TomBettle

Surely a manufacturer would normally build in a huge margin for error as the consequences of being stuck way offshore are pretty serious?

Nice plotter good price! Martin I may have a customer for you! RRP of the new version the 5607 is

We have the discussion about how big does my auxiliary engine need to be quite often. The first thing you should realise. If you need your auxiliary engine then getting home by boat is a luxury. Simply getting to safety "anywhere" is the priority. If that means your 4Hp can't get you into Christchurch, but will get you safely and comfortably to Yarmouth then so be it. ...They have these things called moorings at Yarmouth and for a small fee the harbour master lets you park there while you get your main engine fixed. The alternative is to sit and wait for the tide to turn or call a buddy boat or friendly passing boat. I have to say, I am a bit hypocrytical here in as much as Quest II does not have an auxiliary engine, but is now fitted with most other tickery to help get assistance should it be required. Moving on to Paul and his Etec problems.... How long have you had the engine Paul? What are the manufacturers recommended service intervals? Tom

She's here at Salterns!!! Being launched tomorrow for a couple of boat reviews and she may remain in for a short time after. All viewings are welcome and remember that just for the time being, any boat and outboard engine package comes with a free trailer if required. Tom

Dan A trained skipper like yourself should know to trim the engine up more in a following sea! Shame on you. Tom

Didn't have a filleting table so we used the high gloss, varnished one in the saloon. Should be alright... chucked the fillets in one of the two bowls on the sink and will rinse them down with the deck shower later. Not too much blood and guts in the cockpit, but managed to get a few scales on te saloon carpet.... Looks quite nice actually, a bit of a glitter effectin teh shag pile...

No, but I could plumb one in for you!

We will be showing a Prestige 46, Prestige 32 and the new Prestige 30 Sport Top. Also we will have a Leader 545 18 foot little Sports Cuddy out in the "Try a Boat" section. I'll be on the pontoons so please come and say hello. Tom PS: Sam, Spoke to John earlier and he said not to come before 12 tomorrow which is a bit of a bind as we will be in Poole with the boats by 10ish (8 o'clock bridge from Weymouth) and have nowhere to go. Do you guys even have a out of the way place we can leave a 46 footer for an hour or two?

Mike they will still try their best! The Birmingham Navy is bad enough, but the Birmingham Navy, WAFi style, all fired up with 4knots of high speed racing adrenalin is a true sight to behold.

Hi Peter Welcome to the forum. You should find lots of like minded loonies on here. Most aren't actually retired, but some get day release from the asylum reasonably often. Dive in to the site and join in with the banter and you will be very quickly embraced (again not a raging fudge nudger) by the clan and soon be out on the water on your own and members boats. Tom

That's a very pretty Undulate Ray errr Skate or is it a Painted Ray no Skate. Bugger!!!!!

Now I am puzzled. That reference quite clearly shows that Blonde "Rays" are really skate........ For example a RAY tail is described as follows :- "tail relatively slender to whip-like, usually with a saw-edged stinging spine midway along its length " whereas a SKATE tail is "tail relatively stocky, without a stinging spine " Now looking at your picture and the way you are holding your fish - tell me where the stinging spine is ( in your hand maybe ! ) and the way that the tail is "whip like" ? Common name is Blonde Ray but it is really a skate ( as is a Thornback ) - and the article referenced says exactly that. I quote :- "The problem is made more difficult by the fact that many of the species around the UK coastline are misnamed. For example, the thornback ray is actually a skate!" PS: Any chance of a picture of the Undulate Ray, just so I can be sure it is not a Thornback ? Probably why most of the Ray family in the UK are actually often referred to under the general term of "Skate". In fact I can only think of one regular Ray that is a Ray and that is teh Stingray. That would simply sound silly being called a stingskate! We do have the occassional visit from Eagle Ray and so on. These are definite Ray's as can be seen by the very long thin tail.

This full and complete answer comes from a man who obviously needs to 'Get Out More' Mad Mike Claspers are used in much the same fashion as amorous humans do when grabbing love handles. Millions of years of evolution and an enormous amount of diversity between humans and fish yet a male Ray still has to hang on tight just as we do. So I am told. Tom

Hi Rob Quay Sails are very friendly helpful people. We've used them a few times for broken zips and the like. Flexi Covers, also in Poole, make great covers, but getting them to commit to anything this side of 2012 seems to be a challenge and they are grumpy buggers too. Undercover Awnings in Shirley, Southampton are our mainstay UK manufacturer (we are HQ's in S'ton) and they are the mutz nuts when it comes to covers. John Heinz owns it and Rob his colleagues does the fitting. Both great guys. Tom .....A conservatory? On a sailing boat!!!!! No thank you darling.

HI Ahoy It was nice meeting you at the meeting. If mymaths are correct then your average speed over 33 hours is just under 8.5knots. This is fairly slow as an average, but would take into account a fair bit of pottering around, getting in and out of somewhere like Cobbs Quay. Based on an average of 8.5 knots, I'd say that your fuel figures are close to spot on, but expect that to increase quite markedly as you start to open her up a little. You may well find that at the typical 20 knot cruising speed you are using somewhat more fuel than someone with a 115 for example. This will simply be because your engine is working a fair bit harder to maintain the speed than a more powerful lump. That said, at harbour speeds and cruising on or just beyond your slower planning speed (12 to 16 knots?) you should find yours is fractionally more economical. Tom

Paul The double clips simply add security over a single clip. It is incredibly unlikely (I suppose it is possible) that both hose clips will come undone on a joint. If it were to happen whilst the pump was in use then you would notice the sudden loss of pressure and realise somethig was up before a serious incident was to take place. In addition, it is always considered good advice to get in the habit of closing a sea cock when not in use. The flip side is you must remember to open a sea cock when you need to use it. Tom

Hmmm let me think about this. It has a 500Kg carrying capacity and I reckon that me and the engine is probably just under... ..If I tow the fuel tank..... I reckon it's do-able. Now I just have to find away of passing the shaft through the inflatable and stopping the engine from wobbling like a jelly on it's mounts.

I was thinking of going on my little lilo

I agree with Toerag, hence you either run the pup for regular but brief bursts to freshen up the water and get some circulation or simply have a second battery for "domestics" and not have to worry about the engine battery at all. The water puppy is hugely more powerful than any of the bilge pump style deckwashes that some people try and use.

Hi Paul Sorry, just spotted this. Not sure what pump you have and what "pick up" you have for the water (Sea Cock?), but this is how we would typically install a deck wash: 1) 1/2" to 1" Sea Cock fitted securely in to the hull (size dependent on final pump etc.... and also 'cos I can't actually remember) 2) Double hose clip, marine grade, reinforced hose (the clear stuff with criss crosses in it) on to the skin fitting. Never use garden hose as it degrades, which can be quite embarrassing if you have a boat on a mooring and have left the sea cock open when the hose finally gives up the ghost. 3) For the paranoid (me) a small inline strainer is fitted before attaching to the pump which is securely bolted to a bulkhead. My preferred pump is the Jabsco Water Puppy. Again, all hose connections are double clipped. 4) More marine grade hose loosely in the bilge (no kinks) to a convenient location for an outlet. On our boats we use the double skin on the transom to hide the hose inside. 5) Use a brass or heavy plastic hose connection to come through the fibreglass making sure the hose from the pump is double clipped on the inside. 6) To neaten and finish the visible bit coming through from where you have pocked it, use a hozelock connection or a more expensive brass hozelock style fitting. 7) Normal reinforced garden hose is then fine for the actual deckwash, deckside, hose. Attach a spray nozzle and you have a great deckwash that will also be very adequate for your livebait tank with a few more hozelock fittings and some very simple fitting. Hope that is of some help, if not to you, to anyone else that may be looking to fit a deckwash. Tom PS: If you are frightened to put a through hull sea cock in your boat, pay someone to do that bit and then do the rest your self. Also, marine grade hose can be very tough to slide over the hose fittings on the pump and skin fitting etc. To help you, warm them up with a hot air gun or hair dryer (or put the end in boiling water for a moment). This makes them supple enough to force over the ends ad helps stop blisters on your hands! Always double hose clip the connections with good quality hose clips.

Duncan If you don't mind Salterns prices (I owe you a couple of quid anyway) and they have stock, I can pick some up for you. They have just closed the doors so I don't know what they have. Tom

Very much club waters. In fact one of our most popular Bass wrecks on big tides.

Jammy bugger. Co-owner, Chris has done it again. He and friend Pete hit the mid channel wrecks today and invited a brand new friend onboard Quest II for the first time. His name? John Dory I've never seen a John Dory and whilst I am hard at work, this pic gets sent to my phone! Apparently it took an orange shad (you can see it on the gunnel). Gutted that I am stuck in the office! Tom

Was actually really hoping to fish the 48 hour and do an Alderney run, but now have my little girl down for 72 hours which is a lot more exhausting.... Tom