Derwent Marine: Replacing the fuel and water tanks

When we bought the boat the old mild steel fuel tanks had seen better days.  In fact as part of the work before completing the sale we found that the two fuel tanks were in fact full of water!  The outsides had been left to rust and so we knew that one day soon it would need to be tackled.   I had tracked a small fuel leak in one of the tanks in Sydney and so it was time.   There are usually horror stories about replacing tankage in old boats and ours like many are in the bilge and under the floor.  We had spent some time figuring out just how much of the floor and fittings would need to be cut out to do the work and had been pleasantly surprised at how little it would take. 

Still it was a big job requiring good carpentry skills and so we asked Don Bailey at Derwent Marine near Hobart to help us do this and also weld up the new stainless gantry for the solar panels.  We went alongside their wharf and were glad we did this job whilst in the water as it was much more convenient than it would have been on the hard.

I had searched around for the options to replace and really it was a 'no brainer' to replace with HDPE (plastic) both on cost and ongoing integrity.  I ended up ordering with Atlas Tanks in Brisbane, mainly because any business that has an actual production schedule gets my vote of confidence on the basis that they must be organised, or trying to be, and possibly even reliable on delivery.  Turns out they were organised, reliable and professional and produced great tanks delivered exactly when planned.  

At this point it was time to move off the boat to a nearby apartment.

Glen who works at Derwent marine is a good carpenter, which is just as well as the first job was to take out the companion way steps and then cut out the main floor below.  We were lucky in that we could do this without resorting to cutting out cupboards and bench seats.    

The two mild steel tanks were built port and one starboard which I never understood as if one only was used the boat would be heavy one side. The water was the same configuration. They were very obviously put in before the coachroof was built as there was no way they were going to get through the hatch space without being cut in pieces.  We set to with jigsaws and a sabre tooth saw which made short work of the job. It took four hours for two of us to cut and clear them out of the hull. 

I had measured up carefully and planned that the replacements would be built to fit across the width of the boat and so be longer and thinner.  The new size allowed them to just fit though the hatch space.  Each tank was 375 litres which was marginally smaller than the originals.  Outside size was exactly the same and the reduction came as a result of the 10mm sheet size of the plastic lowering the internal capacity.

There was a lot of shifting and pulling to get access to the space, this is Glen, not me! adjusting the tanks before cutting them up.  It was pretty clear that the time was right to clear them out as the insides were a sludge of rust and the outsides a mass of flaking rust. 

The bilge had not seen the light of day since the build in 1984 so there was quite a lot of mess and sludge.  I scooped out what i estimated to be 30kg of mess and this explained the old boat smell.  I scrubbed it all back degreased cleaned and ground it all back to clean fibreglass before painting the bilge with a two pack paint.  I also took advantage of the space under the floors to re route all the electric cables through tubes so I know where everything is. 

After taking the fuel tanks out I had a good look at stainless water tanks. they were immediately forward of the old fuel tanks that were now scrap. Again they were the original and it had been difficult to see what sort of condition they were in.  I found four small leaks on one of them at the base welds so there was no question that they needed to come out as well given this was the only time I planned to pull out the floor of our home.  The space made by the fuel tanks departure made enough room to slide them out, cut them up and send them to the scrap yard. I had cut out lots of panels to be used for backing plates for the planned new winches and deck gear.

The new tanks were pretty easy to replace in comparison to the removal.  Glen did a great job of preparing batons to fix them down and ensuring they do not move and then replacing all the joinery.  He re organised the joists and fixings on the companion steps so that it would be a fairly easy task to take them up if the need ever arose in the future.

I moved the tanks around and put the fuel forward and the water aft.  Tiki sits too high in the water at the rear, a legacy of losing a mizzen mast perhaps when converted to a cutter, and we have more water than fuel on most occasions so there is more weight aft now.  We also only use the rearmost fuel tank as 375 liters is enough for most journeys and the forward will be filled only on long ocean trips where we need to have 700L of fuel.

Lots of detailed fitting of new lines, gauges and breathers and realigning access hatches and we had a glass or two of bubbles for a job well done.  We even came in under what we expected to spend which is a minor miracle in marine world! It took just over five weeks, longer that planned because of the need to wait for the additional water tanks that had not been scheduled to be built. 

Maintenance Haulout: Oyster Cove, Kettering

We arrived in Tasmania in early January after a great cruise over the Tasman sea.  We seemed to arrive as the best summer in living memory also settled in so we were very spoilt for the four months we eventually spent enjoying the island.

Our first stop had been Consitution Dock for a few days rest after the trip down from Sydney and then we headed off to Kettering and Oyster Cove marina to get on with all the work that arrives with taking her out of the water.  In our minds we had pretty much decided that we wanted this to be the last haul out before South America planned in three years time so we had lots to do and of course more work appears than planned so it turned out to be a very busy three weeks.

The yard team and their support were nothing short of amazing.  We hear stories of hassles and difficulties in yards and here the complete opposite was true.  As soon as the boat was in slings Jerry said 'whatever you want just ask, we want to make your stay easy' and he meant it.  They took over the pressure wash, no charge, so I could help move the wind gen. Trestles appeared and help  to set up was always around.  No charge.  Extra lift to help epoxy the keel was happily forthcoming.  No charge!  Helpful advise always provided and use of the workshop bench drill available.  No charge.  Live aboard as well was no problem and no charge.  The local tradies were around and about and  always happy to chat, support and guide just because they are nice people.  We we left after three weeks very happy we had visited.   

The first fast-ball was the rudder, it was pretty wet inside and had been leaking around the stock.  I had pulled it off two years before to effect some minor repairs so the actual process of taking it off was not too daunting and required the dismantling of the hydraulic connections, quadrant and seals.  We then needed to raise the boat on the crane in order to drop the whole rudder out of its fitting. The 'scratch your head' part was deciding what to do with the rudder to make it secure and knowing who's expert advice to take. 
I got the angle grinder to cut out inspection patches on each side to see how much damage and rot there really was.  It was pretty bad in some places so I cut out and ground back to solid material, checked the integrity of the tangs and generally cleaned of the rudder post before washing clean with fresh water.  It was all very wet and with a lot of hollows in the build, not the best quality lay up - although it had lasted thirty years so far.   

Drying out was slow and I made up a small green house pointing towards the sun to keep it hot and dry.  It worked well and after several weeks sat in the hothouse was bone dry. After that it was a case of mat, resin and filler to repair the job and get her back to the original shape.

Whilst the rudder was off I also ground back and repaired loose patches on the rear of the keel as well as cleaning and sealing the rudder post fittings.  I had run the boat onto a bank a couple of years before and so took the time to get under the keel and cut back and re epoxy the base where there had been chips taken out of it.  The propeller had been cleaned several times whilst in the water and even so was caked in barnacles after more than two years since the last drying out.  So this time we figured we would prop speed to avoid all the hassles.  We are now hoping the build up will be eliminated. 

Whilst out we had planned to spend two weeks only and get the basic jobs done.  Some through-hull fittings to give the rear heads better water supply, new main anode for the engine, anti-fouling and some interior work that would be easier in the yard.  We had in our mind that maybe, just maybe we would roll and tip the top sides.  She was not very attractive and had a lot of damage and dents and scratches.  We got chatting to some of the sprayers and $ numbers were mentioned that were far too extravagant for us.  We had pretty much given up on the idea until we got chatting to Sam who was happily spraying a nearby boat that was looking very impressive.  We talked it through and came to an agreement where I, and my unsuspecting crew Keith and Margaret, would do all the prep, sanding, filling and masking (all the hard work)  and he would get to do the glamorous bit with the spray gun.

Whilst the lines that give her a wood appearance are lovely to look at, sanding them ready for paint was not the easiest job.  We estimated we spent, three of us, three days getting her sanded back properly and ready to begin the process of filling in the various bits of damage in the hull.  I guess half of this effort was on the 'tramlines' as they are now called.  After more sanding back and prep after the base coats we are now proud owners of a very shiny yacht courtesy of Sam and Wattle paints.   Of course we previously were pretty cavalier about scratches and dinks and now are converts to the idea of putting extra fenders and protection out before approaching berths and wharfs. 

After a lot more minor jobs it was time to go back in the water and head up the river to undertake our biggest task yet on the boat.  Replacing the tankage. 

      

Goodbye land-life - we are floating

Back from a great break in Thailand there was so much to do. Neil was enroute from Keppel Marina and I packed up the flat ready to move aboard. Everything we bought for temporary use was sold back on ebay or gumtree and we arranged storage for the surplus - still amazed how easily we accumulated so much stuff after only 8 months here. Ruthlessness was the key and with such limited space onboard the decisions were made easier.

We are now officially live-aboard and what a great feeling it is. After several years talking about it and wondering what it would be like we are here on our floating home. In a marina and still commuting to work for now with the cruising date set for mid July.

Do you know what?  It feels amazing! Simple. Uncomplicated. Liberating. At the same time just a little bit daunting - there's so much work to be done on and in her. We are all smiles here though, time for sleeves up and lots of elbow grease.

Dramas Sailing to Goldsmith Island

What a day! Setting off this morning at 0545 was simple, a calm quiet and warm morning for us to slip the lines and start heading south. The sails were soon up and and pushing us along in the WSW breeze. Despite having checked and rechecked the rigging,lines and sails several times it was a relief nothing broke or fell down during the morning. We headed along to clear water and tacked around to travel south along long island, just making a bearing close to the wind as we could go.

Dramas unfolded on the starboard tac as the bilge line was not taken high enough above the water line and so began syphoning water in, then i found the fresh water tank breather pipe had been cut off short somewhere in her past life and drained to the bilge on a tac. Good for easing the tepid bilge smells at least. No worries these are easily fixed and I set to it with plenty of spares and materials on board. Of course the wind died and so we began to motor a while which made my repairs much easier until the engine died as well as an attempt to keep me on my toes.

For the first day at sea this was getting interesting so it was moving swiftly onto diesel repairs after a session of pipe fixing. We were drifting over some sandbanks, at low tide, that theoretically gave us less than 1m of water under the keel. Well, the tide would come in if we bump them.
I suspected the diesel system needed a good clean through so I started at the tank to check fuel input, then the electric pump, then checking each seal and changing the primary filter, testing for good fuel, to the mechanical pump and check again, then the second filter change and then to the injectors. She had not been used for a while and this set up the engine to work again so I put it down to the filthy fuel filters from tanks that had just been wired brushed free of years of sediment and rust build up.
At last we settled down and got on with sailing south again as the wind picked up.

Our first evening we anchored at goldsmith island. Arriving at about 1730 we used the guide to place ourselves in a good position. Unfortunately we got too close in and ended up in 2m of water. Tracking around it was obvious the bay shelved steeply in places down to 16m in a long channel just off the beach and not noted in the guide. We moved out beyond this channel and anchored in about 6m. We had 15kn of wind and yacht was sitting good in the bay. I will make a sketch of the bay from my soundings and add them to the guide for future. We are the only yacht here and the island is uninhabited. The difference between this coast and Brittany or UK is stark as we sit in the cockpit. There is no one to go ashore for!

Dave loves creating food from our fridge full of pasta, meats and wine so we soon settle down for a relaxing evening with a glass of wine and then a session of bleeding the steering hydraulics out to clear the air that is in them. It is making steering harder work than it needs to be and I have a feeling we will need a complete service to eliminate this.

Plan to leave at 0530 in the morning as light gets up and I go to sleep with the anchor alarm set on the iPad. Life's good.

Finally ready to get sailing

After what has been a huge amount of effort over the last month the boat is finally in a decent enough condition to get ready to depart for Brisbane. Over the last week in the Marina the engine has moved to a state where it can be sea trialled. This afternoon we went out in the bay and ran the engine for an hour to make sure it works okay. All seems well and Brett left with advice for further work and maintenance over the coming weeks. It will take some more attention on my part to make sure the Perkins becomes reliable after a long period of neglect.

We are back at the Marina for the evening and planning to leave at first light in the morning. This is the culmination of a lot of sweat and effort. I have lost at least 8kg in the last month, that was definitely needed, we have reinvested at least 12k in Tiki, that was also needed and I have learnt huge amounts about yachts which was also needed. Next step is to start the 600nm journey to Brisbane and find out how she handles at sea.

Yacht Tiki - ours!

This buying a boat malarkey is pretty stressful. The emotional pull of a potential new home that has all the credentials to make our blue-water cruising dreams come true adds to the excitement, and to the level of impatience.

I am amazed at how quickly this boat grabbed hold of us and continues now to engage us entirely. We had looked at so many - over 30 in 3 months. There was an immaculate Ganley, a beautiful Morgan 38, run-down William Gardens, several Roberts refurb projects, Swanson 42's, a long list of custom built steel and ferro varieties and even a selection of multihulls to balance us... we even got to placing offers on a couple which thankfully did not eventuate as, well, our hearts were definitely not in them.

And then there was Tiki, a Young Sun 43. Described by Greg in the Brokers office as "not on the market yet but nearly finished - fully refurbished just waiting for the new cushions that have been ordered". "Let's go take a look and see how she looks" says Rachael our Broker and we jumped in the car to add another to the long list viewed over the Xmas week.

The rain was falling and the tidal creek which cut the boatyard off from the road was rising as we pulled into Edge's boatyard situated in the depths of the mangroves in Airlie Beach. There on the hard-ground was a beautiful double-ended canoe hull complete with full cruising keel, cutter rigged with sexy bowsprit and, well, what more do you need?!

We climbed the work ladder leading up to the centre cockpit to find a slightly different boat to the one we were expecting. She was nowhere near completed and our hearts sank. The timber decks had been removed and left unfinished. The teak railings had been smashed during transit in several places. There was abandoned rubbish and rusting tools everywhere we looked. Oh lordy-me what a mess.


The hatches were rotten and unsecured so it was easy to open her up and look inside. The rain was as torrential inside as it was outside due to the number of large leaks. It was like exploring a magical wet cave, with rainwater filling the bilges up to the solid teak floorboards which were all exposed. There was tropical mould everywhere and the spoils of the previous owners belongings which had succumbed to a "submerging event", including the galley supplies so various critters had happily moved in and made the place their roach-ey new home. Nice.

This is where I re-iterate the part where a boat 'grabs you', as even in this terrible state I thought she felt absolutely gorgeous and I couldn't get the smile from my face. I could see through the superficial to what was truly important to us. Her spacious sleeping areas forard and aft each with their own heads, a light and airy space to relax in the saloon, a great galley, amazing solid teak carpentry, she even had a separate workshop area crying out to store dive tanks and more.

Here is where Neil would add in the important observations about engine / sail inventory / seaworthiness etc which were duly noted as we rushed around trying to take it all in. Heavy rain and rising creeks and the realisation that this boat was nowhere near ready to be on the market meant the visit was very short. I never thought that it would be exactly one month later we would make an offer to buy her, and a month after that before she was all ours.

How amazing!

Above: the aft deck contained piles of mooring lines, fenders, detached bimini covers and various boat debris

Below: The centre cockpit contained mostly cardboard, discarded rusting tools and general rubbish preventing any drainage.


Below: Neil takes a contemplative moment to write down the list of jobs in order to price things up and make our offer. Forard has a basket of rotting / wet food left on deck, the purple basket has broken glass and there is a spare portable toilet by the mast. There were actually 3 portable toilets onboard in addition to the 2 plumbed heads.

Fender pricing

Here we are in Airlie chandlers getting a feel for local prices. This fender is 11 x 30 inches can't you tell?

Purchasing Tiki

Friday 11th is the day we start our life with Tiki. We have taken the plane up to Proserpine airport, I am planning on staying on here to begin refurbishing her and Heather and my father are coming up for the weekend to begin clearing the yacht with me. We expect this first step will take several days of clearing, scrubbing and cleaning.

We have spent a chunk of time planning what needs doing on the yacht and budgeting for all we need to do. Most accounts from other cruisers tells us to double our expected outlay on refurbishing. We have set-up ours in three levels, one is to have her in shape for the sail south and good enough to live on, two is to be comfortable and capable of taking us on a three month adventure along the coast of Queensland and third is to have her in shape for 'blue water' cruising away from the comfort of a local chandlery. At some point we will put a detailed account of our refurbishments and costs on the blog as we are tracking each invoice and cost as we go along.

For now we are starting at the basics, she needs stripping of everything that is not sound, working properly or that is smelling. We start on saturday morning.