Meeting the writer of the Yachting Monthly Cash Boat Test articles and thanking him for the work and giving me plenty of ideas and important knowledge.
Attending MCA presentation on Safety Communications devices including best practice using: EPRIB, DSC VHF, AIS, Navtex, MOD Devices, Satellite Phones, and CG66 Registration
I was sadly disappointed in some retailers at the show, perhaps being my youthful appearance and not wearing an expensive suit. One retailer in particular a blue Kubota based marine engine manufacturer whose sales reps were complaining about a customer who wanted to install a engine himself and the low profit of a sale so they wanted him to go elsewhere to save on paperwork; as this is what I am planning on doing I gave them a wide berth and continued onwards
I strongly recommend CG66 Registration. It is a FREE service provided by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency which allows boat owners to register their vessel, including contact details and next of kin.
MCA Presentation
The show was quite busy, though as I have never attended before can not compare it to previous years; Reports were that is was 9% down on last year. The food was quite expensive from the onsite vendors: £6 for a burger and £4 for a beer, I was very glad I took a pack lunch!
Greetings web fans and those interest in the Snapdragon 27 Yacht.
I spent Sunday in the shed taking measurements and stripping of more deck items; rails, pushpits, pulpit, and some of the items in the locker.
I found a rather dangerous bodged bilge pump pipe. It had a Y splitter in it and one of the inputs had just been blocked with a rag held by a jubilee clip!!! Imagine if I was taking on water and tried to empty the bilges with the incoming water just going in circles!
I also removed the existing side loading gas locker. The drain for the gas was not all downhill. The pipe had a slight loop in it as you can see in the photo which would hold gas! I am going to build a new gas locker to current regulations.
If you are following with interest regarding Antifoul stripping methods I have received a tin from International last week kindly donated by them to help with my studies. I hope to do the test in two weekends time when i have both the Saturday and Sunday free.
I'm trying to integrate this blog with my one on the main project site at www.goodtarp.com so that I have to write the blog once and not have to cut and paste it between the two
Sat in the starboard locker unbolting the Pushpit
RATHER DANGEROUS! The bilge pump had a Y connection in it and this is how one hose had been filled!
Old Diesel Tank and Side loading gas locker.
Exhaust Output to Stern
Deck Stripping Underway
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Please see attached two pictures from my Snapdragon 27 MKII. She is a single Keel Model
The actual waterline is really quite low. The green line in the drawing shows where the gelcoat of the hull changes from Blue for the Topside, to White for the under water area. The first 2" is painted white for the boot-top, and remaining underwater area in blue anti-fowl. I will take a picture showing where I have stripped the anti-fowl and boot top to see what was underneath.
The boot top at the bow is approximately 4-6" above the actual waterline, and about 1-2" at the transom.
A previous owner contacted me through my website to say he thought she was underweight by the way she was performing, and during the complete rebuild I have found bags of sand and stone in the bilges.
The keel is encapsulated. I got my head down into the bilges to see if I could see the top of the keel to see what it contains but it is well sealed. The only way I can think of getting in there is major surgery through the side of the keel or through the cabin floor.
UPDATE: I measured in the barn this afternoon... The waterline is 5" lower than it should be half way along the hull... oh dear.
My gratitude goes to both of theses companies for helping me in my studies and being able to give me first hand experience of their products.
I am still waiting to hear back from Owatrol to see if they would be willing to provide any of their products for testing.
I have decided not to use Hempel's product http://miniurl.com/123820 as unlike the others it does not claim to be safe on glassfibre and gelcoat "Use with caution on glassfibre and plastics (may harm some thermoplasts)" so I would would rather not take the risk on my precious hull.
Sorry it has been a long while! It has been the summer holiday here and I started a new job which I have been getting settled into.
I have started to remove the anti-foul from the hull of my Snapdragon 27 MKII and thought I would document the results here.
The first method I am trying is the Proscraper by www.gelplane.co.uk It has a vacuum attachment to collect the scrapings which is quite useful to keep the workshop floor clean. Sarah struggles a bit with it, it requires quite a bit of force from one hand pushing down whilst pulling with the other. I can work with it quite quickly stripping paint and primer down the bare gelcoat, but it gets tiring quite quickly.
It has gouged the hull quite badly in some areas where the hull is rounded and have rounded of the edges of the blade with a metal file to try to prevent this further.
I am going to upload a photo of the area on the skeg where anti-foul has been removed.
I am going to try and get samples for some chemical gelcoat safe anti-fowl removal products and will update my progress here. I am hoping this research will help with my Yacht and Small Craft Surveying qualification which I am currently studying.
Beale Park Boat Show starts tomorrow in Essex, England. It's not too far from home but I ruptured my quad muscle in me knee today (OUCH) and the Emergency room has put me on crutches and pain killers after a ultrasound. I'm not to put any weight on my leg for at least a week. I am hoping a family member will loan me a wheelchair so that I can be pushed about for the day.
Would be great to meet some fellow local boaties, and see some of the new toys available, also to raid the boat jumbles. It might also help if I can do some research for my degree's by looking at some new boat designs.
Bit of a late update but I removed the mast which had been stepped on my Snapdragon 27 yacht Ardtalla last week; it has been sitting on the deck since I moved the yacht last month.
With a bit of grunt between two of us, and the saloon cushions as landing mats we managed to get the mast down in about an hour and a half all in once piece with no breakages. We cable tied up all the running and standing rigging ready for attention at a later date.
I am going to strip the mast down, renew a lot of the components and electronic. All of the running rigging is going to be replaced. The bulbs are going to be replaced with low wattage LED equilivlants.
No the mast is off the next step is to remove all of the deck fittings, hatches and windows; ready for renewal, repair, re-bedding.
