On Board with Mark Corke

Easy to build fast skiff

   

   

   

Cheaper underwater lights

Since I wrote about Aqualuma lights a couple of months back the list prices have been reduced to $310.96 for the 1 Series to $998.27 for the Tri Series although you can get these even cheaper by dong a quick Internet search. While this still does not make them the cheapest lights around it does make them more affordable for many boat owners. Unlike many of the other underwater lights on the market these are LED powered rather than the more popular metal halide variety. I have installed some on m own boat this past year and will bring you some step by step pictures of the installation in a later posting.

Unlike the metal halides which run very hot and will fail in short order if not surrounded by cooling water the Aqualuma lights never get hot, can be run out of the water and use far less power, the series 3 uses less than half an amp when running on 12 volts.

Cranberry Isles boats

    The Cranberry Isles just off the coast of Mount Dessert Island in Maine has a long history of boat building stretching back many years and continues to this day. One of the boats that is still produced on he islands is the Western Way 19. This is a sweet little boat that I like the look of a lot. Available in a variety of configurations which you can see by clicking here. There is a Bass boat, lobster yacht, center console and  gentleman's cruiser which are all built on the same hull.

One was on display at the Maine show this year and I remembered seeing it in the past and it catching my eye. What was interesting was that the boat that was on display this year was the same color as the one previously exhibited and I actually thought that it was the same boat. It was sitting on a trailer and from the front looked identical, it was only when I go closer that I saw that it was an inboard powered boat, the one on display last year was outboard powered. They also offer the boat with a stern drive and it seems their philosophy on any configuration with the boat is that if you want it and can pay for it we will do it or you providing it does no compromise the integrity and safety of the design.

Being a small builder each boat is made to order and modifications and upgrades are easily accomplished so no  two boats to date have been identical.

I was surprised when I lifted up the engine box on the display boat to find a 4 cylinder gas engine rather than a diesel. This they explained to me was to keep the weight down in the boat, which is after all only 19 feet long, give a good power to weight ratio, (the boat tops out at 30 knots) and reduces the vibration a little. Having said that I think that I would go for a small three cylinder diesel if I were ordering the boat and sacrifice a little on the top end.

I have an invitation to visit the yard which I hope to do later this year when I can try the boat for myself.

Teak decking cleaning and caulking

    Some of the interesting folks that I spent some  time with at the Maine Boat builders show were the guys from Teakdecking systems. I have been aware of them for some time but what I did not realise was that they have some of their own products, specifically teak decking caulking available in white, grey and black. I bought a sample of the black back to the workshop and in a day or two will make up a sample board with some teak and give it a try. It will be interesting to compare it to the Sika product that I normally use. After speaking with Neil Gibbons the project coordinator for teak decking systems, who showed me some sample panels that they made up it became apparent that unlike Sika 290 DC you do not need a primer even when using oily woods like teak, so missing out this step will speed up the application process a little.

    I am also going to run some trials of their cleaner which they say is suitable for regular deck cleaning. TCP 100 is, according to the literature fully biodegradable and won't harm the environment or boat fittings and topsides. As they correctly point out many decks are loved to death, owners think that are doing the right thing by giving the decks a hard  regular scrubbing with a stiff brush along the grain but all this does is drag out the softer material between the hader annual rings in the wood leaving ridges and a rough deck.

Decks should always be scrubbed across the grain with a fairly soft brush using plenty of seawater.

I plan to give the cleaner a trial tomorrow so I I'll take some pictures and let you some before and after shots. Incidentally there is also another cleaner called TCL 200 which is meant for a deeper clean so I might try to get hold of some of that and give that a go too. I have some very dirty teak which has been weathering outside for a couple of years which I can try it on.

Tiller pilot installation

I often sail alone, and ordinary chores, food preparation, sail changes, chart work, and the like often require me to leave the tiller unattended for a time. Although my boat has a long keel and tracks well, it soon became clear that having a self-steering system would be a great asset.
There are two basic types of electronic self-steering systems one for wheel-steered boats, the other for tiller-steered boats like mine. There are numerous choices from numerous manufacturers; your search will be narrowed to some extent by what will work with your boat. Turning a wheel or pushing a tiller requires a certain amount of energy in the form of thrust, and the larger the boat, the greater the required thrust will be.
Because I have Raymarine electronics on my boat, I chose Raymarine’s ST1000 Plus tiller pilot, which is compatible with my existing electronics. It has a maximum push/pull torque of 125 pounds, which is more than enough for my modest 26-footer. The ST1000 Plus is a self-contained tiller pilot; for a larger boat you’ll need a larger pilot.
Before the advent of integrated circuits and NMEA protocols, automatic pilots were not able to share information with other equipment. My ST1000 both sends and receives information and can steer to a course set on a connected chartplotter, a very useful feature for a single hander like me.
Installation of a tiller pilot varies from boat to boat, but my installation was typical enough to give you a good idea of what’s involved and whether this project is for you. It’s essential that you read, fully understand, and follow the instructions that come with your tiller pilot.
My boat is made of wood, so I simply seal the edges of any holes I drill with unthickened epoxy a solid glass fibre boat would not be any more difficult but cored decks need more attention; you need to remove the core around the holes, fill them with thickened epoxy, and redrill the holes when the epoxy cures. The epoxy will keep moisture from entering the core.

Choose a position for the tiller pilot, paying special attention to the unit’s installation instructions. With the ST1000, the pivot point on the tiller where the pilot’s drive arm is attached must be 18 inches from the centerline of the rudder pintles. Note that when the tiller is steering dead ahead, the drive arm is at a 90-degree angle to the centerline of the boat.
The drive arm also needs to be level athwartships. This was initially a problem on my boat because the tiller was too high relative to the side deck. I solved the problem by adding an extension to the pedestal socket.
Raymarine offers a large range of optional parts to ensure that the tiller
pilot will fit just about any boat.
Following the installation instructions, mark the positions of the pedestal mounting base and the pivot pin. On my boat the pedestal is on the side deck, adjacent to the cockpit coaming, and the pivot pin is on top of the tiller. I like to use masking tape for marking positions; pencil shows
up well on it, and you can double-check before drilling the holes.

Edson Steering

   

Edson have been in the pump and boating business for 150 years and during that time have become synonymous with steering wheels and steering systems in general. There is an old saying that you cannot reinvent the wheel but they have been doing that or at least trying to do that at various times in their history. I think it would be far to say that the space saving wheel has not been a resounding success in the way that perhaps they would have liked but they do have some well crafted and solid products that have stood the test of time. One such is the range of power boat wheels which are available either with a smooth rim or with the comfort grip insert on the underside as shown above. The elastomer finger grip inserts do feel very tactile and with wet or cold hands and are likely to offer some measure of enhanced comfort and control. But I am burying the lead a little and that is that this wheel which comes in 13,14.5 and 16 inch diameters is now available with a very striking satin finish which I am told is obtained by some sort of water etching process. I had heard about the new wheel but was very plased to see it in real life at the Maine show. The wheel which looks great and should lead to reduced wheel house reflections especially at night but mostly I think the new finish looks very cool. Prices are in the $500 range but the wheel looks likely to last far longer than the boat to which is attached.

Multi Panels

    As I mentioned yesterday I spent the day at the Maine Boat builders show. It is always good to see old friends and hopefully to make some new ones. Surprisingly the show has been very busy this year so far with some new exhibitors one of which was showing a product called multi panel . This is a light weight closed cell foam panel which can be used for all manner of boat building and improvement projects. It comes in a variety of thicknesses from 8 to 30 mm thick, is light in weight and bonds well to polyester and epoxy resins. Foams have been used in boat building and repair for years but this foam which is very structurally rigid could be used for all sorts of projects. As I was admiring the products on display I was thinking of all the ways in which this foam might be employed.

Although this is an Australian product it is sold distributed in the USA by ThermoBoat ltd who frankly do not have a great website but what they do have is a link to a you tube video showing some of the things that can be achieved with the panels and how easy it is to work. Easily machinable with woodworking tools the panels can also easily be formed to conform to fairly complex shapes by heating with a hot air gun. I hope to get hold of some samples to have a play and find out for myself just what is possible in the very near future. By the way in case you were wondering I grabbed this photo above from their web site and it shows the aft end of a pilot house roof made from some of the panels.

The foam has a fairly high R value, the 30 mm panels are rated at 6.3 so bulkheads made from these panels would not only be light in weight they would also offer good heat and sound insulation properties.

Maine Boatbuilders show

    This Friday,Saturday and Sunday is the Maine Boat builders show. This is always a show that I enjoy going to, you won't find any of he big flashy boats here but you will find honest to goodness craftsmen built boats. One of the provisos  that the organizers place on the exhibitors is that the builders must man the booth so this means that as you look a round the show you will be talking to someone that probably the day before was wielding a brush putting on the last coat of varnish before trailing the boat to the show.
One of the regular exhibitors is Richard Pulsifer builder of the Pulsifer Hampton, a hansom boat if ever there was and one that always draws admiring crowds at the show, a trio of which make a nice showing at rest in the picture above.

    I am writing this rather late at night so this posting is rather short but tomorrow I will post some photos and even perhaps some video providing I can work out how to make that aspect happen, but rest assured I shall do my very best to bring you some flavor of the show.

Dolfinite bedding compound

    I've had a few e mails from one or two readers of On Board asking about bedding compounds after I wrote the post about bedding in deck fittings and so on. It seems that there is some conflicting and confusing information floating around so I will try to clear up any misunderstanding.

    Walk into almost any marine store and you will find hundreds of different tubes of mastics, sealants and other associated goop. basically there are two different types, polyurethane and polysulphide.

    Polyurethane is an adhesive compound of which 3M 5200 is perhaps the best well known and should not be used where there is a chance that you will need to dismantle the joint later. 5200 is used by many manufacturers for hull to deck joints and for this kind of application it is perfect. Polyurethanes also hold up well underwater, will bond to most materials but can attack some plastics but not Marelon so you are OK to use these for bedding in plastic underwater fittings made of this material.
    Polysulphides such as Boatlife remain permanently flexible and are my preferred choice for most jobs. They can be used above and below the water line and the joint can be disassembled later if needs be. Polysuplides should not be used for boding polycarbonates such as Lexan or PVC as they will attack them. For this reason most window frames and other components containing plastic are bonded with a silicone product. Polysulphides are available in a variety of colors, I have always found the brown a good match for teak and mahogany but for the best seal with teak use the primer first.
    Last but by no means least is the Dolfinite bedding that I have shown above. This is more of an old school product and I like it for applications where I am bedding wood to wood, it has a strong aroma which every time I pop the lid reminds me of old boatyards in much the same way that fresh varnish does. I am getting a bit off topic here but Dolfinite remains flexible for years, will not dry out and will not destroy parts should you ever have the need to take them apart at some later date. As this comes in a can  which can be resealed it will not go hard unlike those half used tubes are rather prone to do so for general bedding it could save some you some money in the long run.

How to splice three strand rope

    Splicing three strand rope is fairly straightforward and is useful skill to learn. It joins two ropes together of equal diameter and unlike a knot does not weaken the rope to the same extent. When done well the finished result looks neat and shipshape although the extra bulk may prevent the rope from running through sheaves and around blocks. Practice on nylon rope that is soft and easy on the hands. For your first attempt use a larger diameter rope; 3/4 inch is ideal, small ropes are harder. It is also a good idea to use ropes of different colors as I have shown here, as it is easier to spot mistakes and keep track of your progress as the splice develops. Once you have mastered it move on to smaller ropes. Aim to keep the splice neat and tidy at all times and take your time, speed will come with practice.

Tip

Nylon rope is soft on the hands but if using small diameter, traditional hemp or polypropylene rope then you may find a small marlin spike helpful for opening up the strands prior to tucking.

To prevent individual strands from coming unraveled wrap a small section of masking or electrical tape around each of the ends.

1
Unlay about 12 times the diameter of the rope and temporarily use a piece of whipping twine at this point to prevent further unraveling. Place the two ends of the rope together alternating the strands.