Winter Maintenance in London #2

Hi everyone,
Season's Greetings!  Hope everyone's having fun.  Here aboard Zen Again in St Katharine Docks we're keeping warm - just!  It's 3C outside and raining.  Below it is a cosy 17C.

Saloon with new cushions and Christmas decorations

Our latest winter maintenance has involved replacing our upholstery.  We now have new forepeak and saloon settee cushions which are marvellous.  We chose Shipshape Bedding to make them after talking with them at the 2017 Southampton Boat Show.

We're unsure how old the previous cushions were - we suspect at least 15 years.  The forepeak cushions were disposed of in 2013 when we were in SE Asia.  The quarter berth cushions went last year.  The former weren't being used and the mould was becoming hard to control back then in the humid heat.  The latter are unnecessary since the quarter berth is now a stowage area not a berth.

The project started in the autumn when we began measuring up for new forepeak cushions.  We knew we were soon going to be moving back aboard.  Sleeping in the two saloon settee berths was fine at sea but not when living aboard in a marina.

Template for the two forepeak cushions
(on a double-bed)

The forepeak has two fold-down, canvas-covered aluminium-frame pilot berths.  We wanted to bridge the gap between them to make a queen-size berth.  Shipshape Bedding suggested various ideas.  We decided to fit a triangular marine plywood board inside the main cushion, with the foam rebated for the board.

We had the board cut to size when in Cowes this year.  The two forepeak cushions were ordered in October and delivered on time in November.  It was great to have a nice comfy bed again!

Forepeak cushions
(note board location on underside)

In November we did templates for the saloon settee cushions.  We added details for the seat backs but are holding off having them made - cushions might be sufficient.  Each template was sent to Shipshape, checked by them, bill paid and then they started work.

Settee template in-situ

Saloon settee cushion - perfect fit

Last Wednesday evening we attended the Cruising Association's Christmas Dinner.  It started with mince pies and mulled wine at the club in Limehouse.  Next we walked to nearby St Anne's church for a Carol Service.  Finally back at the club we had a very nice Christmas meal.  All in very good company.

Zen Again sporting a Christmas Wreath

Trust all's well where you are!

Winter Maintenance in London #1

Hi everyone,
We've have now settled in at St Katharine Docks Marina in London.  Loving being back aboard Zen Again.  Also loving being in the centre of London - in the shadow of Tower Bridge.

Zen Again in the shadow of Tower Bridge

We have a lengthy list of maintenance work for this winter.  At the top was upgrading our AC mains and gas systems to meet local regulations.

Previously we attached an AC mains extension cord from the marina berth outlet to a power board which gave us several socket points and powered the battery charger.  Now we're spending so much time aboard - in winter - we need a "proper" AC mains system.  Early this year we had the boat surveyed.  One of the shortcomings noted was the lack of mains RCD and circuit breakers.  That's now fixed.

External mains power is now plugged-in just inside the companionway.  From there power is fed directly through a bulkhead into the back of the RCD/Breaker box.  The box provides one 16A and one 6A circuit.  We decided not to mount the connection outside since we wanted the box close to the inlet.

RCD and Circuit Breaker Box in companionway locker

Ready for Action

From the RCD/Breaker box the 16A circuit is fed back through the bulkhead to the galley.  The outlets there are specifically for high-current loads - kettle, hair drier and fan heater.

Mains Socket and 16A Circuit Outlets

The 6A circuit runs around the boat to all regular loads.  We have one dual outlet in the quarter berth and two at the pedestal (saloon table).  Also on this circuit are six permanently mounted and connected tube heaters. Each heater has a thermostat allowing it to be turned of locally.

The quarter berth outlet powers the dehumidifier which is on more-or-less 24/7 in winter.  Excellent in keeping the damp away.  Amazing how much water it produces!

Quarterberth Outlets

The pedestal outlets are used for various purposes including running the computer we brought aboard from our flat.  The top power board shown below has been held-over from the previous arrangement.

Pedestal (Saloon Table) 6A Outlets

The tube heaters keep the boat from getting too cold while we're not aboard.  We have two in the forepeak, two in the saloon and two in the engine bay.  The latter help ensure the engine doesn't freeze.

One of the 100W Tube Heaters in Saloon

Two 40W Tube Heaters in Forepeak

One of Two 40W Tube Heaters in Engine Bay

Another item on the to-do list was our gas system.  Our regulator was severely corroded and the solenoid valve was failing.  We've been battling US POL versus UK POL fitting issues ever since we arrived in the UK.  US hoses connect to UK bottles, but the reverse is not true.  Getting any type of gas bottle filled in the UK is difficult since everyone swaps them.

For the last 18 months we've been using local Calor Gas 3.9kg bottles.  Soon after arriving at SKD we decided to change to a much larger bottle.  We now have a 13kg bottle which should last at least a month given likely use of our Dickinson gas heater.  It fits in the bracket designed for our Australian 9kg bottles.

13kg Gas Bottle in pushpit bracket

UK Regulator

Sadly the UK gas fitter was unable to fit our spare solenoid.  So now our gas detector is only that - it used to control gas flow too.

Upcoming tasks on the to-do list include new upholstery, adding laminex panelling in various locations (including the instrument panel), relocating instruments and much, much more.  May need to be a long, cold winter to get it all done!