The Eventider's News

 

   

 

Issue Nine, Autumn 2007.

 

Page No 4

Owners tips

 

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Extension tiller?

 

 

This year I fitted an extension tiller....  What I hear you cry!  Why??? Well it is certainly not because the boat heels so far and I have to hang out the side to counterbalance it, as I see so many crews of modern plastic boats having to do. No it is just to add those few inches of reach so I can sit comfortably on the corner of my cockpit coaming, flat topped for the purpose, lean nonchalantly against the nice teak backrests, yet still steer.

     
  For the time being I have simply tied a length of shock cord to the tiller to secure it, but I expect I will find a suitable pipe clip for it this winter...
     
  As you can see the length is not over long.  About 9".  I made it from a odd length of Afromosia, a bit of old coffee table actually..  I have used other rails from the same table to secure books on my bookshelves aboard!
     
  The end fitting was an off cut of teak, shaped with the belt sander and then glued into a sawn slot in the end.
     
  A few coats of varnish later and it is quite passable.  Actually made a second one at the same time, a little longer, to fit my daughter and son in law's  'Foxcub', 'Beachcomber'.
     
  The stainless fittings are readily available at most dinghy chandlers, Holt Allen fittings.
     
  To allow the extension to fold back against the top of the tiller, I had to remove the plastic end part that the pivot pin goes through and cut a slot in it so I could mount the pivot off centre.
     
    Very pleased to say it all works very well. 

John

     

 

A Folding Bowsprit?!?!?

 

  Brian and Mavis turned up to our summer cruise this year sporting a rather natty addition on their Golden Hind 32 'Right E Oh'.  Brian, ever the ingenious one, had been wanting to extend his sail area, OK an extra few feet on the mast would be great, but the alterations, rigging sails everything, would be expensive and difficult..  so extend it forward instead...
     
  Brian  figures to use it for light airs only, which is when 'Right E Oh' need a little extra sail area.  Other than that it can fold up out of the way, incurring no charges in marinas, clever!

 

     
  The bowsprit is hinged on the stemhead, using the fitting already there.  Others might have to alter or add to their stemhead arrangements.
     
  Here Brian is releasing the tie that secures it and the pair of bobstay shrouds that come into play when it is deployed.
     
  The block and tackle beneath the bowsprit tensions it and the rig.
     
  Down and ready to hank on a sail!
     
  The bitter end of the bobstay downhaul is secured on deck.
     
  To fold it up, release the down haul and simply swig on the new outer forestay! As it comes upright the new forestay and bowsprit shrouds are once more secured for harbour. Simple.


Brian once again showing how practical he can be!

    Have you any clever bits of boat-craft you care to share with others?
     
   

Clever alternator mounting!

     

Alternator replacement.

The engine in Moonbeam, my Seamaster 23,  is a Farymann 18W single cylinder diesel, and was once drowned in water, the outcome of which is that the inbuilt alternator was beyond economic repair and an alternative arrangement was required to charge the batteries.

First of all where to fit an alternator,?

As there is no suitable pto on the engine, I decided to hang the alternator on a bracket from the cockpit floor beams and fitted an adjuster  using a pair of s/s brackets made from some plates obtained locally and a piece of 8mm threaded studding fastened to a floor beam. 

Now to the drive :-

The result of much deliberation is to drive the alternator via a propshaft pulley; this is a picador 7 inch Dia of "A" section vee belt.

However I could not remove the drive flange on the propshaft  (mates to a flange at the Gearbox so I had to cut the pulley in half across the dia to fit to the propshaft.

To achieve precision & line up of the two halves , two plates were fitted on either side and bolted up tightly  when assembled on the propshaft , the shaft was drilled with a drive hole 6mm dia x 6mm deep which the locking screw settled into .

The drive belt was ascertained by tying a thick piece of rope around the 2 pulleys and a trip to our local motor factor selected a suitable  one at modest cost.

The overall cost was, Alternator from EBay £16.00, Belt £2.95  and the steel for the bracketry about £6.00.

So now we must wait until Moonbeam is in the water to see if the theory works!!! I don't want to wreck the cutlass bearing by running dry.

It will be interesting to see whether we get voltage in both directions , if not then we shall have to fit an switch in the exciter feed line to ensure the Alternator is only energised in the 'Ahead' position.

Thought this might be of assistance to anyone with a similar Alternator problem, or those wishing to add a second charging set up!

David Cooper

Seamaster 23 'Moonbeam', ex owner of 'Evenstar',  an Eventide, Friend of the EOG!

Thanks David, very clever way of fitting an alternator, could help out a number of owners with similar problems.  Look forward to the report on it later next year!