The Billy Ruffian

Well done Trevor another proper sea boat owner.
I think it’s the old spitfire thing……” if it looks right it goes right “ something like that .GB s do look right .
 
superheat6k said:
I am thinking about making a further removable support post that would clip to the forward edge of the flybridge bench seat, ~ 2m from the mast with the top about 2m high, with a bracing line attaching further forward to the fly dash. Then a 2:1 or 3:1 tackle with a drop in snatch block from either the spotlight or radar brackets. I want to get this system simple to use and a one person operation.

Something like this ...
View attachment 137113
Click to expand...
Looking at this picture, there are a couple of issues that imho might be addressed:

1 the boom looks as though it forms part of a back stay arrangement. If you delete it, what resistance will you have to any forward movement of the mast? If you stay the mast against forward movement from the masthead you will probably end up with a stay that compromises movement around the cockpit. I think that creating a better angle for that stay is part of the function of the boom in addition to ornamentation.

2 Rather than taking a line to the crux would you be better taking the line down the new post to a winch. You can add whatever mechanical advantage you need between the new post and the mast. This would avoid more lines running over the cockpit and make a generally neater arrangement that could be left in place and easily operated by one person.
 
Leave the boom on ( or fit a lighter AL version ) and arrange the main mast to fold Fwds not backwards.
Place the hinge to suit , might not necessarily be at the foot to get the rig to sit horizontally across the FB .

This way the boom acts along with a back stay mentioned ^^^ a kinda lever from the stern .Where the “ back stay ” from the boom meets the transom fit a winch to lower / raise the rig .
When it’s horizontal simply raise the boom sightly over 90 degrees tilting back and winch the whole rig up from the transom.

In terms of levers the boom ( or equivalent in Al ) is your friend .
 
I too was thinking that changing things so that the mast dropped forward would make it more controllable.

We replaced the mast on our Hardy (coated aluminium) with a stainless steel mast fabricated to our design. It is about the same weight as the old aluminium mast and is manageable when raising and lowering. We have a socket in the back of the mast which a bespoke support slots into. It drops towards the stern but as I am on the poop deck I can get underneath it and control the descent. Being able to do the same folding forward onto the flybridge would make things a lot easier but you might not be able to get to the same air draught as you can folding back.

You can see our mast quite well in the pic below if you zoom in - the socket I mentioned is just below the rear view camera.
Dropping the mast is an easy evolution that I can do single handed in very little time.

33D4ABA1-8684-4DF6-A942-08926FE8BC4A.jpeg
 
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superheat6k said:
I am thinking about making a further removable support post that would clip to the forward edge of the flybridge bench seat, ~ 2m from the mast with the top about 2m high, with a bracing line attaching further forward to the fly dash. Then a 2:1 or 3:1 tackle with a drop in snatch block from either the spotlight or radar brackets. I want to get this system simple to use and a one person operation.

Something like this ...
View attachment 137113
Click to expand...

Trevor spend some £££ and make it hydraulic. Push button operation.

Alden in Southampton are good stainless fabricators. Then get a ram and pump from a passerelle.

Four mast movements per trip. You shouldn’t be messing with blocks and nonsense.

You’ll save the full cost of a proper job in one year’s mooring fees.

That boat deserves it. And so do you - there are no pockets in a shroud.
 
Well today we have proven the crux when braced to each side and forward works just fine.

A forward pole will allow simple up down with a handy billy. So for now the necessary parts have been ordered. This will allow us to safely get the boat home and usable under the bridges short term.

Yes the cable entry arrangement is appalling - too many cables - too little space. But I am rationalising these. There are three mast mounted lights - the Anchor; Steaming and deck flood. If I change all these to LED then I can run a single far thinner 4 core 0.25mm2, then the obsolete and not working anyway spotlight which has a 12mm diameter cable can simply go, this leaves the radar plus VHF and Windex cables (why on earth does a Mobo require a Windex ???).

Intrigued by the hydraulic ram idea and will review this.

Although the boom is gone the two aft shrouds do go back suifficiently to provide enough backward support to prevent forward topping of the mast.

Looks like the mast section is at least 4mm aluminium. Explains why it is so heavy.
 
superheat6k said:
Well today we have proven the crux when braced to each side and forward works just fine.

A forward pole will allow simple up down with a handy billy. So for now the necessary parts have been ordered. This will allow us to safely get the boat home and usable under the bridges short term.

Yes the cable entry arrangement is appalling - too many cables - too little space. But I am rationalising these. There are three mast mounted lights - the Anchor; Steaming and deck flood. If I change all these to LED then I can run a single far thinner 4 core 0.25mm2, then the obsolete and not working anyway spotlight which has a 12mm diameter cable can simply go, this leaves the radar plus VHF and Windex cables (why on earth does a Mobo require a Windex ???).

Intrigued by the hydraulic ram idea and will review this.

Although the boom is gone the two aft shrouds do go back suifficiently to provide enough backward support to prevent forward topping of the mast.

Looks like the mast section is at least 4mm aluminium. Explains why it is so heavy.
Click to expand...

The ram on my pasarelle is only about 300 mm long but will lift 300 kG plus the weight of the pasarelle at 4m extension.

I’m at universal now. Come and look at the way it’s mounted for inspiration if you’d like. It’s an excuse for a beer if nothing else.

Windex useful but more useful in the bow than the mast on a mobo IMO. And by no means essential.

New radars are 12V only and connect the data by magic. Or if you are a sceptic like me via an Ethernet cable. But much easier than analogue radars whichever way you go.
 
Elessar said:
The ram on my pasarelle is only about 300 mm long but will lift 300 kG plus the weight of the pasarelle at 4m extension.

I’m at universal now. Come and look at the way it’s mounted for inspiration if you’d like. It’s an excuse for a beer if nothing else.

Windex useful but more useful in the bow than the mast on a mobo IMO. And by no means essential.

New radars are 12V only and connect the data by magic. Or if you are a sceptic like me via an Ethernet cable. But much easier than analogue radars whichever way you go.
Click to expand...
In regard to radars, for most boats a compete waste of space - turned on say once a year, and yet folk will pay thousands for them. AIS provides 90% of their functionality and is useful most of the time. But that said I don't want to be without the Furuno that the boat has come with.

For a fine boat whoever designed the mast and cable arrangement wants shooting.
 
superheat6k said:
Looks like the mast section is at least 4mm aluminium. Explains why it is so heavy.
Click to expand...

Our original was similar and with the stainless being thinner and our new mast being a little shorter it was surprising that we probably reduced the weight a little (didn’t weigh them so going by how they felt when I picked them up). A shorter stainless mast dropping forward might be an idea if your solution doesn’t work out.
 
superheat6k said:
...... In regard to radars, for most boats a compete waste of space - turned on say once a year, and yet folk will pay thousands for them. AIS provides 90% of their functionality and is useful most of the time. But that said I don't want to be without the Furuno that the boat has come with.....
Click to expand...

I must say, I do tend to agree about radar, I have had it on last three boats and in the last 15 years used it in earnest only twice, the only time AIS may not have been useful, was in Gibraltar in heavy conditions, used to pick up the Aero Buoys which it did.

I like the idea of a hydraulic mast - on my F43 you could fold the entire tail fin back complete with radar arch, but it was blooming heavy!
 
I have approached a spar company to see if they can offer me a broken mast section. I have envisaged an idea of it toppling forwards rather than backwards, using a table base to mount a suitable crux from the fly dash section, and with which using a tabernacle would allow me to position a suitable hydraulic ram at the base, just got to work the angles and loads out.

That said I reckon with a modern yacht's mast section the weight would likely halve and lifting it manually from a forward drop would be a lot simpler.

A Winter project I feel.
 
Raymarine C80 Plotter - positional data NMEA0183 input - to adjoin to - Furuno GPS NMEA0183 output - anyone help me with the colour match please.

For some reason the VFD on board has never been hooked into the GPS, so simply an electronic chart and radar screen up until now.
 
superheat6k said:
Raymarine C80 Plotter - positional data NMEA0183 input - to adjoin to - Furuno GPS NMEA0183 output - anyone help me with the colour match please.

For some reason the VFD on board has never been hooked into the GPS, so simply an electronic chart and radar screen up until now.
Click to expand...
Raymarine
FC97D23B-288F-43E8-B3B9-4952D147D4D0.jpeg
what model furuno?
 
Mr Googler said:
If you’ve not got AIS….consider one of these

QK-A026 AIS Receiver with NMEA Multiplexer + WiFi + GPS - Quark-elec - smart marine solutions

brilliant kit. You can buy the little car type gps recievers and a small AIS aerial on their site too. That will give the c80 gps and ais data via NMEA 0183 plus…it does the same over WiFi for navionics on an iPad etc…
Click to expand...
I can buy a brand new Matsutec 12" Plotter / AIS Transponder for ~ £500 and this will interface just brilliantly with the C80, at least it did onto the C120 on Boadicea. The GPS set in the cabin is a Furuno, which is somewhat basic, and the wiring behind it looks difficult, so probably best left alone, so I reckon a drop down from a new Matsutec on the Flybridge will work.
 
VHF Licence from Ofcom free and with me within a few minutes of submitting the application.

SSR £35 and I will let you know how quick (or slow !) it is to arrive. I sent an unsigned version of the BoS so I might get a black mark for that.


Has anyone yet tackled the Ofcom checks for public protection against irradiation ?

Has an idiots' guide bee produced yet, because I think this idiot is going to need one ?
 
Well I have had a thorough dig through the pile of documents that came with the boat, and have established She has now had five owners and shortly will have her fifth name ...

Endura (91 - 97) > Algen (97 - 03) > Jenita (03 - 20) > Jawaba (20 - 22) > Billy Ruffian (soon).

I have found several manuals for kit she doesn't have, and subject to verifying these items are not hidden anywhere I will offer these on here.
 
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