Need Advice from Experienced Seagoers Regarding New Boat

[Dhillen]

Congratulations on your new (to you) boat! Take your time getting to know her; this is an important relationship. As far as insurance, I wouldn't insure her for any more than you paid. The money you save on premiums you can put right back into the boat!

Once you have figured out and memorized where all the seacocks are and where all the hoses run then take her out on day trips with friends. Best to go with a friend or two who are experienced sailors because something always goes wrong and you will have your hands full as it is without dealing with panicky landlubbers.

And post some pictures of yourself afloat on your first outing!

Cheers.

Dhillen

[Selene]

Congrats on the boatpurchase. Surprised that you are able to get comprehensive insurance on the boat at all, not expected to be in relation to purchase price but possibly to survey market price estimate. I only got liability.

[Nibiruwayne]

Thorbad, the rust should not be taken lightly. haven't read all the posts, but you would really want to check keel bolts. A hard grounding can cause a break along the keel/hill joint. This causes keel bolt damage. The fix involves removal of keel, new bolts , glassworks, etc.
Often the engine and trans have to be removed for access big job

[Thorbad]

Today am going to collect my new passes for the yard (thank god it allows you to do your own thing here xD No wonder its crowded as hell right now).

Then will do some poking around/learn about what is were and what is why

Tomorrow I will prolly start cleaning all the random stuff up and putting it into labelled boxes so I keep what I need for now (not going on any trans-atlantic voyages nytime soon).

And most importantly I need to check the bolts that you menioned and seacocks before I get it properly surveyed =p (PS: Not 100% mine yet just paid a deposit and I can start cleaning it. Survey should be in the next few weeks as soon as I find a good chap)

Pics to follow (Maybe I start a blog or something xD)

Thnx y'all!

[Thorbad]

Originally Posted by Nibiruwayne

Thorbad, the rust should not be taken lightly. haven't read all the posts, but you would really want to check keel bolts. A hard grounding can cause a break along the keel/hill joint. This causes keel bolt damage. The fix involves removal of keel, new bolts , glassworks, etc.
Often the engine and trans have to be removed for access big job

Actually about that. . .


Today at the yard I met a guy that owns a HR 35 and is also prepping it for summer fun. He explained to me that all HR boats have this "system" were all internal water that gets access within the keel/bilge accumulates in one particular central area.

In that area there is a brass bung/screw that has to be removed once the boat is on the hard so as to drain the accumulated water.

Obviously in my case it was not removed so the water just collected there and seeped out using other ways. . .

I did manage to expose this brass part. . .but have no idea how to make it budge

Any clues?

Also I got told that in a couple of years I need to get the engine out in order to make a proper fuel tank as Monsuns tend to get leaks? O.o

[Thorbad]

Some pics Cleaning around in the interior and getting to know how stuff works xD



Unfortunately the instrumentation is obsolete (old VDO analogue gauges with mast transducer and thru-hulls). No service parts etc. ..

Undecided if to install a new Raymarine ST60+ system or the Garmin system. . .

Also need to figure out if batteries are charging O.o If one connects to the shore supply that is all that he does right? No need to switch anything on?

[skipmac]

Hi Thorbad,

You do probably need to switch something on to charge, probably two things.

First, after you connect the shore power cord to the plug on your boat you will need to switch on the main AC breaker on your switch panel (it should be off while you are connecting the cord). That will then send power to all the AC circuits on your switch panel. One of the switches should be the battery charger so you then have to switch that one on.

You can confirm by looking at the voltage at the batteries. Depending on the state of charge you should see more or less 12-12.5V when the charger is off. With the charger on, depending on the charger and charge mode, you should see 13 to over 14 V.

[skipmac]

Details for connecting shore power.

1. Turn off the main AC circuit breaker on the boat switch panel.

2. Connect the cable to the boat side plug.

3. Turn off the circuit breaker on the dock side AC supply box.

4. Connect the cable to the dock AC box.

5. Switch on the circuit breaker on the dock box.

6. Switch on the circuit breaker on the boat.

The sequence is important for several reasons. One big one, if you connect the cord to the dock box before you connect the boat side, if you drop the end of the cord into the water you could short out AC into the water, blow the circuit breakers and be very unpopular with all the neighbors.

[Dhillen]

Without overstating the obvious, once you follow skipmac's instructions for connecting shore power and powering up the AC side of your on-board electrical panel, you will probably need to switch the battery charger "on."

Before doing this, check the fluid level in your batteries (if lead acid). Distilled water may need to be added to cover the tops of all cells. You should check the batteries anyway to make sure they are connected and the terminals are clean.

Nice pics of a nice boat. Congratulations.

Dhillen

[Selene]

Nice pictures Tohorbad, and you are getting lots of good advise. On my H-R the two small metal angled screwdriver bits activate the motor and house battery banks. the large pannel with all the different signs and breakers/fuzes looks to be managing your 12volt equipment. On my H-R there is no originalbattery charger, but a charger is fed directly on shore power and charging the 2 banks directly.

[Thorbad]

Thank you guys for all the kind replies ^.^

Me, the broker and a marine surveyor were initially unable to locate were to plug in the boat! Lol?

We were all looking for some sort of plug device on the rear section of the boat. I was ignoring a small 3 pin plug in the anchor locker thinking it was for the Windlass remote. . .

After a phone call to Germany I realised that shore supply is plugged into the anchor locker.

You are correct Selene there are two metal angle screw like things to activate the battery banks. That is the first thing the soon to be ex owner told me.

Today I did some exploring of the electrics (thank god they are neat!) and after some testing I got to the conclusion that the battery that was not charging is just dead (after 2 years standing there. . no ****).

The other one I think is still alive thanks to the solar panel (they work flawlessly even if they look as if they need some TLC!). I have no idea why the solar panels are not connected to BOTH batteries but just to one (they have a waterless type, Delhi if I remember well. 2 of them. One house battery and one motor).

Also looks as if it is a good time to start and learn German! Still loads of cleaning to be done. And still have to figure out how to actually rig this type of boat (till now only sailed on Bavaria's mostly and the ropework I think is a wee bit different.)

But yea I will learn

Will continue posting updates in this thread (unless you guys think its a bad idea?)

Many thanks & love from Malta

Lemme know if ya guys ever pass by!
-Thorbad

[Nibiruwayne]

Thorbad, You might try to see if your batteries are salvageable. Try disconnecting them from any potential loads and then hook up a small portable charger on 2amp charge. Let it go for a few days and check to see if they come back. The slow charge rate can reverse the sulphation of the plates. Also, if they are connected in series or parallel make absolutely sure there is no resistance between the battery posts with an ohm meter. I reclaimed a large bank this way which I had been told were destroyed. Two weeks later they had recovered. Lots of good blogs on this out there.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Nibiruwayne

Thorbad, You might try to see if your batteries are salvageable. Try disconnecting them from any potential loads and then hook up a small portable charger on 2amp charge. Let it go for a few days and check to see if they come back. The slow charge rate can reverse the sulphation of the plates. Also, if they are connected in series or parallel make absolutely sure there is no resistance between the battery posts with an ohm meter. I reclaimed a large bank this way which I had been told were destroyed. Two weeks later they had recovered. Lots of good blogs on this out there.

I thought you had to hammer them (albeit very carefully) to bring them around.

[DataPhreak]

Also got to know that there is a brand new diesel stove somewhere inside + more sails and another dinghy O.o

I laughed out loud. Sounds like a great design. Storage space is a premium commodity on any sailboat. I'd like to see pictures of this 2nd dinghy. More likely to be an emergency lifeboat though.

Sounds like you're getting your money's worth in equipment alone. Autopilots are pretty expensive, sails too. if either is a windvane autopilot, you got a steal. They sell for $1500 used, and $3-5000 new, and can last a lifetime.

Really enjoying reading this thread and your progress. Actually created an account just to make this post. Keep it coming.

[Thorbad]

Well currently stuff is at a semi standstill boatwise while I wait for a reply from broker/owner with regards to the shortcomings from survey (2 throu hulls need replacing + 2 chain plates + 2 sea cocks that are jammed).

In the meantime while I await a reply from Germany (owner is a tad oldish I think 70+) Im getting all paperwork/courses ready

Competent crew in a few weeks and hopefully finish RYA day skipper coastal by August