Independence - Updates | Maintenance & Care

[JennyMorgan]

56 minutes ago, Wussername said:

Some are not one of us.

But couldn't they be?

[JawsOrca]

16 hours ago, quo vadis said:

Robin I know you have not asked for this advice but don't go to Williams try Baily and Stone excellent company to deal with and fairly priced

aggghh my eyes... who mentioned B&S when there's the best trimmers whom sponsor the forum ------>>>>>

Where's the mods and my Teddy I need to throw my Teddy.... 

[JanetAnne]

33 minutes ago, JawsOrca said:

 

Where's the mods and my Teddy I need to throw my Teddy.... 

Don't worry about the teddy folks, it'll be landing on some nice plush stripey carpet...

[JawsOrca]

1 minute ago, JanetAnne said:

Don't worry about the teddy folks, it'll be landing on some nice plush stripey carpet...

Ohhh... do you mean... Teak carpet - Teak effect marine grade carpet! It is indeed soft underfoot and offers sound absorption.. perfect for a soft teddy impact*.. See more at www.teak-carpet.co.uk. (*teddy claim is yet to be verified)....  (Smooth enough?! )

[Polly]

Hi Jacquie, welcome. 

[scaniaman]

Still catching up on this topic, more questions if I may Robin.

Did you get a new rubber gaiter for the bow thruster?

Did you manage to sort the blind/insect screen on the overhead hatch?

sorry if i'm behind by a month or two but have only joined recently 

paul

[grendel]

Did I not see in one of the videos that he found the rubber gaiter while he was up on the fly bridge (its a bit of a moot point as the thruster controls up there dont work.

[scaniaman]

I not sure if I've got that far down the thread yet.but vetus.com have some, part no bp214b they may fit & only fiver.

love the great set of hammers by the way 

[LondonRascal]

A general overview of things to sort onboard and those which I am leaving for the time being:

The rubber 'gate' over the Thruster controls can stay perished as it only effects the inside helm station, and they are £500.00 direct from the manufactures!

I sorted the fly screen for the hatch over the forward double - took it apart, and keep it in the open position - so long as it is not touched it is fine, and it is highly unlikely I would ever use that in the summer being open and have the need for the fly screen to be in place - it is thankfully watertight as proved by the vast amount of green water that was coming over the bow and deck during her passage.

I do however need to obtain a new upper helm command station (throttle controller) - I might bite the bullet and get two but not in chrome, matt black powered coated finished over bronze so there can be no pitting of the Chrome in the future. I need to sort this because the upper helm 'fly by wire' commander is not able to be trusted as it will either not work at all, or work for a period of time - it seems over an hour's use things go a bit wonky and without anything being touched it sends rouge commands to increase or decrease revs on the port engine (and sometimes starboard one too).  It is open under the base to the cold damp upper helm moulding - so any replacement I would cover with a suitable circuit board sealer to prevent moisture ever being able to get into the circuit board and the wire loom from the engine room where it is terminated to the board.

I need to identify a possible hydraulic leak that I believe is coming from the take off pump from starboard engine that powers the thrusters. Since there is no leakage at idle it suggests that this is a gasket seal that is leaking when under high pressure e.g when the thrusters are being operated. Only way that can be discovered is one person in the engine room while another operates the thrusters.  I also need to find what type of hydraulic oil to use in order to top off the large tank. I would guess this holds perhaps a 100 litres of oil judging by its size.

I have found a fuel leak - which is not thank god a supply line leak or tank, but a vent hose.  The centre tank is lower than the two wing tanks, and is fed by gravity from those tanks unless isolated. The centre tank therefore will be full but the pressure of fuel from the wing tanks (coming in from the balance pipe) will force fuel up the vent hose from the top of the centre tank until it reaches the level in the wing tanks. This is approximately half way up the vent hose from the centre tank.  In order to prevent this leaking I have isolated the wing tanks from the centre tank so the tank cannot have any fruther fuel enter it and last weekend had the  heater on high (it draws from the centre tank only) and that will have taken some pressure out the system even if just a couple of litres. The vent hose runs behind the exhaust hose and new ducting for the heating system. It may have been moved slightly when Esper installed the heater ducting, I have therefore emailed them to raise their awareness to this pending clarification as to what the cause is because naturally, if it was their work that caused the two hoses to chaff after being moved, they can jolly well pick up the tab to put it right.  All this is behind the large metal hydraulic tank and is not accessible. In order to rectify the issue I am almsot certain the hydraulic tank will need to be emptied and unbolted from its mount, all associated high pressure hoses removed and the entire assembly moved - once that is done one can replace the vent hose.  However, due to the fact this is a 'once in a lifetime' (one hopes) task I will also replace the exhaust hose which is 2002 vintage and may have suffered some wear from chaffing on the centre tank vent hose itself. Once complete devise a solution to ensure the two hoses can never again touch and chaff.

I need to obtain suitable fire extinguishers for the wheelhouse and forward cabin which coupled with the one in the galley and aft cabin should sort that out as far as BSS goes. Engine room fire suppression is powder based and not Haylon etc so that is ok, but a new remote monitor/alarm is needed for the upper helm as it shows 'alarm' when there is no alarm in engine room or lower helm station.

I need to really address the whole upper helm with some replacement gauges to since some have suffered with some water condensation though poor seals. In time, along with the lower helm, new speed and depth sensors and associated screens need to go in, a new plotter for upper helm and lower, replacement anchor winch controller and chain counter (measure anchor chain and calibrate). The largest expense will be this because the equipment alone makes shopping at Apple seem like a day out in Lidl.

Various other smaller issues from the side sliding window seals, latch and paint work, more new sockets to go in new batteries (I am going to stay basic here after all now and go for AGM ones) but will need 4x 200 Ah and 1x 100Ah to just replace what is in place now. It is clear my domestic battery bank is less than healthy having taken it off charge for a period (take over night at Yarmouth without shore power) they were almsot flat come the next day and all they had to run was a few 12v items since the boat has no inverter (another thing to address).

So as you can see a rather long list that does not include things like lifting the bot out, doing the anti-foul and new Anodes, gel coat polishing and repairs, new cushions for upper helm and sun deck table seating and possibly all new sun deck canopies which now I have had a closer inspection of are not in quite the condition I had first thought with many loose stitches, zips and fasteners that are well past their best. I know it looks nice, but the fabric these are made out of is not as easy to keep looking nice as cheaper and less 'classy' looking vinyl. 

 

[tonplus]

A general overview of things to sort onboard and those which I am leaving for the time being:

The rubber 'gate' over the Thruster controls can stay perished as it only effects the inside helm station, and they are £500.00 direct from the manufactures!

I sorted the fly screen for the hatch over the forward double - took it apart, and keep it in the open position - so long as it is not touched it is fine, and it is highly unlikely I would ever use that in the summer being open and have the need for the fly screen to be in place - it is thankfully watertight as proved by the vast amount of green water that was coming over the bow and deck during her passage.

I do however need to obtain a new upper helm command station (throttle controller) - I might bite the bullet and get two but not in chrome, matt black powered coated finished over bronze so there can be no pitting of the Chrome in the future. I need to sort this because the upper helm 'fly by wire' commander is not able to be trusted as it will either not work at all, or work for a period of time - it seems over an hour's use things go a bit wonky and without anything being touched it sends rouge commands to increase or decrease revs on the port engine (and sometimes starboard one too).  It is open under the base to the cold damp upper helm moulding - so any replacement I would cover with a suitable circuit board sealer to prevent moisture ever being able to get into the circuit board and the wire loom from the engine room where it is terminated to the board.

I need to identify a possible hydraulic leak that I believe is coming from the take off pump from starboard engine that powers the thrusters. Since there is no leakage at idle it suggests that this is a gasket seal that is leaking when under high pressure e.g when the thrusters are being operated. Only way that can be discovered is one person in the engine room while another operates the thrusters.  I also need to find what type of hydraulic oil to use in order to top off the large tank. I would guess this holds perhaps a 100 litres of oil judging by its size.

I have found a fuel leak - which is not thank god a supply line leak or tank, but a vent hose.  The centre tank is lower than the two wing tanks, and is fed by gravity from those tanks unless isolated. The centre tank therefore will be full but the pressure of fuel from the wing tanks (coming in from the balance pipe) will force fuel up the vent hose from the top of the centre tank until it reaches the level in the wing tanks. This is approximately half way up the vent hose from the centre tank.  In order to prevent this leaking I have isolated the wing tanks from the centre tank so the tank cannot have any fruther fuel enter it and last weekend had the  heater on high (it draws from the centre tank only) and that will have taken some pressure out the system even if just a couple of litres. The vent hose runs behind the exhaust hose and new ducting for the heating system. It may have been moved slightly when Esper installed the heater ducting, I have therefore emailed them to raise their awareness to this pending clarification as to what the cause is because naturally, if it was their work that caused the two hoses to chaff after being moved, they can jolly well pick up the tab to put it right.  All this is behind the large metal hydraulic tank and is not accessible. In order to rectify the issue I am almsot certain the hydraulic tank will need to be emptied and unbolted from its mount, all associated high pressure hoses removed and the entire assembly moved - once that is done one can replace the vent hose.  However, due to the fact this is a 'once in a lifetime' (one hopes) task I will also replace the exhaust hose which is 2002 vintage and may have suffered some wear from chaffing on the centre tank vent hose itself. Once complete devise a solution to ensure the two hoses can never again touch and chaff.

I need to obtain suitable fire extinguishers for the wheelhouse and forward cabin which coupled with the one in the galley and aft cabin should sort that out as far as BSS goes. Engine room fire suppression is powder based and not Haylon etc so that is ok, but a new remote monitor/alarm is needed for the upper helm as it shows 'alarm' when there is no alarm in engine room or lower helm station.

I need to really address the whole upper helm with some replacement gauges to since some have suffered with some water condensation though poor seals. In time, along with the lower helm, new speed and depth sensors and associated screens need to go in, a new plotter for upper helm and lower, replacement anchor winch controller and chain counter (measure anchor chain and calibrate). The largest expense will be this because the equipment alone makes shopping at Apple seem like a day out in Lidl.

Various other smaller issues from the side sliding window seals, latch and paint work, more new sockets to go in new batteries (I am going to stay basic here after all now and go for AGM ones) but will need 4x 200 Ah and 1x 100Ah to just replace what is in place now. It is clear my domestic battery bank is less than healthy having taken it off charge for a period (take over night at Yarmouth without shore power) they were almsot flat come the next day and all they had to run was a few 12v items since the boat has no inverter (another thing to address).

So as you can see a rather long list that does not include things like lifting the bot out, doing the anti-foul and new Anodes, gel coat polishing and repairs, new cushions for upper helm and sun deck table seating and possibly all new sun deck canopies which now I have had a closer inspection of are not in quite the condition I had first thought with many loose stitches, zips and fasteners that are well past their best. I know it looks nice, but the fabric these are made out of is not as easy to keep looking nice as cheaper and less 'classy' looking vinyl. 

 

Let me know what you need in the way of fire extinguishers etc. I will get you a price.

Sent from my Moto C Plus using Tapatalk

[grendel]

1 hour ago, LondonRascal said:

I need to identify a possible hydraulic leak that I believe is coming from the take off pump from starboard engine that powers the thrusters. Since there is no leakage at idle it suggests that this is a gasket seal that is leaking when under high pressure e.g when the thrusters are being operated. Only way that can be discovered is one person in the engine room while another operates the thrusters.  I also need to find what type of hydraulic oil to use in order to top off the large tank. I would guess this holds perhaps a 100 litres of oil judging by its size.

dont you have the manual levers down by the engine to test with?

[LondonRascal]

12 minutes ago, grendel said:

dont you have the manual levers down by the engine to test with?

Yes but you have to reach over the gear box to reach them, then you can't look under and around to see any leak. I also thought of using a camera to achieve the same but that could not see enough detail - this is not a gush of oil its going to be a small amount over time so you'd be looking for a weeping point and I can't see how that is possible without a second pair of eyes looking about with a torch light.

[Stranger]

hi Robin there are dyes available for colouring the hydraulic oil which i have found a god send to find oil leaks from pumps etc you only need a small amount to colour the oil, red is an easy colour to spot 

[LondonRascal]

3 minutes ago, Stranger said:

there are dyes available for colouring the hydraulic oii

Great tip which I will look into if the issue is not readily obvious. Thanks :)

[finny]

Or wrap some paper kitchen roll around the union 

finny

[Guest]

To be completely honest Robin I would turn my attention to BSS requirement's rather than anything else IMHO , vent hoses as indeed fuel hoses are required to be clipped at regular intervals to avoid contact with anything .

BSS is a requirement as you know with BA , and as iv mentioned elsewhere to you,  you are entitled to 28 days of short visit tolls after that its a full toll and BSS certificate that is required .

Obviously you already know this but I really wouldn't be thinking of anything else right now and sadly that include cushions or anything else , after that the world is your oyster .

[JawsOrca]

2 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

The largest expense will be this because the equipment alone makes shopping at Apple seem like a day out in Lidl.

...

new cushions for upper helm and sun deck table seating and possibly all new sun deck canopies which now I have had a closer inspection of are not in quite the condition I had first thought with many loose stitches, zips and fasteners that are well past their best. I know it looks nice, but the fabric these are made out of is not as easy to keep looking nice as cheaper and less 'classy' looking vinyl. 

I hate to break it to you Robin, but shopping for all that nice screen stuff will be like a walk in the park until you see my estimate!!     but best bit is unlike flashy pretty screens, trimming stuff add's to value of the boat and looks pretty so it's an easier buy. You need to come in look at our showroom and I can show you all the newest pretty fabrics, we stock and sell all what the big brands use. 

 

[LondonRascal]

Well after a bit of a scare to being able to get a BSS sorted, Tim Waters is the man and I've got a date I can meet with him and get things rolling

In my opinion the BSS stuff is going to be small fry because it will be a very clear and known quantity that has been established as needing rectification. I will have a list I can act upon. I am sure too that between the various yards in Brundall someone will be able to take on the work and get such items sorted within a reasonable time. Once that is done it is a simple re-test and (hopefully) certificate issued and then I can get a proper Toll and registration numbers and be sorted properly.

All the other items are not so easy because as with the heating, what you think will happen and be needed may very well turn into more - lets just take the Cushions, that is pretty easy on the face of it but I need all new so that will come into the thickness, the type  of foam, the choice of material too will all effect price . With all due respect to Alan, it may be the case that pretty things add a nice look and 'value' but I loath most of all this expenditure because it is very much 'for show' and once you have it then you've got to be ever so careful not to ruin it.  I might turn into one of those types with the 'normal every day' and 'best for special occasions' and keep the new seating stored away only to be used when it has to be lol.

Anyway, reason I popped on is I have some bad news - the first part of the delivery trip is finished, and it is really poor. The sound is way off, and later days have big gaps in them so I know the Forum has got so behind this thread and the passage to Norfolk and I just wanted to say I am really sorry to have not captured the trip very well. Getting used to a new camera, microphone, boat and so on I just seemed to have let the 'videography' slip.

That said this was some footage of us as we passed Dungeness - put together in a small clip to show some of the conditions. Tomorrow evening the first part of the Blog will be live too.

 

[BroadAmbition]

That small clip was taken from Shore (Grendel I believe) on the Sunday.  That was the day we transited from Brighton to Ramsgate - Er, I mean Dover.  By the late afternoon / early evening the sea conditions has worsened

Griff

[grendel]

FairtMiddlin took the video, I was shooting stills (probably fast enough to edit into a video though)

[Islander]

I can highly recommend Tim Waters. He will be thorough but fair and will tell you the best way to put things right. I have put about ten boats through BSS here on Thorpe Island, some required a lot of things doing but Tim clearly explained what neede to be done for the retest.

I would not worry about completing all this within 28days. I think 'work in progress' can be applied while on your home mooring. Lady Linda spent from April to July on the river at Richardsons waiting to get into Moonfleet for work and had no river toll, BSS or insurance until the work was done. When we brought her round in August we got as far as the Berney Arms before we saw a ranger.

Very best of luck for the test.

Colin

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, Islander said:

I can highly recommend Tim Waters. He will be thorough but fair and will tell you the best way to put things right. I have put about ten boats through BSS here on Thorpe Island, some required a lot of things doing but Tim clearly explained what neede to be done for the retest.

I would not worry about completing all this within 28days. I think 'work in progress' can be applied while on your home mooring. Lady Linda spent from April to July on the river at Richardsons waiting to get into Moonfleet for work and had no river toll, BSS or insurance until the work was done. When we brought her round in August we got as far as the Berney Arms before we saw a ranger.

Very best of luck for the test.

Colin

What's a re test ? 

[JennyMorgan]

2 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

Well after a bit of a scare to being able to get a BSS sorted, Tim Waters is the man and I've got a date I can meet with him and get things rolling

In my opinion the BSS stuff is going to be small fry because it will be a very clear and known quantity that has been established as needing rectification. I will have a list I can act upon. I am sure too that between the various yards in Brundall someone will be able to take on the work and get such items sorted within a reasonable time. Once that is done it is a simple re-test and (hopefully) certificate issued and then I can get a proper Toll and registration numbers and be sorted properly.

All the other items are not so easy because as with the heating, what you think will happen and be needed may very well turn into more - lets just take the Cushions, that is pretty easy on the face of it but I need all new so that will come into the thickness, the type  of foam, the choice of material too will all effect price . With all due respect to Alan, it may be the case that pretty things add a nice look and 'value' but I loath most of all this expenditure because it is very much 'for show' and once you have it then you've got to be ever so careful not to ruin it.  I might turn into one of those types with the 'normal every day' and 'best for special occasions' and keep the new seating stored away only to be used when it has to be lol.

Anyway, reason I popped on is I have some bad news - the first part of the delivery trip is finished, and it is really poor. The sound is way off, and later days have big gaps in them so I know the Forum has got so behind this thread and the passage to Norfolk and I just wanted to say I am really sorry to have not captured the trip very well. Getting used to a new camera, microphone, boat and so on I just seemed to have let the 'videography' slip.

That said this was some footage of us as we passed Dungeness - put together in a small clip to show some of the conditions. Tomorrow evening the first part of the Blog will be live too.

 

She should cope with Breydon then!

[SwanR]

I will look forward to seeing the first video Robin. I think you will find that many of us are just grateful for whatever is shared because we are quite simply fascinated by something that is so far away from anything we will ever do. I can understand if you're a little disappointed in terms of having a record of the trip for your own reasons but I'm sure that many other people will just be happy to see whatever was captured.

[neilp1962]

Was that helicopter a Royal Navy Merlin coming to check you weren't an unwelcome visitor? I expect the radar signature of Independence looks a bit like a warship