BRITAINS BEST-SELLING BOATING MAGAZINE

No. -$18$5<4.60

PROJECTS SEAMANSHIP GEAR REVIEWS CRUISING MAINTENANCE

STAY IN PRACTICAL
Rebuilding a
Yanmar 1GM10
CONTROL Cleaning non-slip
Top tips to improve deck covering
your sails and rigging
Filtering paint
and varnish

BUYERS
GUIDE CRUISING GUIDE

TO WIFI The timeless

appeal of
ONBOARD Tenby

TESTED

WOODEN BOAT: BUILT BY HAND

How a couple built their dream from scratch

Fitting a diesel Class associations: Replacing a leaky

heater on a budget the inside knowledge metal fuel tank
 
 

  


 
   

 
  


 
  



 
 
 
! 

 Contents
BRITAINS BEST-SELLING BOATING MAGAZINE
No. -$18$5<4.60

PROJECTS SEAMANSHIP GEAR REVIEWS CRUISING MAINTENANCE

STAY IN PRACTICAL
Rebuilding a 32
CONTROL Yanmar 1GM10
Cleaning non-slip

Welcome to the January 2018 issue 46

Top tips to improve deck covering
42 your sails and rigging
Filtering paint
and varnish

BUYERS
86
GUIDE CRUISING GUIDE

52 TO WIFI
ONBOARD
The timeless
appeal of
The Drakkar 24, p26 Tenby 72
TESTED

26

WOODEN BOAT: BUILT BY HAND

How a couple built their dream from scratch

60 Fitting a diesel
heater on a budget
Class associations:
the inside knowledge
Replacing a leaky
metal fuel tank

Cover photo: Moody 31 Pilgrim by David Harding

(Sailing Scenes) 80

60 A family affair
The story of how a couple built their
own dream 30ft wooden motor boat

GEAR
52 Buyers guide to wifi
REGULARS SEAMANSHIP on board
Duncan Kent examines the
5 Waiting for the tide 42 Refining a rig proliferation of wi boosters and
SAVE How to improve your boats routers on the market
6 News MONEY AND performance under sail
SUBSCRIBE 58 New Gear
10 Regional news ! 48 Chastised by the sea This month features a weather
Great offers
on forecasting app, digital AIS
page 51 Charles Godden regrets not acting on
12 Readers letters concerns about his anchor stowage transponder, a breathable jacket and
other Christmas present ideas
14 Dave Selby
BOATS
16 Sam Llewellyn CRUISING
20 Class Associations
18 Andrew Simpson Dedicated enthusiasts of the 72 Timeless Tenby
yachting world offer boat owners Ali Wood visits this charming resort
36 Ask the experts sound advice and a social network and port in West Wales

76 Practical projects 26 Daysailer with a difference 72 Idyllic Ionian anchorages

The Drakkar 24, a spacious day boat Georgina Moon on peaceful places
98 Sketchbook that is fast and easy to sail to drop the hook in Greek waters

PRACTICAL
39 Reinforcing a dinghy hull
Step by step guide to using woven
cloth to reinforce a GRP hull

46 Cleaning Treadmaster
Richard Hare rids his deck of mould

66 Installing a Planar heater

An inexpensive diesel system

32 Rebuilding a Yanmar 69 Gelcoat repainting 83 Restoring hull shine

An inexpensive way to restore an How and why to use one-pack When polishing no longer works,
engine that has seized up paint on a yachts topsides Mike Pickles says try respraying

38 Monitor a starter battery 80 Fitting a fuel tank 86 Filtering varnish

A DIY idea to permanently display Rob Gibson on how he replaced Make your paint and varnish last
the charge in your starter battery the rusty tank on his Trapper 500 by ltering the congealed lumps

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 3

 EDITORIAL
CONTACT PBO EDITORIAL
By email: pbo@timeinc.com
Via our website: www.pbo.co.uk
By post: PBO, Time Inc. (UK) Ltd, Pinehurst 2,
Pinehurst Road, Farnborough, Hants, GU14 7BF
By phone tel: +44 (0)1252 555213

Editor
News Editor
Rob Melotti
Katy Stickland
Waiting for
the tide
Sub-editor Julian Peckham
Sub-editor Philip Reynolds
Group Editor Marine Elaine Bunting
Group Art Director Kevin Eason
Group Art Editor Neil Singleton
Art Editor Robert Owen
Managing Director Marine,
Sports & Photo Gareth Beesley
Group Managing Director Oswin Grady
with the editor
CONTRIBUTORS To receive the editors monthly email newsletter, go to our website: www.pbo.co.uk
Colin Brown, Nick Burnham, Stu Davies, Dick Everitt,
Ross Farncombe, Rob Gibson, Colin Haines, David
Harding, Richard Hare, Rupert Holmes, Duncan Kent,
David Parker, Mike Pickles, Peter K Poland, Ali Wood Strutting their stuff
ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

C
When submitting letters or other articles please include ongratulations to switching from single, central chair
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postal address. The editor reserves the right to shorten or UK rm Scanstrut to double chair mode, or even
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its associated companies reserve the right to re-use any prize at the DAME In short, it will encourage
submission in any edition, format or medium. We cannot awards in November more sailing centres to invest in
take responsibility for manuscripts or photos sent in.
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SUBSCRIPTIONS collaborated with fellow Brits, winner and perhaps goes to show
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Conversion Kit, which enables than new technology that is often
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BUY A BACK ISSUE dinghy/dayboat, to be adapted for accessible.
Back issues cost 6.95 each. Tel: 01733 688964 a wide range of disabled sailors Well be looking at this in more
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quickly and easily. detail as part of our powered deck
DISPLAY ADVERTISING The kit comprises an electric gear guide in the next issue.
Head of Market Michael Beattie 07803 722007 tiller pilot arm, an electric captive- And on the topic of attractive
Media Adviser Chris Wilson 07989 428596
Ad production Peter Burton 0203 148 2688 reel mainsheet winch, a pair of new design, take a look at the
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CLASSIFIED & TRADE ADVERTISING of control devices either joystick page 60. Boatbuilder Tom Owen
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Advertise online at www.ybw.com/buy-and-sell
or sip-and-puff headset. and his wife Lorraine worked
Theres no ground-breaking tirelessly over the course of nine
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Head of Marketing Sam Blakey 01252 555132 kit is modular, exible and easy in epoxy-sheathed wood.
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We can license content to be used in print, broadcasting,
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NEWSAGENTS TO STOCK PBO
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Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk 5

 News SEND US YOUR STORIES
Email news editor Katy Stickland at
pbo@timeinc.com, tel: 01252 555213

News and current affairs from the world of boating

Clipper race yacht Greenings

runs aground off South Africa
Yacht evacuated off Cape Peninsula in South Africa as the and, following the incident,
authorities decide on their next move, while her crew have Clipper organisers have
announced that Greenings
been given the chance to continue with other teams will be taking no further part
in the race.
Instead, her crew members
The crew of the Clipper Rescue Institution, the South Accident Investigation Branch have been offered places on
Round the World race team African equivalent of the RNLI. is leading the inquiry into board the other 11 yachts in
Greenings are to join other There were no reports of the grounding. the global challenge, where
teams in the 2017-18 race any injuries and the Marine The yacht remains in situ they will compete as part of
after their yacht of the same that team for the remaining
name ran aground off the legs of the series.
coast of South Africa. Six Greenings crew have
Greenings hit a rocky area already been given places
on the western side of Cape on board HotelPlanner.com
Peninsula, roughly halfway after that team diverted
between Cape Town and to Port Elizabeth, about
Cape Point at approximately 500 miles to the east of
2140 UTC (2340 local time) Cape Town.
on 31 October 2017. The Mark Light, the race director,
crew had departed from Cape said it was fantastic to see
Clipper Round the World

Town earlier in the day on Leg such a positive story emerge

3 of the eight-leg global race. from what has been a very
The skipper and crew were unfortunate incident and
evacuated as a precautionary that spaces had been found
measure by the National Sea Greenings forging ahead before she encountered difculties for anyone wishing to

6 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk


Marine surveyors have
to decide whether
to salvage Greenings
continue with the race.
Greenings is not the rst
Clipper Round the World
Race yacht to run aground.
In 2015, LMAX Exchange
ran aground around 42
miles off Rio de Janeiro in
Brazil. In this instance the
yacht was repaired and
after completing the next
leg (to Cape Town), went
on to win the overall race.
In January 2010, the
Clipper 68 Cork ran
aground on the Gosong
Mampango reef in the Java
Sea off Indonesia. The crew
were evacuated and the
yacht abandoned after it
was decided that attempts
to salvage her wouldnt be
economical. On this
occasion, the team
continued the race in a
chartered Challenge 67
yacht, Aurora of London.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Unmanned
vessel gets
rst UK
registration
In a glimpse of the future, the
UK Ship Register has signed
its rst unmanned vessel,
C-Worker 7, to the ag.
The vessel can be used
under direct control,
semi-manned or completely
unmanned, and has been
built by ASV Global, a leading
supplier of unmanned and
autonomous marine systems.
C-Worker 7 will be used for
a variety of coastal and
offshore tasks, including
helping with subsea
positioning, surveying and
environmental monitoring.
Doug Barrow, the director of
the UK Ship Register, said
that by supporting emerging
technologies such as
autonomous systems, the
register is helping to keep
the UK at the forefront of the
global maritime industry.
The UK Flag is growing, as
we have invested in
resources to meet the
demands of that growth. We
have the support of the UK
government and the wider
UK maritime industries to
continue our expansion,
he added.
ASV Global, which has
designed and built more than
80 vessels for the oil and gas,
scientic and defence
sectors, said the Maritime
and Coastguard Agency had
been crucial in helping the
company reach this pivotal
milestone, recognising the
prominence of unmanned
systems in the maritime
environment.
We are delighted to have
achieved the rst registration
of a semi-autonomous vessel
for maritime operations, said
Vince Dobbin, the companys
sales and marketing director.
ASV Global
C-Worker 7 will stand out as
she goes about her surveying
and environmental work
Tributes paid to the
founder of the Junk
Rig Association
The founder of the Junk Rig
Association (JRA), Robin
Blain, has died.
The 76-year-old, who was
often seen in his trademark
blue denim cap, was always
happy extolling the virtues of
a junk rig.
He started Sunbird Yachts
with Alan Boswell in 1976,
when they built the Sunbird
32, the rst purpose-
designed, junk-rigged,
production boat.
The JRA was set up after
Sunbird Yachts rst
Southampton Boat Show in
1979. They realised how
few people recognised the
virtues of the junk rig, so
they had a working model of
the rig on their stand, so that
passers by could see how
easy it is to handle,
explained Annie Hill, the
JRAs chairman.
Robin also offered a
service to convert existing
boats to junk rig and ran a
brokerage specialising in
junk-rigged boats. There
was a lot of interest in the
rig, and this realisation
encouraged Robin to form
the Junk Rig Association.
NEWS
Hill said for many years, in
essence, Blain was the
association, assisted by his
wife, Mandy. Together, they
dealt with inquiries all over
the world, organised rallies,
accepted JRA subscriptions
and collected and ran an
excellent library of books
about the junk rig.
Anyone who had anything
to do with Robin became a
friend. Generous, convivial,
unassuming and always
ready to go well out of his
way to help people, he was
a gift to junkies
everywhere, she said.
Surrounded by like-
minded people, and wearing
his blue denim cap and
his JRA sweatshirt, he
was in his element, offering
suggestions, giving advice,
making introductions
and chatting about all
things junk.
Blain was recently
presented with the Hasler/
McLeod Award by the JRA
in honour of his work in
preserving and promoting
the use of a junk rig
and his dedication to
the association.
Robin Blain was
rarely seen without
his trademark
denim cap
Junk Rig Association
7
 NEWS
Fit alarms, boaters are told
after carbon monoxide death
Boat owners are being
reminded about the dangers
of carbon monoxide and the
preventative measures which
can be taken to stay safe
on board.
It follows a recent inquest
into the death of Jersey boat
owner Kenneth Jeffery, who
died on his vessel Mai Oui in
St Helier Marina.
The inquest into his death
found that Mr Jeffery, who was
ex-Merchant Navy and used to
be a ships pilot, died from
HMRC defends the use of red diesel by British boaters
The British government has
gone to the European Court
of Justice to defend the
availability of red diesel for
recreational boating.
The European Commission
believes the UK is in breach of
EU rules outlawing fuel tax
loopholes, by allowing British
yacht owners to buy red
diesel, which has a lower tax
levy compared to conventional
Kenneth Jeffery, an experienced former
merchant seaman, died aboard his motor
yacht Mais Oui in St Helier Marina, Jersey
carbon monoxide poisoning.
Lee Battrick, a Jersey-based
marine surveyor and
consultant who was appointed
by the islands coroner as an
expert witness, told PBO that
he found nothing wrong with
Mr Jefferys boat or the
exhaust system on board.
Instead, he concluded that
the carbon monoxide that
poisoned the 73-year-old was
caused as a result of the
station-wagon effect,
whereby emissions from a
diesel, for use in UK waters.
The Commission said in
2011 it would start infraction
proceedings against the UK
and in 2013 formally requested
legislation be amended to
ensure that private pleasure
boats such as luxury yachts
can no longer buy lower-taxed
fuel intended for shing boats.
Her Majestys Revenue and
Customs (HMRC) said it would
The
SYSTEMS SOLUTION
monoxide gas being blown
back into the boat.
Battrick, with the assistance
of the Boat Safety Scheme,
has now distributed
information warning of the
risks of carbon monoxide an
odourless and colourless gas
that is difcult to detect to
chandlers, engineers and
boatyards across Jersey.
The islands harbourmaster
has also issued a warning
about the gas and leaets
have been sent out across
the Channel Islands.
Ken Jeffery was very keen
on safety and even someone
as experienced as him was
caught out by this, said
Lee Battrick
Battrick. He said all boaters
should be aware of the
symptoms of carbon
monoxide poisoning: they
include headaches, nausea,
dizziness and ultimately loss
of consciousness.
Battrick urged all boaters to
t a carbon monoxide alarm
on board. The MAIB has
boats exhaust accumulate campaigned for long time for
behind the boat or travel back alarms to be tted on new
into the boat due to pressure recreational boats. Battrick,
differential, usually when the who will be sending his
boat is underway. inquest ndings to the MAIB,
Mr Jeffery was was running said maintenance was vital.
the engine while moored in Maintenance and
preparation for a visit from a inspections of all systems on
potential buyer. He had board that produce carbon
unzipped the rear section of monoxide is essential. A boat
his boats canopy, but not the is a conned space and if you
port or starboard panels. This, are sat there on a cold day
said Battrick, combined with with all your covers shut up,
the wind conditions that day, the carbon monoxide can still
resulted in the carbon come in and get you.
challenge this and, as a result, would nd it difcult to make
in July 2014 the Commission the signicant investment
referred the UK to the Court of required to install additional
Justice. HMRC has now tanks and pumps for
lodged its defence with the unmarked white diesel,
court. he said.
A spokesman for the RYA There were reports in June
said if the UK was forced to of British boaters being ned
make a change from red to in Belgium for having red
unmarked white diesel, supply diesel, though the countrys
could become a problem. government has said the nes
It is likely that suppliers have been suspended.

























t: 0 23 80 4 5 4 5 0 7
e: S A L E S @ V E T U S . C O . U K | W W W .V E T U S . C O M
for WASTE WATER 
















E N G I N E S | S T E R N G E A R | F U E L | I N S T R U M E N T S | F R E S H WAT E R | WA S T E WAT E R | M A N O E U V R I N G | E L E C T R I C A L | S T E E R I N G | H AT C H E S | V E N T I L AT I O N

8 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk


Royal honour for sailor who helped
rescue 14 from the Clyde Challenger
A Royal Navy sailor has
received the Queens
Gallantry Medal for helping
in the rescue of 14 sailors
from the Clyde Challenger
racing yacht.
Leading Seaman Sally
Hughes, 28, who received
her medal from the Queen
at Buckingham Palace, was
deployed on HMS Dragon
when the Type 45 destroyer
was diverted to assist the
distressed yacht.
The Clyde Challenger had
lost a mast in 18ft seas, 500
miles south-west of Lands
End in February. It was
taking on water and drifting
in a worsening Atlantic
storm, with 50mph winds
and heavy swells.
LS Hughes was tasked to
drive the ships sea boat, a
24ft rigid inatable, to
rescue the crew. Despite
the danger to herself and
her crewmate, LS Hughes
UKSA marks anniversary
by unveiling ambitious
future expansion plans
UKSA, the Cowes-based
sailing charity, has announced
expansion plans as it
celebrates 30 years.
The charity, which offers
maritime training opportunities
for young people, has
announced a four-year
programme of investment.
The rst phase will see the
construction of a new
accommodation and training
facility, which is scheduled to
begin in October next year.
UKSA said its four main
dormitory buildings are only
ever half-full, partly because
safeguarding regulations
stipulate groups of young
people need self-contained
accommodation. It said the
new accommodation would
enable it to teach more young
people, as well as giving it the
exibility to train other clients,
including professionals.
Further details about the
programme will be released
in the future.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Proud moment as LS Hughes receives her medal from the Queen
made 13 approaches over a
gruelling two-hour period to lift
the crew off the stricken yacht
and ferry them back to the
safety of HMS Dragon.
During one of the trips, the
sea boat was swung into the
side of HMS Dragon and the
force of the impact punctured
the boat and injured her arm.
Despite this, she switched to
the reserve sea boat and
UKSA
The Princess Royal at UKSAs
30th anniversary celebrations
The charitys patron, HRH
Princess Royal, gave the royal
seal of approval to UKSAs
plans when she attended the
charitys 30th anniversary
celebrations at Trinity House
in London. The princess
encouraged the 200 guests to
support the project.
In the long term it is so
important that the site is
improved and it is the
opportunity for you to help
make the difference to young
lives. In order to be able to
spread the ability to
encourage, to teach, we need
to supply the appropriate
levels of accommodation,
PA
continued with the rescue.
There was no place for
fear during this rescue, said
LS Hughes. I had been
trained to drive the sea boat
and whilst the conditions I
experienced were
signicantly more
challenging than I had dealt
with before, I applied my
knowledge to achieve the
end result.
said the Princess Royal.
The project is also being
supported by Ian Walker, the
double Olympic medal winner,
reigning Volvo Ocean Race
winning skipper and RYA
director of racing.
Walker also attended the
anniversary celebration.
UKSAs contribution to the
sport of sailing is immense,
but their contribution to so
many young lives is even
greater. Giving opportunities
within the sport to young
people in need is
immeasurable, he said.
Right now the UKSA site is,
unfortunately, under-utilised
due to age and changes in
regulations so with this
investment they will be able to
provide their charitable works
to so many more people,
he added.
Since it was founded
in 1987 by Noel and Sylvia
Lister, UKSA has trained
150,000 people.
www.pbo.co.uk
Visit the revamped PBO website to nd more free practical content
online than ever before. Plus breaking news, gear tests, seamanship
advice, reader forums and your questions answered.
NEWS
DIARY DATES
Nautic Paris, 2-10 December
2017. Ancasta is offering
support to UK buyers wanting to
visit Nautic Paris to see the wide
range of new boats it is
presenting from Beneteau,
Lagoon and CNB. Email
enquiries@ancasta.com or call
+44 2380 450000. www.
ancasta.com/events/paris-boat-
show-2017
London Boat Show 2018,
10-14 January, at London
ExCeL, londonboatshow.com
RYA Dinghy Show 2018, 3-4
March, at Alexandra Palace in
London, dinghyshow.org.uk
Jersey Boat Show 2018, 5-7
May, at St Helier Marina,
Weighbridge Place and Marina
Gardens, jerseyboatshow.com
London On-Water 2018,
10-12 May, at St Katharine
Docks, London,
londononwater.com
Northern Boat Show 2018,
25-28 May, at Salthouse Quay
in Liverpool,
northernboatshow.co.uk
Silvers Scottish Series,
25-28 May, at Largs Yacht
Haven. The Scottish Series is a
fun-lled weekend, from
competitive sailing to social
activities, scottishseries.com
Round Britain and Ireland
2018, 3 June, two-handed race,
Plymouth start, rwyc.org/rbandi
Poole Harbour Boat Show,
8-10 June, at Poole Quay Boat
Haven, pooleharbourboatshow.
co.uk
St Kilda Challenge, 14-16
June, bi-annual international
yacht race from Lochmaddy,
North Uist and back via St Kilda,
clyde.org/racing/st-kilda-
challenge-2018/
The Irish Sailing and
Mountaineering Adventure
Challenge 16 June 2018
The Irish Sailing and
Mountaineering Adventure
Challenge will start at 6pm on
Saturday 16 June in Kinsale with
a 12.5km race around the town,
www.ISAMAC-race.com
Western Boat Show 2018,
20-22 July, during the Bristol
Harbour Festival,
westernboatshow.co.uk
Send your diary dates
to pbo@timeinc.com,
see more online at
www.pbo.co.uk/events
9
 Regional News
News from your cruising area
SOUTH
POOLES NEW QUAY
NEARS COMPLETION
From January 2018, larger ships
carrying up to 1,000 passengers
will soon be able to dock at the
newly expanded South Quay in
Poole, Dorset.
The 10 million development is
the rst phase of the Poole
Harbour Commisioners plan to
develop shipping and cruise line
arrivals at the port.
The newly expanded South
Quay will be 200m long x 40m
wide and be over 9m in depth. It
will be able to provide
accommodation for vessels up
to 200m in length.
This will increase the ports
capacity for conventional
cargoes, and facilitate the
ever-increasing interest from
cruise ships wishing to visit
Poole and the surrounding area.
Construction of the new quay
required 1,700 tons of steel piles,
all of which were delivered by
sea. The civil engineering
company, BAM Nuttall oversaw
the project.
SOUTH-WEST
MYLOR SAILING
SCHOOL WINS GOLD
Falmouths Mylor Sailing School
has, for the second year running,
won a Cornwall Tourism Award
in the Access and Inclusivity
category and this time its gold.
The schools owner, Tracey
Boyne, was presented with the
award by Olympic rower, Helen
Glover MBE, during a ceremony
at the Headland Hotel in
Newquay on 2 November.
The school was also highly
commended in the Active &
Sporting Experience category.
Charity Mylor Sailability was
formed by Mylor Sailing School
to make sailing accessible to
people of all ages and abilities.
CHANNEL ISLANDS
ST HELIER MOVE TO
SPLIT FROM RNLI
Jerseys St Helier Lifeboat crew
want to split from the RNLI and
become independent.
10
Send us your local news stories. Email PBO news editor Katy Stickland at
pbo@timeinc.com, tel: 01252 555213, or write to the address on page 5
It follows a dispute over the
sacking and reinstatement of the
stations coxswain Andy Hibbs
who was asked by the RNLI to
stand down due to alleged
breaches of the charitys
volunteer code of conduct. The
rest of the crew resigned in
protest in April 2017.
Following an appeal, Hibbs
was subsequently reinstated in
July 2017 on condition that he
signed and adhered to the
RNLIs volunteer code of
conduct. He was also offered an
apology by the charity.
But now the St Helier Lifeboat
crew want to become
independent, citing a breakdown
in trust between themselves and
the RNLI as a result of the
investigation and its aftermath.
Andy Hibbs said it was with a
deep heart that he and the crew
had made the decision to
become independent.
The way we have been treated
over the last year is
unacceptable. Many UK stations
have been in contact saying this
not an isolated problem and that
other stations are also going
through this treatment, he said.
I feel we deserve a lot more
respect from an organisation for
whom we risk our lives, give up
our evenings, weekends and our
family time.
Commenting, the RNLIs
director of community lifesaving
and fundraising, Leesa
Harwood, said: After listening to
the volunteers at St Helier
lifeboat station, who have said
they would like to explore the
option of setting up an
Pooles newly
expanded South
Quay will open in
January 2018
independent lifeboat station, the
RNLI is now considering the best
way forward.
WALES
NEW CHAPTER FOR
CRICCIETH RNLI
A new boathouse has been
completed for Criccieth RNLIs
Arancia Class lifeboat and its
new Mitsubishi launch vehicle.
The station was the rst in the
UK to be allocated this type of
inshore rescue boat which is
normally used for surf rescues
because of the tidal areas
around the Dwyryd and Glaslyn
Estuaries, Cardigan Bay. The
new boathouse is just across
the road from the existing
station, which houses the larger
Atlantic 85 Lifeboat.
The project has been paid for
with a legacy and gifts from
people who either live or have a
connection with Criccieth. The
new building, due for ofcial
opening in April, is tted with
solar panels which will power
both boathouses.
The new RNLI boathouse at Criccieth on Cardigan Bay
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
IRELAND
TOP AWARD FOR
RACE VOLUNTEER
Ballyholme sailing volunteer and
regional race management
coordinator in Northern Ireland,
Robin Gray, is being recognised
for his commitment to the RYA
Northern Ireland (RYANI).
He will be presented with the
associations Regional Award for
his work over the last 10 years.
Gray, who has also been
international race ofcer since
2015, was recently named Sport
Northern Irelands Technical
Ofcial of the Year 2017.
At his home club, Ballyholme
Yacht Club, Gray has been
instrumental in developing a
race management team of
qualied race ofcers and mark
layers, has mentored many
regional race ofcers and has
identied and supported
potential national race ofcers.
NORTH-WEST
WIRRAL STATIONS
WORK TOGETHER
A severely seasick
septuagenarian sailor has been
rescued after running aground in
the Dee Estuary, Liverpool Bay.
Neighbouring Wirral stations
West Kirby and Hoylake RNLI
were both tasked by the UK
Coastguard to search for the
boat at 2330 on 25 October.
The solo sailor, who was on
passage from Liverpool to
Llandudno, was unaware of his
position, having become
exhausted through seasickness
and illness.
The boat was eventually
RNLI/Ifer Gwyn

Haddiscoe Mill, one of 12
historic Broads mills to
benet from Heritage
Lottery funding
Julian Claxton
located approximately one mile
south of Little Eye where the
skipper had attempted to anchor
his vessel. The man was taken
ashore where he was checked
over by paramedics and
declared well enough to go
home. His boat, which was
described as being in a good
condition and well prepared for
the voyage, was towed to West
Kirby Sailing Club moorings.
SCOTLAND
USE DESIGNATED
ANCHORAGES
Argyll and Bute Council is asking
for reports of yachts that anchor
outside the four designated
anchorages in Loch Creran.
The area is a Special Area of
Conservation and a Marine
Protected Area.
A spokesperson for the council
told PBO: We would ask that
mariners only use these
designated anchorages to
protect the sensitive habitats.
We will continue to monitor the
situation. Reports of vessels
anchoring outside the designated
places can be made to us via the
contact form on our website at
www.argyll-bute.gov.uk.
The designated anchorages
are set out in the Clyde Cruising
Club sailing directions and
Admiralty chart 2379.
NORTH-EAST
LANTERN REINSTATED
ON WOODEN LIGHTSHIP
After 40 years the Royal
Northumberland Yacht Club
(RNYC) has reinstalled a lantern
aboard their historic lightvessel,
LV 50, in South Harbour, Blyth,
Northumberland.
The original 2-ton wrought iron
lantern was discarded because
of its poor condition. Two club
members built the wooden and
breglass replica, which has just
been tted.
Built on the Thames for the
notorious Seven Stones Reef off
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Replica lantern is installed on
former light vessel LV 50
the Isles of Scilly, LV 50 was
commissioned in September
1879, and was the most modern
wooden lightvessel in the Trinity
House eet. Her 8ft revolving,
ashing lantern and her
three-reed compressed air
foghorn were innovations.
She saw service on numerous
sandbanks and reefs off south
and east England where she
provided warning to mariners
and a navigational x in the era
before GPS. In 1952, she was
decommissioned and sold to
wreckers in Harwich before
being bought by the RNYC. She
was towed to Blyth and
anchored in South Harbour
where, for the past 75 years, she
has been the house yacht Tyne.
Over the past three years The
Friends of LV50 have opened her
regularly to the public. Listed on
the National Historic Ships
Register, shes one of only three
oating wooden lightships left in
the UK.
Bargains
of the
month...
More brand new gear
items on page 58
IS FE
28 SU BR
DE E O UA
CE N S RY
EAST
Next M AL
BE E
R
month
PRESERVING BROADS
MILL HERITAGE
Heritage sites in and around one
of the largest inland waterways
in the UK The Broads will
now be preserved. PRACTICAL
The 4 million Water, Mills and
Simple sewing repairs to
Marshes project has been given
the go ahead following the cockpit cushions
conrmation of funding from the David Parker illustrates a series
Heritage Lottery Fund. of basic repairs to boat cushions
The grant of 2.5 million is in
addition to 1.5 million from
other sources. The money will
be used to preserve the heritage,
environment and archaeological
assets within the Broads.
It will also provide
opportunities for the public to Plus
contribute in a practical way Making a dinghy cover
towards its upkeep. by helping Servicing a raw water pump
to restore historic mills or
surveying wildlife habitats. BOATS
Peter Polands choice of
SOUTH-EAST 37- to 39-footers
Great second-hand buys for
PAYING MORE FOR keen cruising sailors
WATERWAYS BOATING
Boaters will now have to pay Plus
more to use their vessels on the Sail cargo the yacht freight
rivers Thames, Anglian and business in the UK and worldwide
Upper Medway. CRUISING
The Environment Agency is
increasing boat registration Portree, Isle of Skye
charges after a two year freeze. Ali Wood visits the Scottish
It says the extra money is sailing outpost of Portree
essential to help deliver
navigation services.
Any powered boat kept, used
or let for hire will face increased
registration charges of 5.7% on
the Thames, 7.5% on the Anglian
and 10% on the Upper Medway.
Charges for all unpowered
boats (not houseboats) and
those registered with British
Rowing or British Canoeing, will
increase by 7.7%.
The increases will apply from FEBRUARY PBO ON
1 January on the Thames, and
1 April for the other waterways.
SALE 28 DECEMBER
SPECIAL OFFER
KRU SPORT 185
AUTO/HARNESS
LIFEJACKET SAVE 16
Combining cutting-edge
design with technically
advanced materials the Kru
Sport 185 is quick to don,
with its tailored 3D prole
formed to t instantly.
Force 4
Tel: 0345 1300 710
Email: sales@force4.co.uk
www.force4.co.uk
RRP 75.95 PRICE: 59.95
11
 Letters Email pbo@timeinc.com
or write to us at the address on page 5.
Photos are appreciated, letters may be edited.

Readers share their thoughts and opinions

Two blokes
The face that launched Sled is simple
walk into a
and effective for
a thousand ships hauling out
boatyard...
Q Helen of Troy might be the face that Q Two sailors walk into a
launched a thousand ships, but I wonder if boatyard and one says to
she had anything to do with this ancient and the other, Look... theres a
unique method of slipping still in use today? woman taking the headsail
I stumbled on this launching method in a off your yacht!
town shipyard at Ayvalik, Turkey, in the Genoa? he asks.
northern Aegean not far from Troy itself. Nope, never seen her
Who needs straddle cranes or even before in my life!
winched cradles if you have enough winch Kurt Jewson
power and turning blocks to haul out?
The sled is shod with oak and though this
pictured version has enough steel to
Carbon
submerge it, wood is largely used in its monoxide
construction almost enough to build a
Trojan horse in fact!
warning
Im sure boulders Q On a few occasions while
would have been the out in Greece on our monohull
ballast in Helens day yachts we have had the
and the ready misfortune of being tied up
availability of beside large catamarans or
manpower in the motor yachts with generators
form of slaves would which have air conditioning.
have provided all the In Greece as you know,
Steel-clad
pulling power. runners on sled
harbours are rustic and may
O Moorhouse or may not have shore power.
In addition, these larger
yachts seldom seem to have
Cheated and for descaling the toilet in his
heads: rest assured, thats
acid is left inside, but why use
an acid that will dissolve any
the correct cables to connect
to shore power even when it
mistreated absolutely ne. Oxalic acid is of your engine at all? is provided.
Q I was attracted to buy much safer than hydrochloric When using any acid, be The huge danger
Novembers PBO by the cover (muriatic) acid and will not sensible: wear eye protection,
feature Astern with a Long attack steel, iron, plastic or avoid breathing fumes,
Keel as thats a problem for me gaskets. Its also excellent for ventilate well and
on my Wing 25. Imagine my de-furring kettles. secure it well away from
surprise when I discovered the Its easily and cheaply children.
article was all about a vessel available on the Internet in Alan Wilson (retired
tted with a bow thruster! crystal form: dissolve a chemistry teacher)
What next? How to tablespoonful in a litre of
manoeuvre going forward in a warm (not hot) water the
vessel tted with a rudder? concentration is not critical Separated
Keith Gibson pump it into the toilet piping,
leave for 10 minutes or so, at birth?
Apologies space is at a then pump it out and rinse Q Is it just me or is
premium on the cover but its through with sea water. there a strong family
no excuse for not being clear. Oxalic acid is also good for resemblance between
We did deal with reversing in a de-furring engines, where Vercingetorix of Gaul
long-keeler without a hydrochloric acid should very and the famous yachting
bow-thruster in the article denitely not be used! author and journalist
Handling a long-keeler in Remember O-level Tom Cunliffe?
astern (Dec14) but perhaps chemistry? To generate Ian Garner
should have signposted it hydrogen, add hydrochloric
better Ed acid to iron lings and watch as Tom Cunliffe comments:
it zzes away enthusiastically. I lost this photo of my old
The acid test Apply a ame and get a mini
pop of an explosion. What is
grandad 30 years ago. It must
have gone with a boat I sold. rix
Q In PBO October Mr Epton my engine made of? Iron! OK, So glad to have it back. Vercingeto
wrote about using oxalic acid there may not be much iron Thanks, mate!
instead of hydrochloric acid dissolved in the short time the

12 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

 www.twitter.com/p_b_o www.facebook.com/practicalboatownermag LETTERS

stems from vessels running

generators or their engines in
harbour to sustain battery
strength the exhausts of
many of them seem often to
be directly in line with
monohull cockpits spraying
water and exhaust gasses
straight into the cockpits.
Im no scientist but
understand that carbon
monoxide and diesel
particulates kill people.
I do know that the MCA
dont appreciate this because
they have a ludicrous
regulation (sent down from
shipping) that states that
engine bays should have
polluted air extracted from
engine bays and vented into
the cockpit right where
people are, of course.
This message is for many
people, not least of whom are
the owners, builders and
charterers of these types of
larger yachts: the exhausts
should not be situated in line
with the main hatches or
cockpits of other, smaller
yachts if the idea is to be in
harbours or marinas.
Engines generally should
not be run in marinas or quays
where there are people who
might be poisoned by
Tom
Cunli
ffe
Stone shoal on the
River Risle needs
to be avoided
Hidden shoal of the River Risle
Q I hope readers who cruise in French waters
found Decembers Cruising Notes on the River
Risle of interest. In addition to the two pictures
published the attached will probably be of
particular interest as it shows the stone shoal
the exhausts. This is much
more than simply arrogant
bad manners it really could
result in death or serious
illness.
I understand that big yachts
in the quieter Caribbean run
engines and generators while
they are at anchor or on a
mooring, where they rarely
affect anybody else, but doing
it in busy European harbours
and marinas is not just
inconsiderate but also
presents great danger to other
boat users.
Pumping these gases into
other peoples living space is
not far off attempted murder. It
is certainly an assault likely
to cause injury.
Less dangerous but
certainly antisocial, as these
engines and generators are
also invariably water cooled
the endless splashing can be
infuriating on an otherwise
quiet evening.
So before some boat owner
kills someone, I thought it best
to publicise this matter and
bring it out into the open.
Finally, Id advise affected
parties to move to somewhere
else for their own safety and
peace of mind. Either that or
jam a potato up the offending
exhaust! Carbon Monoxide
KILLS and diesel particulates
do the same thing only
more slowly.
Please wake up, all boaters,
and give some thoughtful
at LW springs that needs to be avoided. It isnt
at all soft like the surrounding ooze. This photo
was taken at LW springs. At LW neaps, this
shoal is concealed.
Richard Hare
consideration to your night nothing but a black mass
neighbours when at anchor. exists beyond our coat collar.
Barrie Neilson The chance of hitting
Sailing Holidays Ltd something without it being
seen is therefore very real and
See the invisible not within our ability to avoid.
Modern location devices
pot buoys these days are extremely
Q When driving along a cheap and can be tted in
country road do we expect to minutes. A good many of us
nd something placed in the already have similar devices
way that can damage our car? attached to our car keys so we
Do we expect the person can nd them using our mobile
who placed it there to t it with phone, so it should not be
adequate lighting or reection beyond the wit of man to
and is it a good enough adapt such a device to show
excuse that the object placed buoy locations.
is merely painted yellow? I believe it should be
We do of course by law have mandatory that anything
to have lights on our car so placed upon the water from
driving along the road we pot buoys to racing buoys
should see anything ahead, should not only be large and
providing of course that it has reective enough to see, and
good reecting properties. be marked with ownership
On the water it is entirely details, but also have a
different. We have no lights location device tted.
and on a cloudy, moonless Tony Barlow
SEADOG OF THE MONTH
This is a picture of our seadog Sam. He
loves sailing and likes going for rides in the
dinghy but getting back on board can be a
bit tricky! As you can see, while the rest of
the crew are all busy working on board he
relaxes with a PBO.
Fergus Rodgers (age 10)
Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
Send us your seadog photos for our web gallery
30 www.pbo.co.uk/seadogs and your pet could well
become Seadog of the Month and win you 30

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 13

 Dave Selby
Mad about the boat
Of course hes a new member...
Look, hes smiling!
The new member
Loafer man has all the nautical knowledge and
boaty gear so should be eyed with suspicion
T
heres always one, isnt
there? The stranger at the
bar after every laying up
supper at every sailing club
in the world, nurturing a
thimble full of bitter in a half-pint glass,
and... SMILING!
Thats downright disrespectful and Im
ashamed to say it even happens in
Maldon, although our laying up suppers
are more correctly termed laying out
suppers because thats how the evening
generally ends. Its tradition, and you dont
mess with tradition.
And thats the basic problem: this
dapper chap is wearing leather two-tone
correspondent deck shoes that have no
business near boats. For health, safety
and style thats plain wrong, and denitely
marks him out as an interloafer.
But even more wronger is the smiling.
Well, call it smiling... smirking more like.
That really is not what laying up suppers
are about. Come to think of it, thats not
what sailing is about.
The laying up supper is a poignant
ceremonial wake, a communion of
recreational grief, a funeral pyre of hopes,
dreams and aspirations, a moment of
14
Dave Selby is the proud owner of a 5.48m (18ft)
Sailfish, which he keeps on a swinging mooring
on the picturesque Blackwater estuary in Essex
and the like, as long as its someone else:
the bigger the yacht the greater the glee.
Thats tradition. Other than that, no
smiling, although hugging is permitted
after the ght.
You see, sailing is really no laughing
matter. Yet still this guy, who resembles a
mannequin of all the latest and most chic
boutique boaty brands, with not a spot of
antifouling on them, is... smiling, well
grinning more like.
Hes clearly got money, and thats
another reason were not smiling, because
we havent got any: thats because weve
got boats and were so poor we can no
longer afford holidays we have to go
sailing instead.
Generous to visitors
Yet that hasnt soured us, or diminished
our generosity to visiting yachtsmen.
Like all sailing clubs our welcome is
famous (other famous things include the
Spanish Inquisition). Thats why sailing
clubs are desperate for members.
Meanwhile, a small posse of committee
members has been surreptitiously eyeing
him up from a safe distance. The geezers
thimble of beer has barely evaporated in
the last hour, yet still hes smiling, gurning
more like.
Eventually the tense deadlock is broken
when the rear vice dry goods commodore
is ejected from the huddle towards the
reckoning and realisation of total failure, visitor with a membership pack.
an opportunity for lusty self-agellation: to Just what I was looking for, may I
mourn the shortness of the sailing season, borrow your pen? the chap chirps,
which ran from July 23 to July 27, was adding: Id buy you a drink but Im not
mostly raining and was interrupted by the sure of your club rules.
birth of a granddaughter and a faulty stern The mortally embarrassed rear vice dry
gland; to chastise yourself for yet again goods commodore buys him a pint of wet
failing to get to grips with celestial goods as other club ofcers sidle up; with
navigation; for not another hes
making it to the Really, there is no excuse for proposed; with a
Med, or even the
Medway; for
smiling in a yacht club except third hes
seconded; the
failing to become at someone elses misfortune fourth comes with
a Yachtmaster the suggestion
intergalactic black-belt ninja; and for not that election to membership is a formality
putting into practice the second part of man for someone with such an impressive
overboard procedure the recovery bit. watch, wardrobe and sailing CV.
But thats only the beginning. And still Turns out the sociable soon-to-be new
this evenly tanned newcomer with a member has done quite a lot offshore,
glinting wrist-watch the size of a Bentley which explains why he hasnt bought a
hub cap on a shimmering satin-nish drink: his moneys in his wallet which is in
bracelet chunkier than Sir Philip Greens Bermuda. Hes also between boats right
anchor chain is smiling, well simpering now, but a long-standing member of the
more like. ROPYC, thats the Rotating Other Peoples
Really, there is no excuse for smiling in a Yachts Club, and he gets around a bit.
yacht club except at someone elses If you havent met him yet you soon will,
misfortune. Outright giggling is only and when you do please tell him our rear
appropriate in the case of groundings, vice dry goods commodore would like his
ramming pontoons, ropes round props, pen back.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk


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 Sam Llewellyn
Flotsam and jetsam
All I want for
Christmas...
Its that special time of year, so dont ruin it by
saying what you really want for Christmas
Y
ou know how it is. The
Festive Season approaches.
Your nearest and dearest
says, Darling?
Yes, darling? you reply
obsequiously, fearing the worst.
Darling, what do you want for Christmas?
An agonized pause ensues. The true
answer to this is 1) about 200 metres of
10mm pre-stretched polyester, because if
I do not put new halyards on the project
boat the sails are going to fall down. Or 2)
(should the budget not extend to this
mileage of string) something, anything, to
clear the scale out of the Terrible Pipe that
takes the contents of the lav away.
Neither of these things, however, really
qualies as a Christmas gift, in case 1)
because too technical and in case 2)
because, well, if you can't work it out for
yourself never mind.
So I have been wandering round in a
state of some bafement, debating the
ideal gift. Earlier in 2017 I was considering
investing in a charming powerboat
designed by Mr Porsche, with accessories
in designer pigskin. Since then I have been
considering a parallel object knocked up
16
Sam Llewellyn writes sea thrillers and edits
the Marine Quarterly. He is currently patching
up a thirty-foot ketch.
nil once youve paid for it. One sees
Surely the ideal Christmas gift oneself lifting a bottle from the Graphite
a submarine by Aston Martin
Beige granite vodka cooler and toasting
the dogsh as they writhe across the oozy
plain. Mayhap Q will have left some
fascinating weapons systems for our
attention. And the upholstery will at the
touch of a button transform itself into a
double bed on which we can recline while
M is trying to get hold of us and we are
telling M we are up Tuno Goode, the
beauteous heroine...
The mind sure can wander while you are
scraping Woodseal. Get real. Submarines,
as well as being ridiculously expensive,
make your ears pop. What you need for
Christmas are presents for the project
boat. All right, the halyard string and the
bog pipe cleaner are perhaps not
romantic enough to t the bill. On the
other hand, specimen vases for
fascinating samples of seaweed and
crystal stemware from which to swig the
evening rum are perhaps a bit too
designer for the pile of leprous 1970s
breglass currently occupying the centre
of the restorer's heart.
Scratch head. Dinghy? Boring. In-mast
furling? Saints preserve us from such
abominations. Tin opener? Got one
somewhere. Bottle opener? We have worn
out three already, so now you're talking,
but it is possible that the donor may get
the impression she is encouraging habits
by Aston Martin, made irresistible by its not altogether benecial.
dedicated Gran Turismo champagne Scratch head again, and inspiration
cooler nished in Baltic Blue carbon bre strikes. Down there on the ne mahogany
a worthy substitute for the project boats shelves of the saloon there are absolutely
Brown Ale bucket, nished in Battleship no books. Invest in culture. Demand The
Grey zinc with seeping rust accents. Ashley Book of Knots, which contains 3,854
But as I scratched at the ancient (count em) things to do with string. And
Burgess Woodseal on the companionway most of the Collins New Naturalists series,
of the project boat so you can work
I was swept away I have been wandering round out what those
by a new object in a state of some bafement, birds and whales
of desire. are while you are
As you will debating the ideal gift on passage. And a
probably have tidal atlas or two,
guessed by now, I refer to the Aston because they are too dashed expensive to
Martin Submarine. Say goodbye to buy yourself. And a bunch of thrillers, and
slopping around on top of the water. Say some extremely long Victorian stuff to
hello instead to the cool depths with their read during gales. Bleak House, perhaps,
charming conger eels winding in and out good old Charles Dickens. Or for East
of supermarket trolleys. Coast sailors The Moonstone, poor old
The sub, which bears a passing Wilkie Collins, personal habits not at all
resemblance to a suppository from Hell, the thing, but long, very long. And for
will seat three people and travel at a Cornish folk Poldark, 12 fat books of them,
maximum speed of three knots, thereby smuggling, tin mining, ripped bodices,
leaving several of my current boats for crooked bankers, innitely better in print
dead. It comes in at a bargain 4 million than on the telly...
quid, and will therefore give the world a Oh, you shouldnt have. Thank you,
convincing hint as to your net worth, i.e. darling. Just what I always wanted.
Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk
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 Andrew Simpson
Monthly musings
Build yourself a opper
stopper to keep the
winter gloom at bay
Stop the op
over winter
DIY boat projects, such as building a opper
stopper, make the dull grey season bearable
F
or boat owners the winter
months can be notably drear.
The days are short, the
weather often unsavoury. The
boat is usually out of
commission, either ashore or hunkered
down by a mesh of mooring lines in a
marina. Shindig is almost 4,000 miles
away in the Caribbean, lashed to a
mighty cradle as a defence against
hurricanes. Its a time of dreams and
reminiscences a reection of voyages
completed and those yet to be made.
I recently found myself in conversation
with a fellow sailor; a retired gent also
partially numbed by such seasonal
withdrawal symptoms. Staring bleakly out
of the quayside pubs window he conded
that he was trying to devise a project to
bring light into these dark days. I recall we
had just ventured a little way into our
second pints when Inspiration hit.
Do you have a opper stopper? I
18
Yacht surveyor and designer Andrew Simpson cruises
with his wife Chele in his own-design 11.9m (39ft) yacht
Shindig. Read his blog at www.offshore-sailor.com
the market but heres one you can make
yourself. Its not an original idea but, from
my experience, works well. It is effective
and has the virtue of mechanical
simplicity, being for the most part at and
a conveniently stowable shape.
It should be a triangular plate, weighted
in one corner, suspended underwater as
far outboard as possible, typically from the
end of the swung-out boom or a
spinnaker pole. When the boat rolls
towards the opper stopper the weighted
corner drops and the plate dives. Then, as
the boat begins to roll upright again, the
three-legged harness snaps the plate
horizontal again and the increased drag
dampens the roll. Couldnt be simpler!
Deep thinking
The construction details are plain, and
modiable, but there are a few points
worth noting: although I have heard of
people using plywood, ideally the plate
should be non-buoyant. I used a sheet of
glassbre (about 8mm thick, which I laid
up on a sheet of melamine-faced
chipboard) but equally practicable would
be aluminium or steel. The opper stopper
should be sized to match the boat a bit
of a guess really. The plate shown here
had sides about 800mm in length before
the corners were rounded off to help
minimise damage to the topsides as its
lifted out. It works but I think it could have
been a bit bigger. When sufciently bored,
I may set about making a larger
replacement. Any kind of weight will do
but it needs to be quite heavy if the plate
is to sink quickly. Shindigs has a 5lb dive
belt weight.
asked. On account of his puzzled If possible, the plate should be
expression I found it necessary to explain suspended below any surface wave
that this was not an item of manly apparel action, and the deeper the better. Also, it
but indeed an essential bit of kit for a helps to lead the attachment line back to
single-hulled boat. the cockpit for depth adjustments.
I hazard that most If using a spinnaker
sailors would concur I found it necessary to pole, the topping lift
that one of boatings
more uncomfortable
explain this was not an should be rigged to
the poles end, not the
experiences is to be in item of manly apparel usual mid-length point.
a windless anchorage This is because the
with a swell surging in from a vertical snatch loads can be great, and
meteorological disturbance from below poles are designed to take compression
the horizon. Given some wind, a boat will not lateral loads.
tend to lie head into it. In calm conditions My pal was intrigued. Off he trotted with
most boats prefer to align themselves a spring in his step and a little more than a
beam-on to any wave action, rolling week later I was invited round to see the
hideously as they do so. Fortunately, a result. Very creditable it was too. I was
remedy is fairly easy to contrive. You need about to leave for home when his wife
a opper stopper, a somewhat drew me aside. Could I suggest any other
exaggerated description for what should projects to keep her husband occupied?
more correctly be termed a roll reducer. How about a windvane gear? I heard
There are various proprietary products on myself say.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
 

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 BOATS
Class associations
Peter K Poland praises the unsung heroes of the yachting world
W
hen I was a boatbuilder,
people often asked me
how long a breglass
hull would last. My
somewhat ippant reply
was provided it doesnt sink like a stone
or burn to a cinder it will probably outlive
its original builder and its current owner.
Of course a yacht needs regular
maintenance, occasional repairs and
sooner or later its engine and elements of
the rig will need replacing. And anything
that moves especially parts that live in
salt water such as lifting keel mechanisms
are likely to need extra attention.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter K Poland crossed the
Atlantic in a 7.6m (25ft) Wind
Elf in 1968 and later spent
30 years as co-owner
of Hunter Boats. He
is now a freelance
journalist and
PR consultant
20
Since there is no marine equivalent of an
MOT to warn of imminent problems, it is
up to the owner to keep an eye on all
aspects of his yacht. Anyone looking to
buy on the second-hand market should
engage a surveyor to make sure hes not
buying a pup and get a professional
opinion on the condition of all the
important parts. But after signing the
cheque hes on his own especially if the
original builder no longer exists.
Well... almost on his own. Some foreign
builders have survived for many decades
so can still supply technical advice and
spare parts for older models, albeit with
varying degrees of efciency and
occasionally at steep prices.
But sadly for the owners of thousands of
British cruising yachts produced from the
1960s to the 1990s, most of their builders
are no longer around.
But all is not lost. Owners and new
buyers will nd that virtually every type of
production yacht has a class association.
And these associations are the unsung
heroes of the modern sailing world. Aided
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
and abetted by modern IT and social
media, they provide a lively and effective
hub through which association members
can pick up news, share queries, seek
solutions to problems and learn about
class events and social gatherings.
Whats more, by visiting an association
website, prospective buyers of second-
hand boats can form a thorough picture of
almost any model aoat old or new,
warts and all. And if he likes what he sees,
many association websites have listings of
second-hand yachts for sale.
Creating a virtuous circle
At Hunter Boats, I soon wised up to the
value of these associations. There are two
main types: class associations set up for
One Design keelboats or cruiser-racers,
and owners associations catering for
family cruising models.
The association handling the National
Squib keelboat that we moulded for
designer Oliver Lee was already up and
running in the late 1960s. So we used this
as a template for the Hunter 19/Europa

Shrimper Owners Association
Owners of Cornish Shrimpers enjoy
Shrimper Week at home and abroad
this one at St Malo in 2014
ABOVE The
Moody Owners
Association
magazine
Compass includes
cruising stories
to distant ports
like this one
to Rosendal in
Norway
Hunter Association
LEFT Hunter Pilot
27s at a Hunter
Association Rally
and successful National Sonata and felt that one of the unquantiable spinoffs
Hunter Impala 28 associations that we set was the friendships that developed and,
up in the 1970s. certainly in the Hunter Association, the
Association committees run by mutual support for new and inexperienced
hard-working enthusiasts controlled the yachtsmen, typied by the group trips
class rules, racing events and social across the Channel. I suspect most of the
calendars. And all this activity never failed cruising associations are like this.
to attract the attention of other sailors with I have recently been involved with the
the result that ever more were lured into J70 and J80 championships at my club
buying the same boat and joining in the and these are very different and very
fun. These well-run associations provided competitive, but still involve a lot of
powerful promotion that led to ever- camaraderie. I guess the Hunter 707 was
growing classes classes that remain the same. And of course she is right.
strong and active to this day. Graham Hamilton currently carries the
We also learnt how an association Hunter Association baton and tells me
benets cruising sailors. Ann Arscott a the owners of 396 boats are members,
leading light at the start of the Hunter adding: The HA is always striving to
Owners Association told me: I always increase numbers and drive up the
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
CLASS ASSOCIATIONS
Moody Owners Association
quantity and hopefully quality of the
information we can make available to our
members.
The HA aims to provide an easy-to-use
and up-to-date website that allows
members to access information and
communicate with each other. The most
important part is the boats and how to
maintain them. There are 26 types with an
average age of 20+ years.
The Hunter Association also produces
the twice yearly Horizons magazine with a
range of articles, both about memorable
cruises and technical matters. Graham
rounds off by saying: Looking further
ahead the main issue facing our members
will be keeping our boats aoat and
working. We need to understand the issues
facing ageing boats and, where possible,
work with suppliers to extend their lives.
So he and his area committee members
are clearly doing all the right things and
as with any association its to the benet
of all that owners become members and
join in.
Moody online and in print
The Moody Owners Association is another
shining example. Neil Eccles editor of
the slick MOA website tells me: The
Moody Owners Association started in the
pre-internet days of 1985. Initially it
promoted enjoyment of the boats using a
21
 BOATS
Moody Owners Association
Members of the Moody Owners Association hold a pontoon party
If I were considering buying a Moody,
I would rst invest in becoming an
association member
branch system and organised events and
rallies. Technical information and advice
was given via a printed magazine that also
contained feature articles. When websites
and message boards became easier to
create, the MOA enhanced its written
information to members using this new
medium. The association has stabilised at
around 2,000 members of which the vast
majority are couples amounting to
around 4,000 people sailing 2,000 boats
of varying sizes and ages.
We now have two websites.
moodyowners.org is an open site and
publicises events run by our branches. It
primarily looks forward at events to come,
but also gives some reports of past
events. Our technical resource site,
moodyowners.info, is for members only.
The site contains over 65,000 posts of
members-only exchange of technical
information about Moody yachts. Thats
some resource! If I were considering
buying a Moody, Id rst invest in
becoming an association member.
Neil adds: If a question is asked, an
answer or advice is usually proffered the
same day, though it can take longer
during the summer when most active
members are out sailing. Its tightly run
and members are not allowed handles
or false names, so its very well mannered
and respectful of others views.
We have 11 branches with various
levels of activity. Four of them have
healthy lists of events (look on
moodyowners.org). Others vary but like
say Australasia they are a local home
for Moody owners and provide newsletters
to members.
MOA commodore Paul Kennedy adds:
We also publish a house magazine three
22
Contessa 32 Association
times a year, Compass, which is of the
highest quality. It is typically 72 pages and
in full colour.
It also carries a host of useful adverts
featuring items that will appeal to Moody
owners and these adverts help defray
the cost of the magazine.
Contessa ownership
The Contessa 26 Association shows how
active owners can have a lot of fun with
smaller, racier yachts both aoat and
ashore and retain a high prole, thus
maintaining the value of their boats.
Like many association activists, Mike
Harrison is retired and happy to put in the
effort. When he was working Mike told me
hed been involved in class committees
for boats such as the National Cadet and
National Sonata, and Burnham Week and
EAORA racing events. Now he has retired
to the Isle of Wight, the Contessa 26 is a
perfect yacht for short-handed cruising,
class events and racing.
The 26s 50th anniversary was
celebrated in 2016 with a well-attended
rally and class racing is now growing
thanks to the new Class Championship.
Mike sums up the considerable
contribution made by active class
associations saying: These deserve
support from boat owners, and
membership will be on the list of things to
consider when buying one of the
established classes. Volunteers run most
associations and so subscriptions are
invariably low cost.
Membership can bring many benets
including sharing technical information,
buying and selling boats and gear and
opportunities to take part in rallying,
racing, social events and meet ups.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
A gaggle of
Portsmouth-based
Contessa 32s
If class associations are active and
provide what the membership wants, they
can help boost their classs prole. So
interest in the boats will be maintained
and hopefully this will help the class
longevity. Mike says.
Former PBO editor David Pugh is now
Contessa 26 class captain: Members are
a sociable bunch, he said. Like most
associations we use racing as an excuse
to convene. The Nationals are now a
regular occurrence, usually somewhere in
the Solent, and weve started adding extra
events to the calendar. The AGM is
currently the only non-sailing event,
cunningly held in November when many
are starting to suffer withdrawal symptoms
from sailing and are ready for a gossip.
On the water, the class is split between
serious racers with stripped out boats and
IRC ratings, and those of us who compete
to see how fast we can sail packets of
pork pies and tins of beans around a
circuit before retiring to the bar.
In Red Dragon were in the latter group,
but once ashore the split disappears and
everyone is treated as equal. There are no
cliques, which is refreshing.
Jeanneau network
Owners of Jeanneaus are particularly well
catered for with an extensive and
beautifully designed website on www.
jeanneau-owners.com.
The amazing Malcolm Perrins handles it
all and tells me: The Jeanneau Owners

Network (we dont call ourselves an
association) is the only owner group
formally recognised by Jeanneau as an
ofcial partner but we remain totally
independent. The Network has over 3,300
Jeanneaus registered on the owner
database, which amounts to well over
5,000 members.
We also have more than 5,300
members on our active associated forum
with an additional 2,200 members on our
dedicated and rapidly growing Facebook
group page.
The Jeanneau Owners Network provides
a lot of owner-to-owner technical advice
and information. For example the extensive
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Hints and Tips section deals with over 100
projects, with detailed information such as
lift-keel removal or enhancements such as
retrotting German mainsheet systems,
said Malcolm.
Our members are found in more than
60 countries, although mainly in the UK
and USA. There are also large
representations in Scandinavia and
Australia. With such a geographically
diverse membership, events tend to be
locally organised. Jeanneau dealers have
been arranging Jeanneau Rendezvous
events for over 10 years. These have
taken off in North America and we hope to
see more in the UK. Euroyachts in
LEFT The Jeanneau Sydney Rendezvous
back in March 2007
Scotland has held an annual Jeanneau
Fun Cup that is well attended.
With such a large membership we are
often able to track down manuals or at
least photographs and dimensions of
parts that are no longer made to allow an
owner to get something replicated locally.
The Jeanneau Owners website is
impressive. Any aspiring new owners
association could benet from looking and
learning. Indeed owners of other boat
brands will nd much useful information in
the excellent hints and tips index.
Sadlers and Starlights
The Sadler and Starlight Owners
Association (SSOA) has been running for
many years. Recently retired chairman
Chris Kilbracken made the point that
theres a distinction between Class
Associations which are specic and often
race-orientated, and Owners Associations
which cover all the boats of the range.
He said that the SSOA covers models
from the original Sadler 25 right up to the
Starlight 46, adding that there are about
350 boats on the membership list as well
as other non-Sadler owners who like to
be involved.
Chris also draws attention to the
discussion forum that covers technical
assistance and has been active for about
20 years. This benets from a hard core of
23

Sadler owners raft up for a spot of
socialising on a sunny day
able and knowledgeable contributors.
New class chairman Rick Locker adds:
The SSOA reects the longevity of the
boats themselves. While we still have a
few in original ownership, the majority are
now in second, third or fourth ownership
and the Association has an important role
in maintaining the heritage and knowledge
of these boats long out of production.
The association will be celebrating its
40th anniversary in 2018. The next 12
months will see us expanding our website
with more historical data and articles,
while maintaining and hosting a current
focus of live information exchange
between owners both through our forum
and the Facebook page. Newcomers live
in a different media age to the original
owners. The Facebook page has also
enabled more casual musters alongside
the formally booked rallies.
Im particularly pleased about this
because I believe the fundamental reason
for being a member is to enjoy being with
like-minded owners, out on the water,
comparing notes, sharing improvements...
and problems!
Associations for owners of smaller,
trailerable boats have the added task of
arranging rallies and regattas in areas that
will attract entrants towing their boats from
distant parts.
Cornish Shrimpers
Shrimper Owners Association secretary
Trevor Heritage told me: The association
is in its 36th year and going strong with
almost 700 members. This years
International Shrimper Week in Milford
Haven attracted 35 Shrimpers, including
24
Volunteers run most associations and so
subscriptions are invariably low cost
three from the Netherlands.
Trevor says that one of the great
strengths of the association is its regional
organisation. Local areas organise races,
both in the evenings and at weekends.
Probably the keenest eets are at
Falmouth, Rock and Poole.
Falmouth Week is the biggest event for
the racing Shrimper, with about 30 boats
taking part making it the largest class at
this major regatta.
Rock Sailing and Water Ski Club hosts a
racing and cruising week for Shrimpers,
and Rock Shrimpers are known for their
keen racing on the Camel Estuary.
Racing at Poole is organised under the
aegis of both the Royal Motor Yacht Club
and Parkstone Yacht Club.
The Round the Island Race from Cowes
also regularly attracts entries from
Some of the eet for the Westerly 50th
Anniversary Rally
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Tim Wright
Sadler and Starlight Owners Association
Shrimpers and is a fair endurance test.
Theres also a Cornish Crabbers Club
that caters for the larger cruising models.
Westerlys
Westerly owners benet from a long-
established and well organised
association. Current Westerly Owners
Association (WOA) commodore George
Pickburn told me that Westerly built
around 12,000 yachts between 1963 and
2000, most of which are still sailing.
The association has some 3,000
memberships (around 4,500 people). It is
one of the largest owners associations in
the world and is dedicated to preserving
and promoting the Westerly marque.
WOA is organised into eight Area Groups
serving different regions of the UK, said
George. It also has members overseas,
and maintains links with its Dutch sister
Westerly Club Nederland and the American
Westerly Owners Newsletter.
We publish a yearbook of our members
and their boats so that they can greet
each other when encountered in distant
havens. And we run a website (westerly-
owners.co.uk) through which we publicise
the extensive sailing and social
programmes organised by the Area
Groups, and where we aim to provide an
archive of everything Westerly including
technical advice and information.
We offer our Boatline Scheme which
enables owners and prospective owners
to make contact with an owner/expert of
each model. We publish guides to each
model on our website and publish a book
What a beauty! A Swan 76 at full chat at
an association event
on all the models and the history of the
Westerly company.
George summed up by adding that the
WOA also publishes a twice-yearly
magazine of association news and articles
written by members recounting their
sailing experiences.
We offer technical assistance to
members through a dedicated section of
Shrimper OA
articles in our magazine, and through our
website which includes technical articles
from past magazines, our Westerly Wiki,
our Forum of technical matters, and our
Yahoo Group. We also run a Facebook
page that is open to all to contribute their
Westerly story, and, for immediacy, we
indulge in the occasional Tweet.
The WOA website is acknowledged to
be the best place to sell and buy a
Westerly. Theres always a good range of
different models on offer, many being
suitable as inexpensive rst boats for
aspiring yachtsmen. We also have a
positive relationship with yachting
suppliers and marinas, many of whom
advertise in our magazine and offer
Shrimper OA
worthwhile discounts to members.
Then theres the thorny question of
spare parts. Once again, the WOA has an
answer. The marque is well supported by
Fareham-based Trafalgar Yacht Services.
George says it has a unique supply of
many Westerly parts and can give much
useful advice as it is owned and run by
two ex-Westerly employees.
Groups for exotica
On a different scale, there are also
associations run for the owners of more
exotic yachts. The Sparkman and
Stephens Association is administered by
Karen Raymond and she told me it
represents a wide diversity of designs and
has nearly 300 worldwide members from
17 countries, owning boats ranging from
the 15ft Sandbagger and 22ft Sailmaster
to a Swan 76 and an 85ft one-off.
What unites members is a love of Olin
Stephens classic lines and enthusiasm for
sharing their passion, said Karen. S&S
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Shrimper Week 2016 at Friesland in The
Netherlands
devotees get together at regional events
throughout the year, particularly in the UK,
Finland and the Netherlands, where
racing, cruising or just having a good time
can all be on the agenda.
Throughout the year the association
provides a forum for advice and exchange
of information through its website (www.
sparkmanstephens.info), giving access to
the knowledge of those who have raced,
cruised, restored and maintained S&S
yachts dating from the rst designs in
1929 up to the 2000s.
Serial S&S owner Gavin Howe told me:
I have owned S&S Swans since 1985. We
were member No.4 of the S&S Association
and have attended events in Holland,
Edinburgh, Denmark, Lymington and
Shrimpers at last years Peter Keeling
Shrimper Week at Rock in Cornwall
Portugal. We sailed our Swan 76 to the
event in Lagos, Portugal, from Sardinia.
Theres also the worldwide S&S Swan
Association. We have enjoyed competing
in these events every other year for the
last 10 years, rst with our Swan 47
centreboard and more recently with the
Swan 76 centreboard. This is a very active
group and the involvement of Lars Strom
the original head of engineering at
Nautor Swan in the forum is a standout
feature and of enormous value to owners
like ourselves.
Almost all covered
So theres an association for just about
every boat built from a Shrimper 19 to a
Swan 76. In 2015 Luis Castillo of the
Dufour Association did a survey of 10 very
different brands and found that their aims
and ambitions are actually much the
same. For an annual sub of between 5
and 25 they all arrange events aoat,
socials ashore, offer technical support and
owners forums with ever-increasing use
of websites and social media.
As the stock of GRP cruisers gets ever
older, these associations do an invaluable
job. Theres almost certainly an association
for you and your boat so you should join
it! Even if rallies, regattas or parties are not
your thing, your association is working for
you and the future of your class, so
deserves your support!
25
Daysailer with a difference
Do you fancy something like a dinghy, only bigger and that wont tip you in?
Then you should consider Dufours new Drakkar 24, says David Harding
D
uring the summer in Poole I
see dozens of sizeable
offshore yachts heading out
of the harbour and making
the long and challenging
passage to Studland Bay. Here they will
drop anchor so the crew can have
lunch and possibly row ashore for an
ice cream before heading home again a
few hours later.
Theres absolutely nothing wrong with
doing this and, besides, some of these
boats do indeed go a good deal further
than Studland perhaps Swanage on
occasions. Some even stay overnight.
Nonetheless, the fact remains that much
of what many people do in their eight-
berth 40-footers could be done just as
enjoyably and far more economically in a
25-footer or, if they preferred, in a 40-footer
with a large cockpit and a cabin with a few
bunks. Its not only a question of size, but
also of the division of space.
In the Med and other parts of Europe its
26
not automatically assumed that everyone
wants maximum accommodation and a
cockpit thats just about big enough to
accommodate the crew if they all sit still
and keep their elbows in. There are stylish
daysailers like the Safers from Holland
and the Tonous from France, in which the
emphasis is very much on fun sailing and
outside living, perhaps with somewhere to
lie down under cover or brew a cuppa. In
the UK, Rustler build the 24 and the
stunningly elegant 33. When it comes to
trailable boats, however, its hard to nd
many over 20ft (6m) or so without a cabin
except for sportsboats like the Melges 24
and Cork 1720. So if you want an open,
trailable 20-something footer thats not a
at-out racing machine, you might have a
search on your hands.
Fun and engaging
Dufour is hoping that your search will lead
you to its new Drakkar 24. Essentially
shes a big dinghy with a ballasted
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
centreplate, aimed at clubs and sailing
schools as well as people who want a
boat thats roomy, light, forgiving,
undemanding to sail and easy to trail,
launch and recover. At the same time she
was designed to be sufciently engaging
to be fun to race.
Weighing a mere 1,900lb (870kg), the
Drakkar has a swinging centreplate rather
than a vertically-lifting daggerboard, and a
cockpit with room for eight. She has no
mainsheet traveller (though one is shown
in the early photographs) and a
conventional mainsail with a high boom
and a conservative amount of roach that
allows the use of a backstay.
Combined with the rig of modest size,
the moderately proportioned hull and the
single rudder, it sends out a clear
message: she should be reasonably fast
but denitely not furious. I will come to the
systems and details, but rst: how does
she sail? If a boat like this doesnt behave
as shes designed to, the rest is academic.

The powerful backstay is useful to have but the emphasis is on simplicity when it comes
to rig and sail controls. The main and jib halyards pass through clutches on the mast
The rig is modestly proportioned, but the spinnaker got the Drakkar going nicely
downwind. She hops up on the plane readily and goes well to windward too
After several weeks of waiting for a
suitable day, we nally found one and
assembled at the Hamble River ofce of
the Dufour distributor, Universal Yachting.
The combined experience of the team on
board covered everything from top-level
regattas and championships to family
cruising, and encompassed boats of
almost every conceivable description. It
was good to hear what others had to say
as well, though naturally we all have our
pet likes and dislikes.
What everyone was happy with was the
boats performance in broad terms.
Umberto Felci, who has been Dufours
designer of choice for some years now,
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
has undoubtedly done a good job. The
boat was responsive, nicely balanced,
comfortably stiff and quick enough to
satisfy most people with realistic
expectations, clocking high 4s to low 5s
upwind in a Solent chop kicked up by a
southwesterly 14-17 knots. As you might
expect, she had a pretty wide groove on
the wind to make life easy for the helm,
but still let you know when you hit the
sweet spot.
Secure cockpit
Like some sportsboats, the Drakkar is
designed for sitting in: low stanchions and
a single guardwire preclude hiking and
DRAKKAR 24
Removing slop between rudder and stock
would make the steering more positive
also make the cockpit more secure for the
young, older or nervous. Accordingly,
there are no toestraps or opportunities for
athleticism. The further outboard you can
get your weight, the more powerful a boat
will be, but thats not the point here.
She had plenty of righting moment in
any event with four of us on the high side.
On port tack the chop presented more of
a challenge and forced us to sail a little
deeper than on starboard, so we kept the
rig powered up and she punched through
the seas with no complaints and without
throwing a lot of spray in our faces.
With no traveller, you would need to
make more use of the kicker in a breeze
(and, of course, the backstay, which many
sportsboats dont have). As it comes, the
kickers purchase is minimal and I would
want to increase it substantially. Thats
easy enough to do.
Otherwise the systems seemed to work
as they should. The 2:1 sheets for the
close-sheeting jib are taken to blocks on
long tracks along the inboard edges of the
seats. Main and jib halyards pass through
clutches on the mast. From there they can
be led aft for tensioning by a Lewmar 15
winch forward of the mainsheet that also
helps raise the centreplate. Weighing
660lb (300kg) and giving the boat a
healthy but unextreme draught when
down of just under 5ft (1.5m), the
centreplate accounts for over a third of the
boats weight. When its raised, she could
oat on a wet lawn.
Thankfully the plate doesnt bang
around in the case. Not everything about it
works quite so well, however: theres a lot
of glugging and splashing when the
boats under way and water streams in
continuously through the various
apertures in the case. The raised cockpit
sole makes sure it drains straight out
through the open transom, but it does
mean you wont remain dryshod unless
youre wearing boots.
A fully-retracting centreplate makes far
more sense than a daggerboard on a boat
of this nature when it comes to beaching,
27
 BOAT TEST
Long seats and an uncluttered cockpit create a lot of space. The boom is high, theres no traveller and guardwires add security
launching from a trailer and sailing in
shallow water. Full marks here. On the
other hand, since a long centreplate slot is
an inevitable consequence, I dont
understand why Dufour hasnt tted a slot
gasket to reduce the volume of water
being dragged along inside the case.
Dinghies t them for good reason. A
gasket should make the boat both drier
and faster (and quieter too). If youre
sailing a dinghy, or a sportsboat with a
daggerboard, wet-footed sailing is to be
expected. I would suggest that with this
boat it might not be appreciated and is
largely avoidable.
DRAKKAR 24 TECH SPEC
Price: from approx 25,000
LOA: 23ft 0in (7.00m)
LWL: 22ft 2in (6.75m)
Beam: 8ft 4in (2.54m)
Draught centreplate up: 0ft 8in (0.20m)
centreplate down: 4ft 11in (1.50m)
Light displacement: 1,918lb (870kg)
Centreplate weight: 661lb (300kg)
Sail area (main & jib): 287.5sq ft (26.70sq m)
Engine: Outboard, 3-5hp or electric
RCD category: C (8 crew)/D (10 crew)
Designer: Umberto Felci
Builder: Dufour, France
Distributor: Universal Yachting
www.universalyachting.com
28
If you want to do things properly when
not in danger of hitting the bottom, you
insert the large screw that would stop the
plate crashing back into the case in the
event of a knock-down.
A lot of slop
Something else I would like to see
improved is the rudder assembly. The
blade lifts vertically through an open stock
and has two plastic screws intended to
stop it wobbling around, one acting
laterally at the bottom of the stock and
one fore-and-aft at the top. The
trouble is that they dont really
do their job: there was still a
good deal of slop. Wedging a
piece of cloth (all we had
readily to hand) between the
blade and the top of the
stock made little difference.
To me, the whole rudder
and tiller assembly felt
slightly spongey and
didnt give the precise
feel I would like. Since
everyone else
thought it was ne,
such thoughts are
clearly subjective.
That said, I
understand
that Dufour has
since made
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
some design modications on this front.
Tacking, gybing and manoeuvring was
straightforward. Theres plenty of space
for the helmsman between the shortish
tiller and the 5:1 mainsheet, and a decent
gap between the sheet and the kicker too.
Once you bear away to set the
asymmetric spinnaker (on the options list,
along with a symmetrical alternative) you
pull out the pole that retracts into a recess
in the foredeck, and hoist the kite from its
turtle. Our test boat had a hank-on jib that
had to be dropped and tidied up to keep it
out of the water. While thats common
practice on sportsboats, the Facnor
FlatDeck furling system due to be tted
later (together with a laminate jib) would
make life easier.
Under spinnaker there was just enough
wind to get the boat on to a semi-plane at
times. We werent watching the GPS but
must have been doing an easy 10 knots
and perhaps peaking at a little more.
Control downwind was ne as long as we
didnt try to sail too shy which, of course,
we did once or twice just to explore the
limits. When you nd them, the rudder
loads up rapidly before much of the blade
comes out of the water as the boat heels
over and rounds up.
While Dufour is rejigging the rudder
assembly, it might consider making the
blade a little deeper and giving it some
more balance.

Locker lid/seats give access to stowage,
though you may have to move people rst
The Drakkar is intended for multiple roles
as evidenced by the anchor locker
Dropping the spinnaker down the hatch
forward of the mast is simple enough.
Theres plenty of room in the bow
compartment for other things as well,
though of course you wouldnt want much
weight so far forward and anything in
there is liable to get wet when a kite is
stuffed down on top.
Another hatch in the stern leads into a
sizeable space under the cockpit. This is
where you nd the bilge pump, which
was needed on this boat because much
of the water that sloshed through the
centreplate case came straight in here
over the top of the bulkhead supporting
the aft end of the case.
Above-deck stowage is beneath the
cockpit seats, which are formed by
sub-mouldings. Access to the stowage
space, running the entire length of the
seats, is via lids all of 5ft (1.5m) long. An
outboard motor such as the Torqeedo on
the test boat will easily t in. Circular
inspection hatches on the inboard side of
the seat mouldings just abaft the mast
open into the same space. Given the
length of the seats, you might otherwise
have to disturb several people to get at
your sandwiches. It would perhaps make
more sense to create some separate
smaller compartments further forward,
reached via hinged hatches, so you dont
end up hunting for those sandwiches as
they slide along the lockers 12ft length.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
The forestay attachment allows the spinnaker pole to be on the centreline
You could do this on one side and leave
the other as it is for stowing anything
longer.
Further inspection hatches on the
outboard side of the seat mouldings open
into the main hull. Its very modular
construction, making use of plenty of
sealant between the various mouldings.
The outboard motor, incidentally, ts on
a transom bracket to port. As bets a
French boat designed to appeal to sailing
schools, theres also a socket on the
starboard side for a sculling oar.
Capable kit
In terms of construction and equipment,
everything appears to have been put
together reasonably solidly. Mouldings are
neat and the stainless steel work looks
good (at least it did when new).
Investigating inside the bow compartment
and beneath the cockpit reveals a
reassuring number of stringers, bulkheads
and stiffening members. Fittings appear to
be up to the job (the under-powered
kicker notwithstanding), spars are from
Z Spars and the sails come from the
Elvstrom loft.
The outboard bracket and the teak on
the cockpit seats are included in the
Croisire Pack or available separately. A
Voyage Pack includes a trailer, deck
cover and rudder cover, while the Pack
Course gives you laminate sails and the
asymmetric spinnaker but still no
mainsheet traveller. Our test boat had all
three packs, taking the price before
delivery to just under 36,000 (based on
the exchange rate at the time of writing,
though Universal Yachting sell in euros).
Early photographs show a traveller,
which would help control of the mainsail.
A bridle might work as a simpler and
much less expensive alternative as long
as the kicker is up to the job.
Dufours priority appears to be on
keeping the layout clear and simple for
DRAKKAR 24
sailing schools it has already formed an
alliance with the French Sailing
Association but a bridle would allow the
boat to full dual roles and satisfy those
who would value the extra efciency.
PBO VERDICT
The Drakkar seems well suited for what
shes designed to do: shes roomy,
stable, simple and forgiving. Shes also
sufciently sprightly to be fun to sail,
thinking nothing of slipping along at
8 knots on a two-sail reach. Youll have
fun leaving 35ft cruising yachts in
your wake.
For all her positive attributes, in my
view theres still plenty of unrealised
potential. Improvements to the rudder
assembly and centreplate case would
undoubtedly make her faster, drier,
more rewarding and more responsive
to sail. Preventing so much (or
preferably any) water getting inside the
hull would be a good idea too.
Our test model was an early example
and no doubt Dufour will be addressing
these points.
The Drakkar is not designed to be as
sporty or precise as the Seascape 24,
for example (see PBO August 2017).
Since the Seascape has a cabin, shes
perhaps not directly comparable. The
Seascape is also appreciably more
expensive and its easy to see why,
though comparisons between
the two boats are interesting given
their similarities.
If you want an open daysailer of
this size thats competitively priced
and neither a sportsboat nor a
modern classic, there are few
alternatives available in the UK.
The Drakkar is different and she
certainly shows promise.
29
 LONDON BOAT SHOW

More than 300 exhibitors from across the

marine sector will be at the show

All pictures onEdition

The boats will still be the stars of the show

The new London Boat Show

promises to pack a punch
Running alongside the main show will
Yachts, motorboats, RIBS and dinghies PLUS be the Boating & Watersports Holiday
Show and Bespoke London. The new
legends from the world of sailing and adventure Lock & Waterside Pub will celebrate the
UKs inland waterways and the Broads in

T
he newly formatted London
Boat Show will be a
celebration of everything you
can do on the water.
Running for ve days from
Wednesday 10th to Sunday 14th January
at ExCeL in London, it will include more
than 300 exhibitors.
New this year will be the Practical Boat
Owner Theatre (stand LB012), which will
be conducted from the deck of a fully
rigged Westerly Centaur.
Sailing personalities and equipment
experts will be presenting illustrated talks
throughout the ve days, targeted at
practical cruising sailors of all levels.
Conrmed speakers include the pilot
book author, Rod Heikell, and Stokey
Woodall, the renowned celestial navigator.
Both will be there to pass on tips on getting
the most enjoyment from ocean voyaging.
Channel 4
PBO columnists Sam Llewellyn and Stuart
Davies, along with budget boating guru
David Selby and PBO editor Rob Melotti,
will also be on stage. The theatre is
opposite the Time Inc stand LC014, where
youll nd the latest PBO subscription deals
as well exclusive show prizes.
In addition, there will be talks at the new
Legends Theatre. Conrad Humphreys, the
professional yachtsman who led the
recreation of Captain Blighs epic
4,000-mile voyage as Mutiny skipper for
Channel 4, will be sharing his experiences
of sailing in the Pacic. And Zeb Soanes,
the BBC Radio 4 newsreader, who is best
known as the voice of the Shipping
Forecast, will be discussing what it is like
to share this vital information with sailors.
The Ocean Brothers Jude Massey and
Dr Greg Bailey will also be speaking to
show visitors direct from their boat as they
undertake their row across the Atlantic,
Norfolk, with displays of narrowboats,
while the Beach Club & Activity Pool will
provide the chance to learn about dinghy
sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding.
Sail Scotland, Cosmos Sailing and
Sunseeker will be among the exhibitors at
the holiday show. As usual, there will be
plenty of chances to socialise at the Black
& White and the all-new Yachtsmans bars.
There will be late night opening on
Thursday 11 January.
BOAT SHOW INFO
 The show will open daily from 10am
to 6pm, from Wednesday 10
January to Sunday 14 January, with
late night opening until 8pm on
Thursday, 11 January.
 Get two tickets for the price of
one with code: EPTOG8GMKP
 Up to two children 15 years and

Paddleboarding fun in the
Activity Pool
unsupported, from Gran Canaria to
Barbados to raise funds in memory of
their father and stepfather.
Boats will still be at the centre of the
show and Jeanneau has conrmed the
debut of its Sun Odyssey 440. Beneteau,
Churchouse Boats, Cornish Crabbers,
Hobie Cat, English Harbour Yachts and
Nestaway Boats will also be exhibiting,
ABOVE
Conrad along with the likes of Sunseeker, Princess
Humphreys Yachts, Prestige, Fairline and Ribeye.
under can gain access to the show
with every standard adult ticket
presented.
 Tickets will also give you entry to the
Boating & Watersports Holiday
Show and Bespoke London, which
are running alongside the London
Boat Show.
 More information at
www.londonboatshow.com

30 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

 PRACTICAL

Rebuilding a seized
Yanmar 1GM10 engine
Boat owner Barri Hopkins shows how he and engineer Alan Cowper
resuscitated a seized motor without spending too much hard cash

T
his tale relates to an engine
widely found in small boats
and very often in Hunters
this one in a Hunter 26.
Although were dealing with a specic
engine model, the Yanmar 1GM10, the
principles will apply to most raw-water
cooled marine engines.
This engine in Northern Light had always
been difcult to start, and after a period of
10 years laid up it would, unsurprisingly,
not even turn over.
A recently retired engineering friend of
mine, Alan Cowper, relished the challenge
of getting the engine to run again, and so
the pair of us started work.
Having managed to free the valves by
copious soaking in WD40 and then
applying gentle persuasion with a
soft-faced hammer, the next task was to
free the piston.
We removed the injector and sprayed in
copious quantities of WD40. Vigorous
rocking of the crankshaft via a 37mm
socket and a long tommy bar began to
produce a little movement. We then
introduced engine oil into the cylinder and
the injector was replaced. More rocking of
the crankshaft caused hydraulicing which
slowly forced the oil down past the piston
rings, thus lubricating the bore.
Once the decompressed engine was
able to be turned over smoothly, the old
fuel was ushed out of the fuel line by
The Hunter 26 Northern Light
providing a temporary feed to the primary
owned by Barri Hopkinss
fuel lter from a fresh can of diesel via a daughter and son-in-law
length of clean hose.

And after a good deal of cranking and

protest, the engine red up once again
and once it was going it ran reasonably
happily. But restarting was still as difcult
as ever.

Elbow trouble
The next step was to remove the exhaust
injector elbow, a well-known source of
trouble on the 1GM10. It is designed to
pass cooling water over an inner pipe
carrying the hot exhaust gasses, while
preventing water from entering the
cylinder. This one did neither the weld
Cleaned up and with
a fresh coat of paint it joining the two pipes had failed, and both
looks good as new tubes had completely separated. The
Motor seized on the inside and rusted on the outside elbow was of stainless steel not a

32 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

 YANMAR ENGINE REBUILD

ABOUT THE BOAT

Northern Light, a Hunter Horizon 26,
was bought by Barri Hopkinss
daughter and son-in-law at the
Tollesbury Boat Show in October
2006. After work to meet a surveyors
recommendations, she was
launched in early 2007 and sailed on
the Essex and Suffolk rivers. The
engine was always difcult to start,
but the problem was manageable.
Then in 2008, an opportunity arose
for the couple to work abroad for two
years and the boat was laid up in a
West Mersea yard with the
expectation of being re-launched two
years later. But nine years passed
before they returned to the UK... Blown head gasket resulted in water etching a pit into the face of the engine block and
just look at the state of the badly pitted piston crown

Inner and outer sections of the old
exhaust elbow had separated
Yanmar original, we understand so we
guessed it must have been replaced at
some time. Unfortunately this failure
meant water had probably entered the
cylinder, so we removed the cylinder head
to check it out.
The rst damage noted was to the
piston, which apart from being heavily
carbonised, was also badly corroded,
almost certainly caused by salt water.
Blown head gasket
The head gasket had also blown, causing
a small pit to be etched into the face of the
block. The cylinder head itself was at,
though, showing no sign of burning and
required only atting off on 100-grit wet
and dry on a dead at surface.
Before investigating further we decided
to remove the engine from the boat. Since
no mechanical aids were available, the
engine it weighs only 76kg was
stripped of the alternator, starter motor
and gearbox and was manhandled out of
the boat. No mean feat for two guys
whose years totalled nearly 150!
Once home, closer examination
revealed that the face of the exhaust port
was badly corroded, undoubtedly caused
by salt water seeping down between the
engine block and the gasket. Oddly, there
were two gaskets tted.
The internal anode, which should have
been a greyish colour, was still largely
intact, but was covered in a crust of
carbon from the exhaust gasses which
had been blown into the water jacket. In
fact, this effect could prove to be a simple
indicator if head gasket problems are
suspected in a 1GM10.
The valves and seats showed only
minimal wear, as did the cylinder bore,
crankshaft journals and big-ends. We
reground in the valves, but the bearings
needed no attention.
While the head was off, we cleaned
inside the water jacket as best we could

The face of the cylinder head after it had been atted Once stripped, the engine could be manhandled out of the boat

There was plenty of damage on the head around the exhaust port Internal anode was coated in a crust of exhaust carbon

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 33

 PRACTICAL
A simple rig was set up to test whether
the exhaust elbow had any leaks
Pinhole corrosion in the internal tube of the exhaust elbow meant it had to be replaced
by poking around with screwdrivers and
stiff spiral brushes.
When the blow side of a vacuum
cleaner was applied to the anode orice,
all manner of debris was ejected from
other water jacket openings.
The jacket drain tap and tting were
completely blocked, which almost
certainly meant the engine had been
running with very limited cooling.
Major repairs
The major items that needed repair were:
a broken exhaust elbow, a badly scarred
piston, some heavy corrosion on the
exhaust port in the cylinder head and a
small burn pit in the engine block face.
SUMP PLUG WARNING
Much has been written about the
sump drain plug on the 1GM10.
Remove this at your peril because
the plugs primary purpose appears
to be, with the aid of a spring, to hold
the strainer for the oil pump in place.
Remove the sump plug and the
strainer will spring out of line.
Sump
plug
Oil pump spring
strainer
Sump showing oil pump strainer and
retaining spring arrangement
34
New stainless steel exhaust elbow was
bought from America for 111
The scarred piston had to be replaced at a
cost of 133, but we managed to repair
most of the other damage.
Exhaust elbow
The broken elbow was re-welded by a
local engineering workshop for 25,
though it did need another ash to cure a
slight weep revealed by a simple test rig
we set up. However, a further test then
indicated that the inner pipe was actually
perforated, so in the end we bit the bullet
and ordered a stainless steel replacement
from America, at a cost of 111.
In fact, the failure of this elbow led me to
remove the elbow on the 1GM10 in my
own Leisure 23SL. Although the face of
the exhaust port was not as badly
corroded as that on Northern Light, the
test rig showed pin-holing of the inner
pipe, so another 111 winged its way to
the US.
Exhaust port
The scarring on the exhaust port face was
degreased and thoroughly cleaned up
using a small cutter in a Dremel. Since this
joint does not have to withstand high
pressures it was lled using JBWeld Steel
Reinforced Epoxy. This product is claimed
to withstand a temperature of 285C, and
there is extensive evidence on the internet
of its successful use in automotive repairs.
When cured it was atted, revealing an
apparently effective repair.
Engine block
The next item for consideration was the
small pit on the top of the engine block.
This had been caused by the gasket
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Steel-reinforced epoxy was applied to the
exhaust port face...
... and resulted in a solid, gas-tight face
when atted off
GASKET FLAME RING
The head gasket consists of
Halite-type material with a steel shim
plate covering the whole upper
surface of the gasket. The edges of
the plate are folded back on
themselves, effectively forming a
tube which seals the cylinder and
protects the gasket material from the
combustion ame.
protection ame ring (see panel, above)
splitting on its internal circumference,
allowing the combustion ame to pass
through the split and to burn both the
gasket material and the engine block as it
exited into the water gallery.
The conventional approach would be to
have the block skimmed to remove the
indentation and the piston shaved to
prevent it hitting the now-lowered cylinder
head. This would have meant stripping the
engine down to the bare block, two round
trips to a distant engineering workshop,
and more new gaskets.
But cleaning out the pit with a cutter in a
Dremel revealed there was actually some
metal left between the water jacket and
cylinder bore, that the deepest part of the
pit was away from the bore, and that the
register for the ame ring was only slightly
marked. In the light of these ndings, we
considered that JBWeld epoxy should
once again prove to be a permanent and
cost-effective solution.
This approach could provoke the
comment What a bodge up!, but the
decision was not made lightly. Not only

Steel-reinforced epoxy was considered
strong enough for the block repair
had our research on the internet shown
that this product had been used
successfully in the automotive industry for
long-term repairs, but we were also
drawing on Alans lengthy and rst-hand
experience of using a similar product.
Repairs to Volvo six-cylinder engines
which had suffered corrosion between the
two cylinder heads had proved successful
in the long term, as had his repair to a
large torque converter casing where a
loose bolt had indirectly caused the main
oil gallery to burst.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Finished engine is craned back aboard
Northern Light at the boatyard
Temporary sloping platform allowed the
engine to simply slide back into place
So the burned pit in our head was
thoroughly degreased, the ller was
applied and, once cured, was atted off to
make an effective repair.
Back together again
The engine was then re-assembled with
new lters, hoses and copper washers,
and although having complete faith in the
work done, we decided to run it up on a
test bed at home before reinstalling it on
the boat.
The whole unit was cleaned up and
YANMAR ENGINE REBUILD
The rebuilt engine
is plumbed up for a
test run before being
reinstalled in the boat
given a few coats of spray paint a vast
difference from the sick, rusty heap we
hauled out of the boat.
The engine started rst time and ran
smoothly. The only slight hiccup was a
weep from the water pump shaft, so the
seals were subsequently replaced.
The lift back into the boat was done by
the yards crane. To facilitate this task, and
to make easier the job of placing the
engine on its beds, a sloping platform was
fabricated on which the lowered engine
sat on its sump. Careful measurement had
ensured that the engine could then simply
be slid aft onto its beds. Job done!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Barri Hopkins sailed the
shallow waters of the East
Coast creeks and rivers for
the past 27 years, mostly
single-handed. He learned
to sail in his rst boat, a twin-keel
Seawych, but advancing years
demanded standing headroom and an
inboard engine, so he graduated to the
Leisure 23SL which he still has today.
Aged 14, Alan Cowper
helped build, and then
sailed, a Mirror dinghy at
school. In 1975, he installed
a Petter Mini 12 in a friends
wooden boat and sailed this in the
waters around Mersea Island. More
recently, he has again cruised the
Mersea waters this time in Barris
Leisure 23SL, Funadama.
35
 Ask the experts
Got a question? Email pbo@timeinc.com
CORROSION
End of life for ttings
Q This is our 12th season
with our Jeanneau Sun
Odyssey 32 which we bought
new in early 2006. We cruise
mainly in the Irish Sea and
western Scotland areas from
a marina berth in Dublin.
The boat has never been out
of the water other than for
annual anode replacement
and antifouling.
We replaced our headsail
and running rigging in the
past two years and I now want
to set the boat up for,
hopefully, a further 12 years
of trouble-free sailing.
What areas I should be
investing in?
Bryan Downey,
by email
COLIN BROWN REPLIES:
After 12 years there are a
number of places where
corrosion could be working
away on your boat. If youre
considering a ret it might be
helpful to get a local surveyor to
take a look to give you some
specic advice. Choose a
surveyor who is happy to meet
you at the boat after the survey
so you can discuss the ndings.
This is too big a subject to
comment on every possible
place where corrosion may be
an issue so Ill concentrate on
general principles and two
metal types in particular: copper
alloys and stainless steels.
Copper alloys are commonly
found on modern production
THE PBO EXPERTS
SEA SAFETY SEALING AND
Keith Colwell is BONDING
author of the Gareth Ross is
RYA Sea Survival Sika UKs Marine
Handbook Market Field
Specialist
36
boats as brasses and bronzes
in through-hull ttings and
propellers. Components on all
boats built after 1998 have to
comply with the Recreational
Craft Directive which sets
minimum standards for
materials among other things.
With through-hull ttings the
minimum standard requires
them to last for only ve years.
In reality many last longer but
at 12 years old all of yours
should get some attention.
All of them should be taken
apart so you can get a really
good look at the nooks and
crannies not normally
accessible. The main danger
sign is a change of colour
caused by selective loss of the
zinc content from the brass.
The pink colour on the copper
left behind is very distinctive as
shown in Figure 1. You can see
it has been leaking by the white
crusting around it. Here the skin
tting snapped off in my hand
while the boat was aoat you
can see the bung in the hole in
the background!
If any parts give any cause for
concern then replace them.
The cost is small compared to
the damage that a failure could
cause. Replace with bronze or
dezincication resistant brass
(DZR) which may be marked as
CR for corrosion resistant (see
Figure 2).
All underwater ttings should
be inspected annually and all
valves opened and closed
To ask a question email pbo@timeinc.com and include your address. Pictures are helpful
CRUISING SAILS
Stuart Carruthers Ian Brown of the
is the RYA Cruising International
Manager and has OneSails loft group
sailed extensively is an expert on sails
Heres just a selection of the latest questions from
PBO readers. Email or write to the address on
page 5 and our experts will answer your queries
consider is stainless steel,
often found on standing
rigging, guard wires, deck
ttings and fasteners.
Stainless steel also has a
specic set of corrosion types
including pitting, crevice
corrosion and stress corrosion
cracking. Wherever there are
enclosed parts such as under
Figure 1 Note the pink, coppery nuts and washers, swages
colour where this dezincied
tting was easily snapped off and complex shapes there is
potential for water to collect
and low oxygen levels in the
water at the bottom of such a
crevice can initiate corrosion
that can be destructive and
not immediately visible. Rust
stains are the most obvious
warning signs and any
components that have rust on
them should be removed and
Figure 2 CR (corrosion inspected closely. Bolts, nuts
resistant) marked hose tail and other small ttings should
be replaced and sealed to
keep water out as much as
possible. Figure 3 shows bolts
holding a rudder pintle to the
transom with a classic
seawater leak leading to
corrosion in stainless steel.
Standing rigging is a special
case and at 12 years old
yours is getting towards the
Figure 3 Rust staining on these end of its lifespan.
rudder pintle bolts classic
symptoms of corroded stainless Corrosion and fatigue are
not necessarily visible so
monthly to stop them getting too rigging gets a lifespan, often
stiff. The same type of corrosion quoted as 10 years but in
can affect propellers which are coastal cruising 12-15 years
often made of manganese should be considered a
bronze a brass prone to reasonable life. Take the mast
dezincication unless protected down and have a rigger
by a sacricial anode. inspect all parts of the rig and
The second and most plan for replacement in the
common metal type to next two or three years.
MASTS & RIGS SURVEY AND ELECTRICS ENGINES
Mike Coates worked CORROSION Paul Holland is Stu Davies has
in the spar and Colin Brown runs part-chair of the a background in
rigging business for a marine survey and BMEEA and MD of engineering in the
many years consultancy company, Energy Solutions coal and oil field
CB Marine Services (UK) industries
Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk
 ASK THE EXPERTS

ENGINE EXHAUST Anti-siphon

or T-piece

Water in Normal sea 12 inches

the engine water level minimum

worries Waterlock
mufer

Q Ive decided that one of

my jobs this winter
should be to install an
anti-syphon valve since my
engine is well and truly below
the waterline.
Having looked at the
suggested installation by a
well-known manufacturer, Ive
wondered whether a simpler,
cheaper but possibly equally
effective installation may do
the trick?
This would involve tapping
into my injection elbow from
the heat exchanger to the
exhaust with a single tube
(tted vertically up from the
elbow and satisfying the 40cm
above the line requirement),
which in turn has a non-return
valve somewhere along its
length. So when the gases
inside the exhaust cool and
contract enough to create a
syphon effect, air is drawn in
through the non-return valve,
releasing the negative
pressure formed.
You may well say: what if
the syphon effect is so
powerful that somehow water
from the water lock (which I
drain very regularly) is drawn
up the exhaust? Then Im
really stuck, I suppose!
Stelios,
by email
STU DAVIES REPLIES: If Ive
got this right, I think the idea is
based on the assumption that
cooling components cause a
suction-effect that sucks back
cooling sea water from the
silencer water trap. Im not sure
this is the case and you may be
trying to solve a problem that
doesnt exist!
The exhaust gases push raw
water out of the silencer water
trap and along the exhaust hose
until it exits the boat. Theres
usually a loop in this hose which
gives it some height for the
water to go over and out. This is
where the characteristic blub,
blub, blub comes from as the
exhaust gases create enough
pressure to push out slugs of
raw cooling water. If this loop
isnt high enough then sea
water can come back along
the hose and ood the engine
when the boat is heeled.
The silencers water trap
plays a part here as well in
acting as a reservoir to absorb
some ow back. High rise
elbows are an option, playing
a part in the system by raising
the height of the exhaust at
the engine, in relation to the
hull. If youre concerned then
perhaps take a look at the
diagram as well as checking
the height of your exhaust as
it traverses the hull.

COLREGS

Shed light on confusion called the

steaming light.
An all-round
A sailing vessel underway is
required to exhibit sidelights
and a stern light. In a sailing

Q Could you please clarify

the COLREG rules
regarding steaming lights?
My Hunter Horizon 27 has
never had a dedicated
steaming light tted to the
mast from new. It has a
masthead tri-colour and
anchor light, and there is a
bi-colour tted on the bow
and a stern white at deck
height. All these are ne
under sail, but under motor is
it preferable to travel with the
lower nav lights on?
Robert Smithyman,
Grimsby
STUART CARRUTHERS
REPLIES: Theres often
confusion about what is a
steaming light and a masthead
light. The proper terms dened
in COLREG are masthead light
and all-round light. COLREG
doesnt dene a steaming light.
A masthead light means a
white light placed over the
fore-and-aft centreline of the
vessel showing an unbroken
light over an arc of the horizon
of 225, and xed so as to show
the light from right ahead to
22.5 abaft the beam on either
side of the vessel. This is often
light shows an
unbroken light
over an arc of
the horizon of
360 (often
referred to as
a masthead
light).
A power-driven vessel under
50m in length underway is
required to exhibit a masthead
light forward, sidelights and a
stern light. A power-driven
vessel under 12m may exhibit
sidelights together with an
all-round white light in lieu of
the masthead and stern lights.
vessel of less than 20m in
length these lights may be
combined in one lantern at or
near the top of the mast where
it can best be seen.
I dont know how old your
boat is, but provided the
various lights can be
independently switched on
and off you should be able to
select the correct combination
for motoring or sailing. If you
wish to use the sidelights and
stern light while motoring then
you need to t a masthead
light on the mast, on the
boats centreline.

50 of the most frequently asked boating questions are answered by our experts on the PBO website. Visit www.pbo.co.uk

GAS FITTING PAINT AND YACHT DESIGN TOILETS AND TRAILER- ELECTRONICS BOATBUILDING WOOD
Peter Spreadborough, ANTIFOULING Andrew Blyth is a PLUMBING SAILING Chris Ellery of Tony Davies has Richard Hare is a
of Southampton Richard Jerram is naval architect with Karl Sutcliffe of Lee Colin Haines is a Greenham-Regis been building and wood technologist
Calor Gas Centre, former UK technical interest in stability Sanitation knows design engineer Electronics is a repairing wooden, and long-time
has 20 years in the manager of and buoyancy about holding tanks, who has trailer- former Merchant GRP and steel boats wooden-boat owner
industry International Paint toilets and plumbing sailed for 25 years Navy officer for 40 years

Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk 37

 MONITORING AN ENGINE START BATTERY

Monitoring an engine
start battery
Colin Haines explains how to install a simple voltmeter to check the
condition of your engine start battery to make sure it is t for purpose

A
boats domestic batteries
live in a sort of battery hell,
while the engines starter
battery, on the other hand,
resides in a battery heaven. Unlike
the domestic batteries, it wont be
steadily drained until it is giving up its
life-limiting last 10 per cent by driving
a fridge, nav system, lights and all the
other kit carried on board. The lucky
starter battery gives up a fraction of its
stored energy as a massive discharge
in the few seconds needed to start
the engine, after which the engines
alternator immediately feeds the
power back in again gently.
Devices exist that will monitor both the
current taken out of an engines starter
battery when it is used to start the engine,
and the current delivered back into it when
the engine is running. However, the
amount generated by an alternator is All info is on hand with regard to engine battery voltage on this auxiliary switch panel
much less than that drawn by a starter
motor. In fact, before the starter motor Electronics (www.lascarelectronics.com). it would take well over two years to drain a
starts to turn, it is almost like a dead short It has just two wires (red/positive and typical 60 amp-hour battery if left on.
between the battery terminals. Measuring black/negative) to connect to the battery. Nevertheless, I installed an 8A rocker
these gures is not difcult, but because Fixing it in place requires a 5.5 or 6mm switch into the circuit to disconnect it
the battery charge power is much lower, diameter mounting hole to be drilled. The when not needed.
displaying it accurately can be. supplied wires are not really long enough After installing, ensure the voltage
The germane question is there enough to run between a starter battery and a displayed by the meter is the true voltage
energy in the battery to start the engine switch panel beside a navigation station, of the battery by taking a measurement
can be answered with a much simpler bit so they will most likely need extending. taken directly across the batterys terminal
of kit: a voltmeter. It can also reveal if the The tiny amount of current needed to posts with another meter accurately
engines alternator is charging the battery drive the display means that only small calibrated. The displays read-out can
properly, because the voltage should rise size wires are needed, such as those used then be adjusted to match using the tiny
to >13.2V. A rested and fully charged for burglar alarms or telephones. Better screw at the back of the meter.
battery will show 12.8V and anything still, these wires are usually tinned and
below 12.5V may see the battery having carried in an outer sleeve, thus meeting WHAT IS COSTS
difculty starting the engine. the requirement to have two layers of
A constant display of this simple bit of insulation enclosing every core. Being 1 x EMV1200 voltmeter*
valuable information can be acquired small they also lend themselves to being (Lascar) 28.65
without needing a degree in electronics or wriggled through tight spaces and can be 1 x rocker switch (Maplin) 3.00
breaking the bank. The device in the picture secured simply with cable ties. 2 x fuse holders (Maplin) 2.50
is an EMV1200 and is made by Lascar Before you install this handy bit of kit you 2 x 20mm x 100mA
need to consider the consequences of Quickblow fuses 0.44
any damage being done to the wires and 10m x 4-core alarm cable
the risk of a short-circuit starting a re. The (Maplin) 8.50
answer is to install 100mA fuses in both Scrap aluminium and spray paint
the positive and negative wires (caution for switch panel 0
tells you that there is no way of knowing TOTAL 43.09
which wire may get shorted) as near as
possible to the battery, an obvious point to *www.lascarelectronics.com/
connect the extended supply wires. lascar-panel-instrument-emv-1200/
Get the measure of your batterys power All devices consume electricity, but this
with this two-wire, three-digit voltmeter meter needs just 0.003A to work, meaning

38 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

 PRACTICAL
Woven cloth reinforcement
can be used to repair
vessels of all sizes
Reinforcing
a dinghy hull
Glass fabrics are ideal for strengthening
laminates. David Parker describes using
woven cloth to sheathe the inside of a dinghy
M
any of us will probably be
familiar with using polyester
and epoxy systems for general
jobs on board. Typically with polyester
resins this may involve beeng up an
area or bonding in materials using
chopped strand mat and resin. Epoxies
are widely used for coating and when
used with glass tapes they are perfect
for reinforcing epoxy llet joints and
strengthening edge bonds for example.
When it comes to using woven glass
fabrics on a larger scale however, we may
associate that more with sandwich
construction or when sheathing a
strip-planked hull. But these versatile
fabrics, which come in a variety of weaves
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
and weights, are ideal for smaller jobs too.
Once such job is reinforcing an area of
GRP laminate which has been subject to
heavy wear, as was the case with my
workhorse tender. This small open craft
remains on the water pretty well all year
round with the interior subject to all
weathers and constant UV exposure. The
tender is pretty old too and the inside oor
of the dinghy was starting to show
signicant signs of wear.
The original interior sole appears to have
had a gelcoat nish painted directly over
glass bre matting. The result had
produced an irregular surface which was
showing increasing pockets of damage
known as stress cracking. This damage
had the appearance
Step
of star crazing, where
ne cracks radiate out
from a central point.
This was probably
caused by point
by
step
loading as opposed to something more
serious such as impact damage which
tends to show up as longitudinal cracks as
well. The nature of the cracks looked like
they were caused by someones weight on
a weak spot which had caused stressing of
the laminate underneath. The gelcoat
membrane had not been able to take the
pressure and so had cracked as a result.
This was because normally gelcoat is laid
up in a mould and its main function is just
to provide the cosmetic outer skin to the
glass bre or cloth which is then bonded to
it in layers to form the hull structure of the
boat. The mat lay up provides the strength
while the gelcoat gives the smooth, shiny
visible exterior surface.
Stress cracking
Once bonded in, gelcoat offers reasonable
abrasion resistance but being essentially a
brittle membrane it can be vulnerable to
damage, particularly from impact. In the
case of my tender where gelcoat had been
used as an internal nishing coat, the
irregular surface it was bonded to had left it
prone to extensive cracking over time,
particularly because the lightweight internal
oor is subject to exing.
On an external hull when you get gelcoat
star crazing or stress cracking a typical
39
 PRACTICAL

remedy is to grind out the defects which

can then be repaired with either more
PREPARATION
gelcoat or marine ller. However, even on
small areas this is a very dusty job and with Initially it
a small grinder it can be hard to rig up an
1 appears that
effective dust extraction system. gelcoat had been
Alternatively for small sections you can painted directly on
vee the cracks with the corner of a sharp top of the glass bre
chisel and this provides enough of a key lay up. This produced
for the repair material. an irregular surface
But with a large area like the interior of the which was now
tender, the numerous local repairs required covered by many
would have been impractical. I also thought layers of aking paint.
that the amount of grinding back needed to
carry this out could have further weakened
the thin laminate of the dinghy. My
preferred option was to provide a new
internal hull skin altogether. To achieve this
required the existing sole to be thoroughly
abraded, and I could then sheath the whole
lower interior with a new layer of woven
glass cloth and epoxy. This would both
solve the problem of the damage and
provide a strong, rigid new sole to the Where the paint
dinghy. Heres how I did it and the same
2 had worn thin it
principles outlined below can also be used could be seen that
on other areas of laminate which also there was gelcoat
require strengthening. crazing.

Using masking tape, the area to
3 be repaired was marked out and then
the old layers of paint had to come off. This
was a laborious job which required a
combination of methods (see below).
For repairs to be effective there are
4 no shortcuts to preparation and after
abrading the sole it was thoroughly
cleaned. Use a solvent such as
isopropanol for this and not acetone.
The previous masking tape was
5 removed and replaced with a clean
double layer. This would save time later as
shown opposite.

CLEANING UP
With so many layers
of paint, cleaning and
preparing the surface was
a long job. Paint removal
was carried out using an
orbital power sander, a
mini grinder and by hand
using a sanding block
with 60 grit reduction
paper. However, even the
combined force of these
didnt achieve the results
required and none of
the abrasive techniques
managed to fully penetrate
all the grooves and small
hollows in the original
lay up.
For this it was back
to working by hand. The
most effective tool I found
for thoroughly cleaning
the most irregular areas
of the glass mat surface
was a Bahco 625 scraper
tted with a pear carbide
blade. For the nest work
up against edges etc
the end with the smaller
radius was ideal; for the
rest of the time I used the
larger round end. It was a
slow method but the only
one I found to achieve the
level of clean up required
for successful bonding of
the cloth. Working by hand
also caused a lot less dust
than the other methods
and did not reduce the
thickness of the laminate
more than necessary.

40 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

 WINTER PROJECT

BEGINNING THE LAY UP

A 300g per sq m biaxial glass cloth
6 1270mm wide was used to be laid all
in one piece. Initially the sheet was cut to
length for positioning allowing 50mm each
at each end for shrinkage when wetted out.
To prevent the cut out piece of glass When the cloth was taped in position
7 cloth from slipping it was taped in
8 the edges were marked for trimming
position. again allowing for about 50mm shrinkage
when wetted out with epoxy.

The cloth was then trimmed to the It would be easiest with a sheet this
9 marked line just above the tape.
10 size to do it in fore and aft sections.
With the aft securely held with tape the
front part of the cloth was rolled back.
Using a roller the front section was
11 then primed with epoxy. A medium
cure epoxy resin system was used to allow
plenty of working time.

FINAL WETTING OUT

This shows the back section
13 completed and note that the glass
cloth has to be thoroughly wetted out to
ensure uniform penetration of the resin.
The front section was then completed
14 in the same way with the epoxy
coating taken just above the lower edge of
the masking tape.
A wet on wet coating system was
15 used so when the rst epoxy coat
was just getting tacky a second coat was
applied.

When the epoxy

17 had fully cured the
interior was then given
two coats of deck paint
to complete the job. The
result of the work was a
noticeably stiffer oor
which has provided a
much harder wearing
and more satisfactory
surface
When the epoxy started to cure, a
16 sharp knife was used to trim the cloth
edge just under the masking tape which
was removed at the same time.

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 41

 SEAMANSHIP
As she was: Jenn-Oh
during the Round the
Island Race in 2013,
when she struggled
on the upwind legs
Rening a rig
After helping an owner get his Jeanneau going
better to windward, David Harding returns to
see the effects of some new improvements
S
ometimes you have to be
cruel to be kind. When, back
in 2014, I saw the mainsail on
Peter Kewishs Jeanneau
Sun Way 21, I found it hard
to be polite about it. In fact, as Peter
reminded me, I recommended it be
recycled as a dust sheet.
In the end it did rather better than that,
nding a home with someone who wanted
a nautically-themed shower curtain
complete with sail numbers. So everyone
was happy and the modest sum Peter
made from the deal went towards the one
thing without which his boat would never
sail properly: a new mainsail.
During our outing three years ago (see
PBO April 2015) we discussed many ways
in which the boats balance and
performance could be improved. In the
42
space of a couple of hours in Poole
Harbour before the rain and wind swept
in, we had limited opportunity to improve
matters but covered enough ground to
satisfy ourselves that Jenn-Oh could be
encouraged to sail a great deal better than
she had been.
A problem of pointing
As with many boats, Jenn-Ohs problem
was making upwind. She would y along
downwind at an impressive lick, but pace
and pointing on the wind were where she
let herself down.
This had been evident in the Round the
Island Race in 2013: boats she passed
around the back of the island left her
languishing in their wakes on the long
beat to the nish. She pointed lower and
struggled for speed, carrying substantial
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
weather helm at the same time.
Peter had been conscious that the lack
of a mainsheet traveller wasnt helping. He
was also concerned about the way the
headsail was sheeted. Our assessment in
2014 conrmed that both these factors
presented problems.
We found other issues too principally
that the rigging was too slack and that the
mainsail, even though we managed to
improve its shape by some judicious
tweaking, was ready for retirement.
I left Peter with a number of ideas to
consider. Most of them did, unfortunately,
involve spending money, a new mainsail
being at the top of the list.
A permanent solution was also needed
for the headsails sheeting arrangement
to replace our temporary x either that
or a new headsail of a different design
sheeted in a different way, which would
cost rather more.
Another area we addressed was how to
sheet the mainsail. Given that traveller
Jenn-Oh could be
encouraged to sail
better than she had
systems can be expensive and, on a
family boat, in the way as well, I rigged up
a temporary bridle to demonstrate a
low-cost alternative.
And then there was the rigging. I rarely
nd rigging thats as tight as it should be
and on our rst outing I had to set to with
the rigging tools before we could assess
the effects of any other tweaks. Its
impossible to carry out a thorough rig
assessment when youre under way and up
against the clock, so we did what we could
in the time, left the rake as it was and
accepted that more work would be needed.
Time for an update
After our sail I spoke to some sailmakers
to see what ideas they had about the rig in
general and the headsail in particular. The
mainsail simply needed replacing,
whereas the headsails conguration and
sheeting arrangement called for rather
more thought. We left it that Peter would
let me know what he decided to do, on
the understanding that he wasnt keen to
spend more than necessary. It would be
easy to invest more than the value of the
boat in making improvements.
Some owners might have done nothing
further, but Peter covers a fair few miles in
his little boat and was eager to get her
going better, so he didnt just leave it at
that. And thats why Peter, Jenn-Oh and I
met again on the same stretch of water
three years later.
We had more sun and no immediate
threat of wind and rain this time, but still
had to watch the time so Peter could get
back up the river and on to his mooring
before water gave way to mud.
 REFINING A RIG

As she is now: with

her new mainsail and
recongured headsail. The
vertical crease from the top
of the main is because of
the missing top batten

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 43

 SEAMANSHIP

The headsail The original As it is now

This had presented a problem on our last
outing, partly because the sail was getting
old and stretched and also because it
appeared to have appreciably more
overlap than shown on Jeanneaus
original drawings. That might be why it
didnt match the deck hardware.
Since Peter decided to keep it going for
the time being, he adopted a modied
version of the temporary sheeting
arrangement we had xed up last time
with blocks and line.
While having the standing rigging
replaced, he took the opportunity to have
the forestay shortened to reduce the rake.
At the same time, he raised the furling The furling drum was relatively low The furling drum is now 4in (10cm) higher
drum by 4in (10cm), helping the
headsails leech to clear the spreaders
and the foot of the sail to op over the
pulpit. As a bonus, the higher clew
created a better sheeting angle (in the
vertical plane) with the new barber-hauler
arrangement.

A temporary solution

... and the headsail sheet led directly to a

xed block, which was too far inboard with With the raised tack leading to a higher
an overlapping headsail like this and also clew, the barber-hauler can be taken
too far aft in relation to the clew directly to the base of the stanchion

Our makeshift solution with a couple of

blocks and some line

Now the sheeting angle is as good as

were likely to achieve with this sail. The
The result was excessive twist and a sail barber-hauler can be adjusted for
...which greatly improved the set of the sail that lost much of its power ne-tuning upwind or down

44 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

 REFINING A RIG

The mainsail
With a mainsail like she had, it was little
wonder Jenn-Oh had been struggling
upwind: it was more hand-brake than
driving force. As a Dacron sail stretches
with use, not only does it become baggier
but the deepest point (the draft) also
moves aft. A new sail will be cut with its As it was: the mainsail was so hopelessly
draft about a third of the way aft from the stretched that the draft was much closer to
luff towards the leech. Once the draft the leech than to the luff
moves beyond the half-way point as the
cloth stretches a problem principally
with woven fabrics rather than with
laminates the sail generates more heel
and weather helm than forward motion. As
the draft in Jenn-Ohs sail was about
two-thirds of the way aft, she had no
chance. The lightweight sail didnt even
have a bolt-rope to allow the luff to be Taken on starboard tack because of the
and the best that could be done was to
tensioned properly. light, this shot of the new main by Kemp
make it marginally less bad. Without Sails has been ipped for ease of
On our rst outing we pulled what strings camber stripes (contrasting stripes comparison. Camber stripes allow the
we could to improve matters, but there running from luff to leech) its hard to see shape to be read much more easily, though
was only so much we could do. the shape the missing top batten didnt help

Draft Draft

Chord Chord
DIAGRAM 1 In broad terms, a mainsails draft should be between DIAGRAM 2 If the draft creeps closer to the leech like this, and
one-third and half-way back from luff to leech cant be pulled forward (principally by extra luff tension), the sail
has stretched to the point where its no longer efcient

BUDGET SAILS: PROBLEMS AHEAD PBO VERDICT: Whats the difference?

The mainsail that was on
Jenn-Oh when we sailed the
rst time was an example of
how low-quality sails can
prematurely spoil a boats
performance. It was quite old,
and it was certainly cheaply
made. Not tting a bolt-rope is
inexcusable.
This sort of thing is a
common problem, especially
on production boats towards
the lower end of the price
range. Builders often supply
budget sails on the basis that
buyers wont know any better
and wouldnt be prepared to
pay more for the boat if it
came with a decent suit.
Some builders in particular
have a reputation for skimping
on the sails, and it does them
no favours. If, as is often the
case, the boats are on the
tender side to start with, they
will struggle upwind once the
sails start to stretch.
Excessive heel and leeway
and a heavy helm are classic
symptoms in conditions when
the boat should not be
over-powered or need reeng.
Peters sailing experience
always allowed him to get
home, if not as fast as he
would have liked, but anyone
less competent could nd
themselves struggling.
If this sounds familiar, have a
good look at your rig and
sails. If the sails cant be
pulled into a decent shape by
someone with experience of
what to look for, think
seriously about replacements.
Also bear in mind that older
second-hand boats run on a
budget often have cast-off
sails from another type of
boat. There are all sorts of
reasons why they might not
do the job as well as they
should even if they do
appear to t the rig. Headsail
sheeting angles are one of the
most common problems, as is
the type and positioning of
deck hardware.
While beating down the harbour to meet me for our second
sail, Peter found himself out-pointing a slightly larger and much
newer trailable cruiser.
All the things we discussed last time seem to be making a
big difference, he told me. The new main certainly is. Theres
so much more power from it and Im not getting the weather
helm I used to. Its still there, but much reduced.
Something else he has noticed is the ability to make upwind
under mainsail only. It was impossible with the old main.
I saw Jenn-Oh again in last years Round the Island Race,
when she performed appreciably better than she had in 2013.
Much remains that could still be done to get the best from
her. I was wondering whether Peter might have adopted my
idea of a mainsheet bridle, but he couldnt nd a way to make it
work and not get in the way with several people aboard.
The standing rigging needs regular checks to make sure its
up to tension, otherwise the sag in the forestay will hamper
upwind performance.
And then theres the headsail.
Although a good deal more
efcient with the new sheeting
arrangement, its still past its
prime and, more than likely, not
the right sail anyway.
What matters is that the boat
performs so much better than
she did. A new mainsail and
new standing rigging have been
good investments and the other
mods have been done for the
cost of a few second-hand
blocks and some line.

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 45

 PRACTICAL

Getting rid of mould

from Treadmaster

Treadmaster still looked mouldy even

after normal scrubbing and elbow grease

Richard Hare nds a

new much easier
way of clearing fungi
from his deck covering

I
dont know why, but come spring
2017 Keppels Treadmaster was
particularly mouldy. Weve had a
similar problem previously when
weve left her to over-winter in foreign
boatyards. Much less in the Med, as
to be expected, but it
always came off easily
enough by scrubbing
with warm soapy water,
aided by a splash of
bleach. This time it was
very different. I had
very limited success, Our Golden Hind 312, Keppel, has a lot of Treadmaster to keep on top of
even after an awful lot to keep her looking shipshape
of scrubbing. working an area of about
I dont usually get 0.5m2 at a time. As
brainwaves when Im fed instructed, I rinsed off
up, but on this occasion I as I progressed. On
did. I wondered whether scrubbing, it foamed up
Fenwicks Tent and like washing-up liquid.
Awning Cleaner excellent Fenwicks cleaner did the job And the result? Well every
for removing grime and all picture tells a story, but in
sorts of green gunge for sprayhoods, words, with a great deal less scrubbing
mainsail covers and cockpit tents might (harmful in itself), the stubborn grime lifted
work on Keppels rather sorry looking away and pretty easily too. The result
deck covering. was the Treadmaster came up like new, as
In a nutshell, it worked extremely well. I can be seen from the photograph (right).
followed the instructions given for canvas The 1lt bottle cost 5.70, sufcient to sort
cleaning to good effect. I applied the liquid out Keppels side decks. I bought it from a
to the lowest part of the deck rst and caravan shop, although chandlers may Scrubbed up with awning cleaner and
worked my way uphill toward the foredeck also stock it. Worth every penny. looking as good as new

46 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

  
 
 


   

 

 




 

 



 
 



 


  
 LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE
Chastised by the sea
A nagging doubt over the stowage of his yachts anchor rode turned out
to be a premonition of a dangerous passage for Dr Charles Godden
T
his didnt start well.
You have to go and talk to
Pete and John, said Horace.
It was the rst week of May
and Horace (real name
Antonia, but so called as she claims to be
as prickly as a hedgehog) and I had
planned a three-day circuit around the Isle
of Wight in our Shrimper, Topsy.
It was an hour before we were due to set
off on the rst leg from Bembridge to
Cowes and my rst mate had been
ambushed by two old harbour sea dogs,
hence the order to listen to their advice.
They were concerned about the Force
48
5-6 easterly and advised against our
departure. Horace insisted I speak to them
before we left.
Hum and haw
Earlier that morning I had been down to
the old church seamark on the Duver to
look at the sea state through my
binoculars. I had checked the forecast and
decided it was safe to take each leg as it
came. We agreed to turn back
immediately should it become
uncomfortable. I was relieved that the
wind seemed set on about 45, better than
90 for the Bembridge approaches. The
Practical Boat Owner www.pbo.co.uk
sea dogs hummed and hawed. I wished
them well and bade them goodbye.
So, we set off and had an easy exit from
Bembridge harbour choppy around No
Mans Fort but a comfortable sail on full
main and jib to Cowes. We enjoyed a
good pub meal and a comfortable night
aboard at East Cowes Marina.
I had bought Topsy, a 19ft Shrimper, ve
years previously from Colonel Davy at
Bosham. She was forgiving, had minimal
draught, was easy to learn to sail and felt
very stable in tricky conditions. Over the
years we had quite a few issues with air
locks and electrical malfunctions and a
 CHASTISED BY THE SEA

Keyhaven
Lymington The Solent
Bank
N
Sconce Yarmouth
No Bell
rth Road
Ch Hurst
an
ne Point
l
Yarmouth
NE
Shingles
Shingles Bell
Bank Warden River
Freshwater Yar
les
ing Mid
Shingles
Warden
Sh Totland
Point ISLE OF
Bay WIGHT
n el
an 0 3
Ch
Shingles
Elbow
s
le kilometres
ed
Ne Alum
Bay
Bridge Freshwater
Bay
The Needles

Topsy, the Shrimper, moored in calmer waters on the Isle of Wight before things got a
little more turvy on her approach to Yarmouth when hampered by engine failure

stuck mainsail but these had all been
resolved and I was condent that she was
now in good shape.
I did however have a nagging fear about
her vulnerability in challenging conditions,
especially with the anchor and warp
sitting free on the foredeck. Despite
asking for advice, the best I could do was
to tie the anchor and bucket of warp
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charles Godden rst
went sailing as a
teenager in a Laser
dinghy on Loch Earn
in Scotland, which
he says was cold
but exhilarating.
He and his partner,
Antonia (aka Horace) are both doctors
and got the sailing bug in 2007. Six
years later, after Day Skipper courses
and otilla holidays, they bought
Topsy, a Cornish Shrimper.
tightly on the foredeck. Nobody else neutral. We were in big trouble.
seemed too concerned, so I assumed that We immediately realised that we had a
my fears were unfounded. major malfunction and even though we
were only 150 yards off the harbour
Gone west entrance it was clear we couldnt sail into
The next day the weather was similar, a harbour in those conditions. It was a
Force 5-6 northeasterly, so we left Cowes, moderately hostile Force 6 wind over tide
had a choppy exit and headed west and we were being swept west, and fast.
towards Yarmouth. We told the harbour ofce of our
It was a fabulous sail; we only needed situation and focused on sailing north-
the jib and made the harbour entrance in south on jib alone and staying safe. We
two hours. We were looking forward to were in the main Needles shipping
spending an evening at the Red Lion in channel but fortunately there appeared to
Freshwater and Horace said it was the be no big boats around. We dismissed
best sail we had ever had. The engine beaching just north of Hurst Point as it
started perfectly, we took the jib down, got was very exposed to the northeasterly.
on the VHF to Yarmouth harbour to get Unbeknown to us that same day, just a
instructions for our berth, got hit on the few hours later, exposed to similar
port side by a big wave or two not a elements, a grounded 23ft yacht was lost
concern and then: thump! The engine just off Bembridge.
had failed. I hoped it was nothing major We sailed north-south on jib alone while
and restarted her straight away. Then a being taken west. We went past Hurst
different and more worrying noise, louder Point and then the Shingle Bank at a
and like nothing I had heard before. considerable pace. The Needles were
Crunch! The engine stalled, the throttle getting closer.
was jammed and it wouldnt go into I wasnt prepared for anyone to go

Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk 49

 LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE
forward as I feared making a bad situation
worse with the potential for a man
overboard scenario. We therefore were
unaware, at that time, that we didnt have
a usable anchor and also unaware of the
cause of the engine failure.
A friend indeed
The coastguard was alerted and a few
conversations followed on the VHF about
our position, level of urgency and the
problem. We explained we were not in
immediate danger but soon after The Eric
and Susan Hiscock (Wanderer) Severn
Class lifeboat, launched from Yarmouth,
arrived. You feel very small but extremely
relieved when the RNLIs biggest class of
lifeboat rushes up to you. I wasnt
expecting the greeting though. From
Wanderer I heard: Hello Charles. One of
the lifeboat crew was Graham, an old
friend from Bembridge. Comforting but
there went any chance of us staying
incognito. The sea dogs would nd out
and no doubt nod sagely.
In tow
The RNLI told us to furl and then soon
after unfurl the jib, as we risked being
blown onto a large channel buoy. A rope
was thrown to us from Wanderer and
Horace somehow sorted the bridle and off
we went back to Yarmouth under tow,
seemingly a long way behind Wanderer.
However, the RNLI decided it was too
rough for us to be towed safely into
harbour so we had to be rafted up to
Wanderer. This act, though necessary,
made us feel even smaller. A small
consolation was at least the spraydeck
spared us the ignominy of a soaking
from the angry seas.
As we approached the pontoon it was
clear we had a reception committee. One
looked friendly and three less so. The
*Send us your boating experience story and if its published, youll receive the original Dick Everitt-
signed watercolour which is printed with the article. Youll nd PBOs contact details on page 5
50
coastguard asked about our safety
equipment (all in order) but cautioned us
for not having a VHF licence. We were
unaware of any communication issues
and had planned to do the VHF course
but it just hadnt happened. Day Skipper,
RYA Level 2 and engine courses had been
completed, with a recent enjoyable
bareboat week round Antigua but the VHF
course had slipped our minds.
Suitably chastised, tired, with tails
between legs, we retreated to the
welcoming tranquillity and privacy of the
RNLI ofce, where we were given a much
needed cup of coffee and sympathy.
It was time to assess the damage. The
fouled prop was clearly visible from the
pontoon and the plan was to lift Topsy,
check her over while out of the water and
put her back in. I then noticed that the
engine hatch wouldnt shut. It was now
clear that signicant damage had been
done and that we werent going anywhere
fast on her.
The anchor had stayed tied on board, as
had the bucket, but the warp and chain
had washed overboard when we had
tipped to starboard on a big wave coming
in to Yarmouth. This had fouled the prop
and pulled the engine off all four
mountings. Luckily we hadnt started
taking on water.
Flare up
I was angry with myself for identifying a
potential problem but not persisting in
nding a solution.
We had a great lunch in the welcoming
Yarmouth Yacht Club. Many there had
watched our rescue. The Red Lion in
Freshwater told me they were fully booked
that evening but on hearing our story
kindly called back later and said they had
made a table available for us. In the Red
Lion we chatted to the adjacent diners
LEFT Topsy is towed into harbour by the
Yarmouth lifeboat. ABOVE the offending
anchor and rode that led to her getting
into trouble, is now safely stowed away
who, coincidentally, lived in a property
overlooking the channel where we were
rescued. They said they had seen us and
so I asked what they thought we were
doing. We watched you for half an hour
through our binoculars but you didnt
seem in trouble; it was a bit odd but
there were no ares, so we thought you
were shing.
Harold Hayles boatyard in Yarmouth
removed the engine, xed four new
engine mountings, refurbished the prop
and checked the shaft. They also
designed a new warp locker on the
foredeck. We believe this has made Topsy
a safer boat when out in rough seas and
we recommend other Shrimper owners
consider doing something similar.
LESSONS LEARNED
W
e have learned a lot.
It didnt start well but
we hope it nished
well. Our thanks go
to the amazing
volunteers at the Yarmouth RNLI and
also Yarmouth Yacht Club and The
Red Lion for looking after us so well.
Q Should we have set out? I think so
Q Should I have tried restarting the
engine after it stalled? Im not sure
Q Should we have called pan-pan
immediately? I think so
Q Should we have gone to the
foredeck after stalling? No
Q Should we have beached off
Hurst? Denitely not
Q Should we have practised making
a bridle years ago? Probably
Q Should we have done the VHF
course? Of course!
Q Should I have persisted in
exploring how to protect the warp?
Most denitely.
Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk
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 WI-FI ON BOARD

Wi-Fi on board
The Internet has become an essential part of almost all our lives,
so how can we keep connected when were aoat? Duncan Kent
checks out various onboard methods of getting online
Timbismedia

A
lthough many of us go
sailing to get away from our
hectic everyday lives, the
Internet can have a variety
of uses on board from
keeping in touch with friends, family
and (dare I say) work, to downloading
the latest weather, streaming music or
videos for the kids or even downloading
the manual for the newest bit of kit that
stubbornly refuses to work. But how
can you connect to the Internet from
the water?
Excluding expensive satellite
communication systems, there are two
common ways a coastal cruiser can
access the Internet while on board:
Q By receiving Wi-Fi signals from a marina
or some other nearby open source
Q By using mobile Internet via GSM
(2G/3G) or LTE (4G) cellular network.
The former is ne if you tend to stop
each night in a marina and have a
reasonable signal, and if you only want to
do the occasional browsing and emailing.
The second method is more suited to
those who prefer to anchor off, or want to
use it on the move.
Next comes the choice of hardware youll
use to access the Wi-Fi signal and
heres where it becomes more
complicated. If youre in a marina you may
just need an antenna to make best use of
the available signal, or one thatll search
for the strongest local signal to patch into.
Or maybe youll need a router and
booster if you intend to make use of more
than one Wi-Fi enabled device at a time.
And if youre at sea youre probably going
to need a router hub that make use of the
mobile phone network. Read on to see
what youre going to need...

52 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk


Long-range Wi-Fi boosters
For those with a single laptop or PC on
board, all you need to boost marina
Wi-Fi reception is a signal booster
comprising a high-gain antenna
(preferably waterproof) and a long
cable, terminating in a USB connector.
Plugging it into your PC simply
overrides the internal Wi-Fi card and
software supplied with the antenna will
enable you to select and lock onto your
preferred Wi-Fi hotspot.
High-gain antennae come in two
types directional and omni-
directional. The former, usually a at
box with a simple at plate or two
inside, can be pointed towards the
preferred signal source, effectively
tuning it to the transmitter, whereas
the latter, frequently a tubular pole
type, doesnt need to be aligned to any
particular direction.
Alfa Tube-U
Price: 63
Contact: www.wi-antennas.co.uk
This kit comprises two items a
150Mbps, 2.4GHz long-range waterproof
USB Wi-Fi dongle and a 2.4GHz
high-gain (9dB) external omnidirectional
pole antenna with cable and connectors.
The dongle and antenna connect
together as one waterproof unit from
which you run the supplied 5m-long cable
(extensions available) down to your
laptop and connect it directly via the USB
plug. Power is taken from the laptops
USB (2+) port.
Supports all recent Windows, Mac and
Linux platforms.
Range is said to
increase to 4-5
miles using the Alfa
Tube-U.
Digital Yacht WL70
Price: 180
Contact: www.digitalyacht.co.uk
This simple 1.3m-high omindirectional
antenna comes with 5m of cable
terminating in a USB plug.
Its threaded base ts a standard 1in
VHF-type antenna mount and is fully
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
waterproof for mounting outside.
Former Yachting Operates with Windows Vista/7/8/10 or
Monthly technical Mac OSX 10.4 to 10.10 (Yosemite).
editor Duncan The WL70 features a very high
Kent is a marine performance 15dBm antenna that
journalist who has can provide connections up to half
been writing for a mile depending upon conditions.
a wide selection The Realtek software displays all
of UK and the available signals and
International sailing magazines for the their relative strengths
past 25 years. He has amassed a wealth allowing you to
of practical and technical knowledge on get the
yachts of all types and sizes. strongest.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
BUYERS GUIDE
Kuma long-range
antenna
Price: 39.99
Contact: www.acdctv.co.uk
This weatherproof plastic antenna comes
with a 5m-long USB cable which also
provides power. The box measures 220 x
80 x 40mm and can be wall- or pole-
mounted. Once activated a small console
appears allowing you to manually set up
proles for frequently used Wi-Fi
sources. Selecting search provides
a list of every Wi-Fi signal source in
range.
The console also has a signal
strength meter that goes green
when connected to the Internet.
The antenna is quoted as
offering a 16dB gain, which is
high compared to others
that are mostly around 8dB.
Wi-Fi Bat antenna
Price: 359
Contact: www.mailasail.com
The Wi-Fi Bat is a 2W, waterproof,
omnidirectional pole antenna that the
manufacturer claims will enable you to
lock onto Wi-Fi signals up to 10 miles
away. This high-gain (8dB) antenna is
70cm high and comes with 15m of
co-axial cable, terminating in a normal
USB plug. Annoyingly the antenna isnt
compatible with a standard 1in VHF
antenna screw base mount.
Power is supplied by the USB port
and the software is supplied on a
mini-CD.
This is a simple plug-and-play device
that pretty much doubles the sensitivity
of the laptops integral Wi-Fi card and
enables usable Wi-Fi hotspots to be
logged onto several miles away.
Digital Yacht WL510
Price: 594
Contact: www.digitalyacht.co.uk
This is a 90cm-long, high-gain (+12dB)
omnidirectional antenna in a rugged (but
not waterproof) aluminium box,
measuring 170 x 100 x 55mm. The
antenna is waterproof, so can be
mounted outside on a standard 1in
threaded base mount. The box has one
PL259 antenna socket, a single RJ45 LAN
socket and a 12/24V DC power cable.
Compatible with all popular operating
systems the WL510 is congured via a
browser and the control software is
extremely good, though a little complex.
Once powered up you scan for hotspots,
select the one you want and then hit
apply. The unit will give access to
hotspots up to ve miles away,
depending on antenna height.
53
 WI-FI ON BOARD
Timbismedia
Wi-Fi boosters and routers
Although a long-range Wi-Fi antenna
will help get the best out of a poor
signal, theyre no use with devices that
dont have a USB port, or when the
whole family want to use their phones
or tablets simultaneously. For this youll
need a wireless router that will lock
onto the Wi-Fi source and then create
its own local hotspot for users to join.
Often a high-gain antenna can be
plugged directly into a Wi-Fi router with a
USB or Ethernet WAN port, enabling the
improved Wi-Fi signal to be shared.
These range from a simple mini-router
with limited features, to marine-specic
routers with high-gain antenna. The best
of these utilise the MIMO system where
a single data stream is broken down into
multiple transmissions before being sent
out over a number of separate antennae.
AR-3000 USB WiFi
repeater
Price: 49.95
Contact: www.yachtingsoftware.com
This simple, bulkhead mountable Wi-Fi
repeater works with a USB-terminated
long-range antenna to provide your boat
with a simple local Wi-Fi hotspot for
unlimited users within range.
Bear in mind, though, the speed at
which it will work will still be
dependent on the bandwidth of the
signal from ashore and will reduce in
proportion to the number of users
connected at any one time.
The AR-3000 requires 12V DC power
from the boat, but is simple to
congure so you should be up
and running in minutes. As
well as USB, it also has two
Ethernet ports.
54
Kuma Wi-Fi Hotspot
Price: 149.99
Contact: www.acdctv.co.uk
A neat little box with a short antenna
for Wi-Fi out, a LAN and WAN Ethernet
socket and a USB port for connection
either to the Kuma boosted antenna or
a 3G cellular dongle.
Installing and conguring it is easy
via a browser page and there are
LEDs on the front panel
indicating the current
status of the device.
Said to have a maximum
range of 1.5km, data transfer
seems slightly slower through
this router than it is directly
through the Kuma antenna
alone, but it does allow more than
one user to share the connection.
iNAVConnect
Price: 179.95
Contact: www.digitalyacht.co.uk
Offers Wi-Fi Internet for up to 30 users
when connected to a hotspot via the
WL510 boosted antenna, and also allows
data from an NMEA instrument network to
be transmitted over Wi-Fi as well.
The box is splashproof and comes with
two, screw-on 5dB stubby antennae. As
well as a power cable it has a WAN socket
for connection to the WL510 Internet Wi-Fi
booster, as well as a LAN port for
connection to NMEA. Signal strength and
transmission
speeds are
quick although
just a tad slower
than a direct
LAN connection
to the WL510.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Real broadband speeds
Most speeds quoted by
manufacturers will reference
download speeds, as these are
signicantly faster than upload
speeds (usually 8-10 times faster).
So receiving large attachments via
email is signicantly quicker than
sending them. Bandwidth speeds
are quoted in Megabits (not
megabytes) per second. The table
below will give you an idea of what
the bandwidth speed gures
actually relate to in le sizes:
Mbps MB/s 10MB le
0.5 0.0625 160 sec
2 0.25 40 sec
10 1.25 8 sec
50 6.25 1.6 sec
YachtSurfer SurfWiFi2
Price: 249
Contact: www.yachtsurfer.net
The SurfWiFi2 is a ruggedised Wi-Fi
booster that comes with a pair of 5dBi
omnidirectional external antennae. Usually
powered from the single Ethernet cable
linking it to a PC/laptop, it can also be
directly connected to either 12/24V using
the voltage regulator supplied.
Utilising standard
Ethernet, a direct
connection can be made
to any Ethernet-enabled
device, and there is no
software to install.
YachtSurfer claims
connectivity up
to seven miles offshore
from a quality hotspot.
Wi-Fi On Board
Price: 395
Contact: www.wionboard.co.uk
Wi-Fi On Board create systems using
reliable and well-proven components such
as Huaweis B315 Wi-Fi router, bolting its
own +8dB high-gain antenna to it for
improved reception and speed. It has four
LAN ports for direct PC connections, and
the fourth doubles as a WAN port if
required. It also has a USB port for a ash
drive (possible cellular dongle), a socket
for a VOIP telephone and two small SMA
internal/external antenna sockets.
Ultra high-speed data download rates up
to 300Mbps are
claimed, while it offers
access to up to 32 Wi-Fi
devices as well as
desktop computers with
Ethernet connections.

Get a good reception
Good data transmission speeds boil
down to one thing good signal quality.
It doesnt matter how fast the device
youre connecting to is if your link to
the source is too weak to take
advantage of it.
Put simply, for the best data speeds
your antenna is more important than
anything else and the higher it is
mounted the better, particularly in
areas with a big tidal range.
When families are cruising it is
common for more than one user to
want to connect to the Internet at the
same time, which is where a router is
needed. A wireless router is clearly the
easiest method and most will allow at
least 10 devices to connect
simultaneously (although data speeds
Cellular devices
If you dont object to paying for your
data then you can simply use a
data-enabled mobile device to keep
connected. But theres a good chance
you wont be in a good reception area
on the water, so some form of booster
could be a good investment.
Also, if all you really want to do is stay
in touch via email, theres no point yet
in spending more on a 4G-compatible
device, when the slower 3G is more
than adequate.
However, things move quickly in the
world of technology and the
changeover from 3G to 4G is happening
fast. Besides, a 4G device will always
work with the slower 2G and 3G
networks if thats all thats available in
the area and it should automatically
TP Link M7350 4G
Price: 69.99
Contact: uk.tp-link.com
The TP Link M7350 dual-band
(2.4/5.0GHz) 3/4G Mi-Fi can be bought
online for around 69, including mains/
USB charger and cable. The 2550mAh
battery lasts between 6-9 hours from a full
charge, depending on usage.
The unit has a small display and an
easy-to-use, two-button menu system. It
also supports the use of up to 15 wireless
devices simultaneously and can take a
32Gb micro-SD storage card.
Even with just one or two bars out of four
on the signal strength indicator, we
attained download
speeds of close to
50Mbps on the 4G
network and
12.5Mbps on 3G.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
will inevitably reduce in proportion to
numbers logged on).
If multi-user Wi-Fi hotspot access is
all you need, then something like
Digital Yachts iNAVConnect does the
job admirably. Or if youd prefer to stick
select the strongest signal/platform it
can detect anyway.
The simplest and probably most
versatile form of booster is a mobile
Wi-Fi mini-router, usually abbreviated to
Mi-Fi. This is a small, portable and
rechargeable cellular receiver/router
that nds the strongest mobile data
reception within range and locks onto
it. Once the Mi-Fi has the signal it turns
itself into a hotspot for a number of
mobile devices using the regular
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi band. It is more
powerful than a phone or dongle, often
a good deal faster and its a multi-user
device ie the Internet connection
received can be shared over a number
of users with Wi-Fi-enabled devices. A
Mi-Fi can also be moved about easily to
Wi-Fi On Board
Price: 345
Contact: www.wionboard.co.uk
A cellular only version of Wi-Fi On Boards
Wi-Fi router featuring a GSM (3G)/LTE
(4G) antenna that offers the ability to
connect to the 3G or 4G mobile data
networks at up to 150Mbps download and
50Mbps upload speeds. It takes a full-size
3G/4G SIM card and features a WPS
button. Like most domestic routers it is
congured using a browser page
straightforward once logged in.
The device creates its own Wi-Fi hotspot
for users to
connect their
Wi-Fi enabled
devices to, or you
can connect a PC
directly through
an Ethernet port.
BUYERS GUIDE
with the cellular
networks, then the
Wi-Fi On Board
cellular router is
hard to beat.
If youre off on a
world trip, however,
and want a t-and-
forget system that
offers the best data
speeds and all
connection options,
then Id recommend
looking over the page and tting one of
the fully-marinised combination
devices that can use both Wi-Fi
hotspots ashore and the cellular
networks. See also the complete
comparison table over the page.
nd the best signal reception, provided
it remains within Wi-Fi range of the
users (usually 10m or so). The
downside is theyre not waterproof
(yet), so if you want to put it outside for
the best reception youll need to put it
inside a waterproof case.
Even using the older 3G networks, a
Mi-Fi can offer downloads speeds of up
to 20Mb, but the rapid spread of 4G is
bringing mobile broadband at possible
speeds of 50Mb or more.
Hubba X4Go/X4Duo
Price: 795
Contact: www.buzzconnect.co.uk
There are two Hubba X4 models the
X4Go and the X4Duo. The X4Go takes a
single SIM and has one LAN only for
connection to a PC, while the Duo has two
of each, enabling it to use a second
cellular network and a landline or
satcomm input. Both support a Wi-Fi WAN
for up to 32 devices to use Internet via the
4G network. It has two MIMO antennae
with short cables, but two 8m extensions
are provided. In trials the X4Go powered
up right away and
instantly connected to
our laptop. A quick test
using the 4G network
proved it to be lightning
fast both downloading
and uploading.
55
 WI-FI ON BOARD

Combination cellular/Wi-Fi devices

Acronyms
APN Access Point Name The name
of a gateway between a mobile
cellular network and the
Internet. A mobile device must
be congured with an APN to
determine what type of network
connection and service should
be provided.
DHCP Dynamic Host Conguration
Protocol Put simply, allows
multiple users to be connected
simultaneously.
GPRS General Packet Radio
Service Second generation
(2G) digital cellular network.
Some routers also offer access to the
3G/4G cellular network via a USB
mobile data dongle, while others
feature a data SIM card slot and an
in-built cellular transceiver and antenna.
As with the hotspot connection, the
GSM or LTE cellular link can then made
accessible over Wi-Fi to a number of
different users and devices within
range of the router.
Wi-Fi On Board
Price: 695
Contact: www.wionboard.co.uk
A belt-and-braces version of the WOB
router/booster that offers all the features of
both the Wi-Fi and mobile data models,
combined together in the same unit.
The Red Box
Price: 580
Contact: www.mailasail.com
This compact red alloy box has a neat row
of ports along one end and two Wi-Fi
antennae. It not only acts as a Wi-Fi router,
it can also be used to repeat your yachts
NMEA data via Wi-Fi.
The router accepts Internet connections
from a dongle, Wi-Fi hotspot or satcomm
system, while its LAN port allows for a
direct PC connection. Two USB ports are
for the Wi-Fi Bat booster antenna and a
3G/4G cellular dongle or NMEA input.
Though compatible with 3G and 4G mobile
cellular data via USB input, it doesnt have
its own SIM card slot or antenna.
Advanced features include least-cost
routing, meaning it can calculate and
automatically
activate the cheapest
method of
connecting to the
Internet at any time.
It also has its own
rewall and a built-in
GPS tracker.
Installation is just a
question of powering
up and logging on.

GSM Global System for Mobiles

MAKE MODEL RRP Power
Third generation (3G) digital WI-FI BOOSTER ANTENNAE
cellular network.
Kuma Booster antenna 39.99 USB
LAN Local Area Network A Alfa Tube-U 63.00 USB
computer network which is
limited to a small area. Digital Yacht WL70 boost ant 180.00 USB

LTE Long-Term Evolution 4G MailASail WiFi Bat 359.00 USB

high-speed mobile network. Digital Yacht WL510 booster 594.00 12V
MIMO Multiple-Input Multiple- CELLULAR ROUTER
Output These receivers have
TP-Link Mi-Fi M7350 4G 69.99 5V NiMh
multiple antennae, resulting in
improved link retention and Wi-Fi On Board Cellular 345.00 12V
increased data capacity. Buzz Connect Hubba X4Go 795.00 12V
PDN Packet Data Network Digital Yacht 4G Connect* 599.00 12/24V
A method of transmitting data
so that multiple users can share WI-FI BOOSTER ROUTER
a single connection. Solwise AR-3000 96.79 12V
VOIP Voice Over Internet Protocol Kuma WiFi Hotspot 149.99 12V
Phone calls via the Internet. Digital Yacht INavConnect 179.95 12/24V
WAN Wide Area Network YachtSurfer SurfWiFi2 249.00 Ethernet/12/24V
A computer network unlimited
in area, such as the internet. Wi-Fi On Board Wi-Fi Hotspot 395.00 12/24V

WCDMA Wideband Code Division CELL/WI-FI ROUTER

Multiplexing Access Used Wi-Fi On Board Combi WiFi/Cell 695.00 12/24V
with the 3G cellular network.
MailASail Red Box 580.80 12V
WPS Wireless Protected Setup Yachtsurfer Surf4G 599.00 12/24V
A button that enables quick
connection to Wi-Fi devices. Digital Yacht 4G Connect Pro 595.00 12/24V
Glomex WeBBoat 4G 899.00 12V

56 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

 BUYERS GUIDE

YachtSurfer Surf 4G Digital Yacht 4G Glomex WeBBoat 4G+

Price: 599
Contact: www.yachtsurfer.net
This compact unit offers access to LTE 4G
mobile and connectivity for a second WAN
connection be it long range Wi-Fi, VSat
or shore-side DSL. It doesnt offer access
to local Wi-Fi hotspots however.
It has two Wi-Fi antenna plugs, two
cellular antenna sockets, a GPS socket, a
SIM card tray and a Micro-SD card slot,
plus sockets for the power input, micro-
USB, one LAN and one LAN/WAN port.
The bulkhead-mountable unit has an LED
indicator panel on the front including a
ve-bar signal strength meter. It comes
with four antennae, but the GPS receiver
and external antennae are optional.
The device is congured using a
browser page, which contains a huge
amount of useful information.
Connect
Price: TBA
Contact: www.digitalyacht.co.uk
Digital Yacht 4G Connect is a new
2G/3G/4G cellular data access solution
utilising the latest MIMO technology with
dual antennas for fast, long-range access
and incorporating a Wi-Fi router for
multiple devices. There are also LAN and
WAN ports for wired connections to PCs
and satellite modems.
The Standard model has built-in
antennae that will provide good
performance when in port, while the Pro
model has two external
high-gain antennae for improved
long-range performance. Both
come with a built-in Vodafone
roaming SIM, but it is unlocked
so users are free to use any
cellular provider they choose.
Digital Yachts WL510
high-gain antenna can
also be connected
to the WAN port for
a choice between
Wi-Fi and 4G
connectivity.
Price: 899
Contact: www.marathonleisure.com
The weBBoat 4G+ has 3G and 4G
capabilities, as well as being a hotspot
receiver and Wi-Fi router for up to 32 Wi-Fi
devices. The unit is housed in a
waterproof dome and comes with a
12/24V power lead and a mains 12V
adaptor. Dual waterproof SIM sockets take
full-size SIM cards and it has three
Ethernet WAN/LAN ports for wired
network connections.
To activate the router you have to
download the Glomex app from the Apple
or Android app stores and then register
the device using the password provided
with the kit. The process is simple, if a little
long-winded, taking around 10 minutes.
The device features least cost routing,
that automatically chooses a Wi-Fi hotspot
over the cellular
network when it can to
save money, although
this can be easily
overruled. It can also
choose the cheapest
option between two
networks, if two data
SIMs are tted.

MIMO CELL LAN WAN ANT Wi-Fi in DEVICES WPROOF

N n/a n/a n/a 1 Y 1 N

N n/a n/a n/a 2 Y 1 Y
N n/a n/a n/a 1 Y 1 Y
N n/a n/a n/a 1 Y 1 Y
N n/a n/a n/a 1 Y 1 Ant only

n/a 2/3/4G n/a n/a n/a n/a 15 N

N 2/3/4G 3 1 1 N 32 Ant only
Y 2/3/4G 1 N 1 N 32 Y
Y 2/3/4G 1 1 3 N 200 N
*Cellular-only version of the 4G Connect Pro

N N
N N
N N
Y N
N N
1 1 1 Y 32 Ant only
1 1 1 Y 5 N
1 1 2 Y 30 Y
1 1 2 Y 32 N
3 1 1 Y 32 Ant only

N 2/3/4G 3 1 1 Y 32 Ant only

N LAN 1 2 2 Y 255 N
N 2/3/4G 1/2 1 2 Y 5 N
Y 2/3/4G 1 1 3 Y 200 N
N 2/3/4G N N 4 Y 30 Y

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 57

 New Gear
Rupert Holmes on the latest products & Christmas gifts
PredictWinds latest forecast data
This is a present that, as the clich
says, keeps on giving. Subscription-
based weather services were once
seen as primarily the preserve of keen
racing sailors, but many cruisers are
now also appreciating their value.
Indeed, if you want the easiest and
cheapest way to signicantly reduce
passage times, better weather data is
often the best place to start.
Important safety benets also come
from having better information about
maximum wind strength and wave
prediction. We often dont give the latter
enough emphasis, but accurate
forecast data is now available and sea
Portable Class B AIS transponder
Digital Yachts Nomad is a portable
black box Class B AIS transponder. Its
designed to interface directly with
tablets, smartphones and PCs and has
been nominated for a DAME award for
innovation at METS. The idea behind
the product was to offer a low-cost AIS
system thats easy to install and can, if
necessary, be moved between
different boats.
The interface with other Reader
devices is either via offer
wireless or a 20%
hardwired USB discount
connection, and
allows AIS
58
state invariably has a greater effect on a
yacht and its crew than the force of the
wind alone. Earlier this year,
PredictWind added ECMWFs global
WAM wave model to its forecasts. This
ne-grained, 14km-resolution model
calculates signicant wave heights after
taking primary swell, local wind, wave
height and ocean currents into account.
The latest upgrades include a swathe
of new or improved features, including
a complete rebuild of the Offshore app,
a new Android app, a weather-routing
animation and gust GRIB data. Price:
US$99 for three months or US$249 for
12 months Qwww.predictwind.com
targets to be overlaid onto popular
charting apps. The unit can be powered
from any USB source and ships with a
compact, 25cm external VHF antenna
with sucker cup mount. It can also be
connected to any regular VHF antenna.
Its a signicantly cheaper option than
most conventional Class B AIS
transponders, especially with our reader
offer this Christmas when ordering
online, enter promo code XMAS20 to
get a 20 per cent discount. Price:
475 (without discount)
Qwww.digitalyacht.co.uk
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Voyage of rediscovery
This is a fascinating account of a voyage
around the UK on the last remaining
Merseyside pilot schooner, Spirit of Falmouth,
with a group of
ex-servicemen who
saw front-line action
in Afghanistan, Iraq,
Kosovo and Ireland.
All had endured
unimaginably
traumatic
experiences and
had trouble
readjusting to
civilian life.
For many, the
voyage was an
odyssey that offered
a chance to resolve
the issues they faced when returning to
normality. Sailing proved to be greatly
restorative, helping them nd purpose in their
lives and friendship after long periods of
isolation, as well as regain their sense of worth.
The story is dramatic, uplifting, moving and
told with the inevitable darkly hilarious humour
of those who have served. Price: 16.99
Qwww.adlardcoles.com
Keep dry when wet
This is another potentially perfect gift for
anyone who continues sailing through
the darkest winter months. Its often
hardest to keep the cold at bay when
youre tidying the boat up after sailing
and, on a short winter day, the sun is
already dipping below the horizon.
The long-tting jacket is designed for
exactly this situation, as it has a
waterproof and breathable shell fabric
on both the inside and outside. That
means the Kiama Coat can be put
directly on top of damp outer layers and
it will immediately start warming you up.
This is both a result of its insulating
properties and because water on your
moist gear is no longer causing heat
loss through evaporation.
Its also ideal for coaches, race
committees, safety-boat crews and
shing enthusiasts, who are often
outside for long periods without moving
enough to keep warm. The jacket has
adjustable PU wrist seals, taped seams
in all the key areas, large eecy
side-entry zip pockets and inner
zipped pockets. Its available in Black
or Ash and in unisex sizes from XS to
XXXL. Price: 245.00 Qwww.zhik.com
 NEW GEAR

NASA Bluetooth Navtex

These days we often rely on the internet for
weather information before going aoat, as well as
when on passage. However, the internet is not
part of the GMDSS system and, in any case,
much of the coastline around the UK has little or
no 3G/4G mobile data signal.
Navtex is therefore a useful
service, thanks to its range of
up to 400 miles.
This low-cost receiver is
designed to be used in
conjunction with a
smartphone or tablet. The
unit stores weather and
maritime safety messages
that can then be viewed on
the phone/tablet screen. It has low power
requirements and can be run continuously, with
the stored messages downloaded as and when
required by the user. The internal memory has
space for more than 400 messages, with the latest
broadcasts overwriting the oldest.
An Android app allows users to search through
all the stored messages or program the device to
display only specic message types from selected
stations. An app from a third-party supplier is in
development for Apple devices. The package
includes a standard or high-performance antenna
with a 7m-long cable, plus cabling for a 12V power
supply. Price: 150 (standard antenna) or 168
(high-performance antenna)
Qwww.nasamarine.com

Handmade English oak key rings

These individually made hardwood key rings are ideal small but unique
gifts, made to order and can be personalised with any
inscription. Each measures roughly 105 x 42 x
5mm. The lettering can be natural,
with a linseed oil nish,
or be painted gold
or silver. Price: from
6.00 Qwww.
bettyanddodge.co.uk

Henri Lloyd
Cyclone
This mid-layer garment, available in
either a jacket or gilet, has a durable
soft-shell outer combined with
lightweight thermal insulation. The outer
fabric has two layers, with a durable face
bonded to a eece back. The combination
makes for a highly breathable water- and
wind-resistant layer, with a shape
articulated for ease of movement.
Features include a quick-drying mesh
inner collar and
front body lining,
welded side
pockets and a zip-fastening internal
pocket. The Cyclone collection is available
in Marine and Black colours and in sizes
from S to XXL. Price: jacket 115; vest 90
Qwww.henrilloyd.com

PBO Waterproof USB charger

subscription
Buy your loved ones a
Christmas gift
subscription to PBO from
just 19.99. QVisit pbo.
co.uk/BAV7 or call 0330
333 1113 and quote the
code BAV7
The type of USB charger you insert into a 12V cigar
lighter-type socket often doesnt work reliably long-term
in a marine environment, but theres also a growing
need to charge gadgets, ranging from phones to tablets
used for navigation, both below and on deck.
The Scanstrut Rokk Charge+ is a neat
solution that has also been
nominated for a DAME
award for innovation at
METS. Its a double USB
charging port thats
waterproof to IPX6 standards
and avoids the problem of a
plug-in charger failing to make
good electrical connections in a cigar
lighter socket.
The circuit board has an anti-corrosion
coating, the case is UV resistant and the hinge
and spring for the lid are made of marine-grade
316 stainless steel. The low-prole unit has two
outlets, each of which is rated to charge
devices up to three times faster than standard
USB sockets. Price: 34.99
Qwww.scanstrut.com

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 59

 BOATS

A family affair
Tom and Lorraine Owen built their 30ft motor-cruiser
completely from scratch, working together with
phenomenal dedication. Nick Burnham reports

B
uilding a wooden boat from
scratch is a huge investment
in time and money hence
the popularity of home build
kits on the market.
But husband and wife team Tom and
Lorraine Owen went one step further, both
designing and building the 30ft motorboat
Thea from scratch. They even built a shed
at Premiers Noss marina facility in
Dartmouth in which to construct the boat.
Entirely self taught, Toms history of
boatbuilding goes right back to his
childhood. At the age of 12 he built
himself a punt out of hardboard and at 16
he converted a small clinker-built boat,
adding a cabin and wheelhouse and tting
an engine out of an Austin 7.
I used to go shing at Cardiff Docks in the
1960s, says Tom. There were a huge
number of derelict boats just lying in the
mud and I felt that it must be possible to
do something with them. It was all done
on a shoestring I was still at school when
I had my rst boat.
Its just been a sequence of boats
thereafter. I went from a 17-footer to a
28-footer to a 34-footer.
Most of these were derelicts, the rst
proper yacht Tom owned being a Golden
Hind 31 that he bought in 1975.
It had been written off after sinking on its
moorings, and after rebuilding it, putting a
new bottom into it and getting it up to
scratch, Tom sailed it to the Mediterranean
quite an adventure.
Tom has owned many vessels since, most
early ones bought as abandoned boats or
insurance write-offs and renovated. He
also nished off an Elizabethan 33 which
he bought as a bare hull and deck and
then tted out.
At the time he was, by his own
admission, slumming it, living aboard the
boats that hed rebuilt. He describes
himself as a waterborne hippie.
It was a lifestyle that changed when he
met Lorraine in 1981.
The hair was the rst thing that had to
go, laughs Lorraine. The couple got
married two years later and bought a
cottage in Galmpton, close to the River
Dart, Tom having relocated to South
Devon on his way to the Med with the

60 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk


Golden Hind. We still live there, says
Tom. Were too busy building boats to
want to move!
With interest rates running at 15% back
then, Tom and Lorraine were both working
at out just to pay the bills, Tom doing
ad-hoc boat repairs and Lorraine in an
ofce job. They still had the Elizabethan
33 but were rarely nding the time to use
her. It was time for a rethink.
A plan for the future
We sold the boat and used the proceeds
to clear the mortgage, explains Lorraine,
And then we sat down and worked out
our life plan. We realised that all we
wanted was the cottage, a boat, and to
retire early, and the only way we were
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
BUILDING A WOODEN MOTOR-CRUISER
Elegant Thea heads
out of Dartmouth
going to achieve that goal was to build the
boats ourselves.
Tom takes up the tale. We started out
with a 23ft angling boat. We bought the
hull with the intention of tting it out but it
turned out to be in far worse condition
than expected, so we turned it into a
glassbre plug to make a mould to start
production. We produced one, which was
a centre wheelhouse motorboat, a pretty
little thing. But what we learned from the
experience was that we both hated
working with glassbre. Im a woodworker,
and I found working with glassbre to be a
miserable experience.
The mould was duly sold, and in fact
Tom and Lorraine Owen can be rightfully
ended up in Scotland where the boats proud of their achievement in building
continued to be produced. their dream wooden motor yacht
61
 BOATS
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Lorraine
handled nal nishing; Tom headed up
construction; Thea takes shape in the shed
Lesson learned, it was back to wooden
boats, and in the early 1990s Tom and
Lorraine embarked on their rst build from
scratch, a 35ft yacht called Selene.
Giving up his boat repair work, he
dedicated himself full time to the design
and build, creating a 10-tonne classically
styled yacht of timber and epoxy, a system
Tom favours for one-off builds.
Youve got the wood, which is easy to
work with, but epoxy coating inside and
out effectively makes it a glassbre boat,
so all the problems of wood then go away.
The couple kept Selene for 20 years,
cruising extensively, but Tom felt he had
one last boat in him, and the decision
was made to switch to a motorboat.
We found ourselves motoring much of
the time anyway neither of us have the
patience to sail for eight hours just to get
somewhere we can reach in three under
power. You get there cold, wet and fed
up... its meant to be a pleasure.
So we asked ourselves, what would
make it a pleasure? Being warm and dry
for a start. Plus with a yacht, youre buried
62
Neither of us have the patience to sail
for eight hours just to get somewhere
we can reach in three under power
in the hull when in the cabin. With a
wheelhouse you can see whats going on
and be comfortable, and thats why we
came to the conclusion of a motorboat.
And that led to the concept of Thea.
They wanted a smaller boat to economise
on moorings and other LOA-based costs,
so the length was pegged at 30ft. There
had to be space in which to live and to
entertain as the couple spend three
months cruising in the summer. A second
cabin was deemed unnecessary but a
large galley was a must as Lorraine likes
cooking, as was a decent sized heads.
A great deal of the experience both of
building and using Selene has found its
way into the design of Thea. The dinette in
the main saloon is a replica of that in
Selene converting to offer an occasional
double berth as is the forward cabin with
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
its offset double berth and masses of
storage (in fact there are 57 lockers
throughout the whole boat).
Getting started
With Selene sold to provide funds, Tom
set to the design, begging the inevitable
question, where do you start?
Im an artist, explains Tom, I get an
idea and Im fortunate that I can see the
end product. It just comes naturally. A lot
of things dont come naturally to me, but
drawing and building do. I understand
curves and shapes, I know what theyre
doing. Its just a pleasure.
Tom is so gifted, says Lorraine, But this
was a big investment in terms of time and
money, so once Tom nished the plans we
did take them to a naval architect and ask
Will this work? That also helps with
 BUILDING A WOODEN MOTOR-CRUISER

Varnishing some of the doors for the 57 lockers aboard Thea Wood, glue and clamps: the chart table under construction

Glossy varnished foredeck reects the boats high quality nish Traditional circular brass portlights add to the retro feel

Swage line detail on the rubbing strake is a lovely touch Inside view of the hull under construction before righting

Every corner of the boat is beautifully conceived and built Big propeller for Theas single shaft-drive propulsion set-up

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 63

 BOATS
With a yacht, youre buried in the hull
when in the cabin. With a wheelhouse
you can see whats going on
arranging the insurance.
The design is offshore rated, making
Channel crossing a possibility, and the
stability is exceptional, rated to recover
from 90 of heel not that the couple plan
to put that to the test!
The design is pure retro. Tom likens the
bow to World War 2 air-sea rescue
launches, which were double diagonal
construction, with a reversed cutaway
bow. A wide beam creates plenty of space
on board (shes 11ft wide rather than a
more typical 9ft) as well as stability, and a
keel about four inches deep at the bow
increases aft to a depth of 2ft to provide
directional stability and protect the single
shaft-drive propeller and rudder.
With the plans formalised, all that
remained was the small matter of building
her and that included every single aspect,
64
from the construction to the plumbing,
wiring, engineering, glazing and rigging.
The only element Tom wont tackle is
stainless steel welding. Upholstering was
also outsourced, except for the helm seat
which is actually a very comfortable VW
van seat, complete with armrests and
reach and rake adjustment.
A shed was erected in March 2015 at
Noss Marina on the River Dart, the same
month that the rst wood supplies arrived
mahogany for the deck beams.
If you dont have a half decent place to
build something, youre never going to do
it, says Tom.
A plastic shed is not the best because
its too cold in winter and too hot in the
summer its basically an oversized
greenhouse. But it provides essential
cover from the elements and you just have
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
ABOVE Saloon dinette converts to an
occasional double berth
LEFT Comfy helm seat is from a VW van
to adjust and work around the fact that its
not a perfect situation.
Lorraine adds: During the summer we
were starting at 6am and nishing at
midday, then wed go home for a siesta
during the heat of the day and then come
back and work through the evening.
And work they did, for up to 12 hours a
day, seven days a week for 18 months.
Initially the hull was formed upside
down, the mahogany frame made rst and
then skinned in plywood and epoxied.
I tend to build, Lorraine tends to nish,
says Tom. She does the rubbing down,
the lling, the varnishing, the paint etc. So
Im building frantically, and she follows
along and nishes it.
Mid-summer was the red letter day when
the inverted hull was removed from the
shed and very carefully turned right way
up. Then it went back indoors to start on
the rest of the build.
Tom calculates that 9,000 man hours
went into the boat in total, slowed only
slightly by two unplanned hip operations
for Lorraine during build. Tom worked
right through Christmas, stopping only for
Christmas day itself.
With everything checked a surveyor
oversaw the build, and the electric and
gas systems have been inspected Thea
was launched with a small celebration on
3 December 2016, making her ofcially
the last boat to be built at this industrial
shipyard with a history of boatbuilding
stretching back into the 19th Century.
Tom and Lorraine cant speak highly
enough of the yard that has been home to
their dream for so long.Premier Marinas
were superb incredibly helpful. And that
includes the company CEO Peter
Bradshaw who always came to see our
progress when he was at the site.

The total build cost (including shed and
renting the site) came in at 45,000, but of
course that doesnt account for the labour.
The economics are not good from a
commercial point of view, says Tom wryly,
before adding But that was never the
point. It proves that you can achieve an
awful lot for a reasonable amount of
money. And with epoxy coating of the
wood inside and out, weve got the
advantages of a GRP boat but with the
character of wood.
We could have tted out a GRP hull and
deck, but it would never have been exactly
what I wanted, and it would have cost
26,000 for the hull and deck alone.
Yes, we could have cut some costs,
adds Lorraine, We didnt have to have a
Classy retro-style motor-cruiser
Thea looks a million dollars, but was
self-built for around 45,000
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
BUILDING A WOODEN MOTOR-CRUISER
teak-laid cockpit, for example. But we
wanted it, so
Motive power is via a Beta 35hp
4-cylinder diesel, an identical motor to the
one that served them so well over 20 years
in Selene. Cleverly, the wheelhouse door
aperture is just slightly wider than the
engine, so in a worse case scenario the
entire motor can be removed from the boat
without dismantling either it or the boat.
Great expectations
So, the obvious question: how does it go,
and has it lived up to expectations?
For us, this is the perfect boat. She has
proven to be better than wed hoped. The
Mk1 is always the one with the problems,
but she doesnt appear to have any. Shes
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA 30ft 0in (9.1m)
Beam 11ft 0in (3.3m)
Built 2016
Weight 4.75 tonnes
Engine Beta Marine 35hp diesel engine
Cruising speed 7 knots
Fuel capacity 47 gallons (215 litres)
Berths 2+2
LEFT Thea is craned into
the water for the rst time
BELOW Tom and the ships cat at the helm
an excellent sea boat, is easy to handle
and shes economical. Top speed is eight
knots, with a cruising speed of seven
knots using two-and-a-half litres per hour.
So far Thea hasnt been further than
Salcombe, but the intention is to retrace
their favourite cruising route along the
south coast to the Isles of Scilly and then
on to Ireland.
The boat is already proving its worth as a
sea boat. She holds the water really well.
Coming back from Salcombe there was
quite a big race around Start Point, and
she went through it like it wasnt there.
So is this it, or is there another boat to
come? Tom smiles. I think weve done
enough boatbuilding for now. Its time for
us to just enjoy some sailing.
65
 PRACTICAL
Heating that does
not cost the earth
Ross Farncombe thought that tting an onboard unit was prohibitively
expensive until he sourced a system that didnt exhaust his funds
I
was talking with a friend of mine
recently who is looking to spend
the winter months living aboard
his Jaguar 27. Although he has
access to shore power, he isnt
overly keen on the bills for running any
form of electric heating during cold
spells. We discussed the alternatives,
including the most common brands of
diesel heaters, but he decided they
would be out of his price bracket.
We then discovered a unit made by a
company called Planar. A complete
package was available for about 500. On
the face of it, this appeared to be very
good value, but would it be any good?
66
There was only one way to nd out.
Installation
As the only suitable space on the Jaguar
was at the rear of the engine bay, where
access is somewhat restricted, I decided
to assemble the unit with its mounting
bracket and fuel pump onto a board that I
had pre-cut. Once this was complete I
clamped the board into the position I
hoped to use, allowing me to offer up all
the necessary pipework to check for t.
One thing to bear in mind is that the fuel
pump outlet should be above the inlet.
This entails either mounting the pump
vertically, with the outlet at the top, or at
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
The constituent parts
the minimum angle of at least 5 above
the horizontal.
Fortunately, the supplied length of
exhaust pipe just reached through the
hole that we had cut in the oor of the
stern locker. We used a 44mm diameter
hole-cutter, which allowed us to t a short
length of hose into the hole to protect
against any ingress of water. This hole
was then just big enough to take the
exhaust pipe after it had been tightly
wrapped in exhaust bandage. We then
connected the supplied silencer and the
extra piece of exhaust pipe required to
reach the hull tting.
You will nd, as we did, that the exhaust

The through-hull exhaust tting
We used a 90mm diameter hole cutter for
the ducting hole in the quarter berth
The single vent outlet is non-closeable
The control panel for which the lead can be
extended if installation logistics require
pipe needs to be slotted twice down its
length for about 15mm and then coated
liberally with something like Holts Firegum
to allow the pipe clamps get a good
purchase on the joints.
Fuel tank
The supplied fuel tank is an absolute
bonus as I have seen these being offered
for sale at nearly 100. The steel tank
hanging brackets are substantial and
required some effort to bend them at a
right angle to obtain the required
stand-off, but it was worth the effort as the
tank tted snugly into the stern locker with
excellent access for lling. The fuel line
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
We assembled the unit onto a board and clamped it in place to check the pipework t
was joined with proper hose clamps
and short sections of rubber fuel hose,
running it down to the fuel pump using
an existing hole for the stern gland
greaser feed.
Hot air ducting
We had already decided that for a boat
the size of a Jaguar 27 just the one hot air
vent into the saloon would be sufcient,
so the ducting run only required us to drill
one 90mm diameter hole in the quarter-
berth moulding, followed by a 65mm
The separate fuel tank tted snugly into
the stern locker and is easy to ll
We attached the exhaust pipe rmly and
sealed it to the joints with Holts Firegum
ON-BOARD HEATING
diameter hole for the outlet vent. The hole
through the moulding was made
deliberately bigger than the ducting to
allow the run to be as smooth as possible,
thus providing the best airow. It would
also leave sufcient room should it be
decided that it was necessary to lag the
ducting at a later point.
As we were only going to have a single
vent outlet, it was important that it was not
the closeable type. These are only
required when balancing a multipoint
system and one non-closable vent must
Carbon Monoxide
(CO) beware the
silent killer
1 CO is colourless, tasteless,
and odourless. Because
it cannot be noticed without a
detector or meter, CO has earned
the dubious name of the silent
killer. When people say they
can smell carbon monoxide,
they are usually referring to
other combustion by-products.
Nevertheless, if you can smell
by-products there is very likely a
problem that should be addressed
as a matter of urgency.
2 CO is slightly lighter than
air. However, studies have
shown no signicant difference
in measurements based on
what height CO detectors are
mounted. Different manufacturers
recommend different mounting
locations, so you should
always follow a particular
manufacturers recommendation.
As a safety precaution we
installed a CO detector/alarm that
we bought for 11.99 from Aldi,
but it has yet to be triggered.
67
 PRACTICAL
We had to add extra lagging to the exhaust
be used at some point in the system to
avoid the possibility of the air ow being
completely shut off.
The combustion air inlet pipe positioned
itself perfectly to draw from the foot of the
starboard quarter berth, at a height where
it was very unlikely to get blocked by a
sleeping bag-clad foot.
Electrical connections
Its usually the electrics that strike fear into
the hearts of most people but, in this
instance, it could not have been any
easier. We had already pre-wired the fuel
pump as it was screwed to the bottom of
the mounting board, and the power and
control cables cant be wrongly
connected as the plugs only t into their
designated socket.
The OLED control panel is now supplied
as standard with all units from Planar UK.
This device signicantly expands the
heaters functionality with a 7-day timer,
Whats in the box
Q 2kW heater unit
Q Wiring looms for power supply,
pump and controller
Q Fuel pump, 4m of fuel pipe and
tank
Q Exhaust pipe and silencer
Q Combustion air inlet tube
Q All clips and fastenings
... And extras we had to buy
Q 1 x heater mounting bracket
14.00
Q 0.5m of exhaust pipe 9.50
Q 5m roll of exhaust bandage
12.50
Q 1 x through-hull exhaust tting
39.00
Q 2m of hot air ducting 21.00
Q 1 x hot air outlet 10.50
TOTAL EXTRAS COST:
106.50
68
All ready for its rst warm-up. It can take a while to get going while the pump draws fuel
programmable run-time, ventilation mode
and an internal temperature sensor for
room temperature control.
We connected the control cable rst,
having mounted the panel in the saloon. It
might possibly be too close to the
companionway to give accurate control
over temperature, but it was as far as the
supplied cable would allow. Should this
prove to be the case then apparently,
Planar can supply extension leads.
The power cable supplied is fused on
both the positive and negative sides, so
we connected it straight to the service
battery. Some might prefer to t an The OLED monitor is standard and can be
isolator, but there is probably far more programmed for up to a week
damage to be done to the unit by cutting
power to it before it has nished its correct runs and the position for the heater to
shut-down cycle, than by wiring it directly. obtain the best outcome possible.
Does it do the job? Oh yes, it most
Moment of truth certainly does.
The moment of truth was fast approaching Is it good value? For a total cost of a little
and we checked through the installation over 600 for the complete system I think
for any loose connections, chang pipes it is excellent value and one to seriously
or cables. All looked well. consider if you want to spend winter
We had decided to run this system on
white diesel as we had the advantage of
nights on board.
the separate tank. Supplier
Having lled the tank, the start button On ebay there are many offers on Planar
was pressed on the controller, the fuel heaters, generally sourced from Eastern
pump clicked, the fan spun and then it all Europe. But even Planar UK (www.
stopped. This is apparently quite normal planarheaters.co.uk), the UK main
as the pump draws fuel through to the distributor, based in Wrexham, in
heater for the rst time. north-east Wales, was offering the 2kW
It was third time lucky when we heard package for 500 at the time of writing.
the heater re up constantly and within It also carries a wide range of options
30 seconds warm air was being felt at and spares to suit.
the vent.
The unit has been running faultlessly for
10 days. It starts quickly, runs quietly
(unless on full power) and apart from a About the author
few odd whiffs in the rst minutes of
running, has been odour-free. It has been Ross Farncombe runs
left on for days but has only used 7 litres a marine electrical and
of fuel in more than a week. electronics company in
Hayling Island and has
Verdict been a passionate cruising
Was it difcult to install? No, but give sailor for most of his life.
yourself extra time for planning the pipe
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

Painting a sheer strake
with one-pack paint
Richard Hare explains how and why he repainted the faded gelcoat
on the sheer strake of his Golden Hind 31, Keppel using one-pack
I
remember reading somewhere that
gelcoats should be painted after
just six years. I think most of us
will take this advice with a healthy
pinch of salt and hurl it straight
back into the voluminous dustbin of
marketing hyperbole.
But should we? Is it fair comment?
After 17 years, 11 of which were in sunny
parts of Europe all of them without a
boat cover, Keppels blue sheer strake
was looking the worse for wear. For years
we polished it prior to launching and
sometimes mid-season too and it always
came up looking good. But at the end
of the day, its protection thats needed,
not cosmetics.
One pot or two?
In considering whether I should tackle the
job with one-pot paint or two-pack
(catalysed) paint, I resisted the pressure to
go for the latter. When I consider that
Keppels white two-pack paint on her
cabin and side decks appears to be as
sound today as it was when it was new 18
years ago, albeit not so glossy, you could
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
be forgiven for thinking my decision would
be a forgone conclusion.
But it wasnt and I ended up opting for a
one-pot system Toplac in this instance.
The rationale was as follows:
I wanted to complete the job in the
open and avoid the cost of a shed.
Had I used a shed, could I be sure that
those around me would not be kicking
up dust?
Working outside in mid-October means
little dust as the ground tends to be moist
and, consequently the air is clean. Night
temperatures are commonly more
COST
Q 3in (75mm) Purdey brush 19
Q Masking tape 5
Q 2 x 4in (10cm) foam rollers
@ 1.10 2.20
Q 2 x 4in (10cm) Anza Elite felt
rollers @ 3.70 7.40
Q 1 x 750ml Pre-Kote 17.00
Q 2 x 750ml Toplac @ 23 46.00
TOTAL 96.60
PRACTICAL
Sheer brilliance as
the lustre returns to
Keppels gelcoat
favourable than in March and April.
Whereas two-pack paint has a minimum
working temperature of 10C, one-pot can
be used down to 5C, thereby facilitating
an October application (so long as I
started at around 10.30am).
I wasnt going to be painting the whole
hull, just the sheer strake. If it turned out to
be a disaster it wouldnt be the end of the
world. Well, not quite.
Maintenance would be simple.
We wanted to keep the Oxford blue
colour, and it isnt available in two-pack.
I was, however, mindful that a two-pack
system would probably be more durable.
That said, everything is in the preparation.
You can use the nest paint in the world
but if the preparation is lacking you are on
a hiding to nothing. Everything hinges on
that all-important rst coat being attached
as well as it can be.
So, I bit the bullet and went for
International Toplac, and this is how I
approached the application. The paint and
rollers were sourced from the chandlery at
Larkmans Boatyard, Woodbridge, and
theres at least half a tin left over.
69
 PRACTICAL

Somewhere to paint
I painted at Robertsons of Woodbridge on
October 17. With night temperatures
sometimes below 10C but seldom below
5C, early to mid-October can be good for
painting. The ground is dust free and
autumn has many days of light breeze.

Tip: use a
snug press-close bag
to keep your tray clean.
Most chandlers have
them. Large bags can
be problematic as they
can ruck up around
Although it polished up surprisingly well, Keppels 17-year-old
the roller.
careworn blue gelcoat had suffered from years of strong UV.

Preparing the gelcoat

1 First, the lettering was teased it off with

a well-used putty knife. Sticky remains
were wiped off using cellulose spirit (paint 4 The gelcoat surface was cut back very
easily by hand using 160-grit abrasive
thinners) from an auto-part shop. on a Siafast Velcro sanding block...

3 Three small dings were then lled with

a polyester resin. Epoxy might have

2 Its essential to eliminate silicone

deposited from previous polishes from
the hull surface with a thorough
degreasing with cellulose thinners.
been used but since gelcoat is also
polyester I decided to ll with the same. It
was, of course, to be totally covered in
paint subsequently.
5 to key the surface to be painted.
Dust was brushed then wiped with a
damp cloth and allowed to dry.

70 Practical Boat Owner January 2018t www.pbo.co.uk


Two undercoats and two topcoats
1 With sanding dust removed and
masked up, the sheer strake received
the rst undercoat with a standard 4in
foam roller, followed immediately with a
tipping-off brush to level the rolled-on
paint. This rst coat alone did a satisfying
job of obliterating the substrate.
4 The day after, I applied the rst topcoat 100% Toplac, Oxford Blue. Janie had gone
on strike, so I had to nobble a clubmate, Mark, to do the rolling. This he did with one
of the 4in rollers. We worked in tandem, rolling and tipping off.
5 A week later, after cutting back again,
the second topcoat was applied.
Same application procedure, only this
time a different pal, Edwin, helped out,
using the second 4in Elite roller.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
PAINTING A SHEER STRAKE
2 The next day, with the rst coat cut
back using a Scotch-Brite pad, the
sheer strake receive a second undercoat
roughly 60% Pre-Kote/40% Oxford Blue
Toplac. I worked in tandem with my wife
Janie, her using a standard 4in foam roller
and me tipping off immediately afterwards.
3 A day later I cut back the second coat
in similar fashion, but the effect was
not just to level the surface but to lighten it
too. I dont know why; it wasnt as though
Id cut right back to the initial undercoat.
WHATS THE VERDICT?
Im happy with the result. From a
distance of about 8m it looks top
notch. On close inspection, and in
certain light angles, theres a slight
orange peel effect. I expect my
tipping-off technique could have
been better but it was always going
to be tricky with a high gloss dark
colour, but it is a vast improvement.
However, what were the options if I
wanted to make it even better?
PBO paint expert Richard Jerram
suggested that if I was happy with
the nish then hed discourage me
from any further burnishing of the
Toplac, the reason being that it
would remove the varnish-like
surface layer that protects the
pigment from UV. It would result in
premature loss of gloss and possible
discolouration.
Toplac can be polished and waxed
with dedicated marine products to
provide extra protection, but Im not
sure Im that bothered. Im happy
with it as is.
Ive heard of two other cases where
boat owners had the same problem,
albeit with a 2-pack application. They
got rid of it with abrasive polish but
did wax it afterwards. Its interesting
to note that with my level of
technique a two-pack system would
probably not have spared me this.
Meanwhile, another friend
recommended a paint blade for a
smooth surface. Ill look into that
when I have to revisit the job which
hopefully will not be for a good
while yet.
Will it last?
Ah, the $64m dollar question. The
short answer is that I dont know Ill
report back in about ve years or so
and not before!
71
 CRUISING
Timeless Tenby
This charming resort has drawn tourists for centuries but
are yachtsmen missing a trick? Ali Wood visits west Wales
H
ad you run aground on
Woolhouse Rocks 150 years ago
you would have been able to
climb to the top of a bird cage
and admire the view. What you would have
seen a sweep of cornower and
candyoss terraces above a deep sandy
cove wouldnt have been too different to
what youd view today. True, the shing
eet no longer sports sails, or the ladies
billowing bathing suits, but the Welsh
harbour of Tenby with its cheerful visitors
and grand promenades is as charming
today as it was during Victorias reign.
When I arrive one morning in the summer
every B&B sign is ipped to Full, yet there
are very few yachts in the harbour and
none on the swinging moorings. Matt
Broadhurst, the harbourmaster, tells me
this is because they havent been serviced.
They were leased to outside contractors
72
but they couldnt make enough money so
they gave them back, he says. It costs us
more to collect the fees than the money
they bring in, so we just tell people to use
them at their own risk and put a donation
in the RNLI box.
That said, there is space for seven yachts
alongside the harbour wall, and there are
toilets, showers and laundry facilities. If you
want fuel, Matt or one of his colleagues will
drive you to the petrol station.
Honesty boxes and lifts ... it seems Tenby
harbour, though short on cash, is full of
community spirit, a fact thats conrmed
when Matt ags down the rst passer-by in
a lifejacket and persuades him to take me
out on his RIB. Theres no harbour
launch, Matt says with a shrug, we lost
that in the budget cut.
Luckily for me, the passer-by happens to David Philips, right, aboard Castiard talks
be military ranger Joseph Thomas and his to prospective crew for the return passage
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

Alamy
knowledge of the harbour is second-to-
none, as his job is to keep vessels away
from the MOD shooting ranges nearby.
Pendine is the main range, he tells me.
Its the busiest in the country, ring
Monday to Friday. Theres Manorbier,
too, which covers Linney Head to
Caldey Island.
Firing practice
As we motor beyond the breakwater,
accompanied by Josephs colleague
Jack, I learn about the Banshees the
unmanned drones that the soldiers use as
aerial targets. Before being deployed to
Afghanistan the drones have to be red
once over the sea. Very rarely, one might
get hit, in which case Joseph would have
to recover it.
They try not to hit them, though, he
says. They cost 80,000.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
On the chart theres actually a very
narrow corridor of a quarter of an inch that
you need to stick to when all the ranges
are active. If vessels wander into the
range, its Josephs job to notify them.
If theyre sailing well ask them to put
the engine on and change course. On
passage from Ilfracombe to Tenby, for
example, that can mean a diversion of up
to 10 miles.
Presumably youve never shot anyone? I
ask. No, not yet. That would be far too
much paperwork, he laughs.
We head out of the harbour, passing the
cardinal that now marks Woolhouse
Rocks. Behind us, the seaside terraces
retreat into a pastel blur, so that the only
prominent feature is the 153ft church
spire. Its hard to imagine that behind the
Regency and Victorian houses that
sprouted with the 19th century tourism
TENBY PORT GUIDE
LEFT The tide has
left these yachts in
Tenby harbour high
and dry for the day
BELOW St Catherines
island and the fort
that was used for
lming Sherlock
boom is Tenbys medieval alter-ego.
Tucked inside its 13th century walls is a
lively town, which may come as a surprise
for rst-time visitors. That said, there is a
good chance that most visiting yachtsmen
are already familiar with Tenby, having
come from Swansea or Ilfracombe. There
are 12 yellow visitor buoys in the harbour.
However, in a southeasterly over 10 knots
it can be horrible, says Joseph. Best to be
in the harbour overnight, as it gets a bit
shufy on a mooring.
Island life
We head west for a while, past thickly
wooded limestone cliffs. In the distance is
Caldey Island, which I remember visiting
as a child. Im thrilled to learn that the
resident monks still make chocolate there.
There are boat trips out to Caldey every
day, says Joseph. The village is really
73
 CRUISING

N
Tenby Facts longitude 00442.93W
Admiralty Charts: 1482,
First
Bay
Monkstone
Point

Visitor moorings 1076, 1179, OS 158 North Tenby

Roads
Cliff
Inner harbour moorings: Point Tenby
the 12 yellow visitor buoys Contacts SOUTH Carmarthen
are available on a rst-come Tenby Harbour Ofce: First WALES Bay
rst-served basis up to a Main Quay Wall, Tenby, tel: Point

ff
Giltar
Point

Cli
maximum size of 21ft in 01834 842717, Emergency
length. These are not tel: 08456 015522, mobile

rth
serviced regularly and so (Matt Broadhurst): 07812 CALDY
ISLAND

No
vessels use them at their 559483, mobile (Chris
own risk. As such, theres Salisbury): 07812 559482,
no fee, but please put a email: tenby.harbour@
donation in the RNLI box. pembrokeshire.gov.uk Tenby
North
Harbour wall: theres space Doctor: Health Centre, Gas Beach Roads
available for seven yachts Lane, Narbeth Rd, Tenby,
on the main quay wall tel: 01834 840868
Small Craft
where youll nd fendered Tourist information: Upper Moorings
ladders, electricity hook ups Park Rd, Tenby, tel: 01437
and fresh water, plus the 775603
Gosker
use of showers, toilets, Tenby Sailing Club: 15 The Rock
kitchen area, lounge and Harbour, Tenby, tel: 01834
washing and drying 842762
facilities. The overnight Bus station: Upper Park
Harbour
charge for this is 15 per Rd, Tenby near multi- Wall The
night plus VAT. storey car park Lifeboat
Station Pool
By Sea: Railway station: Warren Tenby
Latitude 5140.42N Street, Tenby Tenby Harbour Castle
Hill

ST CATHERINES
0 2 ISLAND

Napoleonic
cables Fort
South
Beach Sker Rock

peaceful ... sheltered from all the winds. LEFT The old
There are nine monks stationed there and lifeboat station
20 islanders. has been
converted into
We turn around and head back towards a home and
Tenby. Joseph points out the Napoleonic featured on the
fort on the island of St Catherines, TV programme
accessible by foot at low tide. The island Grand Designs
was closed to the public in the 1970s,
when it was a zoo, then opened just for a
year in 2015. If you want to see it in all its
forbidding glory, watch the last episode in
series 4 of BBCs Sherlock when the fort
doubles as the prison used to hold the
sleuths psychopathic sister!

At work and play

Next we pass Castle Hill, a headland
bearing the remains of a 13th century
castle and a memorial to Prince Albert. At
the foot of the hill is the impressive
Lifeboat House with its inshore and
all-weather lifeboats, plus an information
display, visitors area and shop.
Jack volunteers on the lifeboat crew,
along with many others who work in
Tenbys maritime industry. Its one of the
busiest stations in the country. He tells me
the previous night they had three shouts
two missing kayakers and a missing
child all, thankfully, found safe and well.
Confusingly, just a few hundred metres
away is another lifeboat station, though
this one is actually a house. The Grade II
listed building with distinctive grey
cladding and a red roof featured on the
Channel 4 TV show Grand Designs when
it was converted into a family home.
We return to the breakwater, and tie-up
alongside the steps, where two girls proudly
show us their bucket of crabs. Waiting at
the top of the steps is Matt, my tour-guide
for the afternoon. We dont get too far
before we meet David Philips, who is
adjusting the lines as his yacht Castiard, a
Van de Stadt 40, prepares to take the mud.
Come on down, he waves, have a cup
of tea. David is on passage from Lydney
in the Bristol Channel. Where? I ask, and
before I know it he has the chart out and is
pointing out the ancient harbour in the
Forest of Dean.
Rich in history
Theres a splash behind us, and were
joined by a beaming teenager in a wetsuit
from one of the other Lydney boats. His

74 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

 TENBY PORT GUIDE

Firing Ranges
Linney Head to Burry Inlet
Castlemartin Range extends 12M WNW
from Linney Hd in an anti-clockwise arc
to a point 12M S of St Govans Hd.
When ring is in progress R ags are
own (Fl R at night) between
Freshwater West to Linney Head and
St Govans Head.
Manorbier Range covers a sector arc
radius 12M centred on Old Castle
Head. On ring days red ags are own
either side of the headland. Warnings
are broadcast on Ch16, 73 at 0830,
1430 and on completion. Yachts on
passage should either keep 12 miles
offshore or transit close inshore via
Stackpole Head, Trewent Point, Presits The pastel houses provide a colourful backdrop to the pretty but often underused harbour
Nose and Old Castle Head. Contact
Manorbier Range Control on Ch16 or
73 (tel: 01834 871282 ext 209), Milford
Haven coastguard on Ch16.
Penally Range (Giltar Point) seldom
interferes with passage through Caldey
Sound.
Pendine Range is between Tenby and
Burry Inlet. However, its usually
possible to steer the rhumb line course
from Tenby to Worms Head without
interference.
For daily info on all range ring times
call Milford Haven coastguard on
Ch16/67 or 01646 690909. For
further details, refer to the Reeds
Nautical Almanac.

In settled weather, the beaches near Tenby are stunning

vessels leaving, but he wants to stay in

Tenby longer, so asks David if he can
jump ship.
I dont sail to the calendar, only to the
conditions, he explains. Crew get on and
off, and I stay until Im ready to go.
David cruises all over the Bristol
Channel, but Tenby is his favourite port.
The harbourmaster and all the staff are
so welcoming. When you come back here
its like meeting old friends, he says.
My nine-year-old daughter sometimes
joins me. Imagine how she loves it when
she can just climb off the boat onto the
sand and play!
We say goodbye to David and his new
crewman, and walk along the breakwater,
past the James Noel, one of the Caldey
Island boats, owned by Charles Cockford,
a lifeboat mechanic for 25 years.
Matt shows me around the old town,
whose walls date from the 13th century
when they were built to protect the
Normans from raids by Welsh princes and
their armies. They also helped the town
hold out for 17 days from an attack by
Cromwells parliamentarian forces during
the Civil War in 1648. Many of the notable
features, including two levels of arrow slits,
keyhole ports, cannon port and garderobe
A local brew or four can be drunk at the
towns rst microbrewery, Tenby Harbour
Brewery, situated in an old warehouse
The Tenby lifeboat is equipped and ready
to go. It is frequently called into action
A short history
of Tenby
Tenby, whose Welsh name Dinbych-
y-Pysgod means little fortress of the
sh, is one the few towns in Wales
whose stout medieval walls remain
almost intact. It was built as an
adjunct to the 13th Century fortress
on Castle Hill and by the 16th
Century it was an important sea port,
trading in vinegar, spices, woollen
cloth and coal. In 1566 the town
received Waless rst shipment of
oranges from Portuguese seamen.
After being fought over in the Civil
War and then decimated by plague,
Tenby fell into decay until the
beginning of the 19th Century. Sir
William Paxton, the politician and
merchant banker, invested in the area
and built a bathhouse for wealthy
visitors. Tenby was renowned as a
health resort and centre for botanical
and geological study and with the
arrival of the railways and shipping
lanes the tourist industry boomed.

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 75

 CRUISING

(lavatory) are all clearly visible and intact. Tenby lifeboat station is one of
Inside the walls there are a variety of the busiest in the country and
independent shops including one that gets numerous shouts or
call-outs in the summer months
sells incense sticks and oils and a music
shop run by father and son for 40 years.
You can buy love-spoons for your
betrothed, and one shop boasts as many
as 60 avours of fudge. There are,
hearteningly, very few chains here.
Dominos are trying to open a site right
next to the war memorial but the town
councillors are trying to stop them. We like
to keep things independent, says Matt.

Individual spirit
One thing Tenby has in abundance
aside from gift shops is places to eat.
Good job too as the population swells
from 6,000 to 66,000 in the summer and
includes contestants in the Iron Man
triathlon, one of whom I learn is Matt
who is a busy man, also doubling as a TV
extra, bouncer and lifeboatman.
The Iron Mans been good for Tenby,
he says. People come here to train and to
compete, then realise its such a nice
place that they come back for their
holidays. Before the competition there
were no clubs. Now there are four.
Matt recommends the Qube and Baytree
restaurants and the The Cove for fresh
seafood. If pubs are more your thing, the
Buccaneer and Hope and Anchor are said
to be popular with the Caldey boat
skippers, all any prospective visitor to the
town needs to know.
Tucked away in a narrow alleyway I nd
myself in a converted 18th century David Philips, from the Forest of Dean, Visitors wont go hungry in Tenby in one of
warehouse that is home to the Tenby pores over charts in his favourite port the many individual eateries in the town

Local insight
Joseph Thomas
is a military ranger: Tenby
has more of a cafe culture
these days. You get the
same amount of visitors its always
been popular but theres a pedestrian
area now, which helps. People used to
just stay in Tenby but because of social
media theyre discovering the other spots
now that used to be empty. We used to
go to Freshwater West and there would
be just ve or six cars. Now the car park
is so busy you cant get in there.
Jason Ronowitz
drives the launch tractor for
the James Noel: I love
everything about Tenby. I
was born and bred here. Its a very close
community. Everyone looks out for each
other. Theres loads to do and stunning
beaches. Caldey Island is like a different
world. Its relaxing. Theres nice scenery
and you often see grey seals and a
variety of birds such as cormorants and
oystercatchers.
Ieuan Williams
is the deputy mechanic at
Tenby RNLI: I work in the
coastguard ops room at
Milford Haven. A lot of the crew here do.
Tenby is a touristy town. A lot of our
shouts revolve around tourism kayaks,
broken down yachts and becalmed
vessels, for example. We have four
beaches, too, so a lot of missing kids!
Nothing ever changes here, which is
what I love. I went away travelling and
came back. It was exactly the same. I
love it. Cadw and National Parks Wales
dont allow you to change anything. You
cant even paint the houses.
Matt Broadhurst
is the harbourmaster:
Tenby is home. The
people, the place; its
beautiful. Theres a real sense of
community. When my family visit from
London they cant believe how many
people I know in the street. I could do
with an automated hand to wave. When I
rst moved here as a I child I hated it
because the only TV channel we could
get was SC4 and I didnt speak Welsh. I
love it now, of course.
Phil John
is the coxswain of Tenby
RNLI: We had a boat
break free the other week.
It was their line, not the mooring, and it
ended up on the rocks. A local sherman
removed the rudder and skeg, took it
home and rewelded it for them. Thats
what I love about Tenby theres a sense
of community here. People help each
other out.
The Pembrokeshire coastline is
stunning I worked away for 10 years,
and it always drew me home whenever it
could, no matter what the season. The
beaches are great. Barafundle Bay was
voted the best in the world better than
Bondi and all those Caribbean ones.
Theres also Swanlake Bay, Freshwater
East, Broadhaven you can anchor off
them all.

76 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk


Alamy
Harbour Brewery, where you can sample
the delights of Caldey Lollipop or North
Star ales to wash down your food from the
Tap Room restaurant upstairs.
We duck back through the walls into
Victorian Tenby and walk along the
promenade. The tides out now like
someones applied a fresh coat of paint,
says Matt. We nish at crescent-shaped
North Beach, where Goscar Rock stands
sentinel. Augustus John, the Tenby-born
artist, knocked himself unconscious when
he dived off the rock aged 19 in the
summer of 1897, an incident that required
a lengthy convalescence and some say
stimulated his artistic development.
Weve covered less than a mile, yet
between the narrow streets and vast
beaches, it feels like weve been exploring
for hours. There are so many adventures
to be had in Tenby that Ive no doubt it will
draw tourists for centuries to come and
hopefully a few more yachts, too.
Approach
If approaching Tenby from the east, a
rhumb line from Worms Head to Caldey
Island will keep you clear of the
Carmarthen Bay ranges, and you can
head for Tenby once past the yellow
Danger area buoy, DZ3. A straight line
from there to Castle Hill will keep you clear
of all the shallows, particularly Woolhouse
Rocks, which are marked by a south
cardinal buoy.
If coming from the west, be aware of the
Carmarthen and Manorbier ranges. The
ranges are closed at the weekend, at
which time passage from Milford Haven
is straightforward as long as you avoid
the overfalls at Linney Head and give
St Govans a wide berth.
As you approach Tenby, St Catherines
Island off Castle Hill will be become
obvious. Watch out for Sker Rock, just to
the east-southeast of it. The harbour lies
behind, with a breakwater extending
northwest from Castle Hill. Tenby
harbour dries completely at low water
and the beach extends beyond the
harbour wall.
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Caldey Island is home to a
community of Cistercian monks
a peaceful haven a short boat ride
away from the bustle of Tenby
Things to do
Caldey Island
is owned by Cistercian monks, and has
been inhabited since the Stone Age.
Its a peaceful retreat from the hustle
and bustle of Tenby, with a pretty
village, monastery, tea rooms and a
network of paths winding through
woodland and cliff tops up to a
lighthouse. In the gift shop you can
buy shortbread baked in the monastery
and chocolate made on the island.
Only the licensed Caldey boats are
permitted to land on the island. Boat
trips run from Easter to October and
tickets are available from the kiosk at
the top of Tenby harbour.
www.caldey-island.co.uk
Take time to learn about Tenbys past
Tenby Museum and
Art Gallery
on Castle Hill is a Tardis of local
history, geology and prehistory, and
the two galleries feature works by
Welsh artists Augustus John (who was
born in Tenby) and Kyfn Williams, as
Writers and artists
Tenby has attracted its fair share of
celebrities over the years. Former
residents include Robert Recorde, who
introduced the equals sign to
mathematics in the 16th century,
painters Gwen and Augustus John, and
author Dick Francis. Meanwhile,
notable visitors include Lord Nelson
TENBY PORT GUIDE
well as many others. Theres dressing-
up for youngsters, plus quizzes and
trails. www.tenbymuseum.org.uk
Ghost walks and
smugglers tales
take place in Tudor Square as well as
old town tours, where you can learn
the history of the walls and the islands
of St Catherines and Caldey. From
here you can also book horse and
carriage rides.
The Plantagenet
is Tenbys oldest house, a delightful
13th Century building with a tearoom,
where former US president Jimmy
Carter is said to have eaten in the
1980s. www.plantagenettenby.co.uk
Summer Spectacular
is a free family festival that takes place
every Sunday in the summer. Theres a
marquee, food, music and reworks.
The town is abuzz with visitors in season
and his mistress Emma Hamilton,
Henry Tudor and Oliver Cromwell.
Dylan Thomas lived half an hour away
in Laugharne, and gave his rst Welsh
public reading of Under Milk Wood at
the Salad Bowl cafe, while authors
George Eliot, Beatrix Potter and Laurie
Lee all holidayed in the area. And Bill
Clinton visited during the 1990s.
77

Great ideas and tips from PBO readers
Downpour in Ostend
is mother of invention
Sam Longley constructs a simple instrument cover
W
hile sitting in
Ostend at PROJE
the end of OF TH
August waiting for
MONT
the weather to
improve, we were
deluged with heavy rain
for three days. Just as we
were about to leave I found
that I had left the covers off
my instruments and water
had penetrated them.
To prevent a reoccurence, I
made an acrylic cover for them
when the boat is laid up.
To do this, I cut a cardboard
pattern of the cover I required
and obtained some 3mm
acrylic sheet from a DIY
store, which I trimmed to size
by scribing with a knife and
ne saw.
I ascertained where the
bends were needed and
clamped the sheet between
the bench and a piece of
timber. Then by gently heating
with a blow lamp, quickly
passing along the bend line
and not dwelling on the same
spot too long, the sheet
started to bend downwards.
To get the 90 right angle I let it
bend right down. To get the
splayed angle I supported it
for 2-3 minutes with a batten
while it cooled.
The ends were cut using the
cardboard patterns and one
can be seen in the photo.
I then inserted the end
panels but had not realised
that hot melt glue or silicon will
not stick to acrylic. Not wishing
to invest in expensive glue, I
resorted to spot welding using
a soldering iron and gently
melting and moulding the
joints together as one. This I
did in ve spots each end. To
tidy it up I then covered the
ends in tape.
78
Email your projects and tips to pbo@timeinc.com
or write to us at the address at the top of page 5.
We pay at least 30 for each one published
CT
E
H
CARVE-UP OF
QUARTERS
Q Andy Leake reveals the
secret to cutting rectangular
latex mattress to t a vee-berth.
ABOVE the panel
of instruments is We had both been suffering
protected from from backache, so decided it
the elements. was time to invest in some new
RIGHT the mattresses for our liveaboard
acrylic was
trimmed to size Beneteau 46.
before being Having made the decision, it
clamped and was off to our local IKEA (we
bent into shape were in Lisbon at the time),
with a blow lamp
where we purchased two single
latex mattresses. We then set
about cutting them to size.
The bread knife, however,
made a mess and the scissors
COST
were untidy. So off we went to
19.99 Jumbo, our local supermarket,
in search of an electric carving
knife. It worked brilliantly
highly recommend for slicing
up latex mattresses.
Then the fun really started
as we began reconstructing
the covers.
Almost done! The end panels are held in place with the help
of a soldering iron and some spot welding, aided by tape
I now have a plastic box to deeper and forming an
cover the instruments when I inward return nib that will
leave the boat. It will probably hook under the instruments
go opaque but that is not a so that the wind will not get
problem as I will remove it under it. It will also make the
when sailing. front more rigid. But that is
If I make another I will for another day and another
improve it by making the front sheet of acrylic. Comfort zone: one bespoke
latex mattress cut to size
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

BOOM AVOIDS A BUST MAST
Richard Hare on the best way to
secure your spars to the deck on
sometimes choppy inland waterways
If your mast isnt too long it
can be carried on deck while
transiting inland waterways
en route to fresh sailing
grounds; but there are two
issues to address before setting
off. First, a small overhang
wont present a problem. I nd
carrying the overhang aft of the
transom works best for me. I
tremble at the thought of
charging around narrow
waterways like Vlad the Impaler.
Second, you have to lash the
mast down securely this
summer in the French canals
there were two or three
occasions when we seriously
felt we were in danger of losing
the spars over the side, despite
my best efforts up on deck to
prevent this from happening.
Would you be happy with
this much overhang?
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
Its one thing to carry a mast on
deck along tranquil canals and
rivers, but quite another on tidal
waters wind over tide
especially or in the constantly
churned waterways of big cities
like London and Paris. Here
motor launches, speed boats
and jet-skis roar up and down
setting up some pretty ghastly
sea states.
If a mast isnt secured directly
to the cabin top, it will not be
secure when a boat is pitched
either forward and back or side
to side. Worse is a confused
rolling motion. But securing to
the cabin roof isnt practical for
anything other than a brief
passage because we want our
spars to be above heads, out of
harms way. So how do you
PRACTICAL PROJECTS
It is easy to forget the churned
waters created by city trafc
secure a mast that lies across a
set of elevated braces?
Warps, however tight, remain
elastic. An answer is to use the
boom as a brace, taken down
to the edge of the side deck.
Here it resists movement both
fore and aft and sideways too.
Even with a lashing at each end
(as tight as you can get it) the
elasticity problem is overcome.
Boom brace in action
CARRIER
BAGGED
Q You recently published
a reader tip about
transporting outboards. I
use a standard bike
carrier which connects to
the back of my car (got it
included in the deal when
we bought the car). We
simply strap the outboard
to the carrier, including
various accessories, and
off we go. It has the
added benet that it slides
backwards to allow
access to the boot even
when fully loaded.
79
 PRACTICAL
Fit a fuel tank
When Rob Gibson bought his Trapper 500 he inherited a leaking
fuel tank which, after ignoring for a while, he set about replacing
The new plastic diesel tank ts snugly in its wooden box a pleasing result in the end after a lot of trial and error
W
hen I bought Meg my
Trapper 500 she came
with a small cup hanging
under the fuel tap and had
obviously been leaking diesel into the
starboard locker for some time. The
initial jobs list was long and inevitably
grew as we tackled each task, the
result being that my funds ran out long
before we reached the end. A familiar
story, Im afraid.
With a limited amount of time to get her
ready for our trip home and with my funds
totally depleted I had little choice but to
ignore the fuel leak and set sail. I
promised myself that xing the leak would
be the rst job when I was on my home
mooring and I had replenished my funds.
Throughout the six-day trip home from
Portsmouth to Pill, on the River Avon, we
endured a slightly smelly locker and it
became clear that everything in it had
become saturated in diesel or the smell of
it. We tweaked and tightened all the
connections, mopped up spills and,
where possible, washed out the locker
with hot soapy water. We did manage to
improve the situation a little, but a
somewhat bumpy ride around Lands End
80
The old tank was rusty and leaking
Isolator tap was thought to be the culprit
Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk
conrmed that this was not a job that I
could postpone indenitely.
During the rst leg, Portsmouth to
Penzance, we suffered light winds and
motored for much of the time. The fuel
tank only held 27 litres, so this meant
refuelling at sea from a 20-litre fuel can
during each mini-leg. Although we
managed this without spilling too much
diesel it was not something I wanted to
repeat. The thought of having to do it in
any kind of sea was not comforting.
Predictably enough it was some months
later before I was able to address the fuel
leak. My rst avenue of attack was to
remove the fuel tap and nd a
replacement, as this seemed like the most
likely culprit. This proved harder than I
thought. First off I noticed that the washer
between the tap and the tank was the
wrong size; the inner hole was far too big
and the body thickness far too narrow.
Sage advice from work colleagues led me
to purchase a Dowty washer of the correct
size, which I duly tted.
I was starting to feel pleased with myself,
but had I cured what had obviously been
a long-term issue with a 50p washer? The
answer was sadly not. The leak endured.
 INSTALL A NEW FUEL TANK

Fuel lter was located beneath the tank

Stage two was to purchase a new fuel tap, ABOVE The

but it took me a long time to discover that plywood frame
built to support
domestic diesel taps (as used on heating the new tank
systems) are perfectly suitable for marine
applications. I have no idea why this is not RIGHT After a
common knowledge or, if it is, how you redesign the box
nally tted the
nd this out, but eventually I did. A trip to new tank
a local plumbing supplier later and I was
ready to t my new tap. Editors tip:
During the tting process I decided to Rob mentions it took
remove the tank and ush it through. It a long time to nd a way to
was at this point that I noticed the bottom prop the upright in place
of the tank was slightly rusty, although the while the epoxy dried.
tank itself appeared sound. With the tank Five-Minute Epoxy is an
back in and the new fuel tap and washer excellent way to tack
tted I was beginning to feel smug again. components in place
I suffered very little leakage for a short quickly while the main
period but that said, I was only doing epoxy llets
gentle day sailing in relatively calm seas. cure.

Return of the leak

The leak soon returned and I began to
dread mopping up half a cup of diesel
before each sail. The diesel smell was as
strong as ever and sailing became
unpopular with family and friends. Drastic
action was required. I needed a new tank.
The cost of a new metal tank was
beyond my budget, so I opted for a
42-litre plastic tank from Jay Wolfe Tanks
(www.jaywolfe.co.uk), along with a
tie-down system. I also purchased some
new metal hose tails for the CAV fuel lter
housing. Total cost approximately 160.
The old tank was attached to the rear
bulkhead by three bolts. These were of no
use to the new tank and it was clear that
Id have to build some kind of platform or
shelf for the new tank to sit on. Luckily I
had half a sheet of 12mm ply and some
WEST System epoxy left over from a
previous project.
My plan was to make a box for the tank
to sit in and in turn sit this on top of
support legs. After much measuring and
planning I took the ply to Robbins Timber
of Bristol (www.robbins.co.uk), who kindly
cut it to size for me at a very reasonable
cost. I then set about making the box.
Following the old adage of measure twice
and cut once I managed to build a box
that was about 5mm too small to contain
the tank and sit ush against the
bulkhead. A redesign resolved this, but
resulted in a box that didnt quite match
the picture of an elegant piece of
cabinetmakers craftsmanship that I had in
my minds eye. This experience supported
my long term admission that the only
thing I can make to a decent standard with
wood is shavings! I pressed on.
Tank supports
Having removed the old tank I epoxied in
a length of 2in x 1in (50mm x 25mm)
hardwood as a horizontal datum on the
bulkhead, which would also support the
end of the tank box. I then set about
building the supporting uprights.
Throughout this process I set a large spirit
level across the bridge deck and used a
smaller one when tting each piece of
wood to ensure the platform was as level
as possible. The benet of this is dubious
as no yacht ever stays level for long so
building a frame perfectly level seems,
within reason, a bit pointless. However a
lifetime of obsessing about things being
level meant that I felt compelled to try; it
just seemed the right thing to do.
At this point my inexperience began to
show and with hindsight I would have
approached the task differently. Owing to
time constraints and a fear of epoxying
bits of wood to the wrong part of my hull I
decided to install each vertical support
separately. It took me nearly three hours
to get the rst upright epoxied in place,
mainly due to the amount of walking
required to and from my car and an ever
cautious approach to cutting it to shape.
Once cut, it took me a long time to nd a
way to prop it in place while the epoxy
dried. I was eventually satised that it was

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 81

 PRACTICAL INSTALL A NEW FUEL TANK

LESSONS LEARNED
Fixing the datum line was invaluable
as the rest of the frame base was
installed from this.
I considered making the entire
support frame and then installing it
into the hull in one go. There is
denitely an advantage in doing this
as it would be much quicker and
easier to work with, but I resisted as I
feared my woodworking skills were
not up to it: specically the part
where I would have had to trim the
upright legs to get the frame to sit
against the hull and provide a level
platform with the datum.
If you buy a plastic tank watch out
for the plastic hose tails. I bought
two metal replacements and initially
only used one out of idleness. I only After trial and error the tank box is corrected, screwed and then epoxied into place
found the crushed pipe when my
conscience got the better of me and I
swapped the second plastic one.
Space in a cockpit locker is always
tight. I didnt have many options
regarding the repositioning of the
fuel lter, but I wish Id done it sooner
and generally made a better plan of
the complete installation at the start
of the project. That said, the options
were limited and Im happy with how
it turned out.

at least level with the datum and rmly in

place. It took me a further three evenings
to get the whole support frame installed
and ready to take the tank box. It was only
at this stage that I began to think about
moving the primary fuel lter: again I put it
off but later wished I hadnt.
After nearly three weeks of rolling around
a diesel infused locker I was now keen to
get the job nished. Before xing the box to
the frame I lleted and tabbed all the joints
on the support frame with thickened epoxy
and glass-bre matting. After this, tting the
tank box to the frame proved fairly
straightforward. It then came to connecting
up the fuel lines and breather pipe. The
tank came with plastic hose tail ttings for
the fuel lines. Being a leak aware kind of
guy I tightened these with what I thought
was a reasonable force. I later replaced
one of the plastic hose tails for a new metal
one I had ordered. On removing the fuel
line I could see that I had crushed the
plastic hose tail and restricted the opening
by about a half. I have no idea if this would
have affected the fuel supply, but if you
have or intend to t plastic hose tails I
recommend you do not overtighten them.
With the pipes all connected I set about
bleeding the fuel system prior to starting
the engine. Another evening disappeared
as I bled, drained, blew up pipes and
pumped the primary fuel pump to try to
get clean, airless fuel to the engine. As
darkness approached I gave up and
reconnected everything up ready for the
Job done! Filter moved, tank in place and all connected up and Meg is ready to motor
next attempt some days later. Before
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
leaving the boat the devil in me convinced
me to just try the engine anyway, after all Rob Gibson started sailing in the 1980s
what harm could it do and just maybe the with family friends. He was hooked and
primary pump was strong enough to pull continued to expand his knowledge
fuel through on its own. The engine and experience. He also gained formal
started rst time and ran perfectly. I began qualications during his time in the
to wonder if I had subconsciously military and is now an RYA Ocean
developed a penchant for rolling around Yachtmaster. He sails his Trapper 500
in diesel fumes in conned spaces, which Meg in and around the Bristol Channel.
was overriding any desire to x my boat.
I still have to clip the fuel and air lines to
the bulkhead, install the tie-down system
and throw a bit of paint around to complete
the job, but in essence the new tank is in
and working. I did nally move the fuel lter
as it ended up being hidden by the
framework. I should have done this before
installing the box, but space was tight and I
gured that if I waited until the tank was in
place Id know exactly what space I had
rather than trying to measure spaces
against a blank bulkhead. After all, I have a
history of measuring and building twice.

82 Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk

VIEW FROM THE
BOATYARD
Restoring hull shine
When scrubbing and polishing your hull ceases to improve its
appearance, respraying could be the answer, says Mike Pickles

G
RP boats are pretty
resilient and after a bit of
elbow grease is applied
you can normally get a
satisfying nish, even on a
30 or 40-year-old hull.
There comes a time, however, after
years of compounding, polishing and
scrubbing, not to mention dirty fenders,
lifting slings and the dreaded UV damage,
when you have to concede that there is
no way to get the shine back.
One option, if the damage is localised, is
to renew the gelcoat. In our example the
general condition of this Moody 31s hull,
though sound, was too far gone to make
this viable unless we gelcoated all the
topsides. Plus we have a superb paint
sprayer at our yard.
Bear in mind, though, that renewing
gelcoat takes only a little longer in man
hours and gelcoat is cheaper than good
quality paint. With spraying, the time is
taken with the preparation, whereas with
reapplying gelcoat, the time is all in the
nal sanding and polishing. We spray a lot
of boats here at the yard, so, for us, this
was the obvious route.

Preparation
The process is quite straightforward if a
little time-consuming. The rst job is to
take lots of photographs from every
conceivable angle. These will provide a She will soon be
reference for the exact position of vinyl shipshape ... after
stripes, logos and names that all need to a lot of painstaking
be removed and replaced. work such as, right,
The removal of these vinyl decals can removing the decals
often take much longer than you would

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Pickles is a foreman at Harbour Marine
Services in Southwold. He learned to sail
at four, irted with an Olympic campaign in
his early 20s and continued with yacht and
dinghy racing until his mid-40s. He is the
proud owner of an MGRS34 -tonner.
www.southwoldboatyard.co.uk

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 www.pbo.co.uk 83

SPRAY PAINTING VIEW FROM THE BOATYARD

Filler and fairing repairs are sealed under the rst coat of
545 epoxy primer, which is a good base for top coats

White is a difcult colour to work with, so a contrasting guide coat is used Spick and span after the third coat is completed, which
which helps to identify the highs and lows, the imperfections on the hull signals the moment the boss comes out to inspect

expect. The stripes in good condition will

simply peel away given a little persuasion New vinyls being applied with precision
with a heat gun or, even better, a steam
gun, but where there are nicks or they
have worn thin there are other techniques
using a mix of white spirit, Stanley blades
and also wet and dry sandpaper.
Every last trace of adhesive needs to be
removed. We try to steer clear of
aggressive solvents like acetone which
dissolves the glue but with a high risk of
spreading a thin layer of glue about when
wiping clean. Good lighting and even
better eyes are now required to spot all
the dents, chips and star crazing so that
these can be treated next.
Often the best way is to sand down the
entire topsides area using 150-grit on a
dual action (DA) sander. Note for DIYers,
though, from this point on you need to
employ very good dust extraction. Dust is
the make it or break it of a good spray job,
so we use dust extractors on each DA and
wash down at least twice a day.
Also the deck and lower hull is taped up
with a mix of plastic sheeting and brown
paper. During the course of the project the well. Once the major damaged areas have and sand back. The guide coat will quickly
boat will be taped and retaped a number been dealt with the topsides are coated show any high spots or valleys that can be
of times. with the rst of three coats of Awlgrip 545 spot lled. This process is repeated
epoxy primer. This effectively seals the another couple of times until we are 100
Primer, repairs and fairing fairing and lled areas as well as providing per cent happy that the topsides are true
Weve had excellent and long-lasting a good base for top coats. and fair.
results using Awlgrip paints over the years After the coat is dry we lightly spray a White is a difcult colour to work with, so
and have got to know the system pretty contrasting colour to act as a guide coat we use a contrasting guide coat which

84 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 www.pbo.co.uk

 VIEW FROM THE BOATYARD

REPAIRING BIG AREAS OF DAMAGE

The damaged areas are sanded hard
and the remaining gel coat is removed
from the area. This is especially true in
crazed areas so we can also check the
condition of the laminate.
We use two pack Nautix epoxy llers
to fair and build up the damaged
areas. A long board is used to sand
and fair in order to ensure we get a
true shape as once the top coat is
applied any irregularities will stick out
like a sore thumb.

Obvious damage is one thing but

its important to track any crazing
with a pen so you can get it all
ground away. Any cracks missed
will show through the paint in time

All the masking removed and her

topsides look good as new

helps us identify the highs and lows. The

guide coat is applied slightly heavier in
areas that have been lled so we can
check for any ller shrinkage, which can
happen over a few days.
Filler and fairing repairs can just be seen Crazing ground away and lled with Glassed on the inside, epoxy lled and
under the rst coat of 545 epoxy primer. epoxy while the laminate was repaired faired on the outside after a third coat of
and strengthened from the inside 545 primer and, below, sharp as a rapier
Top coats and nal touches
Everything is now washed, retaped and
care needs to be taken. For starters, the
no entry sign is put on the shed. Any
airow from opening doors can easily
disturb the dust and ruin the nish,
undoing all those valuable man-hours
and hard work.
The rst of three coats of Awlcraft 2000
topcoat can be applied. This paint is a
two-part acrylic urethane high gloss
which dries fast and seems to keep its
shine for a long time. Its also buffable so
if youre a bit late getting a fender in place
one day, you have half a chance to buff
out the marks.
Three coats were applied over a
four-hour period. Full cure takes a couple
of weeks, but the best time for us to spray
is on a Friday so it gets almost three days
undisturbed.
The nal stage is a matter of applying
the new vinyl stripes and decals,
reattaching ttings, such as boarding
ladders, then getting her out of the shed in
one piece.

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 www.pbo.co.uk 85

 PRACTICAL

Under the skin: ltering

your varnish and paint
David Parker shows a simple and effective way to skim off the
congealed surface and avoid getting pesky bits in the brightwork

O
pened paint or varnish
is always vulnerable to
skin forming in the tin and
however carefully you try to
sh this out in one piece it inevitably
breaks up into lumps. These of course
disperse further as you stir the coating
and unless you lter the paint you will
be forever lifting out those irritating
specks of congealed paint or varnish
from your fresh coating. Furthermore
fast drying formulations seem to make
the matter worse their added driers
are great for going off quickly and
reducing dust contamination and so
on but they also seem to do some
serious top down congealing when the
lid goes back on.
There are various tricks such as standing
a tin upside down for storage when you
next seal the lid, but I have found this
never really works effectively and the only
way to get a decent job is to lter the paint
or varnish next time you use it. A simple
way to do this is shown below and
opposite. By using a couple of empty Heres what we are
plastic milk bottles you can cut yourself trying to get rid of:
those lumpy bits of
containers and funnels and be left with a skin that break off
minimum of cleaning up afterwards. The as you stir the varnish
lter used is an old pair of tights.

Often when you lter varnish or paint directly into an old jar, the
ltering material can slip or sag making quite a mess. To avoid
Get a couple of used plastic milk bottles that have been washed this, wrap the cut end of a pair of old tights around the top of one
and dried and then cut them in half as shown here of the containers. No tying is required to secure it

86 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

 FILTERING VARNISH OR PAINT

To keep the lter in place, wedge the top half of the rst If the paint or varnish has been stored in a cold garage or shed,
container into the lower half of the second. This secures the lter stand it in a bucket of warm water for 10 minutes or so before
and stiffens up both containers, which are usually quite imsy opening to make it easier to pour

When the gently warmed coating is well stirred and ready, pour
the amount required into the funnel. This means you do not have
to stand holding the tin over the lter or balance it precariously The varnish in the funnel can then be left to drain slowly down
as the ltering takes place through the lter into the container

I nd it best to just
lter what you need at
any particular time so the jar
can be used up before any of it
congeals again in the container.
Bundle the messy pieces up in
newspaper and it can all go in the
bin. The only thing you will need
then is solvents to clean your
brush afterwards.

Heres what were left with those congealed bits of skin that You can either paint or varnish directly from the cut plastic milk
cause so much angst when trying to do your sprucing up bottle or decant your varnish into a clean vessel

Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk 87

 We pay for your published cruising stories and
Readers cruising destinations, near and far harbour updates. Email pbo@timeinc.com or
write to the address at the top of page 5

The crescent-shaped
Valtos beach, near Parga

Seeking peace and quiet derelict mills standing conspicuously on

the southern headland. We expected it to
be crowded but we were the only yacht

in the Ionian summer there when we arrived. There is a yellow

church that is well kempt, an indication of
regular use, and served by two wooden
The home of the otilla holiday may sound an unlikely piers for members of the congregation
arriving by boat. The rest of the buildings
place to nd a quiet anchorage but they exist if you and olive press have stood derelict since
the earthquake of 1953. There used to be
know where to look, says Georgina Moon a seasonal taverna here but no more, so,
apart from the cicadas and a few goats, it

C
ruisers often say that Ionian
sailing at the height of summer
is too crowded, with no spaces
left in harbour if you get there after
midday, anchorages full of yachts and
nowhere to drop your hook. Although
the Ionian islands are undoubtedly
more busy over these months, it is still
possible to nd quiet places, especially
if you are prepared to be adventurous.
This year we tried to nd some harbours
and anchorages that were new to us.
Some harbours on charts and in pilot
books may at rst appear to be unsuitable,
usually due to the depth of water, but it is
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Georgina and Tim
Moon are journeying
around the Greek
islands in Fandancer,
their renovated
Northstar 40 ketch,
built in 1973.
always worth a look. One tiny harbour we
sailed to, which will only hold seven or
eight yachts, is Episcopi, on the northern
coast of Kalamos. As our yacht Fandancer
has a shallow draught of 1.4m, we had no
problems mooring, but boats with more
than 1.8m draught should take care.
Most yachts sail to the larger and busier
harbour at Kalamos town on the east
coast, where there are several tavernas
and shops. However, the harbour does
get very crowded during the summer, so if
you yearn for a quieter life, try Episcopi,
which is charming but has few facilities.
There is a seasonal cafe at the top of the
harbour that served some delicious local
dishes and while sitting there we thought
that the views over to the mainland at
sunset were some of the most beautiful
we have experienced since we have been
sailing in Greece.
After leaving Episcopi we had a good
sail in light winds around to the south-east
end of Kalamos. We headed for the large
bay at Port Leone, where there are two
is a very quiet place indeed. We moored
stern-to on the end of one of the piers and
saw several bright red starsh creeping
along the rocks, as well as many other
species and sizes of sh. More yachts did
arrive but they did not disturb our peace.
Calm and quiet
West of Kalamos is Meganisi island, with
numerous pretty bays. For those who
prefer quayside facilities, cruisers will be
attracted to the main town of Vathi, which
has a new marina. Similarly, the pontoons
at Port Spilia, which is the harbour and
ferry port for the hillside town of
Spartachori, also attract many charter
yachts and otillas. If you want to avoid
the hustle and bustle of these locations
there are plenty of places to nd on the
coast of Meganisi, where you can anchor
in the clear turquoise water.
This year we chose Elia bay, directly
west of Kalamos and much quieter than
the larger bays of Abelike or Port Athene
nearby. We were the only boat anchored

88 Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk

 CRUISING NOTES

Preveza
To
Ormiskos
Valtou

Lefkas
Canal

Lefkas
GREECE
0 6 Lefkas
Channel
Pargas colourful quayside kilometres LEFKAS

ALBANIA

Ormiskos Valtou
Drepano beach
CORFU Igoumenitsa
Sivota GREECE
Parga Ammoudia
Abelike
Fanari Bay
PAXOS Acheron River Port Athene
ANTIPAXOS Vathi Bay
Port Spilia
IONIAN Preveza
Elia Episcopi
ISLANDS Spartachori Bay
Katomeri KALAMOS
Kalamos
Ionian LEFKAS MEGANISI
Sea Vathi
Port Leone
Kalamos Bay

We found Episcopi to be calm and quiet

and as the sun slid inexorably to the
horizon we took the dinghy ashore and
walked the short distance uphill to
Katomeri. This is a Greek village where the
traditions of the ages are observed men
gather at the kafenion (cafe) for an
evening drink and women weave blankets
and tablecloths on traditional looms.
Hidden gem
Further aeld, but also in the Ionian, is
the popular sailing area of mainland
Greece approximately 30 miles north of
the Lefkas canal.
Many cruisers will head for Sivota (also
known as Mourtos), opposite the southern
tip of Corfu, or to Parga further south. We
found these anchorages very busy in July
and August, so instead we headed north
of Parga and Igoumenitsa to the very
tranquil surroundings of what is ofcially
known as Ormiskos Valtou, but we call it
Iggy Creek.
This peaceful anchorage is often used
as a bolthole in very bad weather as it is
sheltered on all sides. When we were
there towards the end of August, the
weather was calm and we had the
anchorage to ourselves. We had a very
pleasant walk around the bay to a huge
expanse of golden sand known as
Drepano beach. There were very few
people about, despite it being the peak
holiday season in Greece. With a couple
of beach bars on miles of gently shelving
sand, this was truly a hidden gem, even
though it was only 20 miles north of the
crowded beaches and hotspots of Parga.
We also explored the little-known area
ve miles south-east of Parga where the
Acheron River ows into the bay at Fanari.
The entrance of the river is south of the
popular beach, where a low stone
breakwater leads you into this almost
hidden waterway, edged by thick reeds
and bulrushes. In the distance we saw the
rooftops of the waterside village of
Ammoudia. This is a popular holiday
destination for Greeks, as well as tourists
from many other European countries, but
very few British visitors come here. As we
carefully approached the riverside
buildings, the river narrowed and the chart
indicated depths of 1.5 to 1.7m, but we
never found the depth to be less than 2m.
A little way past the main village, we saw
several yachts moored on pontoons. It
appeared that some used these as their
kingshers darted back and forth, their
Fandancer placid in Port Leone
permanent mooring, a fact conrmed by
the pontoon owner. There was, however,
space for us to moor overnight for the
modest fee of 10 euros, which included
fresh water.
Out of this world
We took our dinghy upriver to explore this
historic waterway. The Acheron is a
tributary of the Styx, the boundary
between earth and the underworld. The
Styx had special powers that could make
people invulnerable. This is where Achilles
was immersed, all apart from his heel!
In Greek mythology, the ferryman
Charon transported the souls of the newly
dead across the river Styx into the
underworld. It was believed that placing a
coin in the mouth of the deceased would
pay the toll for the ferry to cross the river.
While exploring the river, we were
delighted by the wildlife we encountered:
glistening blue bodies reecting in the
water. We also saw the delicate hanging
nests of nightingales.
Eventually the river became obstructed
with oating branches and debris, so we
turned back and returned to Fandancer.
On the last bend of the river, we saw a
large creature near the bank and were
later told that it was a beaver, which are,
apparently, common visitors to that spot.
The next morning we left the pontoon
and carefully manoeuvred a 180 turn in
the river, before heading downstream and
back into the Ionian Sea.

Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk 89

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Tips for making boat work easier
A. A portable circular saw can be used
to cut the long gentle curves found in
A
all sorts of boat planking. For instance,
a master for cold moulding planks or an
old plank that needs to be copied. This
idea uses a plywood base screwed on
to the saws metal base. Into this are
fixed two screws in line with the blade.
These are cut off so their length is less
than the thickness of the curved
pattern to be used. Tack the pattern to
the stock and saw along the curve,
keeping the screws pressed against
the edge of the pattern. Take
appropriate safety precautions.

B. Some people find it hard to plane a square edge on

to a piece of wood. To help to build confidence, use a
piece of square wood as a guide, held on like this.

C. I was told that the term clinker comes from the

Norwegian for hammering sound. And Norwegian
clinker boatbuilding hammers are very clever; the
rove sits in the depression and is set on to the rivet
by the angled handle pushing the curved surface
down. Once trimmed, the rivet head is held in place by
the heavy square end, while rivetting is completed
with a smaller hammer. C
B

D F

D. This DIY tool knocks

nails out in confined
spaces. Tap the claw
under the nail head and
bash the weight against
the nut.

E. If using a puller
E leave the slackened nut F. If youve accidentally dented a wooden surface, you can
on, so the whole lot sometimes steam the dent out by placing a wet cloth over
doesnt fly off! the area and heating it with a domestic iron.

98 Practical Boat Owner January 2018 t www.pbo.co.uk

   
  
   


 
 

  


  
 

   

    
 


             
   
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