Mikey B

Give Neil Snow a call on the number bellow. South and West Marine, Daytime and Workshop 07890 570 003 The Canvas Loft, Unit 10, Torbay Road Trading Estate, Castle Cary, Somerset. BA7 7DT Website: www.boatcoversuk.com Landline/fax: 01749 830 554 Canvas Protective Products for Land and Sea I had a full cover made for my Orkney 520 and he made a superb job. Mikey B

Hi Dave, I have a Steersman oil seal fitted to my F30. http://www.steersman.com You will need a 7/8

Graham, I have four nylon rollers with sealed ball races which fit on a 20mm shaft. I fitted a set to my trailer and the difference when recovering the boat is dramatic. If your boat has a keel band and you can raise the height of the keel rollers very slightly to reduce the friction on the bunks I

Many thanks for the responses lads. I will check out the web sites provided when I get time. I need to look further afield than Poole patch and Swanage bay. I'm limited with my Orkney 520 range wise and would like to buddy up when going further out (work and weather permitting). Taking advantage of the calm weather last week end I was unable to find the Betsy Anna because I had the wrong GPS numbers. In the past I

I've obtained a copy of Dive Dorset which has a number of interesting marks close to Poole I would like to try. Can some one please tell me how to convert the GPS number from O/S as in the book to those used on my GPS. My GPS requires three decimal places at the end and not the two as shown in Dive Dorset. I'm sure this has been covered before but would be grateful for the help. Thanks Mikey B

Try Charmouth it has a fossil centre on the beach. http://www.ukfossils.co.uk Mikey B

Hi Adam, I had a similar problem on a Johnson 50 VRO many years ago. It would run on tick over ok but as the throttle was open it would die. Check the fuel tank breather and also the fuel pump diaphragms for holes. Also if the motor has been standing for a while the fuel can evaporate in the float chambers leading to varnish in the pilot ways and main jets. If you find the pilot ways blocked - do not be tempted to poke them out with a piece of wire as this will result in over sized jetting which will upset the fuel air ratios. We used to use trichloroethylene to soak the carburettor component but I think this is now banned substance. Mikey B

Starter motor problems I

My Orkney 520 has dual leisure batteries and a rotary switch with No1 used as a starter and No2 for the radio etc. Because I only use her in Poole bay or the Harbour I found the batteries where not up to full charge due to the run times and output of the motor alternator. Motor alternator only produces 12/15 a/hr @6000 rpm. I now use a CTEK 7000 XS Multi charger 14 / 224 to keep my dual batteries fully charged. On its maintenance cycle I can leave it plugged in permanently while ashore. Having access to a permanent 240volt supply ashore I just plug it in after a day out and it maintains a pair of fully charged batteries. CTEK recommend a routine check on fluid levels form time to time - but as yet I have not needed to top the batteries up and both batteries are as good as new. Mikey B

Thanks for the input lads, I

Can any one tell me how to update a Garmin Blue Chart data card? I have a card for the English Chanel in my Garmin 188C plotter dated 05. Can I get this updated to the current issue or do I have to buy a new chart. I

The regulations on using LPG in boats are covered by the installation and use regulations the same as any gas installation in your home. Check out the link below. http://www.marinegasconversions.co.uk/inde...CFQgrlAodElRqFg Mikey B

Sounds similar to the problem I had with my Yamaha F30 a few months ago. Check the control cables at the outboard end? Teleflex are prone to corrosion of the outer sleeve which eventualy leads to a collapse of the outer sleeve under load, making it impossible to select any gears and leaving the gear box locked partially in forward or reverse when the cable fails. Only solution is to change the cables. Teleflex do make a stainless cable which will last longer, but costs twice the price of the mild steel version. Due to the amout of work required to replace them I opted for the stainless version which are notiably smoother in operation. Mikey B

Coddy, I will do my best but I may need help from Paul with photos etc Mikey B

Thanks Paul, Good pictures. I'll give the smart tabs a try with a set of 40lb actuators. I will let you know how I get on. Will try and get a few photos of before and after fitting the trim tabs. Mikey B

Tom, my Orkney seams to ride bow high most of the time at anthing above displacement speed. I appreciate the hull is semi displacement but I feel its a little light in the bow, would adding some ballast help? All the weight is at the stern with the weight of a 4 stroke outboard, the fuel tank and a pair of 85amp batteries in the lockers just forward of the outboard well. Mikey B

I

I had to cancel a trip out today due to a snapped gearshift cable. Further investigation on dry land showed the outer cable had rusted away exposing the inner core at the outboard motor end of the cable making it impossible to select forward or reverse. I

Adam, sorry but I forgot to add chart datum after the 1.3mtr. Baiter slipway dries to 1.1mtr above chart datum. 1.3mtr above the chart datum will only give 0.8mtr at the end of the slipway. Not what I would consider a lot of water when an Orkney needs 0.3mtr to float without the motor or any payload such as crew and fuel etc and a minimum of 0.5mtr before the keel band will even get wet when on its trailer. Mikey B

I have been using Baiter Park to launch my Orkney 520 for some time now and do not have any problems even with two crew members and our dog in the boat. I do however ensure I have a least 1.3mtrs under the keel to both launch and retrieve. Not ideal I know as it can mean staying out a little longer waiting for the tide. The plus side is no damage to the boat while launching and not having to man handle to boat so far on the slipway. Having hurt my back badly trying to retrieve the boat in a less than an ideal situation I vowed never again, and just wait for the tide height to increase. It

Having contacted BHG Marine, I have a result regarding flushing out of my F30. Yamaha fit the cold water flushing connection on the side of the motor for owners who are unable to flush the motor with flushing muffs due to noise restrictions or keeping the boat on the water. They recommend the motor be flushed while running at idle with a set of intake muffs fitted. This will allow the thermostat to open so flushing out both sides of the stat pocket. They also recommend removing the thermostat for inspection and cleaning as a matter of course during periodic maintenance (at the same frequency as the oil changes). Failure to clean the thermostat could lead to premature failure of the cooling system and result in damage to the engine. Mikey B

Hello Rich thanks for the reply. My F30 has now done 160 hours; I service it myself in accordance with the manufactures specifications now it

With the boat out of the water due to the inclement weather I decided to see if it was possible fit a water temperature gauge and sender unit to my Yamaha F30. I started by looking at the Yamaha spares list to see if one was available. BHG marine supplied me with a conversion kit which contains all the parts necessary to complete the job. After isolating the battery the first job was to remove a 17mm blanking plug from the port site of the motor. The plug is fitted in the water jacket just above the thermostat housing. The new sender unit complete with its pre wired cable was then, with a dab of grease and a new copper washer, fitted in the thread in place of the blanking plug. Next job is to run the 2 core cable from the outboard to the helm. This was done by running the cable along the Teleflex cable and then through the cable route provided on the starboard side of my Orkney 520, past the control box to chosen location on the helm. A 52mm hole was the cut in fibreglass adjacent to the steering wheel assuring a clear view of the gauge. The gauge itself has 5 wires; all are colour coded to match the colours on the Yamaha multi function unit. All cables were cut to length and with the connectors provided in the kit connected to the multifunction unit wiring. A cable for the gauge back lighting was then fitted to the fused side of the navigation light switch. With all the cable connections checked and secured out of harms way with cable ties, the battery was reconnected. The biggest and by far the most difficult job was routing and concealing the cable from the outboard to the helm. The wiring was a piece of cake being pre wired. One thing of note - when I removed the 17mm plug from the thermostat housing; the area around the thermostat was completely blocked with salt crystals. On further investigation I found the thermostat which is made of copper to be completely encrusted with salt crystals. Simply washing under the tap removed the crystals. Even though the motor is washed through religiously after each trip it obviously leaves salt water in the thermostat housing leading to the corrosion. I will be checking this regularly from now on. Installation took approximately 6 hours including cleaning the salt from the thermostat and housing. Mikey B

We finally managed to get away from Baiter Park at about 1100, not ideal but out all the same. With Jo and Charlie the dog as crew we set of to fish a few marks in Poole Bay and Swanage. Saturday the sea conditions where a little lumpy as we made our way through the swash channel towards Swanage, avoiding the Barfleur and all the cruisers which added to the swell. Once we where past the mayhem of the high speed cruisers, we settled down for a spot of fishing on a mark not far from Ballard down. Set the anchor and set up my newly acquired burley bomb. I

Hello, shytalk you have a PM. Mikey B