What have you fettled for the boat today?

[Nightwatch]

Sad,but unavoidable. Happened to us year before last. Four new batteries. New alternator, free,as it was far less than a year old.

[MtB]

Looking back to before I had a SmartGauge, I had no idea of the state of my batteries. Now I have one it's amazing how much abuse they must have been tolerating because I simply knew no better.

Things like realising they needed a charge because the lights seemed dim...

[Jrtm]

Finally finished installing my back cabin floor heating, solved the prob of my webasto working till hot then constantly running and shutting off in short bursts. But not compromised on my hot water getting very hot an all round win. Just need to put 3 pipe suports in where it runs under the floor.

 

Next job plum the pipe work for the bildge pumps

Edited January 11, 2017 by billybobbooth

[Naughty Cal]

It was bloody freezing on the boat last night. The electric heaters just took the edge off but we ended up having an early night and leaving the electric blanket on low power to keep us warm!

 

I am glad to say though that we do now have working diesel heating. The unit is installed and working good as new.

 

The ducting was the difficult job. Who would have thought 5m of ducting and lagging could take almost 6 hours to install?

 

We found that the old ducting had gone very brittle and was split in a few places which is probably why the engine bay and bilge got very warm.

 

With the new ducting and lagging in place the heat from the cabin outlet is much greater. In fact even the heat from the short run to the cockpit outlet is much greater. What we don't know is if this is due to servicing the heater, replacing the ducting or lagging the ducting or a combination of all three.

 

Whichever it was it was a job worth doing.

 

 

 

[WotEver]

My guess would be a little bit of all three.

[Naughty Cal]

My guess would be a little bit of all three.

I think you are probably right.

 

Just been in one of the cubby holes that the ducting runs through and whereas before the pipe was too hot to touch, the lagging is luke warm to touch.

 

We have also rerouted the ducting slightly as it was previously squeezed between a couple of pipes to the water tank which squashed it up a bit. This can't have helped matters.

 

I do think it is now as good as it will ever be which is a vast improvement on what it was. Thing is we didn't think it was that bad to begin with!

[ditchcrawler]

It was bloody freezing on the boat last night. The electric heaters just took the edge off but we ended up having an early night and leaving the electric blanket on low power to keep us warm!

 

I am glad to say though that we do now have working diesel heating. The unit is installed and working good as new.

 

The ducting was the difficult job. Who would have thought 5m of ducting and lagging could take almost 6 hours to install?

 

We found that the old ducting had gone very brittle and was split in a few places which is probably why the engine bay and bilge got very warm.

 

With the new ducting and lagging in place the heat from the cabin outlet is much greater. In fact even the heat from the short run to the cockpit outlet is much greater. What we don't know is if this is due to servicing the heater, replacing the ducting or lagging the ducting or a combination of all three.

 

Whichever it was it was a job worth doing.

 

 

 

What is the pump for beside the dukting

[Naughty Cal]

Maerator pump.

[ditchcrawler]

Maerator pump.

OK bigger than it looks then

[bizzard]

I'm making another portable.

[Naughty Cal]

This was supposed to be a simple job but finally the sun cover for the chart plotter is finished.

Not sure why but the paint refused to take the second time around so had to be stripped off again. And then to add insult to injury the next time around the lacquer didn't take so had to be stripped off again!

Finally finished though and ready to put back on the boat at the weekend

[WotEver]

 

This was supposed to be a simple job but finally the sun cover for the chart plotter is finished.

 

 

Not sure why but the paint refused to take the second time around so had to be stripped off again. And then to add insult to injury the next time around the lacquer didn't take so had to be stripped off again!

 

Finally finished though and ready to put back on the boat at the weekend

If it has been in the vicinity of silicon that would prevent the paint from sticking. Or perhaps it was too cold?

[Naughty Cal]

If it has been in the vicinity of silicon that would prevent the paint from sticking. Or perhaps it was too cold?

Don't think it is silicone. Liam works in a car body shop so they don't have any silicone based products in the garage for that very reason.

 

Don't think it was too cold either.

 

Just one of jobs that should have been simple but turned into an ordeal

[FadeToScarlet]

Finally finished installing my back cabin floor heating, solved the prob of my webasto working till hot then constantly running and shutting off in short bursts. But not compromised on my hot water getting very hot an all round win. Just need to put 3 pipe suports in where it runs under the floor.

 

Next job plum the pipe work for the bildge pumps

Didn't some of the Claytons tar boats have pipes through the tanks, so factories could pump steam through them and liquefy the tar so it could be unloaded?

 

Sort of a precedent for underfloor heating!

[Jrtm]

Sort of they put a pipe into that tank and heated it with steam from the pipe. They would then steam clean down after depending on cargo. From what i understand.

 

They did have a sort of paddle gear to flow liquid from one tank to another

 

I dont think it was the cleanest of jobs and the canal bed was def affected by the works, you can still see evidence of this even today by putting you back end into the entrance of the works and then putting in gear and watching the water. The smell is instant and the water colour change

Edited January 19, 2017 by billybobbooth

[Naughty Cal]

Today we have fitted the new cockpit speakers.

 

 

And fitted a new remote control to the led cockpit lights. And finally we have a pair of matching sun covers on the dashboard.

 

 

Unfortunately we have found a problem with the new stern drive shaft seals so they will have to be taken home again and replaced again. They are not seating properly on the shafts so would have leaked. Better we found it now though rather then when it was in the water.

[Scholar Gypsy]

I finally decided to upgrade my steaming and stern lights. Previous models were for boats up to 12m in length.

 

These ones (from Santa) are LEDs, and so will use less power as well as being brighter. The stern light hangs over the rear doors, and the steaming light slots into the flower box on the roof.

 

[Naughty Cal]

You have reminded me that we need to get a new bulb for our stern light.

[Scholar Gypsy]

You have reminded me that we need to get a new bulb for our stern light.

 

I suspect I now have even more redundant bulbs than I had before ...

[Naughty Cal]

Today I have been cleaning the teak cockpit table. We have gone from this rather grubby looking table:

 

 

To this lovely looking table and cockpit shelf. The table wasn't quite dry when I took the picture hence the slightly patchy look. It looks great now it is fully dry.

 

 

 

I have also scraped the trim tabs and Liam has been busy reassembling the sterndrive and filling it with oil and repairing a few patches of flaky antifoul paint.

 

We have found that one of the trim rams has an ever so slightly hydraulic fluid leak so need to order some new seals for that as well now.

[Naughty Cal]

Looks better now it is fully dry.

 

[Guest]

Looks better now it is fully dry.

 

That is a nice looking table. Do you oil it?

[Naughty Cal]

It is treated with Semco which is a teak sealant.

[Guest]

It is treated with Semco which is a teak sealant.

Cheers

[Naughty Cal]

It was cleaned with Wessex two part teak cleaner first. Then when dry the Semco is applied.

 

We need to remember to retreat it with the Semco mid season this year so it doesn't end up quite so dirty at the end of the year.