Recent content by yimkin

Extract from Wikipedia on combined crude and condensate extraction: ............... In recent history, the top three producers have been the United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Each of these countries experienced major production declines at different times in the past, but since 2014 all...

When looking at other people's sailboats I try to envisage how I would move safely between cockpit and forepeak whilst hard on the wind in a seaway. Many more modern boats are beamier than earlier designs and with limited purpose-built handholds.

A Jabsco inlet filter/strainer [or similar] fitted near inlet and filled with urinal tablets keeps my inlet piping 'sweet'.

On my boat I have pockets on the backs of the cockpit dodgers. The pockets are customised to take items such as binoculars, H/H VHF, navigation tablet, pilotage info , furling line tails etc. The pockets are made from waterproof fabric and have weatherproof flaps sealed with velcro. Simple but...

A light, shortlink, stainless chain across the cockpit over the tiller secured to stanchions and tensioned on one side by heavy bungee cord. Drop a chain link over a pin on the tiller to keep tiller in position. Lift chain off to disengage. I use the auto pilot pin. I sail single handed...

As soon as possible in recovery the MoB has to be attached to a lifting strop of some description. The usual attachment point is a ring /becket on the MoB's chest harness. The question is: 'how are you going to secure the MoB to the boat'? Assuming a reasonably lively sea, an average...

Problem was solved: I handed the Rocker arm to Ron Smith at Neyland. He handed me back 2 purpose built Delrin nuts and charged under a tenner. Ron has a one-man machine shop close to the marina. He is a skilled machinist. Whatever dimensions or threads asked for will be exact.

Inspect or preferably, change the O ring in the fuel filler cap annually and lightly grease with a water resistant grease.

Many thanks for your responses. Other than metric I don't have any large nuts of varying threads and it's not a metric. I have measured the thread. It is about 17mm dia X 12TPI. From a search of thread tables it is possibly 3/4" BSF. I priced thread gauges but they cost as much as a pump...

I have stripped down an old Henderson Mark V hand pump. I have found the only thing wrong with it is that the "plastic"nut holding the diaphragm discs to the rocker arm has shattered. I am loathe to shell out for a 'service kit' when I only need one large plastic nut. I cannot locate anyone...

A light chain is positioned at right angles across the tiller and tensioned by bunjee cord. When going about, drop a chain link over a pin on the tiller (I use the autohelm pin). Simple and easy to engage or release or adjust... I sail single handed and I have used this system on all...

I have a Memory 19 gaff rigger and for ballast pigs I packed lengths of 1/4" mild steel reinforcement bar into square section plastic gutter downpipe cut to length to suit. The ends were sealed with CT1 and plastic end caps. Reasonably cheap and clean and can be manhandled.

I had a similar problem; removed pump innards modified the end cap to take a car tyre valve (Schrader?). Pressured up with a bike pump; much easier.

- Electricians scissors will cut wire and dyneema as well as using for normal scissor duties C.K 492001 Electricians Scissors - 'litter picker' for retrieval of stainless objects from 4" wide deep bilges - Infant changing mats (disposable type) laid in the work area allows oily tools...

Buy an inexpensive laminator with A4 and A2 pouches. For local anchorages and areas of interest I have cut up older Admiralty charts into A4 sections laminated them and put them in an A4 pocket folder which I keep in a rainproofed pocket on the back of the cockpit dodgers. These are good...