Refit Week 13

Hi everyone,
I've been at Boat Lagoon this week and will be staying until the refit is completed.  It's been a busy week with lots of work going on.  The boom and mast fittings have been refitted, with some replaced or modified.  On deck the new windlass, new solar panels, additional deck organisers and new lifelines are being fitted.  Below decks a new saloon floor is being fitted.

The new cabin sole is oiled teak with black sikaflex stripes

Rudder antifouled, preparing metalwork for painting

A number of mast fittings have been replaced due to the old fittings being either very worn or of incorrect size.  The gooseneck fitting was very worn so was replaced, and while doing so we adapted the design to handle tack lines for reefing the main.  This will make it unnecessary for anyone to be at the mast while reefing.

New gooseneck fitting - the old one was very worn
The holes and hoops are for new tack reefing lines

The tangs to which the lower shrouds are attached were replaced since the holes for the pins were oversize and washer had been welded over the holes to match the pins.  Not very pretty.  The new ones have correct size pins.

New bicolour nav light (left) and unchanged deck light (right)

We have replaced the mast-mounted navigation lights.  Our "bow" lights are mounted at the lower spreaders and are an integrated bicolour "lopolight" LED light.  The old one had an LED array globe but the housing was very brittle.

The masthead tricolour/anchor light was similar so was replaced with an integrated "OGM" tricolour/anchor/strobe light.  The windex was replaced too.

New tricolour/anchor/strobe masthead light

The repainted deck and new cockpit teak really give the deck a new look.  Very smart.  The new pushpit/arch/lifelines enclose the cockpit and the lower arch with much larger solar panels will provide more shade.

Repainted deck and new cockpit teak look great

The new pushpit extends solid lifelines around the cockpit

260W of solar power, plus a little shade!

Outboard motor mount and gas regulator fitted

While Precision was doing much of this week's work I did the electrical wiring in the mast, sorted out and discarded about 50kg of perishable food and other excess stores.  I also reinstalled the cabin table/pedestal and refitted/rewired the 400Ah of house batteries inside it.  With all the coachroof fittings installed I refitted the cabin headlining.  With the new cabin sole and the 18 month old headlining the varnish below now looks a little tired.  Something for us to do ourselves when we get the boat home.

We hope to step the mast and relaunch the boat this week.  The anchor platform, chain pipe and inner forestay chainplate need to be fitted before that since the boat needs to remain under cover until they're done.  I also need to refit the pushpit arch mounted VHF antenna, GPS antenna wiring and install the solar panel wiring.

It rains here several times each day, and some are real tropical downpours.  Having the boat under cover is an absolute necessity while major deck work is going on.

Refit Week 12

Hi everyone,
This week the hull was antifouled and progress made on the stainless steel work.  The antifoul is Coppercoat (known as Coppershield in Australia).  Hopefully it will live up to its reputation and last for 10 years.

Today we discovered Kleenhull which provides anodes intended for vessels using copper-based antifouling.  Last year we found the Coppercoat antifoul was corroding away near the zinc anode on the skeg.  We plan to try Kleenhull anodes this time.

Looking good down-under

Much nicer keel-hull join now

Nice contrast (although the antifoul changes colour in the water)

Nice Bow

Very Nice (and note the new pushpit & arch)

Nice Stern too!

Name, home port, club and sail number will be painted on the transom.  On each side of the boom and the bow we'll have the name.  Here's hoping the colour we've chosen will work!  The photo below shows one of the stencils.

Preparing the the signwriting

The new pushpit integrates an arch/goalpost which supports a frame for our new solar panels.  260W of solar power should be plenty to keep all systems going without using the engine - even on overcast days.  The pushpit extends forwards to provide solid handrails around the cockpit, with wire lifelines forward from there.

New integrated lifelines, pushpit, goalpost and solar panels frame

Just about all the original deck-gear is now remounted, together with some new items.

Two more clutches per side and new stainless handrails

Solid handrails extend forward from the pushpit

Polished granny-bars and new handrails and new solid lifelines
The top hatch has been rotated 180 degrees!

Can't wait for next week when I'll be back up in Phuket to oversee the final work on the refit!

Refit Week 11

Hi everyone,
This week the rudder was rebuilt, the toerails replaced and progress made on various new stainless steel fittings.

The rudder was rebuilt due to very bad osmosis and it being full of water.  Happily the stainless shaft and "frame" were found to be in pretty good shape so could be re-used.

Stripping the old rudder

Tidying up the s/s frame

One side laid up

Finishing the job

New rudder!

The old toerails were quite badly corroded in places due to dissimilar metals (eg stainless steel staunchions and the like).  There were also a couple of bent sections from minor collisions in times past.  Happily Precision had a toerail from an Oyster 43 which had similar section and was in much better condition.

New toerails and cabin windows

New stemhead

Nice quarter view

Jobs still to do include fitting new s/s pushpit/arch, windlass, anchor roller and mast fittings, a new cabin sole and hull antifouling.  Should be completed in early June if not later this month.

Wonderful Indonesia Fremantle to Bali Start

Hi everyone,
Today we went out to watch the start of Fremantle Sailing Club's Wonderful Indonesia Fremantle to Bali Race & Rally.  We're not taking part since our boat is 3000nm away as you know!  It was a beautiful day with a light easterly breeze.  You can follow the progress of the fleet at the YellowBrick tracking page.

The day started for the skippers and navigators with a weather briefing.  The weather for next Tuesday looks interesting, with 30 knot breezes and squalls up to 45 knots.

Weather Briefing

Once out on the water we found Duyfken amongst the spectator fleet.

Duyfken

The fleet is being accompanied by Southerly, a large motor yacht.  They'll be motoring north at their 12 knot cruising speed, stopping occasionally to let most of the fleet catch up (and to fish).

Southerly

We managed to get photos of some of the participating yachts.

General Lee

Walk on the Wild Side

Yandanooka T

Perie Banou

The Longboat

The largest yacht in the fleet is Super Sled (previously Nicorette).

Super Sled

Thanks to Rex for taking us out on his boat!

Refit Week 10

Hi everyone,
Last week Precision Shipwrights got back to work on the boat after the Thai Songkran holiday.  The deck has been painted and cockpit teak fitted.  Once again let's let the pictures do the talking...

Matterhorn White deck

Replaced transom fittings

New cockpit teak 

Lots of deck fittings!

Cockpit teak looking great

There's still quite a lot of work still to do - rudder rebuild, pushpit, stemhead, windlass and antifouling to name a few.  Nonetheless we're clearly on the home straight!  Precision now estimate completion this month (May).