Scotland it is then for Ovni

[Tintin]

You may have seen a post from me a while back about delivery of the new to me Ovni 435 from near Oban to Falmouth.

Well the weather gods have spoken and it won't be happening, but it's funny how life turns out sometimes because Creran Marine have found a space for her for the winter, and they are such a lovely bunch here.

So other than the 12 hour drives each way to do the refit, it looks like I have struck lucky.

And as a reply on my previous post suggested, rushing back to Falmouth would be a mistake. I should now have longer to explore the West Coast before heading to Norway and Svalbard over the next 2 years doing sail-ski and sail-climb.

So it's going to be a fortnightly trip up here, rushing back to Kernow when I have my kids so if any forumite fancies saying "hi" then please shout.

Will bring my touring ski's up on the off chance of some snow.

 

[Neeves]

I'm too, too far to say 'Hi' but I'll be thinking of you with some envy.

It might seem the wrong time to head north but I suspect you will find that not only are the marina folk a lovely bunch - people in general up there are a lovely bunch. I suggest a trip to the boat around the 27th or 28th December and take a week there.

Well done and Good Luck

And an Ovni 43 will have their new 8mm x 100m Armorgalv High Tensile chain delivered to them next week, replacing a 10mm chain. No - I don't sell them I just developed the concept.

Jonathan

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I am down at Craobh Marina, so not really near, nor on your rout.
Join www.bluemoment.com which is a Scottish sailing forum, mostly used by people who know the area well, and some used where you are based. They can give you tips on local services.

 

[cpedw]

So other than the 12 hour drives each way to do the refit, it looks like I have struck lucky.

Will I recognise you by the weary expression then, only enlivend by the invariably pleasant weather?

 

[NormanS]

If your boat is called T*****, you're right at my stern. Welcome.

 

[Tintin]

If your boat is called T*****, you're right at my stern. Welcome.

You win the £20 come and say hi.

 

[claymore]

Now - have you been warned about getting round the bends and into the Loch?
Well - its just a matter of time
Avoid the Green Wellie services - unless of course you really need shortbread and dreadful cd's.
Forget Tebay services - very expensive and not good quality
Southwaite is worth the wait - M&S shop and the Costa is ok
If you are a lottery winner, treat yourself to some fuel at the Border - never gets below 140p a litre.
When you get to J36 M6 - you've nearly cracked it
When the motorway splits just south of Glesca - you've almost cracked it.
When you get to Callendar - you've cracked it.
Skiing in Glencoe can be the best in Scotland
I doubt you'll ever bother with the South again.

 

[ProDave]

For cheaper M6 fuel, Canal garage just E off M6 J36, or head W from J40 for half a mile (forget the name of that one)

 

[awol]

Now - have you been warned about getting round the bends and into the Loch?
Well - its just a matter of time
Avoid the Green Wellie services - unless of course you really need shortbread and dreadful cd's.
Forget Tebay services - very expensive and not good quality
Southwaite is worth the wait - M&S shop and the Costa is ok
If you are a lottery winner, treat yourself to some fuel at the Border - never gets below 140p a litre.
When you get to J36 M6 - you've nearly cracked it
When the motorway splits just south of Glesca - you've almost cracked it.
When you get to Callendar - you've cracked it.
Skiing in Glencoe can be the best in Scotland
I doubt you'll ever bother with the South again.

If you find yourself in Callendar on the way from Glasgow to Barcaldine it could be time for a SatNav update.

 

[Minchsailor]

For cheaper M6 fuel, Canal garage just E off M6 J36, or head W from J40 for half a mile (forget the name of that one)

And don't forget the Tescos a couple of minutes from M6 jn 43.

 

[claymore]

If you find yourself in Callendar on the way from Glasgow to Barcaldine it could be time for a SatNav update.

Perhaps I meant Kilmahog....
When I got bored with the road via Inverary, travelling to Kilmelford, I would sometimes vary it by going via Doune and on to Oban. I set my PB there once - 4hrs 38 mins Lancaster to Oban. left home at 1:30 am

 

[zoidberg]

Geez! On a day like this I envy some of you guys....

Even if unable to sail I'd give my eye teeth - if I had any left - to have a fine Alubat boat in Creran waiting for me to visit and fuss around.

Enjoy!

 

[claymore]

Geez! On a day like this I envy some of you guys....

Even if unable to sail I'd give my eye teeth - if I had any left - to have a fine Alubat boat in Creran waiting for me to visit and fuss around.

Enjoy!

Now my little berg of the unfathomable Zoid - if you hadn't been shinning up lighthouses and all the other shenanigans that you have been up to, you may well have got yourself an Alubat in Creran. I think you need to ask yourself - rather like Georgie Best was asked whilst having Miss World sat on his knee and lighting Cigars with £ large denomination notes - "Where did it all go wrong?"
Perhaps a well crafted response might be the way towards crowdfunding such an item? I'd be happy to be your fund manager once we have agreed terms....

 

[Sgeir]

We are back on the hard at Creran. Ewen and the team do a great job.

 

[zoidberg]

Now my little berg of the unfathomable Zoid - if you hadn't been shinning up lighthouses and all the other shenanigans that you have been up to, you may well have got yourself an Alubat in Creran. I think you need to ask yourself - rather like Georgie Best was asked whilst having Miss World sat on his knee and lighting Cigars with £ large denomination notes - "Where did it all go wrong?"
Perhaps a well crafted response might be the way towards crowdfunding such an item? I'd be happy to be your fund manager once we have agreed terms....

I'm thinking about the Miss World and the handful of 'niftys'. You can keep the seegaaar.
OTOH, I think I'd settle for the nifty wee boat at Creran..... I wouldn't know what to do with a fistful of beer tokens and a Havana.....

 

[claymore]

I'm thinking about the Miss World and the handful of 'niftys'. You can keep the seegaaar.
OTOH, I think I'd settle for the nifty wee boat at Creran..... I wouldn't know what to do with a fistful of beer tokens and a Havana.....

You must have taken holy orders or something - you certainly seemed to know what to do with the beer tokens when we were last in Tobers. Mind you - we were both rather more than a fortnight younger then...

 

[zoidberg]

Must try that again.

And again....

FWIW, the Oirish can drink, too. And when they and the Bretons get together at the likes of Brest and Douarnenez, ould bugrs like me need to get some practice in.

 

[Birdseye]

I'm too, too far to say 'Hi' but I'll be thinking of you with some envy.

It might seem the wrong time to head north but I suspect you will find that not only are the marina folk a lovely bunch - people in general up there are a lovely bunch. I suggest a trip to the boat around the 27th or 28th December and take a week there.

Well done and Good Luck

And an Ovni 43 will have their new 8mm x 100m Armorgalv High Tensile chain delivered to them next week, replacing a 10mm chain. No - I don't sell them I just developed the concept.

Jonathan

what exactly is Armorgalv?

 

[Neeves]

what exactly is Armorgalv?

Armorgalv - a process updating the original British process, Sherardizing. There are at least two other variants. Known as Thermal Diffusion Galvanising, TDG (to differentiate it from Hot Dipped Galvanising, HDG). If Jumble Duck comes on board he has, much, more expertise on how the process might work - but my 'synthesis' is that its a sintering process, or a variant of powder metallurgy. Basically you put clean steel object in an oven with zinc power and a, or some, catalysts - you heat and rotate the oven and the hot zinc bonds and alloys to the steel forming hard Fe/Zn alloy layers. The process is highly controllable - you can define what thickness of coating you want to achieve. The alloy layers are harder, thus more abrasion resistant than that of HDG. TDG is conducted at around 400 deg C, HDG is conducted at 460 deg C. TDG can be conducted at least as low as 370 deg C. You cannot galvanise large object as no-one yet has large rotating ovens. TDG is good for complex shapes and hollow items. The, or a, major advantage of TDG is the lower operating temperature as this allows quench and tempered products to be galvanised without the severe degradation of strength imposed by heating the object when dipped in molten zinc. TDG still retempers the Q&T processed steel but more strength is retained.

TDG is specified for galvanising the studs, they are long (12') threaded HT rods, used to secure pylons in wind farms. The US Navy uses the process, initially for its higher abrasion resistance to coat chain tie downs for military vehicles on landing craft. They are now taking advantage of the process to coat HT steel chains as the chains are lighter and easier to manhandle. There is mention the US Navy uses the chain for anchor rodes - but I have no more detail.

I went through a fairly exhaustive programme of testing HT chain (and the necessary components) and then coated 75m of 6mm chain which we use for our rode on a 38' x 7t cat. In Australia its a very competitive way of developing a rode - if you are prepared to put in some effort. The chain I had made is as strong as the 8mm G30 rode it replaced (which was near a G40 quality for strength). Really it is sensible if you are commissioning a new yacht, or you need new chain and you need a new windlass or are prepared to buy a new gypsy. Here its still cheaper to Armorgalv coat and buy the new gypsy. Down sizing chain means you carry less weight (and volume) in your bow locker but you do need to replace the 'loss' of catenary so you do need to use good snubbers, or in our case, a bridle.

With use the chain self polishes and looks like 'black' stainless and like stainless it does not tower as much as gal chain does/did. I have had a couple of articles published here on the process as a result of which 3 people have asked me to monitor rodes to be made for them and there is a fourth to be processed. As part of my initial work I looked at the various components you might need in a rode, have tested them, basically if you read the article they define exactly what you need. I did a whole batch of abrasion testing from which I was able to develop a specification coating thickness - which is 20% higher than that used by the US Navy. Anyone following what I did has a complete rode, with chain hook (or bridle plate), Boomerang, enlarged links and a certificate for strength, extension to break and the thickness of the galvanised layer..

I hope this helps.

Jonathan