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  1. vyv_cox

    Small dinghy gunwale

    I had a laminated tiller, ash and mahogany(?). Although I never left the tiller exposed in winter, not sure about previous owners, the ash rotted beneath the stainless steel cap at the stock end, discovered when the tiller snapped off. Fortunately not at sea
  2. vyv_cox

    Adding a flexable solar panel

    No I agree but for different reasons. We had a flexible panel that I fondly imagined I could move around according to point of sail/optimum sun. I soon found that six strops were needed to stop it flapping continuously, which of course took an age to untie and tie again. The only answer was to...
  3. vyv_cox

    Anchor line

    I carry two very different 'snubbers'. One is a snubber in the 'true' sense of the word, 12 mm nylon intended to stretch for absorption of high loads, mostly yawing in strong winds. The other is just the opposite, a short heavy length of rope that takes the load off the windlass. Berthed...
  4. vyv_cox

    Aluminium anodes

    Answer is here. Anodes
  5. vyv_cox

    Calorifier location - is there a limit?

    No problem above the engine provided any air can be vented. On my motor sailer the calorifier was more than 1.5 metres above the top of the engine. I used a float valve at the highest point.
  6. vyv_cox

    Swinging mooring advice

    My first boat on that mooring only displaced about 3 tons. We kept the same mooring for all three boats that we owned, finishing up with a Sadler 34 weighing nearly 7 tons loaded. Snatch never really seemed to be a big problem. The depth was a minimum of about 6 metres, rising to around 12...
  7. vyv_cox

    Swinging mooring advice

    Perhaps times have changed but 10 mm chain for a boat your size seems only just enough for an anchor, definitely not 'substantial' for a mooring. My first boat on Menai Strait was a lightweight 27 footer. The ground chain and riser were 3/4 inch and the pickup between buoy and boat was 1/2...
  8. vyv_cox

    Chain Plate

    Difficult to believe that a builder would attach a chainplate with screws. I would expect a tapped plate bonded into the moulding, which is how Sadlers are built. It is possible to detect these plates using an ultrasonic device for finding pipes and wires behind plaster in houses. May be...
  9. vyv_cox

    Fuel berths around Anglesey - am I missing something?!

    No berth at the boatyard so not possible. Beaumaris pier may be possible but a good walk to the petrol station. You could perhaps berth at Menai Bridge pier, petrol station not too far away.
  10. vyv_cox

    GOK compression fittings on copper pipe

    As Daverw says, the requirement makes little sense for a gas line inside the boat where there is no possibility of immersion. In addition to that it is very common to swage stainless steel wire with copper ferrules on small boat rigging connections that clearly see plenty of seawater but last...
  11. vyv_cox

    19mm hose onto Blake’s seacock

    I have heated hoses successfully using a blowlamp. Care is needed of course but it can be done.
  12. vyv_cox

    Bukh DV10 - Alarm and temperature warning light illuminates after 4/5 minutes of the engine running

    A well-known problem with these engines is blockage of the water flow at the entry point behind the flywheel. It is possible to remove the two Allen bolts holding the fitting without removing the flywheel but you may need to shorten an Allen key to do it. Carbonate deposits here need to be...
  13. vyv_cox

    19mm hose onto Blake’s seacock

    Boiling water is not a very useful means of softening the hose. A hot air gun is by far the best tool for the job. Heat inside and out.
  14. vyv_cox

    Engine overhaul schedule

    My Yanmar 3GM 30F is about 25 years old and has 2700 hours on the clock. I have replaced 1 elbow and one water pump. These are probably the weakest links and are well worth checking thoroughly. Otherwise I have changed belts once and done regular oil and filter changes. That's it.
  15. vyv_cox

    Perkins with a dead heat exchanger

    In exactly the same way. From cold start, water passes through the bypass and out through the exhaust via the elbow. Once the engine is up to temperature the thermostat opens, simultaneously allowing water to flow through the engine and closing the bypass. Water leaving the engine flows to the...
  16. vyv_cox

    GOK compression fittings on copper pipe

    I have used inner sleeves when fitting compression fittings to plastic pipe but never with copper. I have fitted many to copper without suffering leaks.
  17. vyv_cox

    Prop anode disappeared.

    Could be worth considering painting the prop. This reduces the area of the cathode and thus the anode does not work so hard. My prop anode life doubled and shaft anode trebled after I began painting my Bruntons. Detail on this page Propeller antifouling with Velox
  18. vyv_cox

    Rusty anchor chain - good for another season or two?

    Unfortunately regalvanising has become so expensive due to fuel and zinc spiralling costs that it is now barely cheaper than buying new chain. Outside UK countries with lower labour costs continue to make it worthwhile but in western Europe the practice has almost died out.
  19. vyv_cox

    Rusty anchor chain - good for another season or two?

    Your checks confirm that very little metal.has been lost to corrosion. Strength should not be compromised at all. So long as you can cope with rust down the decks there should be no problem with carrying on using it.
  20. vyv_cox

    Chemical toilets - how often and where do you empty them?

    I have a marine toilet with gravity holding tank on the boat and a Thetford chemical toilet in the motorhome. Neither smells excessively but there is sometimes a faint whiff in the motorhome.
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