On eBAY: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271404641882?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648
A Two-stroke Tomos 4hp outboard. £22 and 25mins to go!
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Cheap Dinghy
It needs a bit of work but its local (Hayling Island) and its only £1.20 at the moment: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191081521831?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Free Caprice 19
There's a free Caprice going in Emsworth on the Chichester Freecycle Group tonight. It got posted at 5:14pm Some storm damage apparently but its FREE!!!
Sunday, 23 February 2014
App Time (Number 3 of a Series)
Todays App is the Sailing Almanac, which is quite a useful app although I don't tend to use it that much over winter.
Its pretty good in that it gives you links to local information, be it tides, weather. marinas, etc.
On your mobile you just link to the mobile home page.
You can also configure it to send you navigational updates and weather info to your Facebook.
Useful and informative.
Its pretty good in that it gives you links to local information, be it tides, weather. marinas, etc.
On your mobile you just link to the mobile home page.
You can also configure it to send you navigational updates and weather info to your Facebook.
Useful and informative.
Mooring Buoy Sorted
Yesterday I also cored out the mooring buoy that exploded. I didn't want it to fill with water and put strain on the bow of the boat.
So, a few hours work with a sharp knife left just the core of the buoy on the chain, which I tied in place to become my anti-chafe collar. I used a large fender that Pam (the previous owner of Sprite 2) gave me when I picked Sprite up from her as my new mooring buoy.
All that's left of the old mooring Buoy:
I've tied the fender further from the bow to see if that improves its longevity.
Hopefully the fender isn't big enough to cause problems with the chain jumping off the bow roller too. A bit too late I suppose, but you never know what storms are coming at us in future.
So, a few hours work with a sharp knife left just the core of the buoy on the chain, which I tied in place to become my anti-chafe collar. I used a large fender that Pam (the previous owner of Sprite 2) gave me when I picked Sprite up from her as my new mooring buoy.
All that's left of the old mooring Buoy:
I've tied the fender further from the bow to see if that improves its longevity.
Hopefully the fender isn't big enough to cause problems with the chain jumping off the bow roller too. A bit too late I suppose, but you never know what storms are coming at us in future.
Working on the Charging Circuit
I went on the boat yesterday and checked her over. The battery was at 13 volts even in the overcast, which is good. It means that the battery won't stagnate on the boat. I can now say the solar panel is well worth buying.
I also had a look at the connector for the engine charging on the stern of the boat. With a bit of contortion I got into the locker and could just about unscrew the mounting screws. The connector was a bit of a mess.
Even with a liberal coating of silicone sealant, salt water had managed to turn the wire into a turquoise mess. I brought the connector home yesterday and gave it a liberal coating of WD40 overnight. WD40 is like Duct Tape: you should always have some handy!
Anyway after its overnight bath, the sealant came away relatively easily exposing the corroded wires. Another bath in WD40 for a couple of hours meant I could undo the screws on the terminals to release the wires.
Eventually it all cleaned up with a bit of wire wool.
Here's the newly refurbished connector:
You wouldn't believe that such a small thing could involve such an investment in time, but all in all I think I spent about three hours scraping sealant off it, bathing it in WD40 and trying to free off the corroded cable and releasing the screws.
But have you seen the price of these things at Chandlers? It'd rather invest 3 hours than pay stupid prices for something that is salvageable with a bit of TLC.
Now I just have to pick a time to refit it as the tides are a bit late this week. Saying that sunset now coincides with my leaving time from work, so in the next few weeks I'll start to have time after work to work on the boat, tides permitting.
I'd like to fit the connector with new mounting screws so I'll have to get some stainless jobs from the DIY store I know which sells them cheaper than chandlers.
Its not been a slow day though. As well as on-shore boat stuff, in between WD40 sessions I've been cleaning my tropical fish tank.
I also had a look at the connector for the engine charging on the stern of the boat. With a bit of contortion I got into the locker and could just about unscrew the mounting screws. The connector was a bit of a mess.
Even with a liberal coating of silicone sealant, salt water had managed to turn the wire into a turquoise mess. I brought the connector home yesterday and gave it a liberal coating of WD40 overnight. WD40 is like Duct Tape: you should always have some handy!
Anyway after its overnight bath, the sealant came away relatively easily exposing the corroded wires. Another bath in WD40 for a couple of hours meant I could undo the screws on the terminals to release the wires.
Eventually it all cleaned up with a bit of wire wool.
Here's the newly refurbished connector:
You wouldn't believe that such a small thing could involve such an investment in time, but all in all I think I spent about three hours scraping sealant off it, bathing it in WD40 and trying to free off the corroded cable and releasing the screws.
But have you seen the price of these things at Chandlers? It'd rather invest 3 hours than pay stupid prices for something that is salvageable with a bit of TLC.
Now I just have to pick a time to refit it as the tides are a bit late this week. Saying that sunset now coincides with my leaving time from work, so in the next few weeks I'll start to have time after work to work on the boat, tides permitting.
I'd like to fit the connector with new mounting screws so I'll have to get some stainless jobs from the DIY store I know which sells them cheaper than chandlers.
Its not been a slow day though. As well as on-shore boat stuff, in between WD40 sessions I've been cleaning my tropical fish tank.
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
I've got the (Solar) Power!
Just an update on the solar panel I fitted at the weekend. Today was a cloudy day and the battery was at 13.5 volts, which means the solar panel is doing a good job of maintaining a charge.
The Panel came off ebay:
The seller's items time out regularly and they relist, rather than extending the running time of the item like other sellers, so the link will eventually run out of time, but look out for the photo if you want the same panel.
I changed it slightly by fitting a long twin-core lead with a cigar lighter on the end so it just plugs into the boat's electrics. You may be able to make do with the 1 Metre cable and crocodile clips.
The thing is so efficient though I may have to fit a charge controller at some point.
The Panel came off ebay:
The seller's items time out regularly and they relist, rather than extending the running time of the item like other sellers, so the link will eventually run out of time, but look out for the photo if you want the same panel.
I changed it slightly by fitting a long twin-core lead with a cigar lighter on the end so it just plugs into the boat's electrics. You may be able to make do with the 1 Metre cable and crocodile clips.
The thing is so efficient though I may have to fit a charge controller at some point.
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