Blue Angel (Canados 70s) Rebuild thread

[longjohnsilver]

Hi Bart, we missed all the work when our stabs were installed cos the previous owner did it all! However we've just had the hull sandblasted in preparation for coppercoating. Is there any reason you didn't go the whole hog and blast all the hull when you had the mid section done for the stabs? I suppose time was against you. A big relief when it was all finished just in time for your holiday. I guess that the stabs are suitable for use at anchor if you're running the generator. In reality have they been used much in this way. And that's a very impressive electrical switchboard!

We're also thinking of installing Lumishores, have you done this, and if so what's your thoughts on them?

 

[JerseyDiver]

Hey Bart,

Really enjoyed this thread and pics but not commented before. Maybe you should consider a season in the Red Sea ??

Like the cylinder brackets, simple but effective solution. Do you leave cylinders on stern between dive sites and does your compressor hose reach in situ ??

On your twinset can you reach the manifold valve in the position facing away from you?? I thought maybe you had if like that to step banging the back of your head on ??

Hope you have an enjoyable and successful 2014.

Rgds
JD

 

[RobWales]

Great work Bart, I would consider placing a rubber cover to the internal faces of the U brackets rather than the rails?.....far better on the eye than the tube covering the rail...
Superb modifications however, keep up the good work and best wishes for 2014, Rob

 

[petem]

I mean that the yard guys did a lot of grinding and sanding by hand,
didn't they need elbow grease then ?
or what is the expressions ?

Hi Bart,

From Wikipeda....

"Elbow grease is an idiom for working hard at manual labour, as in "You need to use some elbow grease." It is a humorous reflection of the fact that some tasks can only be achieved by hard effort and human energy, contrasting with the idea that there should be some special oil, tool or chemical product to make the job easier."

In humour....

"it has also been used as a practical joke by a master tradesperson on apprentices, e.g. "Go fetch some elbow grease from him." Each tradesperson will say someone else has the elbow grease and send the unwitting apprentice on to another master tradesperson. "

Your version "hand grease"....

I've never heard of this but at least you didn't say "hand lube" which whilst not a regular expression would get us mucky children giggling!

Pete

 

[BartW]

Hi Bart,

From Wikipeda....

"Elbow grease is an idiom for working hard at manual labour, as in "You need to use some elbow grease." It is a humorous reflection of the fact that some tasks can only be achieved by hard effort and human energy, contrasting with the idea that there should be some special oil, tool or chemical product to make the job easier."

In humour....

"it has also been used as a practical joke by a master tradesperson on apprentices, e.g. "Go fetch some elbow grease from him." Each tradesperson will say someone else has the elbow grease and send the unwitting apprentice on to another master tradesperson. "

Your version "hand grease"....

I've never heard of this but at least you didn't say "hand lube" which whilst not a regular expression would get us mucky children giggling!

Pete

Oh I'm sorry for the confusion,
actually I thought I wrote "elbow grease" in my post, and even after wrong reading your remark, I thought I wrote elbow,
as in the first wikepedia explanation, and as learned on here
(now corrected in my orriginal post)

This happens so often to me, now getting older even more than when I was young, not correctly reading details, ...
my intention for 2014 is (was) to improve on this
very often "the devil is in the detail", again a expression learned on here

 

[Pinnacle]

Like the cylinder brackets, simple but effective solution. Do you leave cylinders on stern between dive sites and does your compressor hose reach in situ ??
Rgds
JD

Yes to both. It works really well as you can sit down on the fixed part of the platform and put your BCD with tank on, with you feet already in your fins resting on the partially lowered hi/lo part of the platform.

 

[Robg71]

Amazing work Bart.
I was suprised how much extra materiel was required for the hull stiffening for the stabs.
Excellent job though.

 

[alt]

Bart, honestly, I don't know how you did all that without pulling your hair out. I would simply not have the patience for it.

I commend you, and Ellie for putting up with it as I guess it must have been stressful at times?

I can put my hand up and say that the stabs to work brilliantly though. And as for the scuba tank rails / pins / holders - WOW! You really don't realise how useful they are until you use them. They made diving so much more fun! OK so diving is full all the time, but when you are re-entering the boat with a big swell, the hi-lo platform and rails made it seem like a 5* luxury dive trip.

Good on you (and your family for being so patient!)

 

[MapisM]

Wow B, maybe you already mentioned it, but I had not memorized that you practically handled all the interiors removal/adaptation/reinstallation. Chapeaux!

Re. your Q...

Just need to find something else for covering the SS tank rails, where the U brackets are fixed, and might cause scratches, something to replce these temporarily plastic hoses with gaffa tape,
Any suggestions ?

I really can't think of anything else, other than covering the steel tubes with rubber hoses of some sort.
The only idea which springs to mind is reversing the approach, i.e. cover/protect with rubber the U brackets...
...though that might also be not so easy?

 

[Nick_H]

Wow B, maybe you already mentioned it, but I had not memorized that you practically handled all the interiors removal/adaptation/reinstallation. Chapeaux!

Re. your Q...

I really can't think of anything else, other than covering the steel tubes with rubber hoses of some sort.
The only idea which springs to mind is reversing the approach, i.e. cover/protect with rubber the U brackets...
...though that might also be not so easy?

Heat shrink tubing?

Great write up Bart, thanks.

 

[Pinnacle]

The only idea which springs to mind is reversing the approach, i.e. cover/protect with rubber the U brackets...
...though that might also be not so easy?

Deffo the best looking of the options. I don't think it would be too difficult to glue some sheet onto the inside of the brackets.

 

[BartW]

I cannot wait for you to install a 'proper' boat audio system on BA. I think that is what your project should be for 2014.

thats too simple Jimmy, and boaring in my situation, I need something more challanging

 

[BartW]

I guess there was a fair amount of sweat involved.

you bet,
mental sweat if that exists
my friends told me that they never ever saw me so nervous and exited as during that last week of the installation.

 

[BartW]

Quite surprised they didn't work directly on the hull for the outside too and (IMHO) a heavy layup retro fitted seems an odd choice on their part - much better to add multiple, thinner layers I'd have thought in the first place?


How much improvement have the stabs made in everyday use? Are they for underway only or for stability at anchor too? (Presumably both as they're electric?)

yes that was actually the first concern with them,
I hardly know anything about GRP placing,
but I could see that their method was not going to work,
so they ended doing many thin layers, instead of a few thick, just like you describe

the fins make a huge improvement to the behavior of the boat,
I have to say that we had any experience with fin stabs, but the wife, friends, and all guests confirm that they work very well
they work underway aswell as on anker,
even in our home port, there is a regular anoiing swell from passing tourists sideseeing and traject boats at too high speed,
so when we are onboard, the stabs are permanently switched on !

here is a clip made by MapisM, to demonstrate the effect of the stabs
first the boat is free floating in a swell,
at 18 sec, the stabs are switched on,

[/

 

[BartW]

Is there any reason you didn't go the whole hog and blast all the hull when you had the mid section done for the stabs?

I guess that the stabs are suitable for use at anchor if you're running the generator. In reality have they been used much in this way.

And that's a very impressive electrical switchboard!

We're also thinking of installing Lumishores, have you done this, and if so what's your thoughts on them?

John,
Perhaps not very clear from the pics, and not clearly explained, but they sandblasted the whole hog,
They just started with the sections for the stab, so that the GRP subcontractor could start his work there, but annoyingly the yard completed the blasting and even painted the epoxy primer on the complete hull, before the GRP guy’s even started, so here they had lost already one full week,
The work was planned and reserved long in advance….
On some pics you can see the grey primer on the rest of the hull…

Yes it’s a zero speed stab system, we “Always” switch them on at anchor in daytime,
We had just one occasion that we had to switch them on during a night at anchor in Villefranche bay, there was strong beam swell .
I prefer not to run a genny during the night.
During navigation we run the stabs from 2 x 3Kw invertors, connected to the two battery banks / engine alternators. This switching from invertor to genny power is done in the new switchboard.

We have installed 4 x Lumishores during the same liftout, forgot to mention, no pics made from that,
They work really well, and are very good for entertaining guests and people on the quay,
Also night swimming is now spectacular, I’m very pleased with them, and woudn’t want to miss them anymore.
When we were moored along a 90ft Princess in Monaco, and switched the UWL’s on,
The people on the Princess were ashamed with theirs,
We have the highest power, with color changer, but on Blue Angel, we always’s only use one single color, as you would expect ,
I’m not sure if the light can attrack scallops, never tested, but they did attrack a few big barracuda’s,
They have a fishing work mode, not sure if this works in green dark water 

 

[longjohnsilver]

Thanks Bart, didn't realise the whole hull had been blasted, makes sense now. Also your stabs look to be quite a bit shorter than our Tracs, but also longer, so the total surface area is probably much the same. Well done on fitting them yourself, not a job I'd want to do.

What's the best colour light to attract the fish? Were they difficult to fit and wire up? I can only hope the lights penetrate 20m down to bring the scallops to the surface

 

[MrB]

That video made by MapisM is amazing, have you made a video of them working under water? I would love to see that. The "Blue Angel" threads on here are probably my favorites, you have so much fun with everything you do with her.

 

[BartW]

Maybe you should consider a season in the Red Sea ??

actiually the live aboard dive boats in Egypt, thats where the oriiginal idea for buying a big old boat came from, but it turned out to be a much more luxureous yacht, in a much more enjoyable region ;-)

after having spend 8 dive holliday's in Egypt (4 x live aboard), i'm a bit fedup with the red sea, or at least with the habitants over there, (to be clear, I'm absolutely no racist). Never say never, passing the suez canal is not unrealistic, but there are still that many nice area's to discover in the med, that we will stay there for at least a few more seasons

Do you leave cylinders on stern between dive sites and does your compressor hose reach in situ ??

just to add to Pinnacles confirmation,
when navigating from one to another dive spot, we bring a safety rope through all the jackets, and fix it on the two cleats left and right on the transom,
just in case...

when we expect real bad weather/big swell, we bring the dive sets inside the utility room, (just passing through the transom door)
we have made some nice benches inside for that.

2 x Bauer Oceanus (140l/min) are positioned in a nice spot, on top of the wing fuel tanks,
right in front of the side vent grills from the engine room,
this is a perfect location for them, not in the way, well cooled, ...
2 x 7meter high pressure hoses reach till the platform, for filling the tanks without moving them.

honestly speaking, in my dive career (1000dives) I've never seen any more luxuryous diving anywhere,
in combination with the hilo platform,
you should see it yourselves ;-)

On your twinset can you reach the manifold valve in the position facing away from you?? I thought maybe you had if like that to step banging the back of your head on ??

yes you can, but they were like that when I bought them...

 

[Pinnacle]

That video made by MapisM is amazing, have you made a video of them working under water? I would love to see that. The "Blue Angel" threads on here are probably my favorites, you have so much fun with everything you do with her.

Have a look here; http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...lue-Angel-october-2013/page13&highlight=Angel

 

[MrB]

Thanks Pinnacle, They move a lot more than i thought they would.