Sorry, a cut and paste mishap, second paragraph of my previous message should obviously read “heath first before drilling.....”
Paolo Cuneo
Whisper

Inviato da iPad

Hi all
Here some more info.
The material is 5mm polystyrene (see attached photo), bent using a hot air gun, and drilled/ rectified with the two 14 mm bits below..
Some practical tips :
Drill first before bending. In my first attempt, heating after drilling, the heat completely distorted the holes and I was forced to throw the piece.
Drill at both sides two pilot holes prior to full drilling to avoid fragmenting the edges and keep rpm as low as possible, whilst cooling with water during the operation: as soon as the temp increases, the material immediately melts making your tools unusable.
Heat the sheet uniformly on both sides, otherwise it will immediately crack, especially at the edges.
Heat bending is, at least for me, an awkward process and, if I had to replicate the piece, I would probably opt for a flat piece of polystyrene and four small s/steel legs at the four corners, or, to the same effect two “U” shaped brackets on two opposite sides, perhaps a less stylish solution but much much simpler to make.
Obviously, if the boat is at hand, to produce a template directly on the spot is the obvious choice. Otherwise, as soon as the Covid-19 restrictions of movement currently in force in Italy are lifted, I’ll produce a drawing with all the measurements

Best
Paolo Cuneo
SM #454 Whisper, currently in Genoa






Inviato da iPad

Thank you all!
I scubadived and mounted the new Bowthrusterpropeller, delrinhub and new nylon screws..... I usel mmM8. Stainless steelsqrews as Kevin pointers out. 30 minutes in Water and preparing sqrews took 1 hour. I Sidney have the tight length . But I trimmed and modifyed what I had. The propeller sits tight with is importstopp..

There is a product called Kolor Kut Water Finding Paste that is used by fuel stations to determine if there is water in their fuel storage tanks.  With the Amel we can put some of this on the bottom of the fuel dipstick, lower the stick in the tank, bring it up and if water is present the paste turns red.  Wipe the residue off when done.  My understanding is that the diesel bug microbe lives in the water layer using the oxygen contained in the water to survive.  Whether true or not this is an inexpensive method to check for water, a small tube is $7.50 and should last for years.  This or similar products are available on Amazon and other sites.  KolorKut website information is below:

·         For testing for the presence of water at the bottom of fuel storage tanks.

·         Suitable only for use with Petrol, Diesel, Kerosene, Gas Oil, Heating Oil, Heavy Oil, and Lubricating Oil

·         Applied to a rod / length of string with bottom weight, the brown paste changes colour to brilliant red where it comes into contact with water, giving you a visual indication as to the depth of the water present. The water can then be pumped out, and the test repeated until there is insufficient water to pump, at which point one of our Water-Seekers or Oilybits Water Absorbing Polymer can be used to absorb the last of it.

·         No official expiry date, will keep best when stored between 31F and 115F

They also have other products for gauging miscible water in various fuels and how deep the water is in the tanks.   www.kolorkut.co.uk

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Mark Mueller
Brass Ring  A54

The Volvo Service Bulletin was received from an extremely helpful dealer, Fordham Marine, Jacksonville, FL  904.743.2140.  The other information I came across was when I had the same problem as Paul.  I was trying to find a method to determine what was wrong without having to pay a mechanic 2 1/2 hours travel time to come to the boat to diagnose then make a second trip back with the parts.  It seemed very inefficient and costly.  I heard about the OEM mode wanted to learn how to access it.  Wish I had all the codes but have not found a way to get them.  They do vary slightly between different engine models.
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Mark Mueller
Brass Ring  A54

Hi Justin, thanks for the word of warning. I had my doubts about them just looking at their online site... needing to email or phone part numbers and waiting just to find out what things cost? Then finding very high prices, not even looking at shipping. I'm hoping Charles can sort me out with some CNC work.

Cheers,
Mike Longcor
SV Trilogy - SM23
Opua, NZ

Hi Charles,

That is awesome, nice work!

I might have to sketch the pieces I need because all of them are currently in use on my boat. Might need a couple other parts too, if possible. Curious how long does the process usually take from receiving sketch to product? Are you in USA?

I'll have a go at making up a detailed sketch for the corner seat and get back to you very soon.

Cheers,
Mike Longcor
SV Trilogy - SM23
Opua, NZ

Congratulations, what a fantastic achievement!
You are now in a small and exclusive group of people that can call themselves - circumnavigator.
well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
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Carina
SV Ultimo
Amel 54 No 165

Hi, would anyone be able to recommend a surveyor down in N Island New Zealand please? 

ideally someone who has experience of Super Maramu if possible ? 

many thanks 

Stay well!

Thank's Paolo
I have thought about a similar solution myself. What material is it made of? Not plexiglas or Macralon I assume as they are not thermoplastic and not possible to bend by heat. I guess it might be made of a Polystyren sheet? I'm now inspired to try to make one myself 
Paul on SY Kerpa SM#259 wintering in Lagos, Portugal sykerpa.com

There is an excellent cleaner for burned on deposits that would work great for this application. It is a gun cleaning product called “Shooter’s Lube”.

Pat!
we cleaned our tank by opening the inspection hatch and pumped out the rest with a hand pump same as on our outboard tank. We used a fuel hose with inner diameter the same as the outer diameter on the hose with the hand pump to make it reach down the tank. I had a length of Aluminium tube that fitted well into the fuel hose so it became very easy to position the end at the lowest point I got out most of the fuel less than half a liter left then I toke a broom with a cloth and cleaned the tank, looked as new after that. total time a few hours.
Paul on SY Kerpa SM#259