Recent content by roaringgirl

The repair you've suggested for the worn surfaces sounds sensible. I'd be more concerned about finding out what caused the problem in the first place. If there's metallic grit in the oil and the camshaft has suffered oil-starvation, what's to stop it happening again?

I had some problems with the mechanical lift pump on my yanmar. I bypassed it and fitted an electric facet pump. It works so well that I haven't bothered replacing the mechanical lift pump.

The little I know about lithium batteries says that there's no such thing as a 'drop in' replacement and I'd be wary of advice from those selling or recommending them.

We used to have a 25kg Rocna that lived on our bow roller when not in use. I have replaced it with an alloy Excel because the lighter weight makes it far easier to lift off the roller and store in the anchor locker. The lack of roll bar makes it easier to fit in there too. I wanted to make it...

We had strange battery/charging problems for a long time after buying the boat. Also, the (house) alternator belt would often work loose. When I finally got to these issues on the list I found that the charging problem was due to the alternator being internally regulated, but also wired to an...

If it's regularly going to be exposed to seawater, it'll rust through in no time.

Could the harbour drop a mooring somewhere sternward that you could then tie your stern to, so that you're not relying on the short finger to stop the hull yawing?

Do you mean that the line has snapped? If yes, then you need to go up the mast and thread another one down. You won't be able to do this once the boat is hauled out (unless you're planning to lift out the mast). Do you have another couple of halyards rigged that you can use to go aloft? To...

Looking at all these issues, I count my blessings! We have a Nissan/Tohatsu 9.8 2/t. It has been clamped to the pushpit for the last 10 months in Wellington. I have never ever drained the carb, or run it dry, or flushed it with freshwater. It started 3rd pull.

Th That is standard procedure

We crossed the Pacific last year with 4 adults and 2 kids on board for the longest voyage (which is the longest unavoidable journey in a circumnavigation) We have 3× 150L of tanks, 5× 20L jerry cans on deck and a 12V watermaker that produces 30L/h. We had as many showers as we wanted and filled...

You don't even need to do that, just turn on the autopilot while the boat is moored/anchored, then make adjustments to the magnetic course to steer, if the motor whirrs to turn the rudder, but the rudder angle doesn't change, you know that the clutch isn't engaging. If that's the case then put a...

I've been thinking about mounting the filter remotely to make this easier.

What does 2 all-round white lights at the same height indicate in the colregs?

What current does your starter pull?