Sommaire pour January 2016 de Practical Boat Owner

with the editor A hot topic for the colder months A ntifouling is a hot topic at the moment. In our November issue we encouraged you to fi ll in a survey led by the British Coatings Federation which they hoped could be used to inform and rationalise potential EU legislation regarding DIY application of antifouling. They received over 2,000 responses and will call a meeting in February to discuss how to use the information gleaned, hopefully to the advantage of boat owners, so thank you to everyone that took part. We’ll keep you informed. At the same time, all the paint manufacturers are researching and releasing new technologies to reduce environmental impact and (one suspects, more to the point) to future-proof their businesses against ever-tightening legal restrictions on the…

Email pbo@timeinc.com or write to us at the address on page 5. Photos are appreciated, letters may be edited. FALLING FOUL OF ANTIFOULING REGULATIONS? Practically being ignored again n Re your news story about new antifouling paint regulations (PBO November), I suspect that any new regulations may be onerous. EU regulations often begin with a beneficial idea, but my experience would suggest that they then lose sight of the fact that practical people affected by the outcome should have some part in formulating them. I was one of the worst-hit victims of tributyltin (TBT) in antifouling paint, which was both tested and used in the Yealm estuary in the early 1970s, 10 years before the active ingredient was named on the outside of the tin. TBT has an LC50 (lethal…

Monthly musings Yacht surveyor and designer Andrew Simpson cruises with his wife Chele in his own-design 11.9m (39ft) yacht Shindig. Read his blog at www.offshore-sailor.com Let’s face it, in the boating world there are few more stressful tasks than anchoring – and I venture to suggest that the stresses that arise from it often arise from our own actions. Something like a decade ago we were at anchor off Porto Conte, an attractive community deep in a wellsheltered bay on the northwest coast of Sardinia; a very convenient landfall for sailors crossing from Menorca some 180 miles to the west. Having made that same passage ourselves a few days earlier, we were enjoying the relative calm of lying to the hook in what were, in our view, almost perfect surroundings.…

True Utility FIXR This new multi-tool from True Utility offers 20 tools in one. It clips to anything, and a rotating tool plate serves to protect and keep all the tools safe when the FIXR is not in use. Features include quick-release clip; bottle opener; nail cleaner; large fl at screwdriver; medium fl at screwdriver; small fl at eyeglass screwdriver; small and medium-sized Phillips screwdriver; 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm and 14mm spanner/wrench; bicycle spoke wrench; K5 carbon steel cutting blade; wire stripper; measuring ruler; box opener; pry bar and fi le. L83 x W25 x D9 mm. £14.99. ■ www.trueutility.com PBO subscription This Christmas, PBO’s subscription deals just got better with the gift of a comedy boating mug for every new subscriber. The ceramic mugs are illustrated by Claudia Myatt…

Is it too soon to say ‘hooray, Britain is building small boats again!’? Perhaps it is. On the other hand, while the launch of two great little new boats hardly represents a revival in our boatbuilding industry, it’s a good sign. Over the past 20-odd years, the number of sailing-yacht builders in the UK has dwindled to the point where just a handful now remain. We’ve had imports aplenty, of course – mostly of larger yachts, because that’s where the dealers make their money. And when times were good, many people seemed determined to buy the biggest new boat they could afford. A number of new faces did pop up distributing small, low-cost offerings from eastern Europe, but many of them proved to be short-lived and some of the boats,…

STEP BY STEP The seemingly simple job of fi lling a grease gun or remote stern gland greaser causes incredible diffi culties for many boat owners. When performed correctly it is clean and uncomplicated, but unless it is done properly it is easy to get into a terrible mess trying to stuff handfuls of grease into the end of the gun and then poking it down to remove the trapped air. There is an easier way… 1 A typical small grease gun, ideal for use on a boat. Inside the gun, the grease is pressurised by a strong spring inside the pump body. Pumping the operating handle allows grease into the nozzle and further pressurises it to overcome the resistance of the tiny valve inside the grease nipple. 2 To…

SPERM WHALE (Physeter macrocephalus) Size: 11-18m. The male is considerably larger than the female. Distinctive markings: Huge, square head, one-third to one-quarter of the body length. No distinct dorsal fin, but a triangular hump at the top of the spinal ridge. Sperm whale ID: Bushy blow, 1.5-5m high, directed forward and to the left. Typically calm (log-like) at surface, followed by tail lift as the whale dives. n Sperm whales are distributed worldwide. The whales seen in UK waters are all males, as the females and young stay between latitudes 40° north and south, where temperatures are over 15°C. Female sperm whales live in close-knit family groups, while the males travel to colder and more productive waters where they usually live solitary lives and focus on feeding to grow in…

SWISSTECH RETRIEVING HOOK This is a snap-hook which mounts onto a boat hook: you can clip it onto the ring of a mooring buoy or a line if required. It’s more suitable for buoys with rings, but if you have this type of mooring it’s a quick way to pick it up – you can sort out the normal line later. www.bluewatersupplies.com THE EXE BUOY HOOK The Exe Buoy Hook is simply a sturdy stainless hook on the end of a glassfibre pole – nothing complicated, just a good-size hook that can grab any line or buoy. n www.exebuoyhook.co.uk LINE-A-SURE This is a strong plastic grapnel which can be disassembled and stowed flat. It can be used to throw over a mooring buoy or pick up a line, as well…

SEND US YOUR STORIES Email news editor Laura Hodgetts at newspbo@timeinc.com, tel: 01202 440825 The 30th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers is under way ‘Boats have got bigger and faster, communications have changed and so has navigation, but the wind and the waves are still the same’ Years and months of intense planning and preparation fi nally paid off when the yachts taking part in ARC 2015 set sail from Gran Canaria on 22 November, bound for the Caribbean. More than 1,200 sailors are currently mid-Atlantic on a 2,700NM journey to Rodney Bay, St Lucia that for many of them represents the voyage of a lifetime. While 195 yachts from 27 nations make up the ARC fl eet, sailing direct from Las Palmas to Saint Lucia, another 59 yachts set sail…

Dave Selby is the proud owner of a 5.48m (18ft) Sailfish, which he keeps on a swinging mooring on the picturesque Blackwater estuary in Essex Brace yourself! It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s about to. I can feel it in my bones. Any day now the door of your favourite waterside pub will burst wide open, an unfeasibly cheery and ruddyfaced bunch of Famous Five hearty winter sailors will tumble in, leave the door open, throw their salt-drenched oilies into a steaming heap on top of the pub dog, back up to the fi re while making jokes about prop walk, start rubbing their buttocks in an unsavoury fashion, then roast their chestnuts – that’s if they’ve got too close. Let’s be clear, this is downright unsailorly conduct. For a…

The original rudder of the Seal 22 is a ruggedly-constructed unit comprising a heavy stock laminated from marine ply which hangs on the transom, with a pivoting blade of 8mm boiler plate. As far as I know, these original rudders do not fail but are very heavy to ship and unship, especially for trailersailing. For this reason, many owners have been tempted – as I was – to build a lighter one. I decided to substitute 10mm aluminium for 8mm steel for the plate: given that the density of aluminium is only about one-third that of steel, there would still be a substantial weight saving. A friend who is a consulting engineer reassured me that this should be sound: the increase in thickness should compensate for the lower strength and…

Here’s just a selection of the latest questions from PBO readers. Email or write to the address on page 5 and our experts will answer your queries MASTS AND RIGS Shifting a winch Q i have recently bought a Telstar 26 mk1 trimaran as a project boat, and although the necessary work is mainly cosmetic i find that both the sheet winches have seized. With the absence of any technical information regarding these i want to dismantle them so i can clean and lubricate the working parts. But i can see no way of getting into them. i've removed the screw from the centre of the drum thinking that would be all that was necessary but the drum won't budge. i'm reluctant to use brute force in case i do…

1. Cabin heaters You don’t need a heater to sail in the winter – but it certainly makes life much more comfortable on board. If on shore power, an oil-filled radiator can be left on overnight, which will not only make things warmer, but also reduce condensation if you also introduce some ventilation. Away from marinas, there are options for dry heat. The most common is one of the diesel heaters made by companies such as Eberspächer, Webasto or Wallas. These use the boat’s diesel tank and run from the battery. They shouldn’t be left on all night (the batteries are unlikely to last that long, for one thing) but they are great for keeping boats warm and dry. Other heaters include kerosene and meths heaters, and some boats still…

Some people still don’t believe that a gaffer can cut it when it comes to practicality or performance – let alone both. Gaffers don’t go to windward, they say (as some in darkened corners still do about multihulls). And what’s the point of a having a stick poking out The emergence of new small boats from UK yards is good news all round, says David Harding KITE from the front of the boat and a mainsail hung from a yard at the top when you can have an efficient modern rig? At this point, gaff enthusiasts might gently point out that they’ve been ahead of the game for decades: it’s only in the past few years that racing yachts have discovered bowsprits and square-top mainsails. Wherever the discussion might go…

Baleen whales generally have a larger body size than toothed whales and include the biggest animal on the planet, the blue whale, which can be up to 30m long! The baleen plates are made of keratin, like our fi ngernails, and consist of a hard plate with brittle hairs trailing the edge. Baleen whales typically have around 300 baleen plates on each side of the upper jaw which enable the whale to sieve the food from the water. The size of the baleen differs depending on species and feeding methods, and ranges from roughly 15cm in minke whales to 4.5m for bowhead whales. Only two species of baleen whales are considered common in UK waters, the minke whale and the fi n whale. Additionally, humpback whales can sometimes be spotted…

Send us your local news stories. Email PBO news editor Laura Hodgetts at newspbo@timeinc.com, tel: 01202 440825, or write to the address on page 5 SOUTH NEW BERTHS Nine new finger pontoons and an improved layout have created an extra 18 berths at Royal Clarence Marina in Gosport. The pontoons replace some of the alongside berths at Royal Clarence, and the berths are suitable for boats of up to 10m LOA. The 18 extra berths were put in place by Walcon Marine last week and they are already filling up. The marina now has 150 fully-serviced berths. EUROPEAN MARITIME DAY A launch event celebrated Poole in Dorset’s successful bid to host European Maritime Day in May 2017. More than 80 people attended the Borough of Poole Council-hosted event at the…

Flotsam and jetsam Sam Llewellyn is editor of The Marine Quarterly, www.marinequarterly.com, and author of nautical thrillers. Three years ago he bought a Corribee on eBay The solstice is upon us , the goose is getting fat, and the boat is either in the water breeding mould or on the hard developing green slime. It is time to turn the mind away from the harsh wind blowing out of the horizon and do a bit of reading. During summer gales, it is soothing to peruse gardening books. At this time of year, though, withdrawal symptoms are kicking in, and it is essential to read things based on boats. Luckily, there is plenty to be going on with, and some fi ne titles to demand for Christmas. First stop is an…

Welcome to the biggest and most in-depth test of antifouling paints ever carried out by a magazine in the UK. Previous tests have focused solely on one location, but as fouling conditions vary greatly between ports and harbours around the coast, we reasoned it would be of far more use to boat owners around the country if they could draw on some test results closer to home when choosing their antifouling paint from the bewildering range of options out there. We spent two weeks painting our plywood test panels, in the process consuming 350m of masking tape, 15lt of primer and 40 (cheap) paintbrushes, not to mention the 20 antifouling paints themselves. And now, seven months and 4,400 miles of driving later, here are the results of our round-Britain antifouling…

STEP BY STEP When I bought my boat, I inherited some rather messylooking port lights where old sealant compound had been used in an attempt to prevent leaks around the seals. The excess had dried into unsightly dribbles and lumps, but I was cautious about removing this in case I disturbed the bond and introduced old leaks again. However, the decision was made for me after one particularly choppy passage when both port and starboard port lights got a right dousing, and over time both let in quite a bit of water. It was time for the old rubber seals to be replaced, and here’s how I did it. 1 At the top of the frame, locate which side of the pivot pin has a serrated end: this is the…

Meaco DD8L Zambezi desiccant dehumidifier Past PBO tests have shown desiccant dehumidifiers to be a winning technology on board boats. Claimed to have been designed with boat owners in mind, the Zambezi has a digital display to show, amongst other things, the current humidity and the humidistat’s set-point. There are three fan speed options and four electronic up/down swing modes to help direct the air where it’s needed. The sterilising ioniser uses licensed technology from Samsung which has been clinically proven to kill viruses and germs. The daily run timer allows users to set fixed periods for operation, while the logic control monitors conditions every 30 minutes and chooses to dry or sleep accordingly. The area below the condensing tubes can be accessed and cleaned out to prevent blockages, which…

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, British builders were producing hundreds of sporty trailable 22-footers. We had the Evolution 22, Anderson 22, Caravela 22, Atlanta Catch 22, E Boat, Timpenny 670, Skipper 700, Limbo 6.6, Eclipse and Fox Terrier for a start, not to mention all the others of similar size including the Jaguar 21 and Parker 21. These were wholesome little boats; trailable sailers rather than trailer-sailers but all quick and capable, most able to give a good account of themselves on the race course, and some – such as the E Boat and Anderson – with Atlantic crossings on their CVs. You can still buy good examples on the second-hand market, sometimes for ridiculously low sums, but where are the new equivalents? Barring something that we haven’t been…

Part of the larger group known as toothed whales, dolphins and porpoises are the cetaceans most likely to be seen by boat owners. However, distinguishing between the different species can be difficult. They often travel at great speed and, unless they are jumping or swimming very close to the boat, you only spot splashes or the dorsal fin. The dorsal fin is usually sickle-shaped and centrally placed and appears very similar for all species at first glance, although slight differences do exist. If you do get a good look at the body, the different species can be distinguished by looking at the colouration and patterns, behaviour and size. Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Size: 1.9-3.9m Distinctive markings: Short and stubby beak, like a bottle. The dorsal fin is tall and centrally…

Approaching my mooring immediately after racing my Cornish Shrimper Endeavour recently, I attempted to pick up the white mooring buoy without the aid of the boat hook. Mainsail up, outboard running, gently into the wind alongside the open launch I had left on the mooring. I lay on the side and reached for it between the two vessels. Just one more stretch to reach it, I thought – but then I slid inexorably off the side and into the water between the two boats. At least I had my buoyancy aid on, so I fl oated nicely. It was a balmy evening, the wind was very light and my crew, Sue, was on board; so it appeared there was little to worry about. However, slowly but surely the two vessels…