great white

Sunday looked OK, but I had a trip planned with Dave for a long day on Monday. Should we go? With what may be the last bit of Summer, Wendy was up for a short day and a picnic lunch. Unfortunately we could not get any worms, so that was limiting the inshore options 10AM to the boat and without any pressure we head out to double check the boat and have some fun in the sunshine. Out to the middle of Swanage bay and drop anchor, lots of Bream ragging the big baits. so I handed Wendy a spinning rod and she had fun catching a few, while I tried to keep a bigger bait out. As well as the bream we had a Tope and LSD and just as we were about to move Waverly passed by. I decided to go around her to get a better picture and was amazed to see how fast she was going. I had to up revs and do 22knots to get on her sunny side, but at least that confirmed that our speed per engine RPM was right again. A move closer in got us away from the bait robbing bream and we added a couple of Small Eyed Rays to the catch, before a very early finish at 1500. It had been a nice little trip in lovely weather

Well done on finding his first boat, of a sensible size and power. Many of us would of got carried away with that budget. He also sounds very sensible in booking the training, prior to starting using it. A good friend did the same two seasons ago, bought a similar boat and did training with his family. He has really enjoyed being confident to take the boat out from Cobbs in the nice weather. He has moved her from dry stack to a pontoon to make it even easier.

Well done guys Great report Mal and a lesson to others to stay calm and think through the issue, before it becomes a bigger problem. Chris has all the skills and spares required, but an impeller change at sea is not easy. Well done We were out in Swanage but had heard nothing on the VHF when I called out on Channel 6 as we passed the ferry. Out of interest we too suffered from bream hammering baits, and you caught more than we did.

Well that took way too long to sort out. From what looked to be a small fault, it proved to be a much larger and more expensive one. Initially the engine would not start, I checked some connectors and it started. Tested it several times and went to an anchorage in the harbour, went swimming and cleaned the hull and sterndrive. A few days later went onboard to give the clean boat a test run, as on the previous fishing trip it seemed to have lost speed compared to the engine RPM. When I got onboard the engine failed to start. Fiddled with all of the same connections again, but this time it would not start. read out said , engine in gear will not start. Initially I kept checking things online and Chat GBT which gave a variety of possible causes. I made a list of them and over a few days in really hot weather, worked through the list. No change I was being helped by Richard from Pinnicle Marine, but eventually we ran out of things to try. I had to book another engineer to bring his Volvo Vodia diagnostic system onboard to fault find my Volvo Penta D4. [Richard did spot a cracked bracket on one of the pump mounts, I ordered parts and fitted while waiting for parts to arrive.] This system indicated that one of the EVC units was showing fault, not only would I need to buy a replacement PCU, but then I would have to have it programmed to communicate with the other parts of the system by Volvo. This part is not refundable due to programming, we were only 99% sure Vodia had this right, but it had to be changed. To be honest the engineer was as worried about this as I was, so with permission of another boat owner at the yacht Club, he fitted my PCU to another vessel and its system immediately came up with the same fault code. This is where time started go wrong. The engineer went on holiday. Volvo Penta messed up the order. Engineer returns to be told part not ordered. But worse than that Volvo Europe were now on shut down. Part arrived back in UK about a week earlier than anticipated after programming. engineer fitted it and all system start communicating with each other, great news, but engine would not start [*^*^*^] A bit more auto configuration and calibration bought up the same message that we started with, "engine in gear will not start." During the initial fault finding Richard and I had tested the throttle lever, to find that its microswitch closes a circuit when in Neutral. I had made up a small lead to insert in the circuit to trick the system. It had not helped at the start , but was still onboard, so we used it again. I was very pleased when Sam turned the key and the engine started for the first time in over a month. Three faults all at the same time. who would believe it When I get back to the office, I contacted Volvo to just pay them for fast delivery of a part. Once again they were useless [Its obsolete, no alternative] Back to the boat to get the control lever, then a few hours trying to chase up the part required. I could not find the complete part ,but did source two options for microswitches, sod it I ordered one of each. After a few more days parts arrived and one of them was a good match, so was fitted. I took the lever back onboard, wired it up and all was good again, engine runs, gear change works. I only had time to properly fit the various parts back on the boat and engine, before Wendy and I flew off to the sunshine of Madeira for a week, [The holiday was cheaper than the parts] When we came back, I still had the original fault to sort out. That of slow boat speed for engine RPM. After getting hold of, and cleaning up a second hand set of G5 props, I changed them from my dinghy last Friday. Out past the chain ferry, throttle up and back to the usual boat speed at 2500RPM. At last I have my boat back. Sorry for the long ramble, but I wanted to give other Members an idea of what I have learned from this experience, apart from how frustration it is to have a broken boat in a long hot summer. 1. If you fiddle with what may be loose connections, do it one at a time, so you know which one fixes the issue, should the fault return. 2. Volvo Penta parts departments are useless, chase them up for spares and ask for confirmation of orders 3. Volvo parts are expensive and not always available. 4. Find yourself a good engineer with knowledge and contacts for your boats engine. 5. Have a very understanding wife. Lastly have some very good friends at your fishing Club, that will listen to you banging on about bloody boats, engines and particularly Volvo F*****G Penta. But offer you the use of their boats or take you out fishing. Thanks guys, you have helped keep me sane since July. I hope that the fish are biting now Alfresco is up and running.

a very capable boat and an area with lots of fishing opportunity, as you know from your recent success on your Turbot trip. On our recent trips there seems to be a lot of life on the sounder, once you pass the Adamant bank.

I think that may be a new Club Record Jim. 😉

Funny I have a mate with a nice Karnic at Cobbs, that works like that.

Picked that up to read on the plane. Nice article guys. Well done

Been there , done that Jim. But I finished up building Alfresco instead.

Interested in going, as I have not been for a few years where is the best place to get tickets now?

Ex Member is selling a couple of things and I said I would ask on here New pair size 11 chest waders and a coil 180mtr of 16mm Braid on Braid Waveline rope, wants £100.00 let me know if interested and I will put you in touch

Lanyards go on before the baits go over Rob, but as you say we are not fishing for blues. When are you going West?

So the answer is no then. The charter boats do not even like the bolt on Stainless ones, they insist that theirs are welded to the boats rails. Dave and I regularly tighten ours up and all rods are fitted with rope lanyards

That's great news Mal.