zmk1962

Hey @antonywardle great post Thanks ! The trailer is looking GOOD ! I would just spray the springs with copious amount of RP7, or Silicon Spray lubricant ... its a great protective coating that soaks between the spring leaves, stays flexible and will give you years of extra service... Btw if you ever need more therapy I have 4 hubs that need re-packing !!!! Cheers Zoran

@JonD given your photography skills I'd expect nothing else !!! Drawing is for amateurs like me.... 😔 @Welster Yup thats what I love about FR .... sharing of collective experiences..... Cheers Zoran

hahaha .... just remember BOAT (Bring Out Another Thousand) !!!! .... but they are so much fun. Great progress BTW, post some pictures when you can. Cheers Zoran

Yes @shakey55 thats correct. You will notice @mii11x only has one positive wire (the main supply) running from the battery to the distribution block and then again that single positive wire (main supply) continues to the switch(es). I have suggested a master fuse inbetween the distribution block and the battery box - ie close to the battery as you say for that main supply. This corrected what @mii11x had previously which was unprotected wiring all the way to the switches/devices. Then at the switch that main supply wire acts pretty much like the positive terminal of the battery in a circuit. - and fuses should be between that wire and the device. I have previously explained why I have put the fuses after the switch and before the device, but they could be before each individual switch - it would have just been more intricate wiring in a tight space. Cheers Zoran PS - the alternative is to run individual positive wires from the switches back to the battery terminal or to the positive terminal of the distribution block and put a fuse on each wire back there. This would complicate the number of wires running around the boat - very few cars or boats are wired that way these days. I have ONLY run individual supply wires (both positive and negative) back to the batteries when I absolutely could not eliminate electric motor noise. This only happened with two GME radio sets which were particularly sensitive to electric motors being in the same circuit.

I didn’t run a tape over the Mako pup but from memory the biggest flattie was about 56cm so you can guesstimate from there. I did weigh the Mako fillets and they were over 2.5kg cleaned and skinned. Cheers Z

Hey @blahblah thanks for posting back - glad it’s sorted. Enjoy. Cheers Zoran

It depends on the insurer and also if you want to insure as "Agreed Value" or "Market Value". Agreed Value on older boats usually requires either an inspection, valuation and/or survey. Cheers Zoran

@Fishop and @garfield28 as someone said previously it looks like your trailer was not originally designed for a drive on. I have been thinking of a variation of my design, and came up wth the design as per the sketch below. Basically replace the 1st keel roller with a wider HDPE skid angled like mine so that the bow and keel slide to center. Install the skid so it is level with the 2nd roller. ( @Fishop this will give you better bottom support as well.) You could probably make the whole thing up without welding from standard trailer parts bolted to 2 pieces of gal RHS. Then slip the HDPE over the top. You can re-use the existing keel roller trailer brackets and add extra trailer supports using these type of bolt on brackets. Cheers Zoran

It's hard for me to visualise what you are saying @Fishop - and what you are trying to line up. Maybe if you post a couple of different angle pictures of your boat on the trailer so we can see how it sits when ready to be trailed. Also a photo of the bow area - to get a sense of how it engages the wobble rollers and keel roller. The wobble rollers should not be flexing your hull - long term that would not be good! Cheers Z

@Kevwing please read @savit's detailed response above. He provided a couple of links. One of those clearly states that you need to have an AS approved jacket or and International Standard equivalent.... excerpt below. Or are you saying your Japanese jacket does not specify any ISO standard... just a Japanese standard. If so, maybe you can write to the manufacturer and seek their written response as to what is the equivalent international standard... $320 does not sound like a trivial jacket. Cheers Zoran

Forgot to mention its not just about how much your devices draw or the combined load of all devices in a circuit. Fuses are used to cap the max amount of current that you want to allow to flow. So if there is a power spike, in the way your wiring is set up, the 15A fuse would let 15A through toward the switches and to the devices (if the switches were ON). This could damage the devices that can't handle 15A. Which is why the sounder manufacturer is advocating you protect the sounder with a 5A fuse in the sounder circuit... the 5A fuse will not allow more than 5A current to flow through the device before it blows and breaks the circuit. Cheers Zoran

Thanks Neil and Seasons Greetings to all. Have a safe and fun-filled break and may 2019 bring you many tight-lines. Cheers Zoran

This is what I would be doing. At present your wiring is protected by 1x15A fuse. The fuse is holding the combined load of all the devices that the switches are controlling. So if you had the bilge on (15A) and the sounder (5A) plus the lights, you would be drawing 20A+...ie. more than 15A and more than likely the fuse would blow. Also at present, if you have a short at the distribution block... there is no protection for the wiring and it will burn from the distribution block back to the battery. Putting a fuse (25A or 30A) between the block and the battery will protect that wiring (the fuse will blow first). This fuse has to carry the combined load of everything you plan to turn on at the same time....of course this assumes your main wire from battery to the distribution block is also rated to carry the 25-30A you are projecting to support if all the devices are on and drawing their full current. Then, again assuming each switch is rated to support more than the draw load of the device it controls, you can put the fuse after the switch (otherwise before the switch and the fuse has to be at or below the switch rating). Typically the switches are rated 15A so I have drawn the fuses after the switches as all the devices you mention draw less then 15A. I'd have lights wired with a 2-5A fuse, bilge minimum 15A (but it would be stated on the device) and sounder as you have stated is 5A. Cheers Zoran

Hey @savit , everything you say is as I understand it. When I mentioned inspection certificate - I included in that "self certification" ... producing a record of your self service is infact producing an inspection certificate according to the rules you quoted above. The jackets I'm giving away are beyond 5yrs old, and definitely in the range of "It is recommended that an accredited service agent conducts a full inspection of your PFD every 5 years from day of purchase." It's unsaid what happens if you do not follow the manufacturers recommendation... this is the grey area ... but I can have a fairly good guess at whom they would throw the book at if something went sideways! ... probably the person that used the product beyond manufacturers recommendation. Anyway, to avoid all this annual or bi-annual hassle, I am with @PaddyT and will move back to the traditional life jacket models (as I mentioned previously, I do have the luxury of storage space on my boat). Cheers Zoran

hey @vcreation , the inflatables do not comply if they do not have a current inspection certificate - just showing them to police will not get you out of trouble if they check the specs and also in some regard they may give you a false sense of security - you don't want to find out they do not work when you need them most. You are welcome to have the jackets (gratis) just PM me your mobile and we can arrange pickup, I am sydney based ... I do not plan to use them anymore. I've costed a full inspection service on mine - its about $30 per jacket to have an authorised centre do it. Cheers Zoran

Hi mate... no I have not. Been looking my self. I have plenty of storage on my boat so I currently have 6 of the pull over your head type, 2 yellow block types and 2 kids zip up burkes (up to 40kg). We have only ever donned jackets once when running through a squall coming back from 12mile (4.5hrs for 20km of boating - in a 6.5m offshore hull with a 200hp - so go figure how bad it was). But I would like to have the zip up adult burkes on board as they are much more comfortable and useable. Hey maybe if @DINGA is reading they might source a stack for interested FishRaiders !!!!! Well said Neil. Often the situation may not be your fault ... some other boat runs into you. The need for approved LJs is there and is a skippers responsibility. I guess the best analogy is car seat belts - the car better have them, they better be AS approved and the driver is responsible for the passengers to wear them as per the various rules. Cheers Zoran

I'm 100% with @PaddyT on this topic ... both with having them onboard and with moving back to non inflatable (in fact I am already in process - anyone want 4 marlin inflatables that require a service free of charge?) Cheers Z

Well, I feel WWW is a great reference source if you already have basic practical skills that you can relate the WWW content to ... (which presumes of course that you already have some interest in something practical). Otherwise WWW is just entertainment - where you are not expected to participate - just sit back and enjoy the experience. So the trick for us oldies is to get the young ones engaged, and teach them some practical basic skills - so they can use us oldies, or WWW as resources to build on their interests and practical skills. We need to spark their interests and passions - which would then make WWW a tool rather than the end goal. Cheers Zoran

As @Berleyguts said - insurance suppliers have been discussed previously. I’m with NRMA. Was with Club M. Was with NRMA before that. Shop around and read the policy!! Re trailer. Depending on the incident it is part of your boat insurance (usually listed and valued separately on the policy) when the boat is on it, or it’s part of your car insurance when being towed (again check your car policy). Re all the stuff that needs to be sorted - well you’ve joined FR - 👍- you might also want to join Marine Rescue (if you plan offshore trips regularly), boat license, registration, mechanical check of trailer and outboard and battery and wiring ....and don’t forget the safety gear!!! welcome to boating - captain @MikeTan ! cheers Zoran

Maybe you should ask the Mrs first ! Just worried for ya - given what you said before.....😬 cheers Z

No pre-gal. I had two scrap pieces of 50x5mm flat bar that I used. Then cleaned it up and cold gal'd it. Cheers Z

Hi @Fishop sorry I am not quite sure which guide you are referring to. Both EziGuide and Retrievamate look like they are commercially available products. The one on my trailer is something I designed and welded up myself (I purchased the HDPE covering of course). It's a custom job that suits my trailer. It sole purpose is to catch the bow and center it onto the first keel roller. My guide does tie the two rear roller assemblies together - not sure that improves the stern support in any real way. The guide swivels down out of the way once the bow engages the first roller and the boat keel starts to climb onto that roller. In the shot below (stern to the left and bow to the right), you can see the hull is clear of the guide. Here's a shot from the other side (bow to the left, stern to the right) .. showing the hull supported by the keel rollers and the rear roller assemblies (sitting clear of my guide). Cheers Zoran

If its still sturdy and not crumbling then I'd consider it serviceable and leave it there - or swap it with one of the rollers further up the trailer - this 1st roller position is the one that gets the most punishment. If needed at a later stage it's only a small job to replace it down the track when at the ramp and the boat is in the water. Cheers Zoran

Yup. Thanks @Scratchie. I'm feeling confident about consistent flathead results... so no its time to diversify and become proficient in a couple of more species ! Cheers Zoran

Hey Antony, the movement looks fine to me mate. Its a similar rear swing design to my trailer. If you are able to move it by hand as you are in that video then the weight of the hull with you on board will have no trouble engaging the swing motion. I can see lots of toys and fun as this project comes together - you're going to be one happy chappy going through that chop with a Cuddy vs an open runabout. 👍 Cheers Zoran