whilst in Trinidad I went to the Raymarine agent and asked that he get
me a set of brushes for my Type 2 linier drive motor. I work on the
basis that if I have a spare the unit will never need it!!
Guess what Raymarine USA Michael.J.Warren@raymarine.com advised
brushes cannot be supplied, his alternative was to sell me a complete
new motor. I was under the impression supplies of spares had to be
offered for 10 years after withdralal of an item but I could be wrong
on this.
I tracked down the motor manufacturer who is based in GWYNEDD Wales and
for GBP18 I got 4 brushes sent to me.

Switch off the Engine

Very often, we couldn't switch off our Volvo TMD22 with the key. The
change of the solenoid brought help for a couple of days. A
definitive resolution of the problem was in fact very easy: There is
a gum on the solenoid which expands when the fuel gets hot. This is
especially the case, when the engine runs a lot in idle mode (for
ex. approaching a marina and manoeuvring the boat in a berth). The
expanded gum doesn't fit any more into the fuel pipe and can't stop
the flow. The conclusion for us was to take out the solenoid,
carefully sand the gum a little bit to reduce its diameter. Since
we've done this, no problems at all.


Black exhaust-smoke on the side of the hull

To get rid of almost all black material on our hull, we've installed
an Algae-x (http://algae-x.net/), a fuel conditioner, in our system.
Since 500 generator and engine hours we haven't change any diesel
fuel filters – because there are still clean and proper (even the
Racor pre-filter) – and we had no reason to clean the hull on the
exhaust side of the boat :-)). There are other advantages, for
example no need for cleaning the tank any more, etc. This great unit
is a real pleasure …

Hanspeter & Nathalie Wehrli
SM #158 on the way to Ecuador

Check this out,
Our trip north early may from St Thomas to N.Y. wind just picked up to 50
knots. The sound is the wind.
Fair Winds,
Eric
Amel Super Maramu #376 Kimberlite

http://www.freedmans.com/images/kimberlite/video2.html

Hi

I think the French correspondent may be asking for Sharki owners to
give him details of how the boat performs into the wind.

Regards, Roger, Mango 20, Zorba


On 05/01/2006, at 11:13 PM, sy_windfall wrote:

--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, "bbdpaulin" <bbdpaulin@y...>
wrote:

Bonjour!

Je vais peut-être acheter un SHARKI (LIMBO II) qui est ancré au

Yacht

Club de Tahiti (Polynésie Française).
Je connais la réputation de la construction AMEL et du confort.
Mais il y a aussi une mauvaise idée quand aux performances en
navigation, surtout au près...
Les propriétaires de SHARKI peuvent-ils m'en dire plus sur les
capacités à remonter au vent de ce bateau?

Par avance, merci de vos réponses.

I'll give a rough translation for those who don't speak French...
Hi,

I am considering to buy a Sharki (Limbo II), achored at Yacht club de
Tahit. I know about the reputation of the construction and the comfort
of AMEL, but also a lesser reputation on performance and navigation
(sic). Could owners of a Sharki please tell me more about the things
to refurbish after the purchase of this boat.
Thanks in advance...

Eddy May (just lurking and Dutch citizen ;-)





SPONSORED LINKS
Sailing Sailing yacht Amel
Boating sailing

YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS

Visit your group "amelyachtowners" on the web.

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
amelyachtowners-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Regards, Roger
Message from Roger Banks





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It is now only in French and you won't find any historical info at all, but
here is the link:

http://www.amel.fr/

Judy
SM2 #387

I must not be doing something right. I have searched for the Amel
official company website, and not found one. I notice that there is no
link there from this site. Anyone able to help? Thanks.

Hi Richard,

We spent two summers in Maine and Nova Scotia, in cold water, and
got some mildew from condensation under the aft cabin bunk, over the
settee refrigerator, and in a few other places. We also got
condensation anyplace the cold hull is exposed to the interior of the
boat, for example the floor of hanging lockers. Two suggestions:
1) Buy some HyperVent material and place it under all bunks and under
the cushion over the fridge (www.hyperventmarine.com) This stuff is
great at preventing mildew from condensation. You can also line the
bottom of lockers that are in contact with cold water with HyperVent.
2) If you do get mildew on the "carpeting" material under the
cushions, for example under the aft cabin bunk, spray some bleach and
water(50-50)mixture on it, brush it in well, and let it sit for 30
minutes, then rinse it off and dry well. We have found that this
removes all mildew without damaging the carpeting.

Enjoy!

Roy on Excalibur SM #195

Eric, Graham and Ian,

Thanks for your prompt responses. Great to hear that condensation is not the problem that I had thought it would be!

We're located on the east coast of central Florida (Satellite Beach).

Best regards,

Richard Tate

SM#5 Spice

Dear Ian,
The "non standard earthing arrangement" is in fact a Yanmar option. If you
look in the parts manual, you will see a second option under the electrical
section showing dual wire sensors for the engine. I once had an engine stop
problem but found that is was due to a sticky shutdown relay. I replaced it
and it resolved the problem.
Fair Winds,
Eric
Amel Super Maramu #376 Kimberlite

Patrick,

I still get shutdown problems with the Yanmar too, despite having fitted a
modification kit supplied through Amel. The extra relay and capacitor did
help improve the problem, but often the engine does not stop for at least 10
seconds after the stop button is pushed. Sometimes waggling the key assists,
but sometimes not.

I would really like to cure this problem. I dread the day when I want to
throttle back and I can't due to a linkage problem. Not being able to cut
the engine imediately could prove very expensive, and potentialy dangerous.

Has anyone any ideas on how to make the engine stop reliably other than
installing a manual fuel shut off valve close to the injectors? I have heard
that the problem may be associated with Amel's non standard earthing
arrangements for the engine.

Ian Shepherd

Hi Richard,

as you know I have taken my SM to Greenland, Labrador & Newfoundland on more
than one occasion. I can't say that at any time that I was really cold other
than once having to dive under the boat to cut a rope off the prop in a sea
temperature of 4 degrees Centigrade!

The boat's insulation is pretty good, and I suffered very little
condensation. Maybe just a little on the inside of the hull at the back of
the hanging lockers. I did have the luxury of an Eberspacher heater which I
did use some mornings in Greenland. It did dry the boat well. Cooking was
another good source of heat. I take it that you don't have the a/c units
with reverse cycle capability? Useful on shore power or when running the
genset. I never had any shore power up there though. Maybe you could carry a
couple of electric fan heaters for use when the genset is running?

You might want to take some thermal long john's along. I found them useful
when I had to leave the sea berth to visit the cockpit for a quick look
around or to trim sail. In fact I seem to rembember I slept in them whilst
under way.

My cockpit has the side panels to the folding bimini plus the vertical back
cover with the zipped door. This really helped keep the often gale force
winds at bay, but when the wind was from aft, it did get draughty due to the
poor seal between the back cover and the cockpit sides and the seats. You
might want to add some overlap in this area to get a better seal. Otherwise
the cockpit was quite snug. The disadvantage with this layout is that if you
need to get to the winches, you need to unzip the door as they are outside
the enclosed area altogther.

I don't know if you are planning any winter sailing in the UK, but I would
say that from April till the end of October, you will be pleasantly
surprised at our climate, though it might rain a bit! Out of the Gulf Stream
you might feel a bit cooler in Scandinavia, though the longer hours of
daylight may compensate a bit.

Experience on previous boats has found that the Tilley lamp can be a good
source of heat, as well as portable camping butune heaters. They will
produce some condensation though. I would get one of those battery driven
carbon monoxide monitors from one of your mega stores if you are going to
use such devices. I picked one up for about $30 in Newfoundland from
Canadian Tire. It did sound the alarm once when a side wind blew the genset
exhaust into the cabin.

Have a super trip Richard. There are many great spots to visit either side
of the English Channel, and when the sun shines in the Hebrides off Scotland
there are few places better.

Spare a thought as I swelter in the Red Sea this summer!

Regards

Ian Shepherd SM 414 'Crusader'

I keep my SM on the West coast of Scotland. This is the first boat
that we have had that has not had an eberspacher heater fitted. We
just run the generator and the fan heaters whenever we want some heat
and to dry out the cabin. This works much better than expected mainly
due to the fact that the onan is very quiet and am quite glad that I
did not go to the expense of fitting a blown air system. If you do
down that route get Amel to send you the installation photos. What is
of greater importance is getting the rear screen to the spray hood
fitted to make a cosy wheel house! This has become known as
the "conservatory" on board and gets considerable use. Have a great
trip the SM is a great boat for the western Scottish waters,

Graham Boyd
SM140 "Sula"

--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, eric <kimberlite@o...> wrote:

Richard,
I am planning on installing an espar heater. I have been in

communication

with the factory and have some pictures, and information about the

install..

Where are you located?
Fair Winds,
Eric
Amel Super Maramu #376 Kimberlite


-----Original Message-----
From: amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of closereach
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 11:15 PM
To: amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Amel Yacht Owners] Insulating our Amel for cool/cold

weather

sailing

We're planning on cruising over to Ireland, the UK and Scandinavia
next year. I have a couple of questions for those out cruising the
higher latitudes.

1. What have other members done to insulate their boats to prevent

or

minimize condensation while living aboard?

2. Our Amel doesn't have any forced air or natural draft heating
system. How have you heated your boat 24x7, specifically when

passage-

making and living on the hook?

Thanks
Richard Tate
SM#5 "Spice"






Yahoo! Groups Links

--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, "closereach" <closereach@y...>
wrote:

We're planning on cruising over to Ireland, the UK and Scandinavia
next year. I have a couple of questions for those out cruising the
higher latitudes.

1. What have other members done to insulate their boats to prevent or
minimize condensation while living aboard?

2. Our Amel doesn't have any forced air or natural draft heating
system. How have you heated your boat 24x7, specifically when passage-
making and living on the hook?

Thanks
Richard Tate
SM#5 "Spice"

I keep my SM on the West coast of Scotland. This is the first boat that
we have had that has not had an eberspacher heater fitted. We just run
the generator and the fan heaters whenever we want some heat and to dry
out the cabin. This works much better than expected mainly due to the
fact that the onan is very quiet and am quite glad that I did not go to
the expense of fitting a blown air system. If you do down that route
get Amel to send you the installation photos. What is of greater
importance is getting the rear screen to the spray hood fitted to make
a cosy wheel house! This has become known as the "conservatory" on
board and gets considerable use. Have a great trip the SM is a great
boat for the western Scottish waters,

Graham Boyd
SM140 "Sula"

Hello Patrick,

I had a problem with my Onan not starting, but I don't think it was the same
problem as yours, but I pass this along in case it happens later.

Inside the top of the control box to the left of the engine, there is a 10
Ohm high current resistor which is a surge limiter in the fuel shut off
solenoid circuit. The resistor was not properly mounted and vibration caused
the wires to snap off the resistor where they enter the ceramic body. I did
manage to chisel the ceramic away and resolder the wires, but it was only a
temporary repair.

I would suggest that you might want to take a spare resistor with you on
your long voyage and that you strap the existing resistor and wires with
cable clips so that they are less likely to break with the vibration that
occurs on start up and shutdown. You will find a similar resistor in any
decent electrical component shop.

Regards to Catherine et Bon Voyage Mon Ami

Ian Shepherd 'Crusader'

Hi Gary,

My apologies for not replying sooner, but I have been without the Internet
for a while here in Cyprus. I have also had to upgrade to Windows Xtra Pain
as there is no driver support for good old Windows2000 by Sony for their new
range of handycams!

It's interesting that your end caps are different to mine which are only 2.5
years old. What age is your water maker? I did notice on the Amel 54 that
the membrane housings and end caps looked much more solid and that they were
machined, but it was a totally different model to my 160 l/h unit. Maybe I
am not the only one to have an end cap split, and that is why they have gone
to a more robust and expensive design? I am wondering why you had to change
the caps as well as the membranes?

I hope to have a chat with Rod at the London Boat Show next week, and I will
ask him about the design history.

I have spoken with with Rosyne on the phone and I know what you mean. I have
also met M.Wagner, the boss, who has been most helpful in the past. If you
can get hold of him, he speaks good enough English to discuss the product. I
met him at the Cannes Boat Show.

I too have found Amel after sales to not only be very efficient, but very
fair too, sometimes not charging at all for a replacement part.

Now that I am back on my feet again, I will try and do some further tests on
the salinity probe. I will let you know the results. The plan is to put a
bung in the original probe socket then place the probe in a cup of seawater
with the unit running, and see if the output diverts overboard.

Best Wishes

Ian Shepherd SM2000 'Crusader'

dear ken
thanks for the advice, I do not have the type of solonoid you have
described but there is one fitted just below the starter on the
negative side, so I guess this is the problem. I now have an
occasional problem in stopping the yanmar 100 hp; not alwase but
occasionaly when I press the stop button nothing happens. Just above
the fuel pump there is a solinoid/relay again on the neg side , do
you think it is the same problem - sticking. The yacht was laid up
for almost 17 months although the batteries were perminantly hooked
up to shore power the engine and genset were mothballed.Thanks
Patrick
--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, "Ken & Nancy Burnap"
<notrevie2000@y...> wrote:

--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, "caramel02uk"
<pjn.mccallin@j...> wrote:

can anyone assist please, after only 450 hours use, the gen set

is

becoming difficult to start. On pressing the start button there

are

lots of clicks from the various relays and the fuel pump but

nothing

happens, no cranking,nada. Repeat the process and it will start

up

after say four or five presses of the button. Have checked all

battery

leads starter connections am now stumped and wonder if a similar
problem has been encountered. Thanks in advance Patrick

CARAMELLE.

Amel has taken the prevention on galvanic action one step beyond

any

other boat mfg. They not only have an interrupt solenoid in the
positive circuit for the motor but they also have one on the
negative circuit. When the start button is pushed both of these
solenoids must engage at the same time for the motor to start.

The

cause of your problem is almost assuredly because the negative
solenoid is sticking. The good news is, it's easy to get to and
short stop around. It is in plain sight on the port side of the
engine, a cylinder shape about 1.25" dia. X 6" long, with a rubber
push button on either the top or the bottom depending on how it

was

mounted. It has been mounted in various positions in an attempt

to

lessen this probability of it's sticking. The next time this
happens, have one person hold down the rubber push button on the
solenoid while a second person pushes the start button. That's

it.

You obviously could short across the terminals as a permanent fix
but I would not recommend this, I think the second interrupt is a
good idea when it works. I found that the sticking problem

occurred

when the engine was fairly hot after an extended run and not given
enough idle time to cool down before shutting it off..

Hope this helps.

Ken Burnap
s/v Notre Vie

--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, "bbdpaulin" <bbdpaulin@y...>
wrote:

Bonjour!

Je vais peut-être acheter un SHARKI (LIMBO II) qui est ancré au Yacht
Club de Tahiti (Polynésie Française).
Je connais la réputation de la construction AMEL et du confort.
Mais il y a aussi une mauvaise idée quand aux performances en
navigation, surtout au près...
Les propriétaires de SHARKI peuvent-ils m'en dire plus sur les
capacités à remonter au vent de ce bateau?

Par avance, merci de vos réponses.

I'll give a rough translation for those who don't speak French...
Hi,

I am considering to buy a Sharki (Limbo II), achored at Yacht club de
Tahit. I know about the reputation of the construction and the comfort
of AMEL, but also a lesser reputation on performance and navigation
(sic). Could owners of a Sharki please tell me more about the things
to refurbish after the purchase of this boat.
Thanks in advance...

Eddy May (just lurking and Dutch citizen ;-)

Richard,
I am planning on installing an espar heater. I have been in communication
with the factory and have some pictures, and information about the install..
Where are you located?
Fair Winds,
Eric
Amel Super Maramu #376 Kimberlite

We're planning on cruising over to Ireland, the UK and Scandinavia
next year. I have a couple of questions for those out cruising the
higher latitudes.

1. What have other members done to insulate their boats to prevent or
minimize condensation while living aboard?

2. Our Amel doesn't have any forced air or natural draft heating
system. How have you heated your boat 24x7, specifically when passage-
making and living on the hook?

Thanks
Richard Tate
SM#5 "Spice"

Bonjour!

Je vais peut-être acheter un SHARKI (LIMBO II) qui est ancré au Yacht
Club de Tahiti (Polynésie Française).
Je connais la réputation de la construction AMEL et du confort.
Mais il y a aussi une mauvaise idée quand aux performances en
navigation, surtout au près...
Les propriétaires de SHARKI peuvent-ils m'en dire plus sur les
capacités à remonter au vent de ce bateau?

Par avance, merci de vos réponses.