-->
Welcome to my blog about Live Magic, a Vivacity 20 yacht based on the south coast of England. Here I will update on trips, maintenance and any projects being undertaken.

Thursday 21 April 2011

Boat update

The measurements for the new sail is now in so fingers crossed it won't be 5 more weeks until I can go sailing. I've now bought a detail sander so can finish off the look of the boat by sprucing up the woodwork. Hopefully I'll finish that this weekend or next and get some new pictures up.

Monday 18 April 2011

Painting the Deck

This weekend and last I painted the deck to get rid of the old baby blue which no longer matched the hull.
To begin with I brushed it with a wire brush to help give a key, and also to remove any flakey paint. In some areas I also had to use the scraper. All ropes were tied up out of the way, and the nice spliced shore lines were replaced by tatty ropes for the duration of the painting. On the first weekend I used a brush all over because I didn't have a roller tray and had already been to B&Q twice. I regretted this almost straight away and then even more when I returned after a week to see a boat that looked like it had a bad white wash on it. This time I was armed with a roller, however, so proceeded with a second coat after washing the deck down. The second coat went on very nicely and now looks pretty good for a 40 year old boat.
The paint used was Hempel Deck coating.

Monday 11 April 2011

Painting the Hull

Back on the 19th/20th February 2011 I painted the hull of the yacht then known as "Vic". Having asked for advice on the YBW forums I posted there once the painting was complete. Here is a rewritten version with some pictures.
This is a pic of what the hull used to look like, it was a little bit battered in places but smooth enough to avoid any major filling work. Another reason for the painting was simply that I didn't like the colour. I know it's not a good reason to completely repaint a boat but that's the way my mind works.
To paint the topsides I first sanded with 240 grit paper on an orbital sander to give a good key for the new paint to stick to. This was a fairly quick job and we probably should have spent longer on it but the days of February are short and cold so a fairly quick onceover was sufficient. Next, the whole boat was washed as thoroughly as we could and dried. Being February, the drying was helped along a bit with a t-shirt which was ruined but died in a good cause.
Next came the painting, and here I was glad to have a team of three. Had I been alone I don't think the finish would have been as good and the painting would have been significantly harder. First, masking tape was lined up along the boot top, or top of the antifoul as it was then. My brother took the lead and did the cutting in at the top and bottom using the Hempel Brilliant Enamel in "Brittania Blue". I then followed with a mini foam roller putting on the majority of the paint and then my dad followed me to "tip off" with a brush. We then waited for the paint to dry and removed the masking tape.


Once thoroughly dry the bottom of the hull was scrubbed with soapy water and allowed to dry. A new layer of masking tape was added on the topsides and red Cruiser Uno antifoul paint rollered on to the bottom, again with foam roller. This time two coats were painted on to ensure the bottom stays as clean as possible.
Finally a new cove line was added. This is a plastic tape purpose made for the job and is very sticky indeed. I lined this up along the bottom of the topsides above the antifoul.
 I think you'll agree the new paint job looks far better.

Saturday 9 April 2011

Roller Reefing

OK the mast is back up and I've rigged the old headsail onto it using cable ties. Seems to be working OK and the roller stayed up on the sail today so all seems good. Next to measure up for the sail and wait 4-5 weeks for delivery.

Friday 8 April 2011

Roller reefing

I've taken down the mast this evening ready to fit the roller. I managed to assemble it but it took longer than expected so the mast will have to go back up in the morning.

The boat

Adding Shore Power

Hi all, this weekend I installed shore power on my little 20’ Vivacity and thought I would share the experience in case it’s useful.

First, I used the black foam which accompanies the flush socket as a drilling guide. This foam is to help waterproof the installation but is useful for drilling as it’s the same size as the socket. I drew around the inside with a marker and then drilled many small holes around the edge.
Next, I wrapped tape around a coping saw blade and cut between the holes
 
Once the hole was cut, I used a round and flat file to neaten the hole and adjust to the correct size. Here I kept it as tight as possible to ensure a more waterproof fitting. Once the socket fitted, I installed it with sealant on both sides of the foam padding and fixed in place with 4 3.5mm bolts.
 
Next, I wired up the consumer unit, having determined the most suitable place for it inside the boat. Wires were all stripped and tinned prior to fixing in place to try to prevent corrosion. I used a 32A cable from the socket to the CU, although 16A would have sufficed, all other cabling was 16A including the premade shore power cable. When inserting into the CU, an IP68 grommet was installed on each cable to ensure a watertight seal. The consumer unit purchased includes a double pole RCD to ensure power is completely cut when necessary rather than just cutting the live circuit. Two separate MCBs (Miniature Circuit Breakers) are also included giving two separate circuits within the boat. This will be plenty for my little boat which will have 2 sockets and a permanent battery charger.
 
Next, the wires were installed with the incoming power line connected to the earth bar at the top of the unit and the live and neutral both going to the RCD. The other two cables shown in the picture are for sockets, so both lives go to the smaller MCB and neutral to the neutral bar. Earth, as always, fitted to the earth bar. The spare MCB will be used in future for a permanent fixed battery charger.
 
Once all wiring was complete, the unit was put into place. This is done after wiring because boats are difficult to get around. This is also the reason I connected the CU end of all cables first, so that cable can be fed back through the boat to the various sockets from there. I have left some slack in the cable to allow some movement for when I fit the charger.
 
Next, the sockets were installed in some high/dry places which are convenient to get to. In my case this is the end of the lockers in the cabin. Wires were again tinned and screwed in then the sockets fitted into the boxes.
 
After the sockets were in, the incoming socket was wired up without the shore power cable connected. This was done last so ensure there was no chance of accidentally powering up the system before it was finished.
 
Finally, I plugged in the shore power and switched on the RDC and MCB and connected a radiator which all worked first time. As mentioned above, I will soon be fitting a permanent charger but will also be fitting a 240v lamp between the earth and neutral wires before the RCD. This will light up if the power in the marina has earth and neutral installed backwards and will be a warning not to switch on the RCD. This is optional and probably unnecessary for UK marinas, but apparently can happen abroad so is a worthwhile investment.

I hope this is useful to anyone fitting shore power, as always I’m interested in any feedback you have.