Moving from Brighton to the Med - we're off!

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Deleted User: 22C??? I'd go for 26-27 same way I'd go 19 during winter.
same in the car unless you like catching cold 2-3 times during the summer.

Don't forget we're northern Europeans. For us, 15degC is summer, 25degC is a heatwave and 35degC is the temperature of the sun

 

[mjf]

Jimmy, Before you move anything I would take the boat off the pontoon and do a couple of 360's. Then see if the issue remains.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Suppose I have a mag needle compass and a fluxgate sitting on the beach pointing perfectly at magnetic north, and then I place an aircon unit say 2 feet away from each of them. Are you saying I'll get a different deviation on the two compasses? I'd love to hear the science behind that. (I would have said the deviation is identical on both)

Dunno about the science but many years ago, I started to have AP problems on a boat and spent a small fortune employing electricians to investigate the problem and going out on seatrials. It was eventually traced to a box of soup cans that my SWMBO had thoughtfully stowed in a locker under the dinette seating without realising that the same locker contained the fluxgate compass for the AP and they weren't even next to each other

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Suppose I have a mag needle compass and a fluxgate sitting on the beach pointing perfectly at magnetic north, and then I place an aircon unit say 2 feet away from each of them. Are you saying I'll get a different deviation on the two compasses? I'd love to hear the science behind that. (I would have said the deviation is identical on both)

It will be exactly the same difference in the fields but the compass will have stiction plus less sophisticated mechanical damping, no fancy electronics to smooth and average, etc. All I'm saying is that you can get away with a larger deviation on a compass because you probably won't notice it.

 

[jfm]

It will be exactly the same difference in the fields but the compass will have stiction plus less sophisticated mechanical damping, no fancy electronics to smooth and average, etc. All I'm saying is that you can get away with a larger deviation on a compass because you probably won't notice it.

Hmmm. I don't agree. Sure, a bad needle compass will have stiction but it will have that whether or not there is deviation and it will always misread by the friction effect, so stiction is a red herring and doesn't reduce the effect of deviation. (In practice, the stiction on even cheapie compasses is close to zero). It seems to me there is no difference in the effect of deviation (from say a too-close airco unit) on a mag compass versus a fluxgate. Happy to be corrected, but I just dont see it

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Hmmm. I don't agree. Sure, a bad needle compass will have stiction but it will have that whether or not there is deviation and it will always misread by the friction effect, so stiction is a red herring and doesn't reduce the effect of deviation. (In practice, the stiction on even cheapie compasses is close to zero). It seems to me there is no difference in the effect of deviation (from say a too-close airco unit) on a mag compass versus a fluxgate. Happy to be corrected, but I just dont see it

I agree there's no difference the deviation - just in the ability to detect it. It's not a big deal, just that you would normally swing and correct a flux-gate to a greater degree of accuracy than a compass. The only point I was really making was that, if the safe distance for a compass from a display is 3 feet, it makes no sense to site an even more sensitive device less than a couple of feet from a fair-sized electric motor.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Jimmy, Before you move anything I would take the boat off the pontoon and do a couple of 360's. Then see if the issue remains.

Hi mjf

Yep, I already did this on Saturday afternoon, to swing the compass. I also went through the sea trial alignment process as well - and although it was ok initially, after an hour or so it had gone off again.

I spoke to Seacraft Marine about this today, and it transpires that they did spot the proximity of the aircon to fluxgate compass during the install - so they moved the compass as much as they were able given the constraint of the existing cabling ... which I suspect might not have been very far.

Their view was that it might be the aircon; it might also be a defective fluxgate compass, or it might even be a defective course computer.

My prob is that the boat is coming out of the water again on Thursday and really this is something that I need to fix while it is in the water. Seacraft are busy on a job in Poole this week and can't get back to the boat until next week.

So in the first instance I think I need to have a go at moving the unit myself; it's on a 5-core cable which (according to Raymarine tech support today) can safely be extended. Anyone know where I can get a few metres of a suitable 5-core cable anywhere between Brighton and Southampton tomorrow morning?

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[volvopaul]

Jimmy you need an RS components or a maplins, they should have the cables you require, just make sure the joints are waterproof.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Jimmy you need an RS components or a maplins, they should have the cables you require, just make sure the joints are waterproof.

Maplins are nfg for cut cable, in my experience. Do RS have trade counters? I need to get googling...

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Maplins are nfg for cut cable, in my experience. Do RS have trade counters? I need to get googling...

Cheers
Jimmy

Yes they do, and they even have one just near the marina ... but unfortunately they don't sell cut cable, only by the reel. It turns out it would be cheaper to buy a new compass (which comes with 30ft of cable) than a reel of cable.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[jfm]

Dang. I have 100m drum of 8 core here in my office (as you do) but too late to post. If you draw a blank I can have 10m biked to FL southampton tomorrow. It would be there 11.30am I'd guess. Let me know.

Round sheath, 10mm dia, black, 8 coloured multistrand copper cores about the same 3 Ampish gauge as Raymarine Seatalk cables and not too weeny to use crimp or choc block connectors, no screening cores.

 

[Portofino]

You could wait until you are down there, ask Aire de Boom at la Rague or pop into the Volvo Penta France HQ , or order the correct wire from the " shipshandler" at La Nap ,or pop over to Antibes plenty of marine electrical shops .
You need to move it well away from the electric field that the comp motor is creating .
There will be other issues that will crop up so you will need to sus out the local solutions .
Trades people etc,etc
Do not let this detract from the overall experiance of Boat in SoF ( first few weeks ) .
I will pop round first wk April ,see how you are getting on
Portofino

 

[Nick_H]

Yes they do, and they even have one just near the marina ... but unfortunately they don't sell cut cable, only by the reel. It turns out it would be cheaper to buy a new compass (which comes with 30ft of cable) than a reel of cable.

Cheers
Jimmy

Jimmy

Couldn't you use shielded CAT 5, or even external telephone cable (which is 5 core)? Think I have half a reel lying around somewhere. If you can't find anything else, this place right next to Swanwick may have something, but it's not a shop, you have to ring them to arrange to go in.

http://www.thesolentelectronichome.co.uk/

 

[benjenbav]

Dang. I have 100m drum of 8 core here in my office (as you do) but too late to post. If you draw a blank I can have 10m biked to FL southampton tomorrow. It would be there 11.30am I'd guess. Let me know.

Round sheath, 10mm dia, black, 8 coloured multistrand copper cores about the same 3 Ampish gauge as Raymarine Seatalk cables and not too weeny to use crimp or choc block connectors, no screening cores.

Oh geez, I can just picture the scene tomorrow morning as hundreds of employees in a City block find that their puters don't work. I see the IT department's SWAT team moving in and isolating the problem as being the fact that one of the bosses has cut a 10m section out of one of the big server cables because, err, a mate is off to SoF and needed it for the compass on his motoryacht.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Dang. I have 100m drum of 8 core here in my office (as you do) but too late to post. If you draw a blank I can have 10m biked to FL southampton tomorrow. It would be there 11.30am I'd guess. Let me know.

Round sheath, 10mm dia, black, 8 coloured multistrand copper cores about the same 3 Ampish gauge as Raymarine Seatalk cables and not too weeny to use crimp or choc block connectors, no screening cores.

Jimmy

Couldn't you use shielded CAT 5, or even external telephone cable (which is 5 core)? Think I have half a reel lying around somewhere. If you can't find anything else, this place right next to Swanwick may have something, but it's not a shop, you have to ring them to arrange to go in.

http://www.thesolentelectronichome.co.uk/

Thanks chaps. In fact it turns out that TLC Direct (just round the corner from here) do 0.75mm2/5core by the metre - and that will definitely be good enough for a test relocation of the compass, so my current plan is to grab a few metres on my way over to the boat tomorrow morning and then try a relocation, and then a sea trial. Fingers crossed!

(Ps nick_h, what's cat5e anyway? Us construction types don't know the first thing about computers... )

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

You could wait until you are down there, ask Aire de Boom at la Rague or pop into the Volvo Penta France HQ , or order the correct wire from the " shipshandler" at La Nap ,or pop over to Antibes plenty of marine electrical shops .
You need to move it well away from the electric field that the comp motor is creating .
There will be other issues that will crop up so you will need to sus out the local solutions .
Trades people etc,etc
Do not let this detract from the overall experiance of Boat in SoF ( first few weeks ) .
I will pop round first wk April ,see how you are getting on
Portofino

Hiya, fair point - but as far as poss I am v keen to get as much done as I can before the boat goes - partly because I've got easy access and good suppliers here, but also to try and make the first few weeks down there as easy as possible. I'm sure there will be plenty of other things to worry about!

Thanks for the supplier tips though, very useful. Look forward to meeting you in April.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[Nick_H]

(Ps nick_h, what's cat5e anyway? Us construction types don't know the first thing about computers... )

I could explain, but it's far too complicated for you to understand, just think of it as some kind of voodoo magic ...

 

[vas]

I could explain, but it's far too complicated for you to understand, just think of it as some kind of voodoo magic ...

what about ftp and sftp then? Is that's extra terrestrial stuff

I've used all that cat5/e stuff in a home automation system and they are a bitch to work with unless the fcking thin single core, easy to cut cables are fit properly in their respective sockets. Trying to weld? or what them is pointless. So wouldn't recommend them for twist and insulate jobs

 

[henryf]

If you draw a blank try the towing shop quite near Swanwick marina / FL s-ton, (carry on with FL s-ton on your left, the dive shop on your left, then I think a mile or so on your left is the trailer shop. They will use it for wiring trailer lighting.

Cat5 is very thin wire, 4 pairs of uniform twisted wire in an outer sheath. Each core is solid which can break over time with the bouncing of the boat. The trailer wire will be multi-strand.

Good luck.

Henry

 

[longjohnsilver]

Dunno about the science but many years ago, I started to have AP problems on a boat and spent a small fortune employing electricians to investigate the problem and going out on seatrials. It was eventually traced to a box of soup cans that my SWMBO had thoughtfully stowed in a locker under the dinette seating without realising that the same locker contained the fluxgate compass for the AP and they weren't even next to each other

Hah, and here speaks the man who once stocked his boat up with cans of shandy.........