Water Maker Intake

When I bought my ‘used’ 135, I commissioned Northshore to carry out some work which I felt would benefit from the epithet ‘Installed by the original builders’ should I come to sell the vessel in the future.

Other elements of the Northshore work certainly warrant dedicated articles but my recent Atlantic circuit has prompted this entry regarding the watermaker installation.

With extended cruising aspirations, a watermaker seemed an essential part of the picture and the low output Katadyn 40E was recommended. This made sense as with the planned electrical generation regime, the watermaker could be left running in the background for long periods without taxing the batteries. On the face of it, the installation looked neat and professional.

Watermaker installation
Neat Water maker installation

Because once commissioned, regular ‘pickling’ would be necessary; the water maker was not tested until heading south for the Canaries. The unit worked perfectly in the marina but failed to produce any desalinated water once underway. This conundrum was the subject of Email exchanges with Jim at Mactra, the agents for Katadyn who was very helpful and supportive, particularly as they had not supplied Northshore as they had bought a ‘grey import’. Changing the pipework, repositioning the filter in a lower location, repeated bleeding and flushing failed to rectify the problem. It was only a series of progressive elimination tests, culminating in supplying sea water direct from a bucket in the cockpit, that drinking water was eventually produced. The problem was clearly the water maker sea-cock somehow admitting air so that the pressure on the membrane was compromised (pneumatic instead of hydraulic) but the prospect of filling buckets and holding them in the cockpit for the small quantities of fresh water produced was not practical so we had to think of a better way. Inspiration dawned while on a ‘stop over’ in Mindelo in the Cape Verde Islands. We extended the intake pipework and fed it down the keel box slot beyond the hull with a fishing weight attached to the end. This Heath Robinson ‘lash up’ worked perfectly on the 2000 mile passage to the Caribbean and allowed liberal showering which was welcomed by all.

Our analysis suggested that the tiny bubbles that always run along the hull on passage were the root of the problem. In the small quantities normally experienced, the watermaker can deal with their very minor influence as the pressure is overwhelmingly hydraulic. The sea cock that had been installed however, although of good quality bronze with a strainer, was totally inappropriate.

Original intake installation
Original intake installation

When underway, the tiny bubbles collected in the top of the strainer and progressively compounded into a large bubble which was trapped until the yacht heeled when it was released into the supply pipework. This then collected against the water maker membrane preventing the seawater from reaching sufficient pressure to pass through.m_DSCN0598 m_DSCN0599

Jim at Mactra recommended that the water maker intake should be spaced away from the hull and forward facing but could not recommend any proprietary fitting. Additionally, because of the unique drying out abilities of the Southerly, any protrusion on the underside of the hull would be vulnerable to damage .

Modified log impeller through hull
Modified log impeller through hull

The solution turned out to be the modification of a log impeller through hull fitting so that it could be withdrawn when the water maker was not in use (the water maker is only used on long Ocean passages) and replaced with the flush blanking ‘plug’.

Intake inserted
Intake inserted
Log impeller though hull takes a flush blanking fitting
Log impeller though hull takes a flush blanking fitting

The strainer sea cock was re-utilised for a new sea water pump inlet under the galley sink which, in the event, all but rendered the water maker unnecessary!

Fans

The addition of 12V sockets in strategic locations to power electric fans has proved to be a real winner. When anchored in the tropics or when the only shore power is American 60Hz precluding the use of one of the AC units, the cooling provided by the fans is a real boon.

We have found that the traditional axial fan has its place but that they tend to be noisy and fragile.m_Clip on Axial fan

The centrifugal fans however are sturdy, two speed, more compact and will sit on a shelf, out of the way ready to be switched on whenever the need arises. You will find them very cheap on Amazon.

m_Cool nights sleep
The rugged centrifugal fan providing a cool nights sleep.
m_Galley draught
Always available for a welcome galley draught

Chafe

When running downwind, it is usual to hold out the jib using the spinnaker pole or the whisker pole.m_DSC02915

The sheet ‘works’ across the end of the pole as it stretches and this, over a period of time can badly damage the sheet.m_Chafe

Our solution was to ‘serve’ some dymeema outer sleeving over the sheet so that the pole end works on a more durable and replaceable material.

To apply the sleeving it is necessary to use a fid and to keep the sheet in tension to minimise the diameter.

m_DSCN0175
Sew a messenger loop into the end of the sheet, attach a line and feed into a large fid.

 

m_DSCN0168
Pull into the fid and tension.
m_DSCN0169
Keeping the sheet in tension, slide the sleeving over the fid and sheet.

The sleeving will then slide over the fid and onto the sheet.

m_DSCN0174
With the sheet in tension, the sleeving slides freely.

The sleeving is then sewn and whipped in place.

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The sleeving is then knotted into the clew bowline.

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Sleeving secured in the bowline.

Security Bars

The very helpful international web site for cruisers ‘Noonsite’ , the more specific Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN) and the Caribbean Security Index (CSI) carry advice and catalogue incidents involving cruising yachts.

I guess if you read reports of crime from around the world, you would not travel and the cruising fraternity, with the advent of the internet, are very good at reporting incidents. So it was that, convinced by Simon and Jenny on Fenicia,  whom I met in Albufeira on the Algarve, I decided to design and source substantial security bars for the two main hatches so that they could be left open with no fear of unwelcome visitors. It was important that the bars would occupy a minimum of space when not in use and the design allows for them to be compressed and the ends which secure the bars within the hatch aperture, swivel to reduce the depth required.

Security bars. As deployed (but inverted) in the foreground and closed for ease of stowage
Security bars. As deployed (but inverted) in the foreground and closed for ease of stowage in the background.

The padlock is one of the ‘keyed alike’ padlocks used on board and we take care to keep a key close to the bars so that they can be readily removed should a rapid evacuation be required.

Security bars extended to lock into the hatch aperture and secured with a padlock.
Security bars extended to lock into the hatch aperture and secured with a padlock.

We used the bars extensively throughout the Caribbean, both day and night and although they proved unnecessary, we all slept better (and cooler) for them being in place.

The rubbish problem

A problem of longer passages is just how to address the problem of the accumulation of rubbish, mainly from plastic food packaging. This can be bulky and inevitably becomes smelly in the warm conditions. We came up with a novel solution to both seal and compact the refuse so that it could be stored flat in the bilge pending disposal in the Caribbean. We used a home-made adaptor which slotted into the end of a re-chargeable vacuum cleaner and cheap vacuum storage bags. Simple !

Vacuum packed rubbish
Vacuum packed rubbish

Cockpit lights

Easy cockpit lights with no wiring involved can be achieved by securing cheap LED lights on the spray hood/bimini/tent using rare earth button magnets.

Cheap LED magnetic light
Cheap LED magnetic light
Button magnet securing light
Button magnet securing light

Hejira data

Hejira

Southerly 135 RS Series III

British Registry:        SSR 110134

Hull Number: 23        Colour:  Ivory White

CIN Number:                             GB NYY 00182 G003

Year of Manufacture:              2004

international Callsign:              MEEY9

MMSI:                                        235 016 623

Home Port:                              Portsmouth UK

Yacht Club:         Royal Victoria Yacht Club. Fishbourne. IOW.UK

LOA                                         45’6”                13.86m

LWL                                         36’6”                11.13m

BEAM                                      13’6”                  4.12m

DRAFT                                    9’9”/2’9”             2.96m/0.84m

DISPLACEMENT                    27,708lbs        12,563Kg.

Engine:                        Yanmar 4JH3E 56HP     Serial No: E27501

Insurer:                                    Pantaenius

Policy Number:           70885056-11               Expires 20/08/2019

Liferaft:                        Crewsaver UK ISO      4 Person Canister

Serial No:   5232500101616

EPIRB:                          McMurdo Model G5

Unique ID:       1D0C51F93EFFBFF

Serial No:        200-15519

Tender:                  Zodiac Cadet 285 Fastroller ACTI-V (Hypalon)

Serial No:        FR-XDC10A95C111

Outboard:              Yamaha 6HP  4 Stroke F6CMH

Serial No:        6BX S 1020493 B

Owner:                                    Nicholas  Mines

‘Thornleigh’ 11, High Street

Sunningdale Village

Ascot, Berks

SL5 0NF  UK

 

Telephone Mobile:                  + 44 7860 536812

Telephone Home:                   + 44 1344 291057

Telephone Office:                   + 44 1344 620001

Qualifications:         RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore No.13108

Sail & Power with Commercial Endorsement                         International Certificate of Competence No 319164

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