would be fine.

If you're handy with a piece of wood and need someone who's handy with electricals & electronics then I'm up for some contra-work.

As far as showers, etc, do what a bunch of us live-aboards do and get a gym membership. I go with fitness first, they have gyms all over Sydney & most of the rest of Australia. $20 per week or thereabouts, they have great showers and provide you with that soap-in-a-bottle stuff that works OK as shampoo as well. Plus if you're feeling up to it you can have a work-out as well.
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Old 11-14-2012, 12:34 PM   #4
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And the adventure begins.
Indeed it does. This should be an entirely different life.

Quote:
Great to see you getting stuck in and it is good to know you're happy despite the odd gremlin turning up to spoil the party. The dry rot can be a bother depending upon how much timber needs to be removed.
There's plenty of rot, and evidence of older repairs full of bog that weren't faired very well. If I were at a marina or a drydock I'd rip it all out, especially since the engine can't be removed in toto with the roof on. But since I'm at a swing mooring that's impossible.

Quote:
If the rot is not so bad, a liberal treatment with Everdure can work wonders and leave the affected area stronger than timber alone. Everdure is easy to apply and is of structural benefit. It is very thin so that it is easily absorbed by the timber...It cannot be thickened for fairing, but makes a good key base for the application of any 2 part fairing compound.
Nice tip, I'll check Whitworths which is just up the road.

Quote:
The eutectic freezer system (I assume the compressor is engine driven) is for my money, still a far better system for voyaging boats than a 12v refrigeration/freezer combination.
I'm pretty sure it's engine driven, yeah. I didn't spot it at first, the hatch was underneath a portable gas stove on the bench. So much for my rants about not wanting a fridge, got one whether I want it or not!

Quote:
It sounds like you are going to have fun!
Hell yeah!
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Old 11-14-2012, 12:41 PM   #5
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G'day haiqu, yes I'd love to drop by. I'm in North Sydney and Chiara Stella's in Lavender Bay but a trip out to Woolwich to see what you're working on would be fine.
You may have misread my intentions, I'm trying to get some sailing time on a boat that actually works. Right now mine doesn't ...

Quote:
If you're handy with a piece of wood and need someone who's handy with electricals & electronics then I'm up for some contra-work.
Being an electronics tech with 45 years experience my forte lies in that area as well. Seems like we may have a bit in common there, so would be good to meet up. I'm also not bad at woodwork (many years of loudspeaker design and building) and almost everything else. If you need a spare set of hands just ask.

Quote:
As far as showers, etc, do what a bunch of us live-aboards do and get a gym membership. I go with fitness first, they have gyms all over Sydney & most of the rest of Australia. $20 per week or thereabouts, they have great showers and provide you with that soap-in-a-bottle stuff that works OK as shampoo as well. Plus if you're feeling up to it you can have a work-out as well.
I've already discovered two options. Woolwich Baths has an amenities block with free cold showers. For those days when I'd prefer hot water I can shower at Lane Cove Aquatic Centre in Little St for $3.00

Rowing is enough exercise for me!
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Old 11-15-2012, 12:26 AM   #6
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You may have misread my intentions, I'm trying to get some sailing time on a boat that actually works. Right now mine doesn't ...
Well mine does, and you're welcome to come along and crew, I'm looking to do some casual sailing over the summer. Let's have a chat, PM me your contact number.

I have a tip about a temporary-ish berth you can sort of use (I have used it on several occasions) if you need to for repair purposes. Of course you need the ability to actually get there, at least under motor.
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Old 11-15-2012, 05:45 AM   #7
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Well mine does, and you're welcome to come along and crew, I'm looking to do some casual sailing over the summer. Let's have a chat, PM me your contact number.
Cool! I know almost zip about sailing, so this is welcome. Will PM details.

Quote:
I have a tip about a temporary-ish berth you can sort of use (I have used it on several occasions) if you need to for repair purposes. Of course you need the ability to actually get there, at least under motor.
Also neat. There's an outboard I can fit, as long as it doesn't involve exiting the heads I should be able to get there. This could be might useful for getting heavy and/or bulky materials aboard if nothing else.
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Old 11-16-2012, 03:31 AM   #8
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Auzzee, Got a 1L kit of Everdure off ebay for $49.00 delivered. Better than half the price from Whitworths. :-)

Now just need some waxless paper cups and disposable brushes. I'll get those next week, about to go aboard after collecting my new s/h f/glass dinghy.
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Old 11-16-2012, 04:14 AM   #9
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That's a great price! You will need some compatible thinners. I promise you, once you have used Everdure, you will find uses for it everywhere. If you are ever building timber cupboards, shelves etc., flood the cut timber with Everdure and the work will outlast the boat. Only one thing to remember, if using it on the exterior, it is not UV stabilised and needs to be painted over.
Cheers.
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Old 11-20-2012, 11:55 AM   #10
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I assume that's lacquer thinner ... will check the can when it arrives. Been aboard now for a few more days. Rowing grows on you, although I now have muscles in places I didn't know existed.

Spent the best part of one day cleaning up paint splatters from where someone daubed the ceiling without a drop cloth. Makes me wonder their priorities when some of it needs replacing anyhow. There are some fungi in the head that science has yet to identify, and one in the galley sprouted a small mushroom that followed the light from a porthole for the best part of a day before I sealed it's source of water from above.

The electrical work also left something to be desired. The solar controller was fed through a window missing a pane, and hung from the wires. All the terminals had rusted and I was amazed to find the battery still charged, especially since the feed wires to it were well under sized.

Fitted a new controller and a 3-way cigarette socket and now I can run the PC while charging my electronic cigarette batteries and phone. No lights as yet, using dry cell stick-on LED thingies left behind for now. The 80W panel I brough with me brings the total to 180W which seems to be adequate.

I almost threw a party after getting the hand pump in the head vanity to spew forth water. I've now learned more than I ever wanted to know about priming the darned things. Spent most of today tracking down a compatible seal (turned out to be a brake part) and now the galley sink also works. Of course it took me two days to find the water tank, which was secreted below my bunk!

The forward deck rails are shot so I've ripped them off to protect myself from accidentally trusting them. I'll have to find some 13ft lengths of teak, already have a coping saw and the spokeshave is on order.

This message brought to you via someone else's internet connection, direct from Lane Cove River. That $32 EgaSky antenna booster thingy seems to work fine!

Cheers,

Rob
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Old 11-20-2012, 12:06 PM   #11
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Here's a shot of the deck rails after I unscrewed them, also the new quickie electricals. Oh ... and that curious fungus!
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Old 11-20-2012, 03:35 PM   #12
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Those stick on LED lights ($9 from Bunnings if remember correctly) are the best emergency lights on the planet. Batteries will last to doomsday and they throw a good light.

The boat looks good! Looking forward to frequent updates.
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Old 11-20-2012, 11:09 PM   #13
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Downright beautiful ... from some angles. Here's one I'd rather not see:
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Old 11-21-2012, 09:32 PM   #14
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Sorted through the wiring in the bilges and finally found the short circuit on the main 12V wiring. We now have fluoro lights!
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Old 11-21-2012, 09:36 PM   #15
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Those stick on LED lights ($9 from Bunnings if remember correctly) are the best emergency lights on the planet. Batteries will last to doomsday and they throw a good light.
Tell you what else is a godsend - for charging battery drills or using a soldering iron - is the little 150W car inverters that plug into a cigarette lighter socket. I've ordered another one for the boat. I think it cost less than $10 on ebay.
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Old 11-21-2012, 10:34 PM   #16
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The electrical work also left something to be desired. The solar controller was fed through a window missing a pane, and hung from the wires. All the terminals had rusted and I was amazed to find the battery still charged, especially since the feed wires to it were well under sized.
It reminds me of when I bought Chiara Stella. In the front half of the boat, the red wire was positive. In the back half of the boat, the red wire was negative.
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Old 11-22-2012, 03:22 AM   #17
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It reminds me of when I bought Chiara Stella. In the front half of the boat, the red wire was positive. In the back half of the boat, the red wire was negative.
Must have been getting port and starboard mixed up in there somewhere.
Some years ago a mate bought a nice Roberts 25. Everything worked and it was quite a sophisticated little craft. The bloke who rewired it prior to selling it, must have gone to Repco on the day they had a special on green automotive wire. Positive...green. Negative...green. Earth, well he got that right!
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Old 11-22-2012, 05:08 AM   #18
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Tell you what else is a godsend - for charging battery drills or using a soldering iron - is the little 150W car inverters that plug into a cigarette lighter socket. I've ordered another one for the boat. I think it cost less than $10 on ebay.
Just be careful that the cigarette lighter socket will handle the 12+A @ 12V that's required to run the inverter. Most of those type of sockets peg out at 10A. Plus the fact that the circuit is probably fused to 10A (not so good) or not fused at all (worse).

I bit the bullet and got a Powertech brand 1500W inverter from Jaycar and wired that in. Heavier cables going back direct to the main bus bar and a big heavy duty switch on it, so no problems there.
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Old 11-22-2012, 09:32 AM   #19
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She has the old caravan style 32V 2-pin plugs throughout. Needless to say they're wired backwards. The guy who built this boat was certainly no electrician, there's absolutely zero extra wire to pull things out of the wall for repairs. One circuit didn't work but was soldered both ends, which caused some head scratching. There was a corroded crimped joiner inline, under electrical tape, inside conduit. Argh.

The 150W inverter is a temporary measure, I have a 1000W inverter here too. Certainly wouldn't use it to full capacity anyhow.

Internet here is spotty. There are seven open networks visible but only one of them connects, and even then only when signal strength approaches 50%. Sure hope they don't twig and password it. ;-)
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Old 11-22-2012, 10:46 PM   #20
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Talking Love the lifestyle now that is retirement!

Great thread enjoy your new found lifestyle and have fun with it!
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