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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 26, 2018 17:16:47 GMT 1
I have stopped worrying about the weight of the new wheelhouse, when Richie reminded me that the old wheelhouse rang the warning bell on the 3 ton crane they lifted the original top off with So 5/6cwt isn't going to make any difference at all, & the waterlogged "Weetabix" that is currently on there must weigh a bit anyway I had forgotten just how fiddly biscuit jointing is, ok it does a marvellous job of strengthening the bond between planks, but after 12 years "off the tools" I must have lost quite a few brain cells & today I managed in 5 hours what I would have done in an hour before I retired! "Measure twice cut once" is the war cry of carpenters but I measured so many times, I forgot what I was measuring. Get the biscuit slot out of line & EVERYTHING is out of line, & with 14 biscuits (7 per side) one slot out & you have to recut, so today I made sure that I measured & looked, & looked & measured before I cut any joints, & I STILL managed to positing a biscuit slot in the middle of the hole to fill with diesel No panic but I had to do come quick maths before the glue went off Sorry Janet & Keith but I am going to have to hand some invoices over to you, I had some glue & some biscuits but with 14 biscuits per plank & 12 planks per side its a minimum of 620 biscuits (without the roof ) & the glue is vanishing at an alarming rate, looks like as with most projects this wheelhouse is going to come in over budget I have decided to totally finish each section (including timber treatment & painting) before I move onto the next section, that will introduce some variety into the project as opposed to churning out plank after plank ready for fabrication, at least that way there will be some variety to keep my interest up. If anybody wants to come along to see what I am doing & how it is progressing then you are welcome, I can answer any questions you may have & its an excuse to down tools & make tea Hopefully the weather will hold & we can get out on Tuesday if its only in the moorings in Mumbles it will be a break.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 22, 2018 17:04:16 GMT 1
I was/am concerned about the weight of the timber for the new wheelhouse, it has finished out at 26mm thick, & I have fabricated the starboard side & screwed a couple of bearers onto it to hold it together whilst I the aperture for the window. I moved it from the bench last night & only then did I realise how heavy it is I had a job to lift it, so I have though about putting it back through the planer/thicknesser to refinish it at 20mm? It will be a lot of extra machining & a loss of durability, & probably given that the existing wheelhouse (which is full of water, & has a "patio roof" fitted) probably doesn't weigh much less I will have to give it some serious thought, because a properly sealed & properly preserved 26mm wheelhouse will outlive the boat itself, even a 20mm thick wheelhouse would last for many years. I will keep you posted as to the decision.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 15, 2018 14:12:55 GMT 1
Committee meeting tonight, & the only thing I find positive about a committee meeting is the fact that I get to have a few pints! As far as Belle is concerned Trevor & I (well Trevor) will continue to address the electrical problems we have until everything is as it should be. The problems appeared to start initially when the starter motor packed in & we went to an auto electrician to get the job "done properly", this resulted in him fitting a new starter motor of a different type because the original version was no longer available. This had different "lugs & spades" to the original so he had to make some wiring alterations, now these people are like computer nerds & assume that everybody has at least 5 years experience in "auto electrickery" & their explanation goes right over my head & my brain goes numb. Apparently the Split Charge Diode wasn't working so he decided to "by-pass" that?? So what I ended up with I don't know, but it was different to what I had before, & there were continuing problems of charging & he was called back several times until in the end he lost the will to return & I lost the will to call him! Next a friend of mine who works for the AA & knows a little about auto electrickery agreed to take a look & see if he could sort something out, this he did & I had a period of stability until I forgot to turn the isolators off one night & the batteries went flat on me, & although I got the engine running via a spare battery I carry, I was obliged to cancel a trip not wishing to take the boat out when I would be using the trip to charge the batteries. That was when Trevor stepped in & offered to look at the system & try to identify the problem, this he did on his first visit & he managed to get the alternator charging properly, & the ignition system exciting the alternator into life & then switching off as it should, he also identified that the bulb in the fuel heater plug line had blown, when replaced that light works too He explained to me the workings of the Split Charge Diode in words that I understood, & although it isn't working I understand what it does now. Whilst the alternator produces current that flows to both batteries to keep them charged, the diode is supposed to kick in when you stop the engine, so that the "MAIN STARTING BATTERY" does not discharge by running all the "bits & bobs" of electronics, lights etc, that is the function of the secondary battery with the main one used strictly for starting the engine. Apparently there is a fault in the diode & the discharge is at random, but the amount of power used at anchor by Belle is minimal (& I ensure it is less than minimal now I know how it works). Trevor suffers badly in the cold weather, & we have decided to leave it as it is until it gets a bit warmer when he will remove the split charge diode & check it out & if necessary replace it if it needs replacing. It was good to learn what does what in "everyman language" which only took about 10 minutes, but I now have a good idea of what is going on in the engine box as we plod across the bay. I am still struggling with the terms, to me a "field" is something green & full of cows, a "leak" is something you get in a pipe not in an electrical appliance, & "power" seems to mean something different to my concept of power, but we are getting there, (but still only at 6.5 to 7 knots)
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 14, 2018 15:54:00 GMT 1
I wondered why we were taking spray over the bow on Thursday, when we headed from Green Grounds to Mumbles? Ok it was blowing a bit & we had wind over tide, but Belle normally takes a "punch on the nose" no problem, so I thought I would investigate this morning (amongst other things lol). First thing I noticed was that the davit lift access space was full of water (about 5 galls) & the anchor warp locker was full of water (another 5 galls) given that a gallon of water weighs 10lb that was about 100lb excess in the bow Furthermore the "spare anchor, chain, & warp" were stored in the bow, so were the "spare spare anchor, chain, & warp" along with the "spare spare spare chain & warp" that I keep "Just in case" along with a grappling iron Anyway moving that lot to the stern resulted in the bow coming up 5"-6" & the prop going back under the water, I wondered why the boat didn't respond very well especially in reverse, All should be well now for next Sunday, after a week if easterlies the wind is swinging around to W on Sunday, & with a good sized tide I don't mind running straight to Mumbles Moorings it fishes well on the ebb of a spring tide, even if its too bad to get out there are always good fish to be caught just off the pier & I'm not too shy to take the boat in close provided there are fish to be caught
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 13, 2018 1:00:20 GMT 1
Well we got out on Thursday with 4 of us on board, & we sailed into a nice calm sea with a few swells & made our way out to the Green Grounds to an area that has served us well so far this year. Unfortunately with a small tide there wasn't much tide run, & I find that fish feed better a couple of hours either side of HW & LW on bigger tides, but yesterday the tide run was lethargic & the fish were in no mood to "snatch & grab" as they have been. We had "keeper" whiting, & dabs but no "dinner plate" dabs, & even the dogs were in short supply? . The boat behaved well after Trevor's efforts on the electrics, & its nice to see everything working when you switch it on, & I don't have to "jury rig" spare batteries etc which is a relief. The only annoying part of the day was a dickhead in an Arvor or Merry Fisher who came steaming past us at top speed about 20 metres off our beam just as I was making coffee, & it resulted in it going all over me! He waved a greeting & I hurled abuse at him, why he felt he needed to come so close I don't know, maybe he thought he was being friendly, but I would have quite happily punched his face if I knew who he was! The mystery of the day is why Peter Mansell's big toe is sticking out of his orthopaedic boot? I don't know if it essential in a torn tendon, or whether its just the doctor's idea of a joke? Anyway Pete reckoned that he had frostbite in it during the morning, but seemed to forget it when he started to catch all the fish when we moved in Mumbles Moorings. All in all a good day as far as boat & weather were concerned but the fishing could have been much better, maybe next week?
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 8, 2018 16:11:24 GMT 1
Trevor came down to Belle again this morning to clarify some wiring problem that was troubling him, so I went the full Monty & dismantled my kitchen so he could see ALL the electrics in the engine bay to ease his troubled mind He determined that what he thought was the "split charge diode" ?? was in fact the "starter relay" ?? & that what I thought was part of the isolator switches was in fact the " split charge diode" ?? which either wasn't working, or had been by-passed for some reason (probably because it wasn't working ). Anyway what he explained was that the split charge diode charges both batteries, but when you stop it automatically switched to take power from the "secondary" battery for electronics, VHF etc, leaving the "main" battery for starting only. Currently the alternator is charging both batteries as it should when I am running but when at anchor it just takes power from wherever it wants to without priority. Given that I only leave the chart plotter on for a few minutes after anchoring to check we are not drifting, there is no battery drain apart from the VHF once the ignition is switched off, because he solved the problem of drain through the alternator last time down. So we have a clean bill of health for out trip on Thursday, & I will check how much a new split charge diode will cost & if its sensible I will put it to the boat committee that we replace it. Work has commenced on the new wheelhouse & I am very pleased with the timber I am using, it should be a really sturdy durable structure when it is finished. PS As expected "The Oracle" requires that I dismantle my kitchen again to reveal the split charge diode, take details of everything written on it, take as many photos as would a photographer at a Royal Wedding, methinks I don't need a split anything
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 5, 2018 18:07:56 GMT 1
Had a bit of a mixed day today, I went to put petrol in the car & the normally deserted forecourt was rammed with cars filling up (are we expecting snow or something?) eventually filled up & made my way to JT Motorcycles to pick up my new tyre, & the sales desk was 2 deep like Wetherspoons on Black Friday, got served & dashed to Wickes to buy a light switch, rushed from there to the doctors for a 11.28 apt & just made it only to come out & find a "Jobsworth" about to stick a parking ticket on my car. It appears that some private company has taken over the doctors car park & you have to get a ticket from reception to say you are attending or you get booked, I tried to explain to this Neanderthal that I was late for an appt & never had time to do the ticket thing, but he wasn't listening or understanding until my doctor came out to get in his car, & confirmed that I had just been in his surgery Anyway I made my way to the workshop in Cilonnen only to realise that in my rush I had left the light switch at the till in Wickes , I made the plywood template from the cardboard template & I will take that down to the boat & make any alterations until it fits properly, I also sorted out the best planks for the long straight ones, & graded the "seconds" that will be used under the windows etc when cut they will be much easier to get parallel. Trevor is coming down again on Monday to test the "split charge diode" to see if it is working (don't ask me I don't know what it does ) All I know is that everything I need is working, & if I don't know what it does, it doesn't matter if it works or not!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 4, 2018 15:46:59 GMT 1
I visited the boat again this morning, I was concerned about the strength of the wind howling down past the "aerofoil wing" that they call architecture, all it does is increase the wind in the top of the marina! Belle was moving around a bit but not enough to give any concern, & what I really wanted to do was put some air into the A4 buoy I have as a bow fender, unfortunately I didn't have the right fitting so I will have to get one to fit. I wanted to make a template of the side sliding window in the wheelhouse, I only cobbled it together when I fitted it knowing I was going to renew the wheelhouse in the near future. I have cut a rough template from cardboard, which I will transfer onto thin plywood, then cut it accurately & transfer it onto the planks that will form that side of the wheelhouse. I ran the engine while I was playing around with the template, it started easily & ran no problem with good oil pressure, & a good reading of 13.6V on the voltmeter, so she is ready to go when the weather improves. I should have my scooter back on the road over the weekend it feels unusual to have the luxury of a car, you don't really know when its cold or raining in a car Keep watching the booking diary because as soon as we get a suitable day Belle will be straining at the leash!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 3, 2018 19:50:10 GMT 1
Managed to get down to the boat this afternoon (after the wife had left for Malta & left her car keys behind ) All appeared to be well despite the wind & rain we have had, so the automatic bilge pumps are working ok. I replaced the bulb in the "Glow" indicator, & replaced a couple of old ceramic fuses in a small fuse box which does and as a consequence when I turned the starter switch to the "glow" position the glow bulb lit indicating that the fuel heater plug is working, & the ignition light is now working again, both indicators went out when the engine started (as they should) so it appears that Trevor certainly knows his stuff on auto electrics, & according to him he hasn't finished yet, but I am more than happy with what I have now, that I never had before The scooter saga continues, before I can put the now re-welded & reinforced swinging arm back onto the bike I have to refit the rear wheel before I put the engine back in, however TJ don't have the new tyre I want in stock, & wont have it until Friday, so I wont be "4 wheel independent" until Saturday at least The scooter is so much more versatile than the car in traffic & in parking, but you cant carry as much on it. It seems that the weather is going to stay pretty poor until next weekend at least, so hopefully by then, the boat & the scooter will be running at full efficiency & we can get a few more cracks at the whiting & dabs before they move offshore. Unfortunately it appears that there are quite a lot of spurdogs charging around the area I like to fish, & like smoothounds & growlers they are not a favourite of mine, but they are better than mechanical breakdowns
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 2, 2018 20:20:38 GMT 1
Things are slowly improving, the Chinese spares people have said that my bushes have been sent by 1st class post (knowing Royal Mail they will probably arrive next Thursday), & so far M&P Motorcyles, & JT Motorcyles have failed to respond to my enquiry about getting a new tyre fitted to my already removed wheel, it makes you wonder how some people remain in business. The continuing bad weather, is the only thing stopping me blowing a fuse over poor service in the motorcycle trade, even if the bike was on the road the weather is too bad to go anywhere! I will have access to the car for the next 3 weeks, so if the weather does improve at least I will have wheels to get to the boat, & if Trevor does his investigative thing on the remaining alternator wires God knows what will be working that I didn't even know I had The generator that runs the 3 phase 440V machinery in the carpentry workshop where I am building the replacement wheelhouse has broken down, so the one positive thing I had going on if it wasn't suitable for fishing has gone "tits up", I think I have the "Reverse Midas Touch" every bit of "Gold" I touch, seems to turn to s**t at present, but I think it must end soon Seemingly there are a lot of spurdogs out there to be caught at the moment, & they are about as popular on Mumbles Belle as smoothounds! I will keep you posted on here & on Facebook about the continuing progress on the scooter, Belle's Electrical Saga, & the progress of the new wheelhouse, that should be enough to keep me going until Springtime
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Post by pilgrim17 on Dec 31, 2017 19:22:27 GMT 1
Happy New Year to all, unfortunately 2018 has started the way 2017 left off, but the problems are with my scooter not the boat, but with A I cant down to B Seeing as its New Year I cant get a response online to get the parts I need so the sooner we get back to normal the better! Apparently Trevor has had some thoughts on the wiring on Belle & wants to examine the alternator wiring again for some reason, so I will let him carry on lol. Also without the scooter working I cant get down to the workshop to work on the new wheelhouse, so the quicker these Chinese get back to work & send me my parts the better! Hopefully I will get the scooter fixed before the next spell of settled weather arrives, I always feel more optimistic about cod on the first spring tides after Xmas, & I would hate for the "opposition" to catch when we don't Tight Lines to all for 2018
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Post by pilgrim17 on Dec 30, 2017 22:01:05 GMT 1
2017 was not a good year mechanically! Mumbles Belle threw all sorts of mechanical bricks at me during the year, mainly with the charging, which has not been right since we had the new starter motor fitted, which had different terminals to the original one, which meant "a by-pass from here to here will sort that out ok" snip, snip, crimp, crimp, "Done no problem, make a noise like £350, byeeeeeeee". I had no rev counter, no ignition warning light, no emergency start button, no hours run clock, the alternator was acting as a conductor to empty the batteries when the engine wasn't running, in fact very little worked PROPERLY, but we never had any safety issues, just annoying things that were solvable with a little thought, plus I always carry back up in terms of navigation (Tablet with Navionics navigation charts application, Sonarphone which acts like a fishfinder only with greater detail, & hand held VHF, a Smartphone, a spare anchor with warp & chain & a spare, spare anchor, also with warp & chain, & a spare fully charged battery "just in case") Last week our secretary came down to look at the charging problems bringing meters & gauges & wires etc & he checked just about everything electrical in the engine bay & behind the dashoard, & it resulted in my charging light coming back on & working properly, my rev counter working again, my voltmeter now reading 13.6V which is what would be expected that far away from the alternator, & 14.6V going to the batteries, I am quite happy with the result but Trevor isn't & he is going to do some more snooping to find out what a couple of wires on the alternator are supposed to do, I shall leave him to it To round off my poor mechanical year I went to the marina to meet Trevor & managed to negotiate the icy conditions as far as the mini roundabout outside the hotel by the marina. There me & my scooter parted company, & it dumped me on the roundabout & carried on down the road. When I picked myself & the bike up the wheel was at a crazy angle out of the side, it turns out to be the swinging arm bracket at fault, the weld had given way & I don't know whether it was the skid that caused the damage, or the damage that caused the skid, but it has been forced back into its original shape & it is going to be rewelded & REINFORCED tomorrow, I have no wish to go sliding on my ass again this winter Once the welding has been done & the arm refitted onto the engine, I will put the engine back in my scooter (Oh yes did I forget to say that I had to take the engine out to get the arm off) 2017 cant end quick enough for me
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Post by pilgrim17 on Dec 27, 2017 16:36:04 GMT 1
Poor old Trevor! He came down to Mumbles Belle having never been on it before, & was underwhelmed by the size of the wheelhouse, & overwhelmed by the complexity of the wiring system & not being a skipper for some years, he froze to death Armed with meters & gauges he tested this that & the other, & like all other "Sparky's" asked me questions I didn't understand & was generally confused as to what wire went where (& I couldn't help). I think those who did the wiring conversion did it with 3 spools of cable, red, brown, black, so apart from the remaining original wiring, everything is red, brown, black, & every instrument & switch & gauge, has either a red & black, or red black brown wire going into a massive bundle behind the dashboard, & God only knows what comes out where, take your pick of which red, black, or brown you like! Maybe we should buy a few rolls of different coloured cable & run them from where they should be, to where they should end up, disconnect the default red , black brown & leave them either disconnected, or remove them one by one as they become redundant (it works in car looms) Meanwhile Mumbles Belle is moored up going nowhere & doing nothing, & missing the opportunities to do what she does best, whiting & dab fishing in the winter, because I wont take it out using the run out as a battery charging exercise, only to find out when we want to come back that it wont start. Despite some members opinions, I do not have a death wish Lets hope tomorrow the "bits & bobs" we need to properly excite the alternator will work, & that normal service will return ASAP.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Dec 22, 2017 21:31:45 GMT 1
The electrics continue to be a problem on Mumbles Belle, since we had the starter motor changed to one without a solenoid there has been a continuing problem with the ignition warning light not working, the rev counter being reluctant to work, & a power "leak" if the isolators are left switched on (although there is nothing actually working) that drains the batteries down to a level that they wont start the engine. The automatic bilge pumps are wired independently of the isolators, & they run when the isolators are switched on or not, likewise the cigarette lighter is permanently "live", for charging mobile phones, running the back-up Navionics Tablet, powering the radio for "Sunday Love Songs! etc but nothing is ever left plugged into it when there is nobody aboard, & the engine isn't running. The common denominator is the starter motor/alternator wiring, since they have been changed, & the terminals were different to the originals, I am pretty sure that the many wires that go to & from them both have been wrongly connected. Trevor is coming down next Wednesday to do a detailed testing of the electrical fields to find out what is going where, & what isn't going anywhere! I am tempted to hit the committee with a request to throw out the 2 battery system, & the split charge diode system (which is an accident waiting to happen apparently) & replace it with a 110ahc deep cycle leisure battery wired directly to the starter motor "a la transit van" wiring. All the auxillary stuff such as lights, instrument power, etc can be connected via the existing fuse board, & the spaghetti wiring in the engine compartment can be binned!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Dec 17, 2017 16:39:59 GMT 1
Well that fell flat on its face! Only John Jones (Father Xmas) was interested in going, & as nice a guy as he is, he would be about as much use as a glass eye in a crisis of any kind Looking at the weather today it is hard to imagine that tomorrows forecast is sunny & practically windless? I will take advantage of the dry day by heading up to the workshop & sort through the boards for the new wheelhouse & put them ready for machining, the straightest ones can go through the planer/thicknesser in their default length (wheelhouse height) & any with any sweep in them can be cut for the shorter lengths required below & above the windows etc. I am looking forward to doing the project, the only drawback is the distance between where I live, & Cilonnen where the workshop is, especially on a scooter when its raining or icy
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