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Trixie (Rascal's Fleet)


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Robin, re the bow thruster. I have run my bowthruster from the engine starter battery from when it was fitted 14 years ago. I really don't understand why you need a separate battery for them. I use the bowthruster when leaving my mooring for about 30 seconds, and the battery is fully topped up within 5 minutes. Unless you have a starting problem, the starter battery is vastly under-used, and most have plenty of capacity to run a bowthruster. Just a thought.

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2 hours ago, 40something said:

Robin, if the square fluorescent light fittings are still useable once removed I would be interested in purchasing them

I will ask George to try and save them - they are super glued to the damn headlining as well as being screwed in so I hope they will come out cleanly, if they do I will save them for you and for no charge :)

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40 minutes ago, Regulo said:

Robin, re the bow thruster. I have run my bowthruster from the engine starter battery from when it was fitted 14 years ago. I really don't understand why you need a separate battery for them. I use the bowthruster when leaving my mooring for about 30 seconds, and the battery is fully topped up within 5 minutes. Unless you have a starting problem, the starter battery is vastly under-used, and most have plenty of capacity to run a bowthruster. Just a thought.

This is what George had said may be an idea too. I know this has worked well for many but I also know it is more common to have a battery mounted close to the thruster just for it - thus you have considerable redundancy. I think on Trixie we may go down the route of moving the engine cranking battery to a separate box in the engine bay area (there is space I believe) and then make way for a third house battery.

I am meeting George this weekend so will go over things in person and be guided by his experience.

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It does depend on each installation, large diameter cables aren't cheap! But it's always seemed overkill to have a bowthruster battery to me. Run a 250 Amp bowthruster for 60 seconds (a long time in bowthruster world) and you take about 4Ah from your battery. As long as the battery has a high CCA, there's no problem.

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We have a bow thruster run from the starter battery. no problem until the battery was 5 years old and starting became a problem.

Adding another battery was discussed but the complications of fitting/charging and finding space just made me decide to renew the starter battery every 4 years, made more sense.

If you intend to remove the wheel and steer by thruster then I can see the logic!

Just leave the engine running until you are happy with the mooring ropes before switching it off, any discharge would have been recharged.

paul

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2 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

I will ask George to try and save them - they are super glued to the damn headlining as well as being screwed in so I hope they will come out cleanly, if they do I will save them for you and for no charge :)

That's very good of you, don't go to any trouble but if they do come out cleanly  then great. If you wont take payment I will make a forum donation.

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Just a little pictorial update of the start of works on Trixie. I had a call from George to tell me that all was going well but for the fact that he thought he found the cause of the vibration and issues I was having - the Skeg mounted Anode had been hitting the Prop. It will be removed and a new circular rudder mounted one used in its place.

Also what was a turn up for the books was to find the boat has Bilge Keels - now this is ideal if I want to run aground on Breydon and stay nice and upright, but not quite so good when you consider the drag they will have when running in normal water. I asked George if they may increase stability, to which he was certain they could and I laughed. You see when I bought Indy so many over on YBW spoke of the need to have stabiliser fitted, now these are not going to do much for their are not moveable, but it still is funny the little river boat has them and the big one does not.

The hull was badly fouled with about an inch of growth and a lot of anti-foul build up that is in the process of being taken back. This will all be replaced with a hard coastal antifoul that seems to work very well on the Broads and what is used on Broad Ambition with good results.

The Canopy is being produced by Bailey & Stone of Butt Lane, Burgh Castle. They make a lot of canopies and seating for Faricraft Loynes as well as private individuals and I was surprised to hear they have already got the new canopy ready for fitting.  George said they had come down and use a CAD system to template and I am looking forward to the results. It will be in a Burgundy Sunbrella Plus fabric and I have asked for the glazing to have rounded radius curves not 'sharp' squares which I think will look a bit nicer.

Everyone hopes that the work will be complete in time for the Spring Meet and so people can have a close up look at the results :)

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We had Nipper lifted last weekend (Don’t ask). and I was very pleasantly surprised by the lack of growth on her bottom considering she was last lifted two years ago. The anti foul on the water line could do with a touch up but the tar varnish looked in remarkably good condition. 

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No new actual photos sadly, but I do have some news following talking with George today. 

The weather has been delaying things taking place, especially the polishing of boat. However they have now got the hull done, anti foul is on, new anodes (on rudder now) prop dressed and new boot line is being put on too. I was told that removal of the name proved very hard especially on the side of the boat where the paint  had 'etched' into the gel coat and try as they might they could not get the shadow to go. In the end sanding at up to 240 and working up to finer grades got the last of it away and has made me see how vinyl decals for name really is the way to go.

They have also been working on the boats electrical systems and have now got full voltage to the DC distribution panel, the NASA battery monitor has been installed and all the dash panel lighting is now working too. The sea cocks have been changed  as well among other 'engine room related things' 

Tomorrow the boat will be put back in the water and then the engine will be serviced and run up and checked, the new LED down lighters  have arrived and the old lights are being carefully removed. Jackalls have been consulted to put all new headlining in to make the job perfect and so no trace of the old, larger light fittings which had 'dented' into the headlining would be seen. A new LED bulkhead unit for the heads is to go in, along with the new shower mixer tap. 

The new Canopy was turned around in about a week to 10 days and is ready to go on, the new fenders are on order and everything is full steam ahead to get the boat ready for 14-16 of May in order to be taken to the Spring Meet. I can't wait!

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well it has been a case of almost there, nearly there, not quite there..

George has been working away on the boat but hitting all types of issues, firstly the weather delayed the compounding starting, then we have had issued with supplies sending items needed and getting in estimates for other work to be done from third party contractors and I have been pushing the collection date right back to the last moment - now this Friday to assist George and the guys as much as we can to take some pressures off.

Bailey & Stone turned the canopy around for the boat in about week, and was formally fitted last week. I am told it looks great and they were very easy to deal with not to mention speedy and came in with a great price. I have not seen the boat and though others have, and indeed have photos I have declined to want to see them.

But I am very excited to see the results to the exterior this Friday,  but know that after the weekends get together at Salhouse, Trixie will be returned straight back to Ludham Bridge Boatyard for the final works to be completed. This will include all new headlining to the entire boat with recessed LED down lighters. Some re-working of the position of the sprt light and removal of the existing TV aerial (small job) but that has lead to the larger job of the cabin headlining coming down to gain access to the wiring looms. I therefore decided to replace with new as part of the refurbishment works and I have deiced that Jekells will be given the work in this respect.

At some stage Bailey & Stone will be proving all new seating for the interior - re-shaped foam in four simpler sections. Currently there are a number of additional infill foam pieces to make a single berth, the likelihood of this being used as a berth is small. I want the option of it still being able to convert if required mind you,  but would be about 4" narrower after the works - slim people only need sleep here. The upholstery is a  very soft and natural Chenille fabric from Ross Fabrics called Plush Sage.

Sage.jpg

I felt this would be neutral enough without being too bland and will complement forthcoming new flooring inside the boat (in the cockpit there is the possibility of some 'Teak Carpet') though it would be ideal in navy with red lines though I understand stock of that is in limited supply. New curtains will also be the order of the day at some point.

Once this is complete then it will bring the first phase of refurbishment to a close and we can be able to use the boat.

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So Friday came and with it so did we at Ludham Bridge Boatyard where we collected Trixie - if only for the weekend because she is back in their care for the balance of works to be completed along with a bunch more I have come up with.

However, what a incredible change to the exterior! You may remember the 'before' photo:

Trixie before.JPG

This is how she looked with a tatty canopy, fading painted accent line on the superstructure, a single non-working horn and a tired, rough gel coat. Under the water was bad news too - lots of growth on the hull, an Anode that had been struck by the prop where it was mounted on the Skeg.

Well while you cannot see all the improvements yet (some are yet to come some are under the floor mechanical things) the new canopy is just amazing. Unlike the previous one made by Jeckells this has radius curves for the glazing, and those glazing sections have been double stitched and the inside of such also covered with the fabric. This is Sunbrella Plus fabric and I have had the stitching upgraded to a thicker and UV resistant type to last longer too. This was all made by Bailey & Stone who are based in Butt Lane, Burgh Castle.

The other big improvement is what George  who runs Ludham Bridge Boatyard can achieve with his polishing. This is a time consuming process and so to have it done properly can cost. Some boatyards will 'cut and polish' whereby they use a use a compound polish that wears a small amount of the gel coat away to reveal fresh material under and it will naturally look shiny and wonderful. But that shine will soon go if not protected. George uses a variety of methods from wet sanding where needed, to different grades of polishing compound. Once the initial shine is then achieved a Carnauba wax is then applied which acts as a protector to the gel coat but this itself is subject to degradation from UV light and will 'yellow' in time so I then had a polymer polish applied over this. This means that this layer can be topped up as required to maintain he finish and future actual compounding (where a thin layer of the gel coat is worn away through the compound)  can be kept to the minimum.

The results have been staggering. So much so the boat is now brilliant white, and I have asked George to do the same to the entire cockpit area which is now looking an 'off white'. I was surprised that he said nobody had asked him to polish a cockpit seating and helm area before - but since it is exposed to the sunlight and is all get coats, why not.

Here is the 'after pic' - taken on the river. The fenders are looking great too - all new, the deals I designed work great as well. The only issue is the red line - it is too bright and a vinyl stripe. I am having this removed and replaced wither with a vinyl that matches the canopy colour more, or it will be a gloss painted finish to match the canopy colour. She also has new horns - twin high/low tone that sound like a classic Bentley when used.

Trixie.JPG

 

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4 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

I believe someone had asked for the old fenders, though I cannot for the life of me remember who. These include a bow fender, 8 size three and 2 size two fenders complete with lines. All inflated. Please PM if you are interested in them.

That would be Griff, wouldn't it??

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  • 2 months later...

Poor little boat Trixie..

3rd July: I will have to word some things carefully, but things are not going well as I have cruised into a line of bad luck. It began with the fresh water pump giving up. It worked one week and then stopped the next. I had the thing apart and got it turning but it sounded dreadful, it was able to keep going just long enough to drain half the water tank which was needed because the pump is plumbed directly to the base of the tank and the pump and tank are in the bow.  Should the inlet hose be removed without the tank being at least half empty the height of the tank and pressure of water would then flood under the V Berth and eventually find its way to the middle of the boat where it can get into the bilge and be pumped out by the bilge pump. Sadly, to get there would cause a lot of sodden carpet, floorboards and mess.

I called up Simpson's Boatyard (formally Moonfleet) as they were the closest yard I could get to pick the phone up on a weekday at midday. They were willing to come to the Wet Shed, but I took the boat around to them and after a while they were on the case to procure a new pump. They told me such would have to come the following day, but I was okay to spend the night on their moorings and this meant I was very close to Stalham where I went for wander and ended up finding the small carpet shop does boat templating and binding of carpet edges, new carpet is now on the cards for the interior and cockpit.

Back to Trixie to find soaking wet carpets - how on earth has this happened? The pump is off, and the system is not pressurised. I now find the pump is leaking from the impeller housing, and water coming out is a rust tinted colour. Clearly this pump really is in a sorry state, yet was only put in 8 years ago - I guess that may seem a short time to some, a long time to others. The leak was an issue because I could not stop it and so every couple of hours through the night I set a timer up on my phone to wake me and empty the damn I had created with Duct tape, paper towel and clothes. It worked well but was a real pain.

The following morning the pump duly arrived, £79.00 odd and a different brand (Jabsco) and not the same flow rate or pressure - I had 13Lpm @ 41Psi and now was 11Lpm @ 26Psi. It sounds much louder than the Johnson pump it replaced, but the pressure difference is not too much of an issue actually and am sticking with it for the time being. The main thing was I had fresh water once more and could get underway.

5th July: Shower drain pump fails. This time I cruise to Wroxham, moor at Barnes Brinkcraft and pay to moor for the afternoon. I then wander into Norfolk Marine and procure a new pump £165.00 later I come out with the same unit the boat had (Jabsco Water Puppy 2000) which is available for a lot lot less online but needs must so I had to pay the high street price.  Back on the boat and off from the busy moorings and river Bure for the peace of Barton Broad where I would set to and fit the new pump myself.

Having removed the old pump I found the new pump had a new style base, with rubber dampening bushes. Great, but in order for the screws to secure pump to the pad on the boat, I needed washers and different fasteners. I had none. I therefore used the two plastic inserts to the inlet and outlet ports of the pump to act as a temporary washer. It worked, and the following day popped into Stalham Hardware to get the new washers and screws. All is now secure and working well. In order to prevent debris going through the pump impeller (which had failed on the old pump) I have gone for a very simple and cost effective drain hole filter cover, obtained from Lathams for £1.50.

On March 31st I had called into Boulters and bought two new domestic batteries, 110Ah and at a cost of £69.00 if memory serves me correctly. All was well and during the works on Trixie over the forthcoming months I had a new NASA BM1 battery monitor installed so I could keep tabs on how much Amp Hours I was taking out the batteries, their voltage and charge rates. Sadly this was not only wrongly wired in but it was never set up to reflect the capacity of my batteries, therefore it could not display anything other than rouge voltages and amps. I had no idea of this at the time, but did wonder why it seemed my Alternator was putting in such low amperages (8 or 11 Amps) even after a time of discharge.

16th July: I am having all types of electrical issues, the gauges on my instruments are doing odd things, and having metered my batteries I find they are pretty low on voltage 12.3V after many hours of cruising. My BM1 display however is showing different voltages and then I find masses of battery acid in my battery box - i open up the ports on the batteries and find to my horror they are half dry. These, new batteries at the end of March remember. I had some distilled water on the boat, and could top them up but this was not a fix, what was causing these issues?

I called the man who has now become my 'on call Engineer', Shaun at Norfolk Yacht Agency. I was moored at Coldham Hall having accompanied Broad Ambition down south. He asked me to pop the boat over to them which I duly did and also arranged a temporary mooring for B.A and our friends on River Song I had the Marina find a visitor berth for. I was due to take Independence out as well, but since Brooms closed for fuel at 3:30pm that was all called off. It became a day of waiting - but ended up being a good day of fixes and an evening out in Norwich.

Back to the point at hand, Shaun found my domestic batteries were dead - my cranking battery too - its electrolyte black and voltage low. A deep sigh was had and  the result was I  had to fork out for new batteries again. This time Vetus branded with an impressive 5 year warranty, far better built and with thicker plates than the ones I had previously bought.

What had been the cause of the issues? Well for a start the batteries were all wired wrongly. I was under the impression the Bow Thruster ran off my cranking battery, it was in fact wired positive to domestic bank and negative to cranking battery. My battery charger was programmed for the wrong type of batteries and by-passed the BM1 battery monitor shunt entirely which meant i had no idea it was putting in over 15v at 20Amps every time I was connected to shore power. This boiled the batteries  and ruined them. It did not help the temp sensor that the charger has was fitted to the last battery in line, not the first so it would not have recorded the high temperatures until after my two domestic batteries were merrily already streaming.

Meantime the BM1 battery monitor was wired wrongly too - it should be the case that everything runs through the negative shunt so you are able to see what amps are being drawn or given - be it from the Alternator, shore based charger or what you taking from the batteries, but alas since only some of the negative returns passed through the shunt so I had no accurate idea of voltages or amperages rendering it pretty useless as a monitoring device. Certainly I would have been made aware of the issues with my batteries far sooner.

Shaun re-wired the lot, also programmed the BM1 to reflect the capacity of batteries I had and pre-programmed the Sterling charger so it was set to charge lead acid batteries which meant a far calmer 13.2v float charge and a high charge rate of 14.3v. I ma not out of the woods yet mind you, as now it seems my cranking battery is fully charged but my domestics are not - this is the split charge diode system may be faulty but I won't know until Monday when it is once again looked at.

So overall, a costly time once again. Trixie is due to go into Sutton Staithe boatyard at the beginning of August and have some cosmetic work done, I will also ask them to look into why my antifouling at various locations along the waterline has begun to flake having only been on since the end of April. She will have new lighting fitted then, a new accent stripe to better match the deeper red colour of the canopy, removal of the TV aerial and fitting of extra batteries to increase my domestic capacity - an inverter and new wiring to the mast lights and windscreen wipers which have packed up recently too due to corroded deck connectors - which I recently bought new replacements for from Brian Wards and then promptly left in the back of a Taxi never to be seen again.

At last things are getting changed, improved, updated and made to work right on Trixie - even if some have not been planned for.

 

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Phew, boats eh, who would have em................well us mad lot actually.

At least you have got the underlying electrical issues sorted now, just goes to show a good marine engineer is worth their weight in gold

Makes me realise how lucky I have been with our boat, only £400 of non routine work needed over 2 seasons, oh no I have jinxed it now:default_dunce:

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Sounds like a bit like the problems poor old bound2please had.. bung on another thousand and all..

I need to write up Orca's post but she's back in the water after rebuilding the leg, changing the coupling system, changing the prop to a different courseness, feels like a new boat! 

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Not just me then thats had 2 virtually new domestic 110ah (12 months) batteries done in and 120ah agm starter battery 24 months old (10 year guarantee) done in due to miss wiring. Same yard. But also 167l of diesel pured into the bilge due to same yard taking out float switch and not refitting correctly. I'm sure Robert remember that as well as I do.

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