Recent content by meldrum

cssails right. Lining up the screw heads is ok in softer timbers but in solid hardwoods its bad practice as it can strain the fastening and split the wood.

What sort of creature is a destrau mouse? is it rabid? not sure, maybe its best just to tread on one if you see it.

have any other forumites discovered how realistic the game is, like I have. Firstly I ran aground three times, once in the middle of the straits of gibraltar, secondly 200 miles off of the canaries and thirdly 500 miles of the coast of africa. My immarsat satcom hasnt worked(or my support crew...

Re: Jester challenge 2010 & Singlehanding A small mod, that is usful when raising the sails. Is to put a small cam cleat at chest height, either side of the mast, below where the halyards emerge and just offset . This means you can pull the sail up at the mast, clip the haliard into the...

The counter boring tools I have are like a countersink with a hole in the middle for a drill bit, used for finishing the hole for a wood plug, cutting the countersunk recess for the screw head to sit in and the initial part of the hole for the part of the screw shank with no thread. In one...

It is quite easy to put a 90degree bend in pvc conduit using a conduit bending spring. Also available from wh/salers although a lot cheaper to borrow one for five mins.

thanks for the advice.

anyone know a good surveyor (boats near the solent) with experience of wooden boats. Not some plastic expert who'll condemn her just cause she's more than forty years old and hasnt got all the latest gizmos.Thanks

If your using rigid pvc conduit (that normally comes in 3mtr lengths), make sure you glue the joiners using the proper glue as they have a habit of popping out if just push fitted.Its also a good idea to put a draw wire in the conduit before fitting it into the mast and put another one in...

Thanks for that .I've got a cutter rigged yacht and have struggled trying to work out the best way for tensioning both correctly.As ive got her in the yard for a refit, i'll fit one before she's launched.

It just depends on the balance of the individual boat/ rig and whether, by only using one sail you either induce lee helm if the centre of effort is moved forward of the mast by just using the jib/genoa,and weather helm if the CE is moved aft by just using the main. As long as either the...

Her toe rails were screwed and glued with wood plugs the screws were also bedded in glue(black cascamite). It was a right pig of a job to start with, but in the end i found it best to remove all of the plugs and screws first,score the gap where the rail met the ply deck (if i didnt the rail...

Ive just done this job on my boat, what aspect of it do you need advice on.

The rescue services are going to be really chuffed if they have to send a plane up every time ma and pa get on the phone because a fishing boats come within 700 yards of him.

Sorry - but I get SO tired of all the shock-horror-whinge-moan on this forum. [/ QUOTE ] I would normally agree with "down the creek", but in this case not. The comment about using the retired helicopters is yet again another example of MCA mendacity or double speak. It started firstly with...