Yet another build thread, this time its personal... - Page 4

K&S · 07 June 2008, 20:41

Just an observation, the anchor light - is it not going to be badly obscured to the port side by what im guessing is the gps antenna?
Keep up the work and hopefully the weather will continue for you.

BruceB · 07 June 2008, 21:26

To a certain extent yes it will. However on a dark night enough reflection from the kit around it should make it visible enough.
It is not ideal but in all fairness it is unlikely to ever be used as an actual anchor light as I generally only put the boat in for the day and anywhere I would ever leave it anchored or moored is not exactly busy with traffic (think inner hebridean islands). I think I used nav lights twice in anger in four years RIB use on the old boat. Since 99% of shipping will be seeing me from an arc centred on the bow it didn't seem worth fitting an A frame to get one light in a perfect position.
The intention is to have the lights switched on two switches through a diode, one for all three lights and the other just the white. All are LEDs so the white can be left on all night if required.
If I feel it is going to present a practical problem I can always put the GPS up a few inches on an extension but I would rather keep it lower than the VHF if possible.
Plus it doesn't really ever get dark up here in the summer, even in the middle of the night!

K&S · 07 June 2008, 21:45

Good for you personaly i would'nt recognise a diode never mind know what to do with it.
We have a three way rocker switch wich even i could re-wire...

Dont envy the job of sorting the wiring out.

Any idea of when the hull might get wet yet ?

BruceB · 07 June 2008, 21:49

My little blow up boat, tried to get the missus to come out round the harbour today and she wouldn't in case anybody thought this was the bigger new RIB she has obviously been tellling everyone about!

I reckon after putting the little Honda aux on today that I won't have to mount it inside after all, I reckon if I put two U bolts at the top of the transom either side I can loop a ratchet strap round the motor and through both bolts to hold it rigid. This means deploying it is just a matter of popping a strap and lowering it down on the bracket.
Looks a bit high up though when stored on the bracket! I had to stop the boat today and do a bit of work on the little Midget, missus was complaining that a T&T car had been sitting for several months and I hadn't fixed it, don't she know her priorities?

BruceB · 07 June 2008, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by K&S

Any idea of when the hull might get wet yet ?

Working tomorrow to help pay for the decking, batteries, engine PDI, seat pads/backrests, engine interface cable, fuel filter and new control cables still required

, plus the usual host of small bits and bobs.
Plodding along as I can hoping to get her in the water July if possible to get some use this summer after running her in.

Hightower · 08 June 2008, 08:12

Are they facing bricks or blocks your house has been built with? Looks really nice, I'd be really interested if they are stone blocks and what stone they are.

BruceB · 08 June 2008, 19:29

I can't give you colours or types but they are blocks. AFAIK they are Fyfe stone blocks which are coloured concrete, of course!.

Hightower · 08 June 2008, 20:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceB

I can't give you colours or types but they are blocks. AFAIK they are Fyfe stone blocks which are coloured concrete, of course!.

Concrete, that's cheating

Thought that they might be the real Mc Coy!

Looks really nice though.

BruceB · 16 June 2008, 20:57

Little bit more done but unfortunately run out of money for the moment to finish off, working some overtime to get the rest paid for so I can get her launched.
Still got some material to finish off more jobs but rapidly running out of bits.
Got the aux mount finished off and most of the rear end done, minor tidying only left. Fuel system finished apart from a mounting bracket for the filter.
Need to start looming and connecting the console up and start firing bits up to set up.
Large items needed are batteries, flooring and seats plus the PDI with backrests, second battery and engine interface cable able to wait till after launch.

BruceB · 07 July 2008, 22:36

Not much been done for a while but this week saw some progress. Fuel system complete, steering connected and bled and both batteries and power system put in. I am going to try and get the motor cabling and some of the instruments connected up to the new busbar and see if I can get her into the water for a trial run at the weekend if I am lucky.
Still don't have seat pads,flooring or engine interface but I can retrofit them later once the motor is run in.
Need to try and get her in before the summer ends........

BruceB · 08 July 2008, 20:43

Hooked up the last motor cables tonight and tried to start the motor. A few pumps of the bulb and she started on the first turn of the key, much quieter than the old Yam 2 stroke as well so the neighbours will be happier when I flush it in the evenings!
With a bit of luck and a following wind I'll get it in the water to start running it in at the weekend while I finish the fitting out

alystra · 08 July 2008, 21:30

Good job Bruce. Thought the weather might have put you into hibernation already, like the rest of us here. Until today I'd have said you'd missed the summer, but maybe there's some left still.

Reading your last again, it seems you'll just be pottering around this weekend and not trying to get anywhere. If you pluck up courage though, come down to Corryvreckan around slack water. I'll be there with some others, escorting a bunch of swimmers from Jura to Scarba.

According to the five day, there'll be a big yellow sun over the top of us and a gentle NW'ly. Of course, it may not be.

BruceB · 08 July 2008, 21:37

Tony,
I will just be pottering around Oban trying to get the couple of slow speed hours done. I probably won't have all the kit hooked up and haven't stocked the boat yet with spares etc as well as having no seat pads!
All going well If I get the first part of the running in done at the weekend and I can get all the kit connected, set up and pads fitted I'll probably be ready to go somewhere (but not finished) in another week or two.
The other question is why are they swimming the Corryvreckan when you have a boat there?

BruceB · 13 July 2008, 21:14

Didn't get out this weekend as I couldn't get the PDI done till Monday morning,
Hooked up some more electrics, really just the plotter and NMEA stuff to connect and tidy up the wiring in the console.
All being well I'll get it in this week and the first couple of hours on it, should get the seat pads dropped off on Thursday and back next week so I have a seat.
The all LED nav lights are the biz, very bright. Got the names on and just have to fit the SSR numbers to the console sides.

BruceB · 14 July 2008, 17:17

Got my PDI done today so it is advanced enough to launch. Unfortunately the weather here is pants and I can't convince the missus to give me a hand launching and recovering. (it is HER actual birthday today I suppose and sitting in the mist and rain for several hours while I motor back and forth isn't really what she had in mind tonight)
I don't want to launch myself in case of problems first time so i'm stuck to the weekend.
The only good point is that I can probably get the plotter hooked up by then plus the other minor electrical bits and bobs, lots of little bits to tidy up.

alystra · 14 July 2008, 18:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceB

Tony,
..................... The other question is why are they swimming the Corryvreckan when you have a boat there?

You may well ask... I've given up asking questions like that in this part of the world. Better just to go with the flow - so to speak.

We finally went on Sunday, er, yesterday. Great fun, all five got across, two went both ways. This was just a lark for them - most do triathlons for fun.

Super bunch, great day.

The boat's looking good. No point in rushing the final niggly bits, which are so important. Not as though you're missing the summer or anything. August looks to be a dead duck as far as ribbin's concerned for me - too many commitments, though I'll probably be acting as a safety boat for the Round Shuna Race on 23/24th.

Cheers, Tony

BruceB · 19 July 2008, 00:13

Decided to add a second plotter on the drivers side. Got a fantastic deal on a Globalmap 4800 BW head unit and all the bits to connect into the network to use as a repeater for the main plotter.
The intention is to use it as a repeater in gauge mode for all the GPS info and engine monitoring gauges instead of cluttering up the larger colour one.
It will show position, speed, engine gauges, depth etc all at the same time and if the other plotter every gives problems will also act as a backup one when the nav cards are swopped over. I will keep and eye out for a LGC3000 aerial and mount it on the console but not plugged in and amother chart card between the two head units will have a completely backed up nav system. handy if we are out of sight of land off the west coast

Also bought a hand operated side mounted searchlight for the side of the console.
Seat pads and backrests are away for covering and due back next week, will design and get the backrest frames done when they return.
Now if I can just figure out where I can put the toilet and kitchen sink............

BruceB · 20 July 2008, 21:24

Got in the water today and did the first two hours slow speed running in.
Really need to get seats and non slip flooring down fast, though.....
The boat handles well, in fact it can turn about twice as fast as the compass mounted on the console can.
She is very bow light even with the fuel tank and two batteries in that large console forward, will need to get some even more weight up at the bows . Spent over 1.5 hours at 3000rpm and couldn't get her over the hump onto the plane, bows were pointing to the sky the whole time

Opened her up at the end of the two hours, much faster than the old RIB but GPS not connected yet to get speed. I reckon I am getting around 35knts or so. Hopefully slightly more there when she is set up properly, not too bad for a 90hp

alystra · 21 July 2008, 15:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceB

Got in the water today and did the first two hours slow speed running in.
Really need to get seats and non slip flooring down fast, though.....
The boat handles well, in fact it can turn about twice as fast as the compass mounted on the console can.
She is very bow light even with the fuel tank and two batteries in that large console forward, will need to get some even more weight up at the bows . Spent over 1.5 hours at 3000rpm and couldn't get her over the hump onto the plane, bows were pointing to the sky the whole time

Opened her up at the end of the two hours, much faster than the old RIB but GPS not connected yet to get speed. I reckon I am getting around 35knts or so. Hopefully slightly more there when she is set up properly, not too bad for a 90hp

Good job Bruce. Bet you're relieved to get afloat at last. 3000 revs with me just gets me over the hump and 2800 is the minimum revs to keep planing - just. The extra few centimetres length you have perhaps makes the difference? Flat out for me is 39.6 knots. Wonder if I could reach 40 knts if I jump up and down a bit.

Better weather forecast for the coming week too.

iandl · 21 July 2008, 16:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceB

Got in the water today and did the first two hours slow speed running in.
Really need to get seats and non slip flooring down fast, though.....
The boat handles well, in fact it can turn about twice as fast as the compass mounted on the console can.
She is very bow light even with the fuel tank and two batteries in that large console forward, will need to get some even more weight up at the bows . Spent over 1.5 hours at 3000rpm and couldn't get her over the hump onto the plane, bows were pointing to the sky the whole time

Opened her up at the end of the two hours, much faster than the old RIB but GPS not connected yet to get speed. I reckon I am getting around 35knts or so. Hopefully slightly more there when she is set up properly, not too bad for a 90hp

nice job ....you might not need much more weight in the bow ....once you get a bit more speed and up on the plane the bow will come down .....bow high... yes please when only doing low speeds, usually tubes will be in the water at the stern as well to give more stability .......
my verado needs blasts of wot during run in so i'm getting to play as well ....i would have gone the extra rpm's to get on the plane then throttled back

Ian