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Independence - Updates | Maintenance & Care


LondonRascal

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I have begun this new thread that will be the long term ‘update’ thread as to all the works and modifications etc that take place on Independence rather than to continually update the ‘Big Changes Ahead’ thread which is more generally about the changes I plan to make and the boats purchase etc.

Friday 17th to Sunday 19th November 2017:

I arrived just before Midnight on Thursday (due to assorted issues with GWR from Paddington) and something that is not associated at all about the boat but I should share as no doubt I will mention in passing in a video at some point, I was almost subject to a mugging by Moped. I had ordered an Uber (Cab) and while standing at the end of my road tracking its progress to me on my phone, a Moped with two men mounted the pavement, scattering pedestrians, rode between a shop and a stall that was selling bags right at me. Knowing in a split second what was about to happen, I gripped my phone and a moment later the Pillion passenger reached out and grabbed the top. No doubt usually this works but I held firm too. The Moped stopped and driver began shouting (take this as aggressive swearing) to give up the phone. I then realised my stance so far may not have been best: what if they had a knife, a bottle of acid or just got off and came at me, yet for me I was fortunate and a few seconds later they had sped away. 

I reported the incident the next day to the Police – this alas is a daily occurrence across London (and no doubt is spreading outside the capital) the Moped’s are stolen often from take-away delivery drivers and then used in crimes from robbing Jewellers to people, while I may be another statistic at least I was ok if shaken by it all. 

Right, now on to the boat: I was up early on the Friday and set about what is feeling like the never ending task of just cleaning the boat internally. Most surfaces – especially in heads – are covered with a film of mildew and mould which only becomes apparent when you wipe a surface and look at the cloth.  The issue is there are just so many surfaces to go over but I am now at the stage (save the twin cabin) where everywhere is cleaned and more detailed care can be taken such as polishing the wood and adding things to make her more mine than that of the previous owners. 

I then went to the local Chandlers – these are Force 4 – and have an enormous shop about 15 minutes walk from the boat. I get lost in these places, so much to look at, wonder about and want and to be honest when I went in there they looked at me as if I was not ‘one of them’. 

Now this term ‘one of them’ refers to the fact boaters down in the South West tend to have a certain look about them. Sailors tend to be older gentlemen who have a more rugged appearance, usually sporting a rich beard (grey) and wear a hat but also will have something on their person that gives the game away they are indeed a Sailor – some rubber all weather boots, or striding along toward you clutching a new stainless fastener in one hand and a wrench in the other. Moterboaters on the other hand can be spotted wearing ‘deck shoes’ a MUSTO jacket (usually cream or navy but not red) and a ‘smart casual’ shirt tucked into their Chino’s or smart Jeans. Then there is me sporting a T-Shirt, jacket, jeans and trainers, you can see therefore I don’t quite look the serious boating type.

Having spent about half an hour in the shop, you can imagine their initial surprise when I arrive at the counter with a bucket, Teak cleaner, Boat Wash & Wax and a cleaning brush with extending handle. “Oh” says the chap, and then proceeds to tell me that I will no doubt be cleaning my boat this weekend and asks “so you have..what..a small runabout?” and when I reply no, I’ve just bought a Trader 535 Sunliner his jaw dropped so much I wondered if I should have helped prop it up with my brush pole. 

It is funny how once that is over with you are accepted, for not only are you a owner of a large boat, it is considered to be a ‘proper boat’ for proper cruising types. We talked a lot and I got two catalogues and a free bag and the door held open for me “see you soon I hope” he said cheerily as I left. 

Back on the boat with the gear then I had a notification, my Amazon orders were awaiting my collection at the local Click and Collect. Back out and off I go, much to the annoyance of the lad behind the counter. I had lots of parcels, some large and heavy some small and all needed scanning and entering in the system – this would be 54 LED bulbs, a 32 piece spanner set, two (accidentally ordered a duplicate) screw driver sets, Alan wrenches, a multi-meter and current meter. Off I set once more to the boat.

I then set about undoing, cleaning and changing 51 G4 bulbs. The issue was some of the fitments were cross-thread and would not budge, others the bulb holders internally were broken so as you took off the housing the insides fell down – this literally took me hours and my neck and arms were killing me constantly looking up and twisting fitments – all but two were changed – one fitment is plastic and as I turned it it broke and the internal glass shattered, the other a metal fitting simply would not budge. These both were located outside the boat on the ‘sun deck’.

The following day (Saturday) I went into town and while buying some bits in Wilko happened to see some large clamps – I got one and suffice to say this provided me with the extra leverage and the offending fitment spun off and I could change the bulb, but more amazing news was to be found later when I found 3 new plastic replacement fittings – so the broken one was replaced and while at it I changed another sine the chrome effect had weathered off it too – bonus stuff this was as no cost to me and an easy fix.

My lights now consume 4w each (as opposed to 20w previously) and when you are talking about 6 lights in the saloon alone you can imagine the resultant savings in current draw from the batteries and their charger. 

Other items that I attended to was using Puri-Clean to deal with the fresh water tank and pipe system, and a complete de-toxification of the forward and aft heads to rid them of mould and present them in a fresh sparkly clean manner they are now in. Down in the engine room I shut the air intake baffles – this has resulted in the space being closed to the constant thru breeze cold air and will mean with the tube heaters going the engine room is positively warm. However, before you worry that so doing could result in vapours building up from the batteries – there are still the outlets for the twin forced air blowers so the space is vented and not sealed but none the less a lot less open to the elements.

I successfully exercised all the sea cocks in the engine room and have now left all closed – with a note on the dash to remind me of this being the case. I then set about cleaning the decks and boat top sides, which to be fair have come up more than 50% cleaner than was, but this is a cosmetic thing that will be left until she is in Norfolk and in the spring I can think about the boat being brought up to a overall shiny and nice example externally without the risk of Gulls doing their business all over it! 

Shiela then came down on the Sunday so all work then was stopped as she had only agreed to come all this way if she and I could spend time enjoying the area and using the boat as a base, that said in the evening I could not help myself and I have got the Satellite tracking receiver system up and running (it links to an old school Pace Sky Recvier) and from there on uses old AV cables to link to everything else – resulting in appalling picture. Down the line a new Freesat box, TV, Blu-ray player and HDMI cables will bring this up to date, and I am seriously considering how long for this world the ‘entertainment’ centre has. It is an enormous lump of wood which does look lovely, but has zero use and very little storage it’ main purpose is to be a statement to hid the television in as it rises or lowers into it. But this also limits me to the type and size of television and if the remote packs up or gets lost or the mechanism breaks you could well end up with your television stuck in the hidden away lowered position! 

Finally I began to tackle the fridge freezer – a Biochemist would have loved to have taken samples from within but my it stank and needed dealing with – thing is despite having washed and washed and used some mild bleach, that smell persists almost having ‘absorbed’ into the lining of the fridge. But worse was to come; now clean at least I turned it back on. Nothing, not a thing. Now dear reader, you surly know marine fridges cost hundreds of pounds – can you imagine therefore how much a fridge freezer some 160cm tall would cost? Let us not imagine. 

However I am blessed with a calm attitude even in light of such discoveries, and I have narrowed down what seems to be at fault. Firstly, the fridge works – it is 12v but it only works when I isolate the 240v supply to the Galley. Before you have a mind crash what happens is the fridge runs of 12v all the time, but where it gets its 12v power from depends – if you are on shore power a Rectifier box takes the 240v and knocks it down to 12v to power the fridge that way, if not on shore power the fridge just runs off the 12v DC line off the ships batteries. Therefore when I energise the 240v system in the galley, the fridge transfers from 12v battery feed to the rectified 12v feed – but since this box seems to have gone wonky, it then stops working. The box is about £58.00 should it need replacement, but it may have a fuse or something that can be attended to but I need to get the fridge freezer out to test this and that means taking off the louvered door that hides the fridge then two retaining battens top and bottom to stop the fridge falling forward and two further battens left and right to stop the fridge moving in that axis. Then I can pull out the fridge and get to the rectifier box and hopefully move on to fix the issue. I’ll keep you posted.

 

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22 minutes ago, LondonRascal said:

Moterboaters on the other hand can be spotted wearing ‘deck shoes’ a MUSTO jacket (usually cream or navy but not red) and a ‘smart casual’ shirt tucked into their Chino’s or smart Jeans.

Have you been following me Robin :default_biggrin:


Have you thought about a 240v domestic fridge freezer. 

I took my silly little marine fridge out and replaced it with a full size one,  I fitted an adjacent power socket connected to the inverter for when we are cruising.

Be aware that some of the energy efficient domestic ones have extra thick doors,  these can make it difficult to fit in cabinets. 

Really enjoying you write ups.

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33 minutes ago, psychicsurveyor said:

Have you been following me Robin :default_biggrin:


Have you thought about a 240v domestic fridge freezer. 

I took my silly little marine fridge out and replaced it with a full size one,  I fitted an adjacent power socket connected to the inverter for when we are cruising.

Be aware that some of the energy efficient domestic ones have extra thick doors,  these can make it difficult to fit in cabinets. 

Really enjoying you write ups.

That's exactly what I did, works beautifully :default_eusa_dance:

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1 hour ago, LondonRascal said:

Now this term ‘one of them’ refers to the fact boaters down in the South West tend to have a certain look about them.

Usually involving an eye patch, a peg leg and a streak of parrot cr*p down the back, under the left shoulder.:4_joy:

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Yes, I have looked into a domestic fridge freezer, I can go to a max height of 160cm. Most fridge freezers are not this height but ether 140cm odd or 153cm. But this is not so much of a big deal, as I then thought I would use a louvered grill the correct width and height at the top of the fridge freezer to cover the gap - and it would look for all the world it was intended to be there as a vent.

However the other size issue is getting the old one out and new one in - it would need to come out of the port side access door and while the fridge freezer is 55cm wide, the door is 58cm this would therefore be a close call, not to mention the fact the boat has a stainless steel rail around the decks, and from the top of this to the quay is about over 5 feet. So you' need people below and above to get the fridge freezer up and in the boat. Big task. I wish I could use the stern door and then use the crane to get the appliances up to the sundeck, but it is too narrow.

However yes it is so so sooo much cheaper to get something from the likes of Appliances Online and if the Rectifier is not the issue (I am cool spending £58.00 on a replacement) then I would have to go for the 'big task' and go for a  domestic rather than spend huge sums on a 12v 'marine' version. I might even go down this route if I cannot rid the existing one of the smell - I am going to attack it again with the mild bleach solution as I am sure there are some mold still tucked between the door seals but need a cotton bud to get in there and kill it all off and scrap it out.

The good news is I have a second Waeco fridge - (you know the sort most hire boasts have) this naturally is filled with 6 bottles of white wine. I have also found two 1 litre bottles of Gin so I think we can presume the previous owner was more about quay side parties and drinks than cruising.

The list of items is massive and there is one me - small things to change like the NAV light bulbs to LED or do I get new LED NAV lights? This is because some LED bulbs don't replicate the required degree of beam pattern and intensity of an incandescent bulb so you need to be careful what you put in NAV lights. 

The boat has no Inverter (amazing eh?) but get this she only has two 200Ah domestic batteries and both main engines share a single 200Ah battery to start. Considering so much of the craft is massively over engineered the electric side so far as batteries seems very much on the thin side - again though, battery upgrades not on my list to do down in Plymouth but all the more important I changed over the ships lighting to LED when you safely can only assume you've got 100Ah of usable power (if you stick to taking the batteries down to no less than 50% DoD).

Anyway, I've emailed the Director of the engineering firm today to estimate for supplying all new navigation gear - he is a happy man because this is going to be an enormous bill for me and a lucrative contract for him since it is everything from the hydraulic drive units to rudders, to the auto-pilot computers, controllers, Radar, Sonar (3d structure scan stuff), two new fixed VHF radios, a Class B AIS transponder, a  16" and a 12" multi function  displays (MFD's) and four further 4" HD displays that can show anything from depth info to speed to AIS. Everything I am doing here big - I do not need a separate Auto Pilot controller since the MFD screens can do this but I would prefer they do things like chart and radar only.

Here is the shopping list:

Radar: https://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-GB/Products/Radars/Simrad-HALO-4-Pulse-Compression-Radar-en-gb.aspx

Auto Pilot Computer: https://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-GB/Products/Autopilots/NAC-3-Autopilot-Computer-en-gb.aspx

Auto Pilot Drive Unit: https://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-GB/Products/Autopilots/Drive-Units/RPU300-Drive-Unit-en-gb.aspx

Auto Pilot Control : https://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-GB/Products/Autopilots/AP48-Autopilot-Controller-en-gb.aspx

NSS Evo 3 MFD (16"): https://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-GB/Products/NSS-evo3-Multifunction-Displays/NSS16-evo3-with-world-basemap_en-gb.aspx

3D Structure Scan Sonar: https://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-GB/Products/Echosounders/Simrad-StructureScan-3D-en-gb.aspx

AIS: https://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-GB/Products/AIS-and-Audio/NAIS-500-AIS-en-gb.aspx

Colour Instrument Display (x4): https://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-GB/Products/Instruments/IS42-Colour-Instrument-Display-en-gb.aspx

GPS Receiver & Combined Solid State Compass: https://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-GB/Products/Compasses/HS60-GPS-Compass-en-gb.aspx

 

 

 

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Having spent about half an hour in the shop, you can imagine their initial surprise when I arrive at the counter with a bucket, Teak cleaner, Boat Wash & Wax and a cleaning brush with extending handle. “Oh” says the chap, and then proceeds to tell me that I will no doubt be cleaning my boat this weekend and asks “so you have..what..a small runabout?” 

 

Ruddy Cheek for two pins I would have left my purchases and gone elsewhere.   Who the hell do they think they are, hardly been on any customer service training course.   How rude.

 

 

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Grendel, yep it will be an out of water job to change the Transducers. The current system is all original and 15 years old, not that it does not work but the main point is think how far everything from computers to phones to televisions have come in 15 years.

The Sonar system forms part of your navigation system as it allows you to get a damn good idea that you are indeed where you think you are based off the chart datum, it also is a safety system so you know you've got water under you but the new structure scan element is just damn cool to see, in three dimensions the underwater profile you are cruising over and to be able to 'play back' time and pan and zoom. This sort of stuff was the preserve of research craft, salvage companies and the Navy not too many years back.

The other big changes have been in position information - few will specify such systems and simply rely on GPS and many will use the GPS chip embedded in their device (such as Chart Plotter) but even having an external antenna, there are times when GPS is lost for whatever reason, but the system is 'dumb' it does not know the true heading of the boat, or take into account yaw and roll. The system I wish to have has a solid state Compass. This has two GPS antenna's built into it, and has support for Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS). This complements existing global navigation satellite systems and will compensate for certain disadvantages of THEM  in terms of accuracy, integrity, continuity and availability. This will provide positional accuracy of 3 feet anywhere on the planet.

You should take a fix every few minutes - could be 15, 25, 30 it really depends on where you are, what the weather is like etc but the point is should everything go belly up you know x number of minutes ago you were at this point and if everything has been going as it was, you are estimate you are now and y position which in an emergency would be what the Coast Guard would use as the place to start searching from. The system I am building will continue to give an accurate position even if the GPS signal is lost for up to 40 minutes.

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10 minutes ago, Snowy said:

For me the Sonar system you plan to install is far too dangerous, I’d spend far to long looking at what is beneath me than what’s in front of me !

I think the concern is; what is in front but just below the surface

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On 22/11/2017 at 17:33, LondonRascal said:

I have begun this new thread that will be the long term ‘update’ thread as to all the works and modifications etc that take place on Independence rather than to continually update the ‘Big Changes Ahead’ thread which is more generally about the changes I plan to make and the boats purchase etc.

Friday 17th to Sunday 19th November 2017:  

I then went to the local Chandlers – these are Force 4 – and have an enormous shop about 15 minutes walk from the boat. I get lost in these places, so much to look at, wonder about and want and to be honest when I went in there they looked at me as if I was not ‘one of them’. 

Now this term ‘one of them’ refers to the fact boaters down in the South West tend to have a certain look about them. Sailors tend to be older gentlemen who have a more rugged appearance, usually sporting a rich beard (grey) and wear a hat but also will have something on their person that gives the game away they are indeed a Sailor – some rubber all weather boots, or striding along toward you clutching a new stainless fastener in one hand and a wrench in the other. Moterboaters on the other hand can be spotted wearing ‘deck shoes’ a MUSTO jacket (usually cream or navy but not red) and a ‘smart casual’ shirt tucked into their Chino’s or smart Jeans. Then there is me sporting a T-Shirt, jacket, jeans and trainers, you can see therefore I don’t quite look the serious boating type.

Having spent about half an hour in the shop, you can imagine their initial surprise when I arrive at the counter with a bucket, Teak cleaner, Boat Wash & Wax and a cleaning brush with extending handle. “Oh” says the chap, and then proceeds to tell me that I will no doubt be cleaning my boat this weekend and asks “so you have..what..a small runabout?” and when I reply no, I’ve just bought a Trader 535 Sunliner his jaw dropped so much I wondered if I should have helped prop it up with my brush pole. 

It is funny how once that is over with you are accepted, for not only are you a owner of a large boat, it is considered to be a ‘proper boat’ for proper cruising types. We talked a lot and I got two catalogues and a free bag and the door held open for me “see you soon I hope” he said cheerily as I left.(It makes you wonder what he might of said under his breath!)

 

  Perhaps you can bring some of your dress sense from your Broads video's(is that a good thing) to inspire some of these salty types, as it seems they have none.:default_biggrin:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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It is funny how once that is over with you are accepted, for not only are you a owner of a large boat, it is considered to be a ‘proper boat’ for proper cruising types. We talked a lot and I got two catalogues and a free bag and the door held open for me “see you soon I hope” he said cheerily as I left.(It makes you wonder what he might of said under his breath!)

I am sure that the Management of Force 4 would be extremely interested to read your experience of these ignorant nobodies that are working in one of their stores.        I dont suppose any of them own a boat be it a small boat or the QE2.     Makles my blood boil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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You see, I don't take offense to any of this - though I find it a shame people are as they are. From the moment I got serious about this, and began making contact with Brokers I have been 'making waves' and changing perceptions.

Frankly this has been my first experience of suffering real prejudice. I know we read in the news about discrimination women or those of different races in society, but when you are someone who is different to the perceived 'norm'  of large motorboat owner I have seen first hand how unwelcome the welcome can be to the 'club' and how it feels to be judged by people you've never met, but having a tough skin means I don't let things bother me.

Even the  model of boat I have bought is I ma sure to some an odd choice. You see, it is commonly seen as something that people 'work their way up to' from other smaller or faster craft and want something more traditional on the one hand in style (especially internally) and also want something that can cruise all day at 10Knts and they can plan passages from the UK to the likes of the Mediterranean - destinations and passages they would never have contemplated when they may have owned a 35ft planing boat where it was a quick dash to the next harbour along the coats on a summer weekend.

So here I am, never having owned a twin screw 'sea boat' before, not married and with no family in my late thirties calling up Brokers about these boats. Couple this to then sharing this with people in the real and online world and some I don't think took me seriously. Indeed I think some felt I was making things up, being a stirrer (or in online parlance a Troll) - and no, none of this came from this Forum who have been most gracious all along.  But then it happened and  paid my money and got the keys and people thought "Oh blimey he was real and he did do it".

All water under the bridge now as I am getting to grips with the boat, sharing things and helping other owners - I have made contact with a chap in London who owns a later model of my boat and sharing things, another who having seen my LED bulb changes may well go on to change his over and save Amps. So all good in the end and what boating can often be about: helping others out.

But the fact remains when I am down on the boat I stand out. From the first introduction in the Marina office when the lady looked over the rims of her glasses at me 'can I help you' in a very headmistress fashion and yet when I announced I was the new owner of the boat her eyes brightened and she became all of a sudden most polite and even offered me a coffee. I guess my look did not fit standing there in my t-shirt and jeans.

It is to be expected when I go to a Chandlers that they too will make that initial judgment to me - yet I am sure they would not in Norfolk, where you have a far larger mix of boating types. From the young families with the small weekender boats, to the older sailors and everything in between.

But coming full circle, while it might be a shame to be judged initially,  I do enjoy the surprise and being open about things and genuinely those who know me (even just from videos) have all been very warm and congratulatory and eager to follow though I am fully aware there is likely a large contingent of arm chair captains waiting to pounce at their keyboards the moment I do something wrong.

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1 hour ago, LondonRascal said:

You see, I don't take offense to any of this -

. From the first introduction in the Marina office when the lady looked over the rims of her glasses at me 'can I help you' in a very headmistress fashion and yet when I announced I was the new owner of the boat her eyes brightened and she became all of a sudden most polite and even offered me a coffee.

 

To be fair , maybe she seen this Image result for hector tax inspector

:default_biggrin:

Loving your adventure, I hope you keep us informed all the way.

Following your dream is the key to life, I wish I had your attitude ( the funds would help also )  As in folk waiting for you to falter, they are not worth a second of your thoughts for sure. The only people in life who haven't made mistakes, are the folk who have not done anything. I know who id rather be.

All the best

 

oops, that pic was met to be Hector the tax inspector , but as ever on a pc, I failed :default_dunce:

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Well, I have to say that the patronising behaviour in the chandlers reminded me of the snooty dress shop owners in 'Pretty Woman'; they came unstuck too. :default_biggrin:

 

re Fridge freezer, bicarbonate should sort out the ingrained smell.

 

re. The armchair critics: I think the nicest part of this whole adventure is that you are doing the ordinary things we all might do, like cleaning the mildew or changing the bulbs to make the boat your own. We can relate to that, and enjoy the journey with you. As for the boys' toys, well, I admit to glazing over with the  very Hi-tech list, but what do you expect from a  saily? :default_coat:All the others will love it, and I certainly 'got' the power to fridge/rubbish battery provision line in the narrative.

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