I will be returning to the U.S. Memorial Day weekend.  I have to make an an immediate trip to NY the next week to take my son for a college interview but will be available after the 29th.  

On 23 Mar 2015, at 15:39, harryt1952@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

My Westsail 39 closed Friday. I am boat less for the first time in 25 years. If anyone knows of a clean SM let me know.

Thanks!

Harry

( hope to be a real member soon)

Il giorno 21/mar/2015, alle ore 16:34, Dennis Johns sbmesasailor@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> ha scritto:

Hello Siviero,

I have the wind generator mounted on my mizzen mast just below the radar antenna as you propose.  I don't know if it's because of the type of generator we have (AirBreeze with aftermarket propellers) or if the location is good, but we have no issue with vibration or excessive noise.  This is the bracket I used: http://www.hamiltonferris.com/products/Wind_Power/Wind_Generator_Mounts/51.  I did modify it with an aluminum plate riveted onto the top of the horizontal arms for additional rigidity.  The biggest problem was routing the wire/cable through the mast, into one of the internal conduits -just like the radar antenna installation.  Sorry, I don't have a drawing with dimensions.  You might be able to get a drawing of the bracket with dimensions from the source.

Dennis Johns

s/v Libertad

Maramu #121

 

 

Hello Dimitris,

I think you give me more credit than I deserve.  :-)

I agree spare parts should be easy to source as these engines are based on the commercial truck engines of the VAG group.

My friend, the one who had a VW in his boat, he would not want to be anchored next to a VW powered boat… in case some of it’s diseases (which he had many) were contagious.

As for myself, I stated I would proceed cautiously and have a thorough engine inspection done before purchase…

Remember… my first line was “I know nothing about VW engines…"

Cheers and good weekend to you.

Jean-Pierre Germain

SY Eleuthera, SM 007

On 21 Mar 2015, at 19:48, Dimitris Krasopoulos dkrasopoulos@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

This is totally wrong. My  VW engine with 1500 Hours has no problems so far. All the main spare parts are available without any problem as they are parts that are also used in the VW/Audi  cars. There was a confusion during the VW marine engines from Cummins but now there is no problem of spare parts at least in Greece. To say that you do not want a boat with VW engine near your boat is exagerated and intimidating the Amel brand. When the first 54 were delivered with a volvo engine there were a lot of problems with the alternators as the elastic bands were cutted after a few hours. I never heard of a similar problem with a VW engine.

Best Regards

Dimitris Krasopoulos

Mob:+306944302318

2015-03-21 18:54 GMT+02:00 Germain Jean-Pierre jgermain@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...>:

 

Hello Gang,

I know zip, nada, nothing about the performance of VW engines.  But a mate changed his engine to VW and after 1 year of disaster after disaster, he reengined again to a Beta!  He does not want a VW engined boat near his own...

About 2 years ago, VW ceased marketing their own engines (they sold few) and entered into a contract with Cummins/Onan to market/maintain VW branded engines.

However, based on my friend’s experience, I would not reengine with a VW product.  That said, I would consider a boat purchase with a VW engine after a FULL engine survey.

My opinion…

Jean-Pierre Germain

SY Eleuthera, SM 007.

On 21 Mar 2015, at 17:13, magenofer@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

hi,

would you recomenned this engine?

thanks,

Ofer   

Jean-Pierre Germain,
Chief Pilot, Cozuro Limited,
+44 7551 211 511
jp.germain@...
jp.germain@...

I am cleaning out some stuff and came across some miniature light bulbs that I have no idea what they go to. They were left by the previous owner and marked in French “ampoules voyants tableau” 24v 1w. They look like mini halogen bulbs. Any thoughts?

With best regards,

Mark

Super Maramu 2000

Hull #275

www.creampuff.us

 

I finally tackled this project. These are some tips for working on the 2nd (optional) refrigerator/freezer.

 

I needed to correctly charge the system and replace the fan. Here’s a couple of key leanings:

1)         At first I was looking to remove the bench top under the settee. It appears this is not possible as it is with the other (standard) unit without great effort. It is much easier to remove the unit and pull it up through the cut out.

2)         Before doing any work on the unit, place a towel under the freezer (between the freezer and the hull). This will prevent anything you drop from being permanently lost under the freezer. Ask me how I know this.

3)         The unit is fastened with four 10mm nuts. These do not need to be complete removed, just loosened. The nuts are very difficult to see and access with a socket wrench, but it can be done.

4)         Use two adjustable wrenches to disconnect the compressor unit from the evaporator. The quick connect fittings have valves and will maintain the refrigerant. They are hand tight with just an added 1/8 turn with the wrench. Do not over tighten these when re-connecting. The quick connect fittings contain o-rings. Mine were in good condition so I did not replace or size them. (part A040204)

5)         Disconnect the 24 vdc +/- power and thermostat. The thermostat wires are labeled “T” (Blue) and “C”(Brown). Note which wire is which.

6)         At this point the unit can be lifted up out of the cut out. The unit is hung on the wood mount. Lift the unit and pull away from the mount.

 

It turned out the fan on my unit had a cracked fan blade causing it to wobble. In addition, the plug on the side of the compressor had some erosion (this is a common issue on older units and causes intermittent operation of the unit). And, it appeared the electrical box was not operating correctly. I decided I would be better off replacing the entire unit for best reliability.

 

I ordered an exact replacement Frigoboat, Model AV35F, Vertical Air Cooled Condensing Unit, 12/24 Volt from Go2Marine.com. The size, mounting holes and connections were an exact match. The in-line 7.5 amp fuse is no longer in the electrical box and needs to be added to the + power supply line.

 

Since I did not replace the evaporator, once I had installed the new compressor and made the connections, I put a vacuum pump on the system to remove all the R134a refrigerant from the entire system so I could correctly charge the system. Here’s a link to an article describing this procedure: http://coxengineering.sharepoint.com/Documents/Recharging%20a%20simple%20R134a.pdf 

 

Note: Never connect anything to the high side of this unit. Testing, adding or removing refrigerant should all be done on the low pressure (suction) side.

 

Adding the correct refrigerant level is an observation science. It will take the best part of a day to add some, watch and add some more. The above article is very helpful. The pressure reading on the gauges only gives a start point. I suggest you start with R134a pressure at 10-12 lbs once the compressor unit has run for about 30 minutes. This is about 10 oz of R134a. Then the system must be fine tuned. The gauges do not help for this as each system is a little different. My system seems to be operating efficiently at 8 lbs. Yours will be different. Look at the evaporator to determine the frost line.

 

Here is another resource for information: https://frigoboat.wordpress.com/

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

 

With best regards,

 

Mark

 

Super Maramu 2000

Hull #275

www.creampuff.us

 

From: Mark Erdos [mailto:mcerdos@...]
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2015 5:08 PM
To: 'amelyachtowners@...'
Subject: refrigerator/freezer access

 

I am servicing the 2^nd optional refrigerator/freezer under the dinette seat. This is the one that is located under the most forward seat (backing onto the forward head). I am having trouble figuring out how to get full access. All I have is a 1 ft square panel that lifts out.

 

On the other unit, the seat bottom lifts up and it is easy to access the AC and refrigerator/freezer units. It there a way of taking up the seat bottom on the other side to access the 2^nd unit more easily. I can see some screws in the mahogany wood paneling that wraps the unit/seat. I have removed these but it looks like the wood is glued.

 

Is there a better way to access this unit?

 

 

 

With best regards,

 

Mark

 

Super Maramu 2000

Hull #275

www.creampuff.us

 

On 22 Mar 2015, at 08:15, jjjk12s@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

Warren and Zetta, I've replied to some of your questions below......

So many questions not sure where to start.

Our intentions on where to sail from Malaysia are developing everyday as we speak to others that are here. However a long term desire is to reach Cairns as our daughter is a dive instructor there. So we may cross paths J&J at some point. We have spent  time from Cairns to Cape Trib in the past but not on a boat. It is an area we would love to explore and a practical place to get to from Indonesia we presume.

Our work boat's called Wavelength and does reef trips out of Port Douglas. We're launching a new boat in May. We know the outer reef quite well and with a little local knowledge it's not hard to anchor along it. A bit intimidating for cruisers though and they tend to go past here too fast and miss out a lot. The top spot for cruisers is Lizard Island and unfortunately that's had direct hits from Cyclone Ita last year and Cyclone Nathan just a couple of days ago. 

It's only practical to head south along this coast from the tip around October/November. Earlier and the wind is SE trades, later and it's cyclone season. Heading from here to Indonesia is easier than the other way round but boats do it.

One of our first requirements is to set up a holding tank for the toilet. Does anyone know of how to do that? Is there  a production built holding tank that fits the Sharki? Would Popeye have the same bathroom configuration as our Sharki.

It should be similar if not quite the same dimensions. I installed a holding tank in the forward head behind the panel at the back of the toilet. There are many different ways to do it. My preference is for maximum simplicity. The previous owner had a low down holding tank under the sink and an electric diaphragm pump to empty it... very glad to get rid of it. If the pump needed work poo would leak out.

There are some posts here if you search and a sketch in Popeye's photos. Basically the holding tank goes high up behind the panel so you lose some of those storage cubbies. The toilet can pump upwards to the top of a tank, the outlet comes from the bottom straight to the seacock. An air vent with a charcoal filter also comes of the top of the tank and goes through a charcoal filter and then a small stainless deck vent fitting. Nearly all this can be out of sight behind the panel. 

The tank can be custom made by a plastics workshop out of polyethylene with appropriate bits for fittings and welded joints, or you may find a rectangular "off the shelf" one that would roughly fit from someone like Vetus. If you close the existing seacock the tank is a holding tank. If you leave the seacock open the yucky stuff just goes straight through, or empties the tank. My tank is white so it's a little translucent and it's easy to check how full it is. If your tank overfills the charcoal gets ruined and the excess fluid comes out the deck vent. It is pretty easy to make a self fill-able charcoal filter.

There are no pump out facilities here so I omitted a deck pump-out. Make sure if you need one as that involves putting a hole in the deck. That has to be done and sealed properly to avoid water seeping into the balsa deck core. If you need one that's another fitting on the tank too with an internal pipe to the bottom of the tank.

Manon2 has an original Neco auto steering system that appears to have been unwired at the floating compass. Is it likely that it could still work? Does anyone have any info about them? Is it worth reconnecting it or better to go electronic?

Do you know the history? Did it work recently? I know of no way to get parts. I presume there isn't another compass wired in and the original left on but unconnected? Do you have the owners manual? Mine still works but it uses quite a lot of energy compared to a modern one. There is a possibility to change the computer and compass and keep the drive motor which is heavy duty (they d'nae make 'em like that n'more). I have some information on how to do it if you like but it's complicated wiring on the motor and I haven't needed to actually do it. (Assuming you have a rotary drive like the Maramu.) 

Alternatively Raymarine and Whitlock and others make rotary autopilot motors if you were changing the whole system (best option probably) or you could possibly put a linear system on the quadrant with some modifications of the cabinet work in the back cabin. I think Simrad/Robertson don't have a rotary drive that size. A Maramu probably needs a bigger autopilot than a Sharki and I think you have a few more options in the size unit you would need. If you wanted to, and wanted to do it the cheapest way, a wheel mounted pilot can work. A decent autopilot is invaluable though if you are planning on long crossings.

The multifunction display of a plotter (see below) can also interface with the instruments and autopilot so it is easier if they're all the same brand.

There are no electronics on the boat except a depth sounder.

With modern electronics what are some of the suggestions people would have as a minimum to carry on a cruising  boat?

You have a few choices like Rarmarine, Simrad, Garmin etc. Not sure about the others but Raymarine  have a basic kit at a reduced price that has three displays wind, log/speed and depth. It's not to hard to use the old wires to pull through new ones for the transducers. Tictak (sp?) do wireless instruments so are easy to fit but I think they rely on a small solar pack on the display so not probably not suitable under the hard top. Also not sure about their reliability.

We have downloaded Navionics and find Windyty to be fantastic. I think you suggested that John. Navionics at first glance looks like it has all the information that a chart plotter would have. Therefore is a chart plotter necessary? 

Navionics (the upgraded version) on an ipad is excellent. You've probably worked out that (at least as of the last ipad version) only the cellular ipad has the GPS so although you don't need a phone signal you need a cellular ipad - not a basic model. If you use it as you main nav system then it needs to be powered as the battery will not last long so have a charging point at the nav station. Despite the charts and accuracy being as good as a dedicated plotter I would not have it as the only system and would say a small multifunction dispay is pretty much essential and best at the helm. That way your nav-station ipad is safer too. Something like a small Garmin, they come with inbuilt Garmin charts for the area you buy it. Lowrance, Furuno, Simrad and Raymarine all do similar units. These days they can also display AIS, radar, depth, music, videos etc etc. Some use Cmap charts and some use Navionics. You can't use the itunes Navionics chart and the cards are quite expensive. An advantage of Cmap is the charts can be a little different and having on Cmap and one Navionics means you can compare the accuracy. An advantage of Navionics is that you are already used to it. 

The small units nearly always have an inbuilt aerial... much easier to fit. If you get the same brand as the instruments it's much easier to interface them.  

I'm old fashioned and also have paper charts. There was a place in Cyprus where you could get a photocopy of any chart in the world for a couple of dollars.....probably got sued years ago. It also used to be easier to buy second hand ones or swap with other boats that were going the opposite way but still worth trying as, being a back-up it's not essential they are as up to date as your electronic charts. At least have a couple of large area charts for route planning as you can't substitute a fully folded out chart on a table with a small screen. Pilot books also can't be replaced by the electronics. Sometimes they can be bought second hand or swapped, especially when going the opposite way to the crowd like it sounds you might be. (Talking of books - an excellent one if you haven't got it is Nigel Calder's Mechanical and Electrical Manual).

I understand there are internet servers that cover the seas around Malaysia and Indonesia. Does anyone have any information on this?

As new members of the Amel group we are very impressed with the group. Everyone seems to be keen to uphold it’s integrity. We have observed a couple of ethical debates and found the exchanges interesting.

I've only had my Amel for three years but checked this site before buying one and it also influenced me. I think everyone just wants to avoid this ever becoming like some other forums with arguments and inaccurate information. Most of the vanguard are Super Maramu owners. I don't think they mind these sorts of posts because they might be selling us their boat one day when they retire and we upgrade! 

We look forward to our future with the group and perhaps visiting the factory at some point.

One more question. Being Amel Sharki #15. Does this mean it was the 15th Sharki built or the 15th Amel built?

Sharki #15. Do you know about the history of Henri Amel and the Amel factory yet? It's really interesting. They'd been at it for quite a while by the time our boats were built and he was quite a man.  Kind regards, John Maramu #91 1981

Fair winds and best regards,

Warren and Zetta. Sharki #15, Manon2, Telaga Harbour,Langkawi,Malayasia

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