Westerly Owners Association

I've been with N&G for 5 years and was just about to renew when I noticed a new endorsement: Endorsement No 43 Supervision Required The Vessel must be in a secure Marina when unattended for any period in excess of 24 hours This is a showstopper for me, and I guess for most cruising sailors who o...

Gents,

Just realised I never replied to your helpful advice, for which many thanks. Life got a bit complicated then, and I still haven't fitted the electric bilge pump - but I'm about to do so.

If I have any problems I'll let you know.

Best wishes.

Thanks for the advice, gents. I agree that the boat's history suggests that the original rigging sizes and setup were adequate, and I am going with them. The chainplates/baseplates were changed 10 years ago to angled U-bolts. I was amazed by the range of prices quoted for making up the wires. In the...

My local rigger has surveyed the standing rigging on my Oceanranger Sula. There is a problem with the lowers, which are very slightly misaligned at the mast fittings. There is nothing specifically wrong with the rest of the standing rigging, but the rigger advises that as it's 10 years old it is the...

Hi Bram,

I see from your other post thread that it looks as if you've solved the problem - well done! You don't seem to have a rope cutter fitted, so that couldn't have been the culprit.

Best,

John

Thanks for these helpful suggestions. AS Ocean Spirit suggested, the culprit turned out to be the 'Stripper' rope cutter - though the shaft anode had also disappeared. One of the two stainless steel brackets limiting the movement of the fixed cutter on the striker plate was bent sufficiently to allo...

Many thanks gents. Wolfgang, I've tried listening in as many places as possible without any positive results. Mike, I also found that my shaft anode had disappeared last year - I thought I had managed to super-tighten it this year, but we'll see! I'll report the culprit when I manage to identify it....

My Volvo 2003 runs well and without any obvious/unusual vibration. However, for some time there has been an annoying rattle which is just audible in the cockpit but quite loud in the aft cabin. Recently it seems to have got worse. It sounds like a loose board or similar, but it is prop-speed related...

Thanks very much for this, Mike - it's encouraging to know that someone else has solved the problems! I was at the boat yesterday and had another look - as you say it looks doable with tools on a stick, and some contortionist's tricks. The socket fitting at the end of a bit of gas pipe is a brillian...

Sula's bow fitting is a twin-roller setup with the forestay connected to the vertical steel plate between the rollers. Late last season I noticed a crack about 3cm long at the front of the weld holding the vertical plate to the horizontal base. The front of the vertical plate has pulled up by about ...

Thank you! I had forgotten that such products exist...

John

I recently drained the fresh-water system because I wasn't happy with the percentage anti-freeze following an occasion when I had to top up with no anti-freeze available. Nothing emerged when I loosened the outer part of the drain plug - and still nothing when I removed the whole plug. The hole at t...

I had a holding tank fitted over the winter in Denmark. Having now returned - and launched the boat - I realise that the heads seacock is not working. Mea culpa for not servicing it before launch... It was stuck in the open position but after some persuasion appeared to close. However, it didn't and...

I would like to fit an electric bilge pump. The strum box for the manual one is just forward of where the companionway ladder sits. It looks to me as if the best place for the electric one would be in the deepest part of the bilge under the table. Any tips? Where's the best place for the through-hul...

I solved this by asking the local Volvo Penta dealer in Denmark for advice. He gave me a plastic canister of what was (I think) concentrated sulphuric acid, with a stern injunction not to leave the elbow in it for more than 20 minutes! In fact I wimped out and diluted the brew with 50% water - remem...