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Old 05-14-2013, 05:27 AM   #21
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Hey Rob,

13" trailer wheels were generally a holden stud pattern, boat trailers used to have the problem of rims rusting out regularly and 13" rims are getting had to get and not cheap. The alternative is to go to a wreckers and pick up a couple of 14" early volvo alloy rims, same stud pattern, cheap as can be and loads of them around, then throw on a couple of second hand tyres and you are away.

I had a trailer with 13" rims a couple of years ago and was quoted $120 for one rim. For 80 bucks I got two volvo ones and two tyres fitted.... the tyres are still good on it now ...

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Old 05-16-2013, 09:03 AM   #22
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Hi Lex,

Sunraysia trailer rims (Holden pattern, white powder coat) are $32 retail but unfortunately they have to be picked up in Melbourne otherwise the shipping is a killer. I'll find something, but won't be paying silly prices for them.

Still have the 'flu so my brother took me out to the yacht today in his tinny. W-A-Y less water inside this time, thanks to me shutting off that leaking valve on the last visit. In fact the hull leakage has receded in seriousness as a problem for me after seeing only 100mm rise in level over a whole week.

The solar charge controller had corroded and failed due to humidity inside, so I'll need some air vents fitted soon. Collected the old rubber dinghy that I got free with the boat, will be doing some patching this weekend to that; and to the trailer, now that I have the steel for that job.
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Old 05-20-2013, 02:25 AM   #23
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Some photos of the engine trailer, before and after it was sandblasted and painted with zinc primer. I'll be replacing the rusted floor in the next day or two. It has also been rewired, with new tail lights and jockey wheel fitted.
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trailer1.jpg   trailer2.jpg  
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Old 05-22-2013, 09:35 PM   #24
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Decided to put the RIB on eBay after discussing repairs with the NZ manufacturer. I don't need two dinghies anyhow. Going aboard again today for a few days, lots to do there.
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Old 05-27-2013, 03:45 AM   #25
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Painted and installed the new chain locker cover. Installed a dual battery 1-2-Both switch and significantly larger battery wiring. Fitted new latches to the skylight hatches for security. Replaced a bunch of plastic screw caps that had deteriorated in the sun.

Leakage is down to one litre per hour now that the engine cooling header valve has been closed, looks like the leak in the hull isn't as bad as expected. In fact I would have sailed Shenoa to a new location in deeper water last Friday except that the jib furler doesn't seem to work properly and I can't actually unfurl the sail fully.

The dinghy sold on eBay for $76.05 but the buyer wants COD delivery, which wasn't offered. Grrrr. A sale is a sale, final. No way I'm driving halfway across town to have some clown say, "Oh, it's not what I expected" and refusing to pay for it.

Should be picking up the engines at the end of this week, at last.
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Old 05-27-2013, 07:18 AM   #26
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This is the original non-furling jib. Needs some work ...
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Old 05-27-2013, 07:46 AM   #27
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Put a pole down the middle, add some guy ropes and you have yourself a tent.
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Old 05-28-2013, 03:43 AM   #28
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Heh. :-)

It's just a couple of split seams, the awl should fix that. Not that I'll need a second jib anyhow, assuming the furled one isn't damaged.
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Old 05-28-2013, 05:00 AM   #29
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It's a huge job for an awl. 4 x rows of zigzag stitches. Rather than taking it to a sail loft, why not take it to the local upholstery shop. You may need to supply the waxed thread (Bias or Whitworths), but they will knock it over in a few short minutes at a fraction of the cost charged by sailmakers.

It is a good thing to have a spare jib, especially if you have a second headstay or inner forestay which will accept piston hanks. If the existing headsail blows out, or if the furler karks it, or if you want to run 2 jibs wing on wing. Normally this is done with the main and the genny, but 2 jibs make a decent alternative to a spinniker. A second sail will give you those options.

This shows the style....
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Old 05-29-2013, 12:31 AM   #30
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Upholstery shop ... great suggestion Auzzee. I don't need it right away but will definitely have it repaired on a machine. That's a lot of stitching to do manually.

And yes, it does have hanks attached and an inner forestay is available.
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Old 06-07-2013, 03:07 AM   #31
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Been stuck ashore for almost a fortnight and it's driving me mad, although some would say that's just a short putt! The trailer has been repaired but I'm shy of one wheel rim and my brother's electrician friend is getting one for me, he's just taking a while to do it. Fortunately the guy from whom my diesels were purchased is being very patient about the delays.

Once those are collected and stored I plan to be aboard Shenoa for some months, doing further repairs and outfitting. For starters I'm intending to get the furler unsnagged and move her closer to the internet connection on Gateway Bridge. This will be my first attempt at actual solo sailing so could be interesting.

All attempts to get a second gearbox from China have met with deafening silence so the SDEC engines don't seem to be such a bargain now. Without backup services I can't rely on them at all.

My sister-in-law is a chef so I'm enjoying being fed well, although I'd rather be doing something more productive than watching cable TV.
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Old 06-29-2013, 11:43 PM   #32
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Picking up the engines tomorrow. I'm having serious second thoughts about using one in Shenoa due to the lack of room to work around it. The under-table hatch is more suited to something much smaller.

I was aboard for a couple of days last week. The bilge pump is still working well and I did some cleaning, also drilled holes in the companionway hatch for ventilation to reduce the condensation and mold.

Woke on Saturday at about 5:00am and over my first coffee watched the P&O line "Pacific Dawn" rumble past 150 metres to starboard. Wow that thing is huge.

Plans seem to be flexible right now, especially since I've just agreed to buy a property in NZ. Freehold, 1/3 acre, 2br (gutted) house and garage, 200m to a major river and 2km from the ocean. All that for NZD15,000 - what's not to like about this deal? I may finally become a home owner. The great thing is that Australians have the right to live there for as long as they want.
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Old 06-30-2013, 02:33 PM   #33
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Thought you may have been nana napping a bit lately....Have'nt seen any updates for a while.
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Old 07-01-2013, 06:55 AM   #34
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Yeah, I didn't have a lot to report there for a week or two.

Picked up the engines today (pictures at 11) but couldn't send the house deposit, the nanny-state wants banks to collect the full residential address of the recipient and i didn't have it on hand at the bank.
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Old 07-03-2013, 01:58 PM   #35
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Dropped the damaged staysail down to the upholsterer today to be stitched up. I also have some new pics:

1. Engines on the trailer
2. Mainsail, in reasonable condition
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Old 07-13-2013, 03:59 PM   #36
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Finally fixed the leaks under the forward vee-berth this week, and nearly lost Shenoa in the process!

Pulled out the flooring and started patching cracks using the Gripset Betta Water Plug hydraulic cement that was bought a few weeks ago. It seemed each time I dug out a crack and filled it, a new leak would appear. This went on for two days, alternately bucketing out and sponging water then plugging the next leak, a task made less pleasant by an odour at floor level that can only be described as a cross between raw sewage and wet dog hair. Not to mention the wear and tear on my knees and clothing, since it all had to be done kneeling in 50mm (2") of salt water.

When I had finally used the whole 4kg bucket I still had a small trickle visible, and I made the mistake of poking at it with the scraper used to clean off old paint. Well, that was a bad idea ... I suddenly had a leak that looked like a schoolyard water bubbler. I estimated it was running at about 0.5 litres a minute.

Shoved a wedge of wood in there in an attempt to stem the flow, but this only created another leak adjacent to the first. By this stage I could see clear blue water straight through two cracks to the outside, and it just kept on coming.

Did a quick mental calculation and realized I had an emergency on my hands. The batteries were at 12.4V and I figured there was about enough charge left to run the pump intermittently for 48 hours max, if the pump itself didn't fail as the last one had done. I shoved a rubber glove over the hole, covered it with a strip of plywood and wedged a piece of plastic conduit under the bunk to hold it in place then grabbed everything of value and threw it in the dinghy. I was abandoning ship.

Headed to the closest Bunnings (hardware store chain, where I had ordered the first 4kg tub) and frantically explained the situation. The special orders clerk rang the manufacturer in Adelaide in an attempt to find anyone in Brisbane with a supply of the product, but it was 3:30pm on a Friday and their office was manned by a telephonist who couldn't even use the computer. We tried Mitre Ten (another hardware chain) but they didn't have it, or anything similar. By this stage I was getting panicky.

Just then a Bunnings employee walked past and said he thought they had some 1kg tubs in stock down in aisle 65. What??? The stuff is special order and they no longer deal with Gripset. But it was worth a look, and lo and behold he was right. I grabbed four of the remaining six tubs and bolted back to the yacht just as the sun went down.

And the rest is history. Plugged that last leak with one of the new tubs of cement then baled the water out and got some sleep. This morning the floor was dry apart from a small weeping trickle that was so insignificant it would evaporate before causing any issues. I replaced the floor and headed back to my brother's place, exhausted but very pleased with myself.

This stuff is absolutely brilliant for repairing leaky ferro yachts, but be sure to buy heaps of it before starting any repairs. And expect to find all sorts of unknown and unbelievable issues in the process. In my case there were huge cracks filled with deteriorating butyl mastic that dissolved and turned the water into something akin to squid ink, and it was all covered with thick layers of paint to hide the problem.

Remember the mantra: The previous owners were all idiots.
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Old 07-15-2013, 01:50 AM   #37
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I can imagine the panic! Only once did I ever arrive on a boat to find it knee deep in ocean. The boot around the ceramic shaft seal had trapped some air and it was pouring in; and it took forever to find it as the problem. I really thought it was going to become a submarine.

Meanwhile it sounds like you need to get the boat out of the water quickly to break off loose bits from the hull and to check the armature. Spalling can blow a ferro boat apart with amazing rapidity. Once it gets a hold, it spreads exponentially.
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Old 07-15-2013, 10:10 AM   #38
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Well, I'm sure glad it happened in shallow water ...

Yes she has to come out, but the patch will hold for a while now. Goodness knows how long that rubber compund had already been keeping her afloat.
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Old 07-21-2013, 08:30 AM   #39
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Stayed aboard all week. The bilge pump ran only once, during some bumps caused by a passing ship on Tuesday. Conclusion is that the repair was 100% successful. :-)

I've now done some painting and cleaning and she's becoming quite livable.
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Old 08-01-2013, 01:21 AM   #40
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Sent the final payment on my NZ home today. Nope, I'm not swallowing the anchor but a guy needs a backup plan for when he gets old.

Check it out on Google Earth: 55 Mahia Ave., Wairoa NZ. Not bad for $15k.
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