davidej
Well-known member
Welcome back - more piccies please !
Bought a Never splashed Colvic Countess 33 on eBay, Looking for infos
- Thread starter GregOddity
- Start date
GregOddity
Well-known member
Thanks guys. there should be a vid later today as well. Ill post a few more piccies later on today. 
D
Deleted member 36384
Guest
Why have you cut the stud out?
GregOddity
Well-known member
Galvanic corrosion on both. we took on a lot of water and almost had the batteries under water. Both are past any repairs. Im glad i did not attemp to try to tighten the nuts or we would have lost skeg and rudder.
GregOddity
Well-known member
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GregOddity
Well-known member
Sorry for being so short, but we’re rather pressed for time at the moment. The skeg begun to fail when we were sailing close to the American Aircraft carrier in the Solent. It had vibrated before if we achieved anything over 4.5 knots that day, we were consistently doing 6 knots and having fun with it but I started to feel the boat somehow changing. I check the Bilges often and I had seen no water and that’s the lowest part of the boat. So, I decided to check the transom and sure enough there was water half way up the batteries. We disconnected power and as we were close to the police escorts and the weather was fair and currents on our favour, we headed to port motor sailing into Gosport.
A funny and precious little thing that also happened, was that both our ball valves (3way) failed by breaking the handle and living us unable to use the bilge pumps, manual and electric.
One of those was new off the shelf, the other was on the boat. No more plastic on my boat. We bailed and made way.
We did not declare Pan Pan or anything else but to call Gosport marina for a berth. All wearing life jackets and handheld radios and in close proximity to 3 fast Police craft.
I did feel both bolts and the nut looked fine, the stainless plate between them and the hull also looks perfect. But I somehow thought I already had 2 problems that I was in control off, I did not want another to add to the chain so I put the wrench back on the toolbox and I’m very glad I did.
Were in the process of building a new one with M16 instead of M12.
The water followed the thread into deep into the skeg and kinda turned it all to oxide.
A funny and precious little thing that also happened, was that both our ball valves (3way) failed by breaking the handle and living us unable to use the bilge pumps, manual and electric.
One of those was new off the shelf, the other was on the boat. No more plastic on my boat. We bailed and made way.
We did not declare Pan Pan or anything else but to call Gosport marina for a berth. All wearing life jackets and handheld radios and in close proximity to 3 fast Police craft.
I did feel both bolts and the nut looked fine, the stainless plate between them and the hull also looks perfect. But I somehow thought I already had 2 problems that I was in control off, I did not want another to add to the chain so I put the wrench back on the toolbox and I’m very glad I did.
Were in the process of building a new one with M16 instead of M12.
The water followed the thread into deep into the skeg and kinda turned it all to oxide.
chrishscorp
Well-known member
Nice to see you two back on the forum with an update on the fleet.
Portsmouth Harbour patrol or one of the police launches would have been happy to escort you in if needed, if you had asked, or indeed any one us many yacht/boat users of the harbour.
Portsmouth Harbour patrol or one of the police launches would have been happy to escort you in if needed, if you had asked, or indeed any one us many yacht/boat users of the harbour.
Spyro
Well-known member
So Oditty is a wee bit behind schedule?
Graham376
Well-known member
Sorry to hear of the skeg problem. I'm a bit puzzled why seacocks would have to be opened to operate either bilge pump, they should have been ready for action already. Presumably the valves in question are Forespar which, unlike Trudesign composite, are known for handle failures so don't judge all "plastic" as being the same.
GregOddity
Well-known member
They were set for the electric pump but I wanted to use the manual to be faster. I must admit the whole system needs to be changed as the electric pump has no access to the battery compartment/ transom so the float in the saloon much lower but dry. By failing the only thing, I could pump was the dry bilges. On the plastic you’re certainly right but I’m nevertheless going for metal.
GregOddity
Well-known member
A slight whiff of a tad. I’m afraid we had too much fun with a beautiful summer and a small sailboat. It was just too good to let pass. One day I’ll be telling my grankiddies on my dying bed that there was this one year the Solent was better than the Bahamas. Hotter too.
Besides my wife looks amazing in skimpy outfits
Besides my wife looks amazing in skimpy outfits
GregOddity
Well-known member
Thank you. They did come over to check us out. But we did have everything under control and we figured we could make harbour without needing help. They were in range anyway, it would have been a 2minute arrival at our position all the way to Portsmouth harbour.
I did break the forestay on our first sail out, with new rigging just installed and a moron (I shall of course deny everything) trying to furl the Genoa in. Topping lift held the mast waited a few Hours on a mooring for traffic to dye down and made our way to Gosport marina at night with nothing but a torch and a Liddl solar lamp hanging on the mast. Somehow the snapping of the forestay took out my navigation lights. A short on top of the mast, just shows how well it was done to start with. We advised QHM and the Coast Guard that I was going into Gosport without lights and a broken forestay but needed no assistance. But both the Coasties and QHM made us call them back when safe in Gosport and sent the Police launch to come check on us. They were really nice and both very surprised we were not declaring a mayday and a major incident. But unless they were willing to climb up the mast in the dark and install a new forestay ( which I would off course not mind) there was not a thing they could do except keep us company.
Now half way through all that, I end up declaring a Pan Pan for some sailboat that forgot they had a keel and was up on its side too close to shore on a fast ebbing tide with a bunch of people inside waving their phones so we could see some light. It turns out it was some young people very high on illegal substances and no idea what they were doing. This was in front of the Naval Fire Power Museum.
They did arrest one of them. No idea why.
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Graham376
Well-known member
My 3 pumps, 2 electric and one manual, are all independent with the their own skin fittings which are all well above waterline so no need for seacocks.
GregOddity
Well-known member
You should have seen all the "treasures" we found on board with pipes and electrics. I'll tell you this much, they wanted curtains... so they put screws trough the boat showing on the outside. I found out when I cut myself badly on the first one.. and then the second.. I then got my multy tool and did a serch for all of them.
You should have seen all the "treasures" we found on board with pipes and electrics. I'll tell you this much, they wanted curtains... so they put screws trough the boat showing on the outside. I found out when I cut myself badly on the first one... and then the second. I then got my multitool and did a search for all of them.
I’m doing the same thing. 3 pumps independent from each other.
GregOddity
Well-known member
There you go. With "MAGIC" tools.
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
Nice to see you back, I sincerely hope that you have Odity sealed up and weather tight by now.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Spyro
Well-known member
Haven't you seen the video? I think concentrating on one boat at a time would have been a good idea.
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
Yes I saw the video but it looked to have been made some months ago. I agree it might or would have been a good idea to concentrate on the rebuild or at least get it water tight. But reality got in the way, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Then there were accommodation/ transport logistics that made the 2nd boat a good idea.
We all knew the timescale was fantasy but we all have our fantasies and occasionally bite off a little more than we can chew, so let's cut them a little slack ( I was a critic in the early days) they will come to understand just how much they have taken on. I doubt it will be ready in 2 years but what the hell they are enjoying themselves.
GregOddity
Well-known member
I’m afraid you said it better then I could ever put into words. We ARE having quite a lot of fun with it. There were some big spanners thrown in the works, my van being stolen with all my tools inside was one of them, the workshop we had arranged then left hanging was another. The travel was killing us. It would just not work out and it would indeed take years to get that boat anywhere near water.
We had to jump in at the deep end and that meant buying selkie and moving down here. But whoever would have thought we would have such a summer??? The pull of the water was just too strong and we ended up having to refit and overhaul Selkie. Which was not in the plans.
But in the words of an old Yiddish adage, “Man plans and God laughs”.
But I never take myself too seriously, so I’m good either way.
In other news... Thames Police has no clue to the whereabouts of van and tools.
Oddity is still not sealed as were still washing her on the inside 36 years of grime are hard to get rid off. And she has been open for so long that at this stage it does not really matter. Water will not collect past the holes we cleared.
Having said that its on the cards.
jordanbasset
Well-known member
Good post
My best wishes on your project as well Greg- good luck and keep us posted
