Well, lots of advice received about how to set about
renovating an old GRP boat. Lists and sequences are important and the
temptation is to dive in before a proper project plan has been made. John
Alberg (the Unikely Boat Builder), as usual, provided some very sound and
practical suggestions based on years of experience. John is a guy to ignore at
your peril!
He implied that there is always a temptation to get into
cabin refurbishment and renovation when, in reality, the important thing is to
make sure your boat is safe and seaworthy. Comfort and aesthetics can come
later, especially if time is limited.
As I explained in my last post, time wasn’t limited when I
embarked on this project, but it became very limited when I took delivery of
the boat. Delivery date coincided with a critical phase of house renovation and
a call back to the old office to undertake a project or two. To make matters
worse, winter is just around the corner.
So, in the next week or two I intend to take John’s advice
and check the bits that matter – mast rigging, ropes, sails, engine etc. But
even then, where to start? Well, this old tub came with lots of equipment –
some of which may work and some which I wouldn’t want to rely on. The compass
for example is ‘fixed’ at 280 degrees no matter what direction the boat happens
to be pointing.
So to begin I have taken off a couple of barrow loads of
stuff to perform some kind of triage – assess what works, what might be made to
work and what needs throwing away. I suspect I’ll be doing a lot of throwing
away.
The VHF is ancient with very few working channels. Several lifejackets
are perished and there are two cookers. One seems to have been cannibalised to
make repairs to the other. My real concern however, is the electrics. The wires
resemble a tangled spider’s web rather than anything else. Well, if you want to
make an omelette, first you have to break the eggs! I’m tempted to rip out all
the wires and start again. There is a book ‘The 12 Volt Bible’ – think I need
to order it.
Once the boat is clear and I have room to move, I can start
thinking about the priority jobs that will get me afloat in spring.
Seaward
I still don't have much wiring in my boat, although it's on my to-do list.
ReplyDeleteThe only electronics I have on the Blue Moon are a hand-held VHF/WX radio, a handheld Garmin GPS (72) that I used as a backup GPS, and my iPhone. These all have their own batteries.
The main battery is used for starting the outboard (which can also be hand-pulled), and for powering running lights, a reading light over my bunk, and a fan. These are wired very simply, with in-line fuses, directly to the battery. I.e., I don't have one of those fancy fuse boxes yet.
This is all to say that you can sail a long way without much wiring, and the wiring can be pretty simple, as long as you put a fuse in the line.
I like to wash out the inside of the boat in the spring with a bucket of soapy water and a hose, so I keep the electronics portable and the wire out of the bilge. Getting all the salt out of the boat's innards keeps it nice and fresh, without that sticky, salty buildup.
I meant to say that the iPhone is my main piece of electronic gear. It has a GPS/chart plotter good enough to navigate a thousand miles of the ICW (Navionics), GRIB data plotter (essential!), Radar Scope for spotting those squall lines, Tide & Current data, an AIS plotter, so I can see any big ships in the area, a 'Ships Bells' app that does exactly what it sounds like, and several other weather apps.
ReplyDeleteYou need an Internet connection for some of these apps, but as long as I am close enough inshore to see the coast (5 miles, say), I almost always have signal. In my home waters, I always have a signal, even in the middle of Long Island Sound. An iPad is even better for all these things. It's the one device I would not leave shore without.
On my new boat, I am going back to portable system. Are all the upper features for Iphone also avaiable for Ipad mini? or android? With all on lition-battery system, the only thing yoy need is a 12v socket for loading, a solar panel for charge, a simple wireing for lamp indoor and a white masthead, I have this siple system om my colvik 27. The panel is 35v. I have aditional chartplotter and log, fishfinder, Raymarine st 2000 autopilot. The motor is a 5hp OB. No problems on a 14 days vacation. The sun kept it all going.
ReplyDeleteYes, the iPad Mini would be ideal and all the software would work on it. I don't know anything about Android.
DeleteI had a hard time keeping batteries charged with a 45 watt solar panel in Florida. I'd hate to try it in northern Europe, especially this last summer. My problem was that I couldn't use the panel when sailing, so it just didn't get enough exposure. If you could have a permanently mounted panel, that wouldn't be shaded by the mainsail half the time, that would be better, but not so easy to do on a small boat.
I hate to say it, but nothing beats an engine for recharging the batteries. It was a huge relief when I finally broke down and bought my yamaha outboard.
It would certainly be hard renovating your boat, but seeing how determined you are to sail again, I bet it wouldn’t be long before you can finish everything! Maybe you should take a look at newer equipment because it would be pretty bad if you suffer a mechanical problem while you’re out in the sea with nothing but some worn tools to help you, right? Anyway, I hope to see you sailing again. Keep up posted!
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