DaveS

Teak is traditionally used because of it's durabilty and good weathering qualities, but like most all hardwoods, is expensive. A cheaper alternative is Iroko, which is also known as African Teak, albeit its not Teak as you would know it. There has been some discussion that the dust generated when machining Iroko may be carcenogenic, so maybe not the best material to work with under DiY conditions (i.e. no dust extraction system). Good quality wpb/marine ply plywood, can be can be very effectively stained teak (or any other colour), and then given several coats of satin finish varnish (rubbed down with very fine sandpaper/flourpaper between coats), to give a very pleasing finish. It can be supported on a low cost pine framework, which is not seen once the plywood panels are attached. Dave

Hi Mark I may at some time, consider the 'all singing and dancing' Sterling charger that you describe, as it is a very comprehensive unit. My primary concern at the moment, is to remove the two leisure batteries from starting duties, as they really shouldn't be subjected to this. I have to wonder why the boat manufacturer, chose to do this . Secondly, a single 85AH leisure battery isn't really up to the job of powering the domestics, especially if swmbo want's the TV on, to watch her soaps . I take your point about being able to use the leisure battery bank, to start the engine should the starting battery ever let us down. However, a simple solution to this, would be to keep a pair of jump-leads on board (all the batteries will be contained in a single battery locker). I have probably got room for four batteries, but I reckcon that when the time comes, I'll replace the two 85's, with 110's. I would do the whole lot now, including the 'all singing and dancing' Sterling charger, but having just spent £6.5k on upgrades to the house, will shortly being taking our No.1 grandson on holiday to France, before he goes back to his parents in Australia, and then Sandra and I going over to Oz later this year, I'm trying not to squeeze my pension too hard . Dave

I am just about to upgrade the 12 Volt system on my boat, to something a bit more practical. From new (2006), the manufacturer installed 2 x 85 AH Leisure batteries, with a master-switch (as below) to enable the selection of either battery 1, battery 2, both 1 and 2 together, or all OFF. In principle this seems fine, but leisure batteries were not designed to provide the instantaneous high current requirements demanded by engine starting. The recommended CCA for my engine is 350A. If battery 1, is assigned to engine starting, and battery 2 for the domestics, then in order to charge both at the same time from the engine, the master-switch needs to be switched from Batt 1 to Batt 1 + Batt 2. Unless the master-switch has the extra connections for protecting the alternator diode regulator pack (this one doesn't), then moving the switch between options, while the engine is running, could damage the diode regulator in the alternator. Another consideration is that if one battery is kept for engine starting, the current set-up leaves me with a single 85 AH battery for the domestics. Ignoring the freshwater pump, and lighting etc, the 12V Engel fridge draws 4 Amps, albeit in an on an/off duty cycle. So, the plan is: Assign the two 85AH leisure batteries to domestic duties, thus giving me 170 AH. Buy a suitable battery for engine starting only. Remove the existing master-switch, and replace it with two separate isolator switches (as below). This will allow the starting and domestic batteries to be switched independently. Of course I will have to separate the ignition and associated wiring (e.g. Power Trim & Tilt etc), from its current common connection with the domestic 12V system. The final piece of the puzzle, will be a low voltage-drop, split charge diode pack (see below), to enable both the starting and domestic batteries, to be charged from the alternator, while not allowing the starting circuit, to ‘draw’ from the domestic batteries. I have already installed a Sterling charger, which currently charges the two existing leisure batteries, when connected to shore-power, and also acts as a 12V power pack for the domestics. I will leave this to charge only the domestic batteries, as the starting battery, will only provide starting power, and will re-charge from the alternator. Hopefully, the revised system will allow me to moor overnight, away from shore power, with 170AH of power available to run the domestics, and not worry about having enough power to start the engine, the following morning. Dave

Andy, apart from another transmitter, which you have tried, the only other device to check if the transceiver is receiving, is a signal generator that covers the relevant frequency, and this is not something 'Mr Average' would be able to 'lay his hands' on. I suspect that the antenna, the coaxial feeder, or connection is where your problem lays. If there is a problem in this area, I would advise not trying to transmit on 25W, as you could damage the output transistor(s). It would be easy for me or Jim to check this for you, given the opportunity. Dave

Dave

Just to close this 'thread', the boat was delivered today, launched, and is now on it's mooring. Dave

Jim is correct, in that Ch16 is a 'simplex' channel, whereas Ch80 for example, which is a Marina Channel, is Duplex, and you would receive on Ch80 (from the marina), but transmit (to the marina) on a different frequency, With FM radios, we talk in terms of the received signal being 'fully quieting', if its a good good signal. That is to say, no background noise. Background noise (discriminator noise) is what you would hear if you opened the squelch without out any received signal present. As the recieved signal gets stronger, so this noise diminishes, until it gets strong enough to 'fully quieten' the discriminator of the receiver (discriminator = the bit that recovers the voice info from the frequency modulated carrier wave). If a very local/much stronger transmitting station had his PTT (press to talk) button pressed, but with without out speaking, the carrier (radio signal) would 'block' any weaker stations on that channel. As you wouldn't be hearing a voice on the signal, you might assume that it isn't there. However, the fact that Col was, I assume close by, and could hear the lock keeper calling you, would indicate that the channel was clear. This leads me to think that you had the 'squelch threshold' set too high, and as such the squelch on your receiver wasn't opening, hence you not hearing the call. The squelch should be set to a level that just quietens the receiver, or just enough to prevent very weak signals (if you don't want to hear them) from opening the squelch. Albeit, probably not a good idea if monitoring Ch16, as a distress call might be missed. Bear in mind that marinas, and I assume locks and bridges will be the same, are only allowed to transmit on low power (1watt). So, if you were calling them from distance on "high power" (25 Watts), they would likely hear you, but you wouldn't hear their reply. As for your 'beeping' noise, I don't know of the 'top of my head', and you can demonstrate the next time I see you. Hope this helps Dave

Must have been a common theme is those parts Roy, as it was exactly the same at the Owl Jim, Mrs S says she doesn't remember the 'fig leaf', but it was a long time ago Dave

Hi Mark Knowing what Jim does for a living, I'm sure he'll be able to tell you what the problem is, but the offer is always there if needed. Dave

Roy, I remember that as being a pub called The Owl at Lippits Hill, on the way up from Sewardstone Road to High Beach. Jim, Its a shame that the old Crazy Pub is no longer, it was a 'one off', and holds fond memorys of some good evenings spent there. I reckon we were last up there about 48 years ago Dave

That's very interesting Jim, and I'm sure we could enjoy a chat over a beer at some time When we moved up to Suffolk, 25 years ago, my wife worked 'part-time' for a PMR 'hire/supply' company in Ipswich. BTW, is the 'Crazy Pub' still around where you live?. We used to drive out there in our courting days, back in the early 60's Dave

Hi Jim Have been a Class A radio amateur for over 40 years, taught radio at night school, and am a retired RF/EMC consultant engineer. So yes, I have played around with a bit of radio in my time Dave

David is correct, as the VSWR meters for CB are designed to work in the HF band, and primarily around 27MHz. A point to note, is that even a VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) Meter, designed for use and VHF/UHF will only be "accurate", if it sees a 50 Ohm resistive (not reactive) load on the output side of the meter. Your VHF radio is designed to work into a 50 Ohm impedance, and a correcly designed and installed antenna will present something close to this to the radio, which will then, assuming the radio is working properly, deliver its full rated output (.e.g. 25 Watts) to the antenna. A pertfect match between radio and antenna would show a VSWR of 1:1. If the match is poor (bad or corroded joints, water ingress into the coax or antenna connection, or faulty antenna) the VSWR will rise accordingly (a high VSWR), which means that much of the output power is reflected back to the transmitter, which can damage the output transistor(s). A VSWR of to 2:1 should sensibly be considered the maximum acceptable, but of course, the lower the better. David is also correct about using the correct wire gauge to power the radio, as if this is too small, the voltage drop when transmitting on full power would be significant. I have a good quality VHF/UHF VSWR and Power Meter, plus a 50 Ohm dummy load, capable of comfortably handling the full 25W output of the transmitter. Jim may well be able top assess and sort the problem for you, but if needed, I'm very happy to assist, albeit I'm down at the WRC, and don't know whether you are down south, or up north?. Dave

OK Guys, firstly, many thanks for your input, it was much appreciated. The weight of the Falcon 22 SPC, is between 2400 and 2500kg, and so trailered, around 3200kg. However, the towing weight has now become somewhat irrelevant, as my son has decided to go for a Marina berth now, and not bother towing a 22, which he would not be able to do legally. So, moving on from this position, today we inspected (in and out of the water), a Falcon 22 SPC, that three years ago, had the original 4.3 V4 petrol engine replaced, with a new Mercruiser 120 Diesel, and Alpha 1 Gen 2 outdrive. As a result, having 'haggled' well on the price, he went ahead and agreed the deal The boat is currently in Cambridgeshire, and is being jet washed, antifouled, and the hull polished before it leaves its current location. A new BSS examination is also being done, as this was due to expire shortly (the seller is paying for this). All being well, the boat should be transported up to its new home on the Broads, next week. Dave

He certainly would BTW, my Viking 24 is a Class 'C' boat, which basically means inland/estuary, albeit I'd be happy to take it on the 'salt', on calm day. Jim I think that a suitable 'roller coaster' trailer, to carry 2500kg of boat, would likely weigh around 600kg, so maybe the figure of 2400-2500kg for the boat, is realistic. Which does indeed make it a very heavy boat for it's size. I guess whether or not the internal woodwork is of solid timber, or light weight (caravan type) construction, would also be a significant factor. My son has e-mailed the original designer of the boat, who apparently is still in 'the business', to see if he can get a definitive answer. It was originally advertised as a boat that is suitable for towing, and considering its a British boat, that was probably a bit 'tongue in cheek'. At a trailered weight of 3200kg, the number of non-commercial vehicles that can legally tow that, is very limited. My son has a 'long wheel base' Nissan Terrano, with a 3.0L diesel, which is rated to tow 3000kg, So 3200kg excluding fuel and personal posessions, would rule the Falcon 22 out, which is a shame, for as you say, its a nice boat, and one of his favourites. Dave

That could be the case Jim, but then the equivalent Bayliners, Sealines, and Maxums, don't weigh anywhere near that. Albeit I know that Bayliners are notorious for having lightweight hulls, in fact a Marine Engineer/Boatbuilder that my son knows, calls them Binliners, because of their thin hulls. Dave

Thanks for your input Frank If that is the case, then 3200kg for a 22 ft boat, must mean the GRP is about a inch thick Dave

Now I am confused My son and I having been looking for a boat for him, for some months, and I think I've found a possible contender. Its a Falcon 22 SPC, that has a five year old Mercruiser Diesel engine fitted (it replaced the original 4.3 V6 Petrol) Now, he wants to tow his boat, and has a 4x4 with a rated towing capacity of 3000kg. The Bayliner 2155's/2255's and Sealine 210's on trailers, fit very comfortably within this 3000kg limit, with a good margin to spare. From information I found on the web, the weight of the Falcon 22 is shown as 2400kg and 3200kg 'all up' on trailer. This seems incredibly heavy for a 22ft boat, as my 24ft Viking weighs in at 1600kg plus say 200kg for the engine, and is 2ft longer and 2" wider than the Falcon . Another web search found a weight of 1800kg inc a 4.3 V6 inboard, for the Falcon 22 SPC, and 2000kg for the Falcon 23, which seems more logical. Yet another site, gave the Falcon 23 as being 1800kg. So, as you can see, I'm now totally confused . Does anybody have a definitive answer, as to the true weight of the Falcon 22 SPC? Dave

My Mariner 40efi that you saw on Saturday Wayne, has pretty much the same setup. A high pitched sounder, when the ignition is switched on, which then goes off once the engine has started, and another, which remains silent (hopefully ), which is an engine overheat warning. Albeit I have installed a cylinder head bolt fitting temperature sensor/sender, and a temperature gauge in the dashboard panel. Dave

Sounds like a job well done Mark, and given that its still just under 6C outside, you might even have time to enjoy the 'fruits of your labours', before the warmer weather eventually arrives. Dave

You made a good job of that Luke, very impressive It could be a nice 'little earner' for you, going around cleaning forum members engines Dave

Gunk is a Solvent Emulsion Degreaser (SED), which is very good at cleaning up engines etc. The beauty of SED is that it washes of with water as its water soluble, taking the oil and grease with it. If this can then be captured in the bottom of the engine bay, and then sucked/pumped out, its an effective cleaning solution. Another option is good old fashioned paraffin, although you'd have to wipe down with dry rags afterwards. Best of all for engine cleaning, is a steam a cleaner. Whatver you use, be sure to cover up electrics with plastic bags etc, to prevent fluid ingress causing damage. Dave

Just in case you wondered what the hell I was talking about Andy , here's the current NASA transducer, and the in-hull mounting kit, that I was referring to Dave

Oooh!!, that's different Andy, and I've not seen one like that before The old Seafarer, and now the current NASA units, have an in-hull mounting kit, comprising a length of plastic tube, a bottle of castor oil, a sealing cap, and a pack of Plastic Padding epoxy, to affix the tube to the hull. David has obviously come across the Garmin type before. Dave

It matters not which side you locate it Andy, just as long as its as close to the keel (the deepest part of the hull) as practical, and not to near the stern, where the water will be turbulent. As far as expoxy goes, then as long as its compatible with GRP (its very unlikely not to be), it will be fine. You'll not need a lot, and a small pack of Plastic Padding Marine Epoxy will do the job nicely. Don't forget the cut the bottom of the tube to the same angle as the hull, so that it is plumb vertical when installed, and don't overfill it with castor oil, or it will spill over when you insert the transducer . Do make sure though, that the transducer is fully immersed in the castot oil, as it relies on there not being any air space between it and the hull. Dave