Search found 50 matches
- Tue May 13, 2014 4:42 pm
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: 'Automatic' lifejackets
- Replies: 13
- Views: 10020
Re: 'Automatic' lifejackets
It really does depend on your sailing. If you do independent coastal dingy cruising without a proper lifejacket, a buoyancy aid wont do you a whole lot of good if you get separated from the boat and run out of strength to keep your airways clear. If you have a lifejacket, spray hood and PLB, that sc...
- Tue May 13, 2014 2:07 pm
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: 'Automatic' lifejackets
- Replies: 13
- Views: 10020
Re: 'Automatic' lifejackets
Nowdays I do more yachting than dinghy sailing, but for a long time I did both and an Auto lifejacket is a PITA when dinghy sailing and likely to be dangerous in an inverted capsize. However a manual lifejacket is quite practical for dinghy sailing for anyone who is an adequate swimmer, isn't sailin...
- Tue May 13, 2014 7:30 am
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: 'Automatic' lifejackets
- Replies: 13
- Views: 10020
Re: 'Automatic' lifejackets
What's wrong with: * unpack and inspect inch by inch paying particular attention to bladder seams and fold lines, strap stitching and condition, reflective tape, accessories and fittings. * remove cylinder, visually inspect for excess corrosion or any corrosion on thread or seal, weigh on an accurat...
- Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:09 pm
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: Low stretch rope
- Replies: 9
- Views: 4145
Re: Low stretch rope
3mm Marlow D12 dyneema works well for a main halyard on my Albacore. If I had gone for V12 Vectran, I'd have a lot less initial creep, but the D12 is acceptable. Its sleeved with the jacket off some ordinary braided rope for a couple of metres in the middle for ease of handling when sweating it up t...
- Tue Mar 17, 2009 12:47 pm
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: G4
- Replies: 28
- Views: 9657
Re: G4
No, nothing like G4. Wickes Water Seal claims to be a kerosene/hydrosulpherised naptha base with additives including silicones. It allegedly remains microporous. It is specifically described as unsuitable for horizontal surfaces and below ground applications and is ineffective against water pressure...
- Thu Nov 13, 2008 12:47 am
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: Query regarding old style jib tension
- Replies: 8
- Views: 3379
Re: Query regarding old style jib tension
My albacore has a hank on jib with the fall of the halyard led down parallel to the forestay and through a block on the stemhead fitting, back accross the foredeck and then through the deck to its cleat. I understand that *OLD* Farey marine boats had more or less the same setup, but those with bow b...
- Thu Aug 07, 2008 10:59 pm
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: Sloppy pintles and gudgeons
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4723
Re: Sloppy pintles and gudgeons
Babbitt is soft enough to scrape with a knife but is considerably harder than soft solder. If one wanted to get close to an accepted lead containing white metal bearing composition, speaking theoretically, 8 parts of Savbit solder (used for its high copper content - no substitute) to 1 of soft lead ...
- Thu Aug 07, 2008 2:33 pm
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: Sloppy pintles and gudgeons
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4723
Re: Sloppy pintles and gudgeons
Babbit or white metal bearings cast in place were the standard for all machinary before ball/roller bearings and shell bearings came into use. Shell bearings are still made with a babbit alloy surface. There are lots of Babbit alloys, roughly divided into two categories - Tin based or leads based. T...
- Thu Aug 07, 2008 1:23 pm
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: Sloppy pintles and gudgeons
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4723
Re: Sloppy pintles and gudgeons
T. Norris (Isleworth, London) machined a new gudgeon for us from bar stock using an old one for a pattern when I needed a replacement for a previously broken and bodged one on our Contessa 26. The price was acceptable and the quality excellent. There is no significant difference apart from size bet...
- Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:26 am
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: Firefly centreplate pulley arrangement
- Replies: 8
- Views: 6572
Re: Firefly centreplate pulley arrangement
I use a Holt Allen drum winch intended for tensioning a kicking strap to control the 1/4" galvanised centerplate on my Albacore. It is attached to the hog just in front of the case. The drum is loaded with 4mm line and the shaft is loaded with 3mm Marlow Excel D12 dyneema instead of wire. The w...
- Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:38 pm
- Forum: Announcements
- Topic: Possible Forum Upgrade
- Replies: 18
- Views: 39946
Re: Possible Forum Upgrade
IrfanView is a free (for non commercial use) utility for resizing, cropping, and adjusting photos. It runs on all windows from 9x - Vista. If you dont have a decent photo package and you need to convert images to 800x600 @ <256Kb filesize, you *need* it. If your photo package is slow to load or awkw...
- Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:05 am
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: Wire crimping
- Replies: 6
- Views: 3710
The Ormiston tool works well. I borrow one whenever I need to do this sort of thing. If you tape the wire and tightly clamp it between two small pieces of softwood, its easy to cut it cleanly with a fine toothed hacksaw blade or if you have a Dremel or similar a cutting disk makes a realy quick and ...
- Thu May 18, 2006 11:42 am
- Forum: Boat Chat
- Topic: Cruising Sails - Albacore
- Replies: 2
- Views: 2370
- Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:55 am
- Forum: Boat maintenance, repair and restoration
- Topic: What screws for stainless band on oak keel
- Replies: 27
- Views: 10606
- Thu May 26, 2005 4:06 am
- Forum: Boat Chat
- Topic: Stupid qn- they all are if you know the answer!
- Replies: 4
- Views: 5104
The problem with silicone sealant is silicone contamination of nearby painted or varnished surfaces. This will give you hell when you want to repaint/revarnish (look up 'fish-eyes') or even re-seal the joint. It is also a pretty poor sealant and tends to fail by seperating from the surfaces its betw...