After the fun ...
At times this week it has been difficult to summon up the motivation to get on with jobs that need to be done. Sitting on my mooring relaxing with a coffee it is very tempting to watch the world go by.
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| What a way to start your day! |
As any boat owner will tell you, sailing is 10% pleasure, 90% effort. The work to start fixing the issues that had come out of Isosceles' 2021 shakedown cruise needed to be done.
Sail controls
Fixing the solid boom kicker was the first job on my list. This is used to hold the boom level, stopping it dropping onto people's heads but also stopping it rising when the sail is filled with the wind. I have long looked at Isosceles and thought about replacing this system with a topping lift. (This is a rope dedicated to holding the back of the boom up when the sail isn't pulled up tight, simple and effective.) |
| The kicker, or boom vang, which stops the boom pulling upwards as wind fills the sail. |
Of course there are advantages and disadvantages on both sides. A topping lift is a much simpler system with less to go wrong, whereas the the system that had just collapsed on me was going to cost hundreds of pounds just to get the spares for, and not that much more for a whole new unit. A new rope for the topping lift would be about £80.
A topping lift can provide a spare emergency halyard to pull the mainsail up if something happens to the existing halyard, so preserving the ability to sail.
As I said there are downsides to any system. A badly managed topping lift can, if its left to flog about, wear against the back of the sail. Extra wear and tear can of course shorten the life of a sail. The answer is to not let this rope swing around too loose, however if it's too tight it will affect the shape and efficiency of the sail.
Everything on a boat is judgement and compromise!
The original topping lift had been removed and the mast hardware had been reused for the inner forestay. To do the job properly was going to require a bit of reorganisation on the mast and installing a new guide for where the new halyard comes down and out of the mast.
A topping lift can provide a spare emergency halyard to pull the mainsail up if something happens to the existing halyard, so preserving the ability to sail.
As I said there are downsides to any system. A badly managed topping lift can, if its left to flog about, wear against the back of the sail. Extra wear and tear can of course shorten the life of a sail. The answer is to not let this rope swing around too loose, however if it's too tight it will affect the shape and efficiency of the sail.
Everything on a boat is judgement and compromise!
The original topping lift had been removed and the mast hardware had been reused for the inner forestay. To do the job properly was going to require a bit of reorganisation on the mast and installing a new guide for where the new halyard comes down and out of the mast.
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| Climbing the mast is not on my list of fun jobs! |
Having talked to the riggers at Swanwick I decided to leave climbing the mast and rigging this line to them.
Servicing the winches
When we had been sailing a few weeks earlier the mast winches had been slipping. As with everything else on the boat, several years lack of use were showing. |
| Winches are just another job on the annual service list. |
Stripping winches and greasing the insides is not rocket science, but you do want calm weather while doing jobs like this. There is little that's more annoying than dropping that supprisingly small spring or retaining clip over the side. It's also worth keeping an eye and an ear out for the local motor idiots too!
When I bought her the fuel tank was about half empty, and I wasn't entirely sure how long it had been that way.
We had filled the tank up, and probably used about a quarter of a tank in 2 years. When I was about to fill the tank for a summer cruise the engine had gone pop. And since then Isosceles had not moved under her own steam.
Leaving a diesel tank part filled for a length of time can lead to condensation forming inside the fuel tank. The combination of modern diesel, complete with its biodiesel element designed to reduce pollutants, and water can lead to the formation of microorganisms in the fuel. These can clump together to form blockages and restrictions in the fuel flow. Guaranteed to stop the engine just at that crucial moment of coming along side!
Engine fueling problems
I had suspected that there would be diesel bug problems on Isosceles for quite a while.When I bought her the fuel tank was about half empty, and I wasn't entirely sure how long it had been that way.
We had filled the tank up, and probably used about a quarter of a tank in 2 years. When I was about to fill the tank for a summer cruise the engine had gone pop. And since then Isosceles had not moved under her own steam.
Leaving a diesel tank part filled for a length of time can lead to condensation forming inside the fuel tank. The combination of modern diesel, complete with its biodiesel element designed to reduce pollutants, and water can lead to the formation of microorganisms in the fuel. These can clump together to form blockages and restrictions in the fuel flow. Guaranteed to stop the engine just at that crucial moment of coming along side!
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| Diesel bug can grow in tanks a block fuel filters and lines. |
After my return to Swanwick I had run the engine without any further running problems. As the fueling issues had only happened after the fuel had been churned up I was pretty sure I was dealing with a moderate problem inside the tank.
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| One of the treatments for diesel bug that consistently scores highly in reviews. |
