GPSguru

1 hour ago, suzook12 said:

Newer 4 strokes will generally be able to manage a 20A+ charge current

Indeed, IIRC my merc 150 charges at 45A @ 1000 rpm, with a max charge rate of  60A, merc specifically designed the alternator to do this in response to ‘testing the market’ to see what users wanted from an engine.

Generally you would have an 'Engine' battery and a 'House' battery, where the house battery runs all the ancillaries.

There are lots of ways to do this, but the most common methods are ...............

1. Use a '1, 2, Both, Off' isolation switch ............ then it is up to you to manage the batteries by switching between them. The switch is designed as a make before break so there is never a battery disconnect until it is in the off position. I use this type of management on my boat as I prefer it's simplicity.

2. Use something like a 'Bluesea' add a battery kit, which adds some automation to the process often using a VSR (voltage Sensitive Relay) or a split charge diode .........

One thing you don't want to do it to connect the batteries in parallel ............... if one fails then the other will discharge into it and also fail.

1 hour ago, Jon cook said:

can do 33 knots when flat calm

True, it is a medium Vee hull, so yes you would need it very calm to maintain 33knts without being airborne ...............................

2 hours ago, Andy135 said:

Has anyone successfully targeted flatfish on the fly? Maybe a weighted shrimp fly or worm-like lure could work?

Err No .......... we use a 2.5"  flounder spoon and gently row up river along the edge of the sandbanks 👍 .......... usually never bother until we have had the first ground frost.

4 minutes ago, Odyssey said:

Not sure I agree.... 

Radar allows you to pick up nearly all vessels, also marker buoys abs land to aid navigation. 
 

However, modern Radar don’t “light” up Radar bouys. 
 

Biggest advantage of AIS is ease of use along with the call sign of the vessel. 
 

I have both, but to choose between one or other, I’d have Radar. MARPA is so easy to use it makes collision avoidance a doddle. I just leave it on all the time, overlay on chart and navigation is simple 🙂 

Just my opinion mind... feel free to argue! 

The only thing I can add to that is all major navigation buoys will be AIS equipped in the near future ...............

I guess it all comes down to personal preference and I decided that AIS would be more useful for my type of boating ................

11 minutes ago, JonC said:

Yes in your scenario it makes sense, but on any given day in the north Thames are there will be no Ais stations showing on my Ais app? I know it’s only an app but surely it would show some?  
 

This is my area right now (21:49hrs) .................... if I was to go out and switch on the boat electrics you would see my boat inland at the head of the river, and zooming in would put it on my driveway, the GPS position accuracy of AIS is impressive .................

Here is your patch right now (21:50hrs)

Just feck'in fry it, like normal people, with muchrooms, toms, and onions ............ I do all my fish that way .............

1 minute ago, JonC said:

I personally don’t get the point of Ais, in as much as so few vessels have it that you’d do well to find one to hit. There is a major shipping channel off Harwich and Felixstowe but just keep the fuck out of their way, those big container ships aren’t going to get out of your way.

 

More, and more boats have it now Jon, It is compulsory on certain size commercials, but even a lot of the under 10 fleet have it now. Also most, if not, all charter boats have AIS. I often speak to the charters when we are within AIS range ...................

OK, yes, you can turn off your ID transmission to remain silent, and some boats do this when they are on the fish ...............but not many..........

I can see all the AIS boat on the plotter and all I have to do is tap the screen to either send a DSC or setup a voice call ................. also, AIS does the maths to project their track and indicate a collision or risk warning  (the target turns red) ............ I can also see their past track / speed, which is useful when looking at fishing boats

To be very fair .......... I have had Rod/Line commercials call me during the summer months when they have been on the fish, which I found quite humbling ............. a downside is the CG tends to call you if a boat needs assistance nearby, but they always do that on DSC .............. however, asking me if I could tow a 55ft Princess  is a bit of a big ask !

Also,  RADAR  is line of sight, but AIS can 'see' around headlands etc .................

The Rodman is a proper boat ............... I have done a lot of game fishing off Rodmans, especially in the Azores, Cape Verde, and Madeira ..............

Psst ....... it needs a fly bridge !

I thought long and hard about it when my boat was built, and in the end decided that AIS was more useful and also I really didn't want a raydome cluttering up the A frame.

Here, we just don't get a huge amount of Fog, we get thick mist, we get inshore radiation fog (clear once less than a  mile out to sea), but that is about it.

I have no reason to go out in fog, or to go out when fog is forecast, my angling is for pleasure, I don't do it for a living !  Also, the fog (visibility) forecast is pretty accurate, as fog only occurs under very defined weather conditions, so if you understand weather, then you understand the fog risk.

I use this Class B+ transponder ................. https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/p/623924

On the A Frame I have an EchoMax EM230 passive Can reflector, which I have tested using the other boat and it gives off a massive target.

Class B+ uses the same SOTDMA system as Class A, and has the same priority which ensures it will always transmit at its negotiated time slot. It transmits at 5W , which is double that of standard class B. Also, like Class A, the broadcasting of your ID is speed dependant .......... the faster you go, the more frequent your ID is sent.

Nothing wrong with Radar, but I feel it is a bit redundant on a pure leisure boat ................. We have it on my mates Offshore 25 and I think I have used it in anger once.

2 hours ago, Saintly Fish said:

As this happens the flame retention device registers no ignition and shuts the boiler down.

So, if for any reason the exhaust gas senses the wrong Air / Gas mixture, then it shuts the boiler down ? ............ I guess this makes good sense to avoid carbon monoxide etc.

Does a shutdown via this path automatically trigger a gas valve fault code ?

This has been giving me earworm all day ................

2 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

Ahhh a brainless lump of cast iron. 

True, but it was reliable and easy to fix ........ plus. there are  a lot of them still working.

52 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

All right , All right , ALL RIGHT FFS I’ll tell you, just stop with the constant PM’s .....jeez

 

The fan has a snorkel style air intake  which sucks the gas from the gas valve rather than the gas pressure being regulated by a governor. The air gas mixture is pre mixed before hitting the burner. Well, that snorkel has a noise suppressor built into it (the rectangular box at the top). In that box is a load of foam which suppresses the noise of the air being sucked into the fan. This is how the boilers keep their quietness. If that foam becomes unstuck from the case it can be sucked in cucumber shaped slices along the rest of the snorkel. This In turn blocks the airs passage and results in incomplete combustion. As we all know incomplete combustion by way of too little air makes a flame lift off the burner. As this happens the flame retention device registers no ignition and shuts the boiler down. 
On heating, ie low gas consumption the problem is not noticed until flow and return sensors recommend a higher rate of gas to quicken the heating cycle. This is why engineers assume (as you did) that if it’s not the gas valve it must be the PCB. But by that time the customer is already £300 + vat down in parts and still has the same problem. 
The moral of this story is.... before buying parts for the f28,f29 and f54 problem, disconnect the air noise suppressor first and run the boiler up. Just to check. 
Also it pays to always pop your head out side and make sure no foliage has grown into the air intake of the flue. 
 

They need to bring back simple things to fix, like the old Thorn Olympic 👍

7 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

I bet you never thought you'd find yourself typing that... I mean, boiler faults? Interesting? Really?? 🤣

Having spent many years as the lead system engineer responsible for Public Safety systems (Police, Ambo, etc) I still to this day find the resolution of subtle system faults quite interesting .......... some engineers are sad feckers 🤣🤣🤣

11 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

Yes 99.99% of the time if you have those 3 fault codes. The trouble is other elements can give the same codes and it’s not the gas valve. And it’s not the pcb. This is where I’m just testing @jonnyswamp and his fault finding skills. 
There is no big climax to this thread, it’s more just highlighting that norm is not always the norm. 

It will be interesting to know what the fault was when you get to the bottom of it 👍

3 hours ago, Saintly Fish said:

Nope...... anybody can google the fault codes Ian. But experience (which the guy on this video obviously doesn’t have) is key to this fault. Because the 0.01% fault  where it’s not the gas valve is the real question here. 

My daughter had the same fault codes on her Vaillant boiler and that definitely was the gas valve which was replaced by BG ................ judging by the amount of faults she has had, it strikes me that Vaillant seem to suffer from some major reliability issues ?

Gas valves ain't what they used to be ................ I have just had to change a German Mertik Maxitrol on my flush mount gas fire as the pilot became intermittent and the motor got very noisy ...............

6 hours ago, Saintly Fish said:

@jonnyswamp, 

Vaillant F28,F29 and F54 = ???

Gas Valve 👍

Welcome Terry ..............

2 hours ago, jonnyswamp said:

I have registered the card on Garmin express, does it need to go in the plotter first ?

Not sure to be honest, but it could be that it needs to see a device ID, so give it a try ...................

Sounds like you are just seeing the base map, which means that Homeport has not acknowledged the card, or it is ignoring it.

Also, you could give Garmin customer service a call ............ they are very good and the wait times are usually minimal ................

42 minutes ago, Peachey said:

OK - cheers all.

Think Im down to either a 20ft Wilson flyer or a new 17ft Seahog Commodore - I am being told that the seahog commodore is real good for deckspace for a 17ft boat. With it being light too - may be ideal for what I am looking for. 

Thanks again

Be aware that both will tend to 'slam' even in the most moderate of swells ................. but generally pretty safe boats .............

Kin'ell ................

https://news.sky.com/video/unmanned-speedboat-crashes-into-florida-dock-12102293

4 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

fishing buddy for life

True, so very true ............... just like my crew ........ Grandson Kyle who is 14, but has been coming out on the boat since he was a toddler, started fishing properly at about 5, and could confidently helm the boat at 10 ................. When we are out, I would trust him with my life .........

1 minute ago, Saintly Fish said:

Well Leo did. It’s all I’ve heard since getting home. 😩

Yes, but it is those sort of days at a young age that makes them a fisherman for life, and something that they will always remember ............. also dad is the hero 😉