Well still don't have an engine! They keep telling me it is ready but there is a gaping hole where it should be sitting. Hope it doesn't take too long to get here. Otherwise plans coming together. The weather is fantastic up here at the moment. Yesterday sunny and dry about 14 deg so got the hull painted and anti fouling done, just the boot stripe to do outside. All new fuel hoses fitted and rudder gland re-packed serviced. My new Rudder sender arrived today so a small bracket to make to fit that then the electrician is going to link all the separate plotter/sounder/autopilot etc together in the hope they will all speak the same language ar at least understand each other!!! Shouldn't be too long before we are back on the water.
How is everyone else getting along with their plans?
Mike who owns the yard where we are has bought a Lochin 38, ex creel boat. Hull and decks are very good but the wheelhouse was a awful home built afair. He has chopped it off and intends to build a new flybridge wheelhouse for her. If anyone is looking for a 38 they will end up with a good boat and will be able to have some input into how it turns out at this stage. Let me know if interested.
It can be a pain sorting the new engine out can't it. We ordered 450c from Cummins when we re-engined, waited two weeks and then told they had sold it to someone else by mistake. We did end up slightly better off, I think, and received a 500HP QSC for the same cost as the 450c was going to be.
Ocean Star is currently in the marina after a storm led to her mooring parting and she got knocked about. New skeg, new handrails on the bow, new radar frame etc etc. Big job so we had to hand it to insurance, who have been fantastic in dealing with it. Their surveyors report left a little to be desired, but after a few exchanged emails we have now levelled an agreement and the work has started.
Jobs we've ended up planning whilst out of the water include lining the wheelhouse and bunk area, re-wire where needed, fitting an autopilot, re-arranging the helm station to suit me :), removing the wing tanks and replacing with a single tank back in the stern, full repaint. Probably something I've forgotten!
Hope you're sorted with the new engine soon - we haven't installed the 280 yet but thats also on the 'list' :)
Glad to hear you have managed to sort out Ocean Star after her wander. Gives you a good chance to sort out all your other bits too like helm station etc. Who do you insure with? always good to hear someone complimenting an insurance company. I use Coleman marine, they looked after LJ when i bought her and just carried on, thankfully never had to claim yet.
Good luck with fitting the 280, I have had a couple of customers complain they will be sad not to hear her again, she sounded fantastic with the big exhaust, I see why many people used to call their boats ''blue thunder'' ''rolling thunder'' etc The perkins will be a squeak by comparison.
Excellent news, you must be pleased. Should be back in the water and running in a couple of weeks i guess??
Hope you are still having decent weather...its rubbish down here at the moment. My 'interim' boat is still in plymouth until the weather improves and I can get her back to Brixham.
weather is amazing here, blue skies n sunshine, somedays there is a strong breeze which makes it feel cold but if you get some shelter it is like spring. Aiming to be back on the water in a couple of weeks then a stop over in Tobermory for decks painting and a few private trips the round to Ulva for the start of the season. Heres a link to my facebook page with some recent pics on
Well finally got my new engine fitted and commissioned etc. It is a lot quieter than the old Ford and it is extra quiet off the boat now too due to the silencer which has been fitted. Good news is that we can reach our service speed of 7.5kn easily enough but with the current prop she won't go past 8.5kn. I was perhaps optimistically hoping for clcoser to 10 but hey ho I can live with it. Might have the prop re-pitched for next season and see if we can squeeze and extra knot out of the old girl. One downside is the lack of access on the stbd side, we have had to have a hatch fitted in the deck to get to the oil filters! Port side no problem.
One hiccup is the autopilot, I have added a rudder transducer in the hope it would improve the performance but so far it has been the opposite. We now have gps in the loop too but for some reason when commissioning the ST70 won't always recognise we have a rudder sender fitted. I will have a go at pulling it all apart switching it all off and starting again to see if there is something I have missed. Anyone else got a spx10 and st70 with a rudder transducer fitted?
Got launched and back to Mull last week, hoping it warms up so we can do some painting soon.
Congratulations on the new engine being up and running and achieving your desired operating speed.
Did you keep the same prop as you had with the ford engine or did you change that as well? Might need a slight tweek although you are never going to get 20 knots and I know you have no desire to, but you will have great economy and the operational speed needed for the job LJ undertakes.
Can't really help you on the autopilot issue but I did have a new Raymarine pilot fitted by a so called expert to my little Seaward some years ago just before I sold her.......apparently it never did work properly so I hope you get yours working!
Talking of Seaward, I hear thats another excellent boat building company in administration......sad news!
I kept the same prop on advice ''just to see how it goes'' and now having tried it we are running so close to max torque should have it re-pitched which will give slightly higher speed better economy. I will give it till mid season then have another look when I have earned a few quid, it has been a long expennsive winter so far. If the Autopilot isn't easily fixable then the transducer will be on E Bay soon and i will go back to compass only!
Sad so many boat building companies have gone to the wall over the years, must be a reason for it, other countries seem to have stable boat building businesses.
