Cruising season comming up.

[Tidahapah]

I have just spent 3 weeks on the hard getting Tidahapah ready for the cruising season.
We cruise in winter whilst you guys in the US of A cruise in the summer.

We head north to get warm and then back south to get away from the cyclones ( hurricans) during the summer months.

Wet season here at the moment (in the north of Australia) 62 % of our state is under flood water while down south the country is being burnt to the ground.
It has been absolutly horrific 181 dead and rising, thousands of houses burnt to the ground.

I hve repainted the topsides and re antifouled the boat and cut out a bit of dry rot in the fore deck, a bit of work but timber boats ya just gotta love em.
I have attached some photos I think she just gets better with age.

The country is rallying behind both disasters.

 

[Tidahapah]

Just a quickie,
The prop is as out of the water after 12.5 months and coated with Prop Speed, gotta love this stuff really stops the growth when applied correctly.
Was not going to redo it but one of the yard guys sanded it by mistake so the painter had to redo it for zilch.
He and myself were sure we would have got another 12 months out of it.

This was with very few miles done in the last 12 months.

This year I am hoping to go to Lizard Is and back some 2000 NM overa 3/4 month period.

Benn

 

[FF]

Folks in Conn , New England with a May to Oct season are getting 3 seasons afloat , and counting,,

 

[Keith]

I'm having PropSpeed put on my props as we speak (ok, write). Just wondering what happens when it finally does fail. Does it just all flake off at once, get cruddy, or whatever? How is getting it off to prep for a recoat?

 

[Tidahapah]

Keith,
As the Prop Speed has a soft silicon type finish it requires a wire buff to remove it then just a sander polisher or similar to get the prop surface to the required finnish.

Benn

 

[Phuket]

Hi Benn,
Boat looks great.*
Hope you have a good cruise up north.* I spent a couple of years working on liveaboard dive boats out of Cairns and spent a lot of time at Lizard Island.* Some beautiful cruising around there if you are happy and confidant amongst reefs.* I must admit though I think the wet season is the best time up there for motor boating - apart from the odd cyclone

.* The SE trades blow pretty hard and it starts to feel relatively cold in dry season.
Good to see the pictures.* What engine do you have in her?
Cheers, Leon.

 

[Tidahapah]

Leon,
Main engine is a Fiat (Iveco) 8210 14 lt 6 cylinder naturally asperiated.
220 hp at 2200 RPM.
I run her at 1575 RPM which is 50 Hz on my cruise alternator and approx 8 knots.
I also have a 9 kva gen set driven by a 3 cyl Perkins (1500 rpm)
previously had a couple of 3000 RPM units but all too noisy and wear out too fast.
1500 watt 24V Victron inverter/charger this is a great unit but should have gone for the 2000 W unit (ain't hind sight grand)

Know what you mean about the wet season with northerlies and some brilliant calm weather but if I can con the missus would like to head south in the summer.

At work in the south Timor Sea at present but will start to prepare when I get home in early March.

Will take the boat up to Hamilton Is in May and leave it there (Laguna Quays cheaper) and come back to work for 3 weeks then back to Hammo to paddle the Hammo Cup (Outrigger Canoe racing) then the boss and I can start heading north if all goes well.

Would like to spend a fair bit of time around Hinchinbrook as the fishing is terrific.
Benn

 

[FF]

Main engine is a Fiat (Iveco) 8210 14 lt 6 cylinder naturally asperiated.
220 hp at 2200 RPM.

How do you find living with the Fiat?

FF

 

[Phuket]

Benn,
I am not familiar with Fiat engines but it sounds like a big solid engine with lots of displacement for the horsepower so probably a good reliable engine.*

How is your cruise alternator set up?* I was thinking about that as I have a nice small 220 volt alternator under the stairs in my shop that could work.* Do you use belts and a clutch?* Do you have an AVR?*

Cheers, Leon.

 

[Tidahapah]

FF,
FIAT Fix It Again Tony Found it In A Tip, F..k It's Another Tractor.
All of the above but so far it has been a very reliable engine. When I purchased it it had 30000 hrs on it, I rebuilt it from the ground up but still ended up with virtually a brand new engine for $11,000.00.
I would have preferred to put a Gardner 6 LXB in but at that stage cost came into play.
At 1575 RPM and 8 knots + 5 KVA I burn about 17 lts (4 gals ) an hour. Tidahapah weighs 28 Tonne, so I'm pretty happy with that.
I could improve a bit with a new prop but I have other priorites at present (an extra 2" on dia)

FIATS are pretty popular down here in Aus, both in the Trawler (fishing) industry and in the planing boats.

The shaft generator is belt driven and cut in and out is driven from the diesel gen start switch via a relay. Once the diesel gen start switch is turned to Aux or on the relay disconnects the 240 V fropm the shaft gen.
One just has to be a bit carefull when slowing down that the shaftie is switched off so that you don't have brown out conditions.

Benn

 

[Phuket]

Benn,
So the gennie is belted off the shaft rather than off the crankshaft pulley at the front of the engine? Is that choice based on available space or better pulley ratios to get the right speed?

I assume it runs all the time the shaft is turning and you just make the decision to use the power at only the correct speed to get 50 hertz. Is there a problem if it overspeeds as long as you are not connected electrically?
Thanks for the info,
Leon.

 

[Tidahapah]

Leon,
Sorry, terminology from going to sea. The gen is driven off a double pulley on the front of the engine. (allways referred to as a shaft generator at sea)
Yeah it runs all the time and I only connect it electrically when required.
Benn

 

[Phuket]

Benn,
That is what I would have guessed but you confused me with the shaft bit, which I have seen on some sailboats that do not have room in front. Thanks for the info and that is how I am planning to do it with double pulleys off the front of the engine.
Cheers, Leon.

 

[FF]

which I have seen on some sailboats that do not have room in front.

Sailboats with the Alt on the shafting are usually attempting to power the alt underway with the engine secured.

Works mostly in a strong breeze , when the 1/2 to /3/4K speed loss can be absorbed or negated with more sail.

FF