Cruising Forums

Auzzee · 08-01-2013, 02:44 AM

Looks like a first class bargain. I imagine it would be a nice locale; and should you decide to sell in your dotage, it should provide a significant capital gain.
Top spot!

haiqu · 08-02-2013, 03:28 AM

Yes, the idea of being 3km from the harbour and 250m from Wairoa River appealed to me. The river mouth is 1.6m at high tide so I may even be able to negotiate it right into the town centre. I'll know more when I talk to the local yacht club.

Latitude is the same as Melbourne so weather should be nice.

haiqu · 08-08-2013, 05:31 AM

Been doing a bit of the old bargain hunting on ebay again this week. Scored two items from the one vendor, a TMC macerator toilet ($6.50) and a 3.5hp outboard for the dinghy ($63.00).

haiqu · 08-08-2013, 05:52 AM

I kept forgetting my phone and haven't taken many shots of Shenoa, so I took some more internal views today. Unfortunately it's gusting 30 knots and I'm being bashed 45 degrees either side of a line to the ISP's access point right now, so I'll upload them some other time.

haiqu · 08-08-2013, 07:55 AM

OK, here we go again.

1. V-berth with bedding
2. PortaPotti installation with newly painted timber surround
3. The leak repair under the v-berth.
4. The central table, usual junk in evidence
5. Battery compartment, a work in progress

haiqu · 08-12-2013, 11:56 AM

Paddled around the yacht last week cleaning off the green slime in readiness to repaint the hull down to the water line. While doing this I happened to clip one of the plastic through-hulls with my scraper and the head came off and sank before my eyes. Thankfully this one was above the water line ... anyhow, I bought a new one at Whitworths and it will be installed soon. It didn't even have anything attached, and goodness knows what you'd do with a through-hull under the v-berth.

While the internal hull repairs were in progress I had a temporary bilge pump setup, with hoses and wiring running all over the living area. Finally got around to removing the original dead pump and permanently fitting the new one in there. This was under the drive shaft and accessed through a small hatch below the companionway ladder. I'm much happier with it in permanently for various reasons, not the least of which is that the plastic hose was keeping the engine bay hatch ajar and this is right where I put my feet when typing away at the computer. Small pleasures from small wins.

Here's a shot of the defunct bilge pump. Which also reminds me that musician friend Bill Putt, bass player with Melbourne-based band Spectrum (whose nickname was, incidentally, bilge pump) passed away last week. Vale Bill, you will be missed.

Auzzee · 08-12-2013, 12:29 PM

Finding a voracious leak after the water has risen above it, is both difficult and panic inducing. It is worthwhile to map all of your through hulls. Standard practice is to have a tapered wooden bung attached with cord to all through hulls. A wooden mallet is all you need to then plug the hole if the fitting karks it. The bungs are available from Whitworths.

Modern plastic through hulls, while no substitute for bronze, are still quite sturdy and better underwater than above as UV damage underwater is not a problem. The best equipped fittings are bronze with an integrated 90 degree, ball type shut off valve.

The brass gate valves available at places such as Bunnings are dangerous and must not be used due to the style of valve and the high concentration of zinc in the alloy. In fact I think the use of gate valves in place of the ball valves is illegal in marine applications in Oz, and will void both boat and personal insurance if an accident is determined to have been caused through use of these fittings.

haiqu · 08-13-2013, 05:12 AM

I've already located all the through hulls, surprisingly some of them were hidden under timber hatches designed to make them "prettier". What moron decided to do that I'll never know, it would be a nightmare in an emergency. In fact the two for the toilet would have been completely inaccessible. I already have a set of timber plugs for the other yacht but hadn't yet gotten around to buying any for this one. It's now on my priority list.

Had also come to the same conclusions as you outline, regardless of UV being less of an issue the ones under the water line should be either brass or stainless and will be replaced when she comes out for a coat of antifoul. And proper marine types, naturally. There's no way one should skimp on basic safety items.

**delatbabel** · 08-13-2013, 12:33 PM

A good sized rubber mallet. The one time I did have to plug a busted-off through-hull with the boat in the water (thankfully not my boat) I had to hand the wooden plug and I just could not get the b**** of a thing to seal the hole. Fortunately someone hopped across from a nearby boat who had rafted up on seeing our predicament, carrying a heavy mallet. Two quick thwacks and the leak was no more.

Auzzee · 08-17-2013, 02:59 AM

Here's a yarn from the latest Cruising World regarding seacocks.
Prevent Leaking or Frozen Valves Below the Waterline | Cruising World

haiqu · 08-19-2013, 07:40 AM

Aboard Shenoa again today after spending the weekend at my brother's place celebrating his birthday.

I'm fully armed with bags of new goodies. Two 10L drums of water, two-stroke fuel to test the secondhand outboard, toilet roll holder, a pair of fenders and some rope to attach them, another HF radio, a set of wooden emergency bungs (!) and a pile of food that should last me for the next fortnight.

Good to be back.

haiqu · 08-20-2013, 06:50 AM

Low tide in Brisbane. Looks like I'll need to get out into deeper water.

haiqu · 08-22-2013, 08:19 AM

Just finished freshening up the paint on the hull. Now all the bits that need repair really stand out. RODLMAO.

BTW if anyone knows what that wire from the bolt at the bow to the bowsprit is supposed to do, please let me know. It seems to me that all it does is interfere with the anchor chain.

redbopeep · 08-22-2013, 08:35 AM

that's the bobstay you're referring to between the end of the bowsprit and the bolt or "bobstay iron" on the stem of the boat near the waterline.

If you have a forestay that goes from the stem of the boat up to the top of the mast then this bobostay pretty much just handles the vertical rig load equal and opposite of your jibstay (which goes from the end of the 'sprit to the top of the mast). If you do not also have a forestay at the stemhead, then this jibstay is actually the forestay and the bobstay is very important to keeping your entire rig properly tensioned. Without it properly set, your forestay/jibstay will be slack and depending upon the boat, the rig in danger of failure.

Great source of info on setting up your rig properly is Brion Toss's Riggers' Apprentice.

If your bobstay just happens to be only needed for your jibstay (not the entire rig) because you've got a forestay to the stemhead, then you can actually re-rig your bobstay as a "running" bobstay (use something like Amsteel) and it can be pulled up out of the way of the anchor chain while you're at anchor. Can't do that if you're countering the entire rig load with the bobstay though.

Fair winds,

Auzzee · 08-22-2013, 09:24 AM

Given that your headsail furling gear is attached to the bowsprit, you can't safely remove the bobstay when sailing. If it is a serious issue at anchor, you could probably fit the end of the bobstay with a gate hook to make for easier removal. But in truth it's not a seamanlike solution.

Is the bowsprit steel pipe or timber? If it is steel, a little welding will allow you to move your anchor roller forward along the sprit to avoid fouling chain on the bobstay. If doing that, it may be judicious to change the wire bobstay for steel rod to spread the compression load. Have a quick chat with an engineer to determine maximum load and bracing for both vertical and lateral forces.

If it's all timber it becomes a little more tricky, but on a 36' ketch I owned in the 80's, I had a similar problem. I beefed up the connection between the deck and sprit, glassed and heavily reinforced the bowsprit and added an anchor roller to either side.

redbopeep · 08-22-2013, 09:01 PM

Indeed, Aussee, the bobstay is needed while sailing. If it is the forestay for the entire rig, it cannot be be ever disconnected at all. On the other hand, if it is a jib stay, then it can readily be rigged as a running bobstay and used only when the jib is in use. How do I know? because our bobstay is just for the jib and our rig has a double forestay at the stemhead which carries the rig load. Running bobstays such as ours are difficult to get tight enough for proper jibstay tension, though. Ours is able to be strung up out of the way of the anchor chain easily. And, that does help make up for the extra step of properly tensioning it for use with the jib.

Fair winds,

PS a properly rigged bowsprit places a compression load at the heel of the bowsprit and it essentially floats with the tension between bobstay and jib/forestay. Bowsprit shrouds are used for side loads when the jib is in use. Whisker stays are used in the same way spreaders are used to provide the best angle for the shrouds to stay the mast.

haiqu · 08-23-2013, 03:46 AM

Ah, great stuff guys. That's why I love this forum. :-)

Sprit is timber Auzzee, so looks like the best I can do is just tension it for now.

haiqu · 08-24-2013, 08:34 AM

P&O Pacific Dawn heads out of Brisbane:

haiqu · 08-25-2013, 04:14 AM

Due to some kind of freak microwave conditions I just logged into https://portal.reivernet.com which is the home of the NZ Interisland ferry. Brisbane to Wellington, not a bad hop!

And Del, I got the Shipmate VHF radio up and running today. Nice unit.