Mast monkey wanted . . .

[Nick]

.
Despite DaveS's recently fitted supressor and a new guaranteed no interference LED from Boatlamps, when we switched the tricolour on today the VHF went

CHCCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHSDHSHSHSHSHSHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHHHSHSHSHRHRHRHSHSHSHHSCHCHCHCHCHCHCHHC

. . . so it's up the mast to wrestle with the wonderful 'easy-fit' Aquasignal locking ring again and put the 25W filament bulb back in.

I suspect it may well just be our VHF, so an almost unused Boatlamps Warm White 25W equivalent LED to anyone who wants to go up and change it.

[DaveS]

Ah, that's a bit of a bu88er.

[Nick]

Ah, that's a bit of a bu88er.

Pales into insignificance though compared to the leak discovered on launch . . .

I knew I wanted to change the sink seacock, but I ended up giving up because it was too difficult to get the old one out - I just replaced the handle. I was anticipating a little weepage round the ballcock shaft (happens when you get to a certain age) but we have weepage rojund the skin fitting.

An attempt at bodgery with some miracle product ('plastic steel' or whatever) was unsuccessful so, although there is no immediate danger, we have tentatively organised a haulout for next week to get the seacock professionally fitted - or at least, to get the boatyard to do it. Needless to say I feel cretinously stupid for having not replaced it when it was blatantly on the 'to do' list and had for a long time been the centre of a suspicious aura of dampness. In my defence I can only plead a momentary weakness causing me to give in to poverty and short-sightedness.

Arse, arse and a thousand times arse.

So - Fairwinds is not going to be making an appearance on CC2013 I am afraid, though we hope to meet up with everyone in the T&T or elsewhere at some point over the weekend.

[ash]

I changed all seacocks to ball type when I bought Mistral. I couldn't remove the one for the sink because of the restricted access so had to cut out the skin fitting, cutting a cross in the external flange and levering off the bits.

Ash

[Nick]

I changed all seacocks to ball type when I bought Mistral. I couldn't remove the one for the sink because of the restricted access so had to cut out the skin fitting, cutting a cross in the external flange and levering off the bits.

Ash

It is a ball valve . . . but it's leaking round the through-hull. Doesn't seem to be much of a backing pad there.

I should have persevered, but was running out of time and going through a things not going smoothly period. Serves me right.

[ash]

What I meant to intimate was that because of the restricted access, you might not be able to dismantle the assembly, and might need to destroy the skin fitting.

Ash

[cpedw]

There are 2 threads in OP relevant to your problems Nick.
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.ph ... thead-unit

and possibly

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.ph ... rough-hull

[Nick]

What I meant to intimate was that because of the restricted access, you might not be able to dismantle the assembly, and might need to destroy the skin fitting.

Ash

Yes, I know. I should have realised that and done that in the first place but was too tentative, uncommitted and short of time. I'm having a wimpish year as well as a disorganised one. Now we are already comitted to the cost of a haul-out I have handed responsibility over to the yard - Steven will do it for us. He has replaced considerably more skin fittings than I have and will do it quickly and efficiently so we can be relaunched prontalistically.

I'd hoped to mebbes get round the Mull at the end of next week for the Clyde SB Cruise, but I am now committed to spending a couple of days working on the Skiff next week, which needs to be finished and launched before our alleged rowing regatta on 1st/2nd June. I've also got a lot of technical issues work-wise to sort out and an unseasonal influx of potential new clients and enquiries.

I think I need to learn to say 'no' (or alternatively 'it'll cost ya' accompanied by teeth-sucking noises).