VHF: handheld vs remote?

If you were in trouble and needed to send a Mayday, which radio would you want to use?  The one in your hand with the 4" antenna 6' above the water (if you're standing) and 5 watts of output power, or the mounted one with a much longer antenna mounted 40-50' above the water and 25 watts of output?

This decision is the one that we examined on Eolian.  See, our VHF is mounted inside, right at the companionway.  This keeps it out of the weather, but accessible.  Well, unless the weather is inclement and we have the companionway closed.  And then there is the fact that Jane just doesn't like to hear the constant chatter on the radio.

So I was considering getting a handheld that I could keep next to me at the helm.  With the volume turned down, I could still hear it, while sparing Jane from the noise.

But then the question above raised itself.

It turns out that our West Marine VHF has the ability to connect (via bluetooth) with a remote speaker/mic that has essentially all the functions of the main unit repeated on its faceplate.

We bought one.  I can keep it back at the helm with me and turn the volume on the main unit all the way down.  And when I transmit, I am using 25 watts, delivered to a 3 foot antenna mounted  65 feet above the water.


Sometimes you can have your cake and eat it too.

Got fruit flies?

Here's an easy, cheap and environmentally friendly solution to the problem (it's not often you get all of those at once, is it?)

What's in a name?

When we bought Eolian, "Eolian" wasn't her name.  Using John Vigor's Denaming/Renaming ceremony, we re-christened her to Eolian.

But before we could do this, there was a tiny detail:  the name on the transom was wrong.  So I scraped off the old name.  When they made these boats, Downeast created, what appear to be from a short distance, carved name boards for the transom.  But actually these are molded resin.  I gave ours a fresh coat or two of paint, in a color that more closely matched our trim color.

Then I paid a visit to Prism Graphics, folks who custom-cut vinyl graphics on Westlake Avenue here in Seattle.  They were great.  They asked me to bring in a tracing of the name boards so that they could custom-fit the lettering to the actual boards.  And they spent quite a bit of time getting it right.  Thinking about how great it would look on the green, I chose simulated gold leaf for the material.

Applying the letters was easy.  They come on a transfer sheet, which is stuck to the front side of the lettering.  The transfer sheet keeps things in place, and allows transfering the entire design at once.  Prism's directions said to use a spray bottle with soapy water to moisten the transom and the graphics before application.  This allows you to adjust things, presuming that you don't lay the design down spot on the first time - and you won't.  After a while, you peel off the transfer sheet.

Voila!  Unfortunately, the simulated gold leaf was not a good choice.  Because of the tilt of Eolian's transom, it is almost never in direct sunlight.  The net effect was, that for almost all viewing angles and conditions, the lettering essentially disappeared.  (When the sun did hit it tho, it was spectacular!).  Sadly, this would not do.

So I returned to Prism, and asked them to recut the letters, this time in white.  This was not difficult for them, since the design is just a small computer file they now had on one of their systems.  In white, the name is visible regardless of the sun angle.

Water, water, everywhere...

But watermakers are expensive.  Right?

Well, it turns out not so much, if you are willing to do a little adaptation and do the work yourself.

Tho this is way beyond the scope of "small" boat projects, I found it very interesting: DIY watermaker, so maybe you will too.   If you go thru the site you will also find links to other DIY watermakers, ranging all the way up to the wonderfully executed version on s/v Rutu (there is nothing by half-measures on Rutu).

(This link originally spotted on Boat Bits)

The reason that this is posted is that I am beginning to run out of projects... I may have mentioned before that there are just not enough "small" projects on Eolian to sustain this site indefinitely... I am hoping that you folks out there reading will continue to contribute, or to allow me to mine your own blogs for things to put up here.  Thanks.

Chillin' and lookin' good

When refurbishing the galley on Eolian, the freezer lid presented special problems. For the main part of the counter tops, I simply pulled the fiddles, removed the old simulated woodgrain stuff, and applied new formica over the substrate in the traditional way with contact cement.

But the freezer lid had a decorative teak surround which made it really difficult to get the old formica out.

To get it out, I used a router set to cut only the thickness of the formica to relieve the central portion (all but the teak) of the freezer lid. This is a little tricky, since the area is larger than the router base, which means that you lose your support for the router base as you do the job. The trick? Work from one side to the other, and when the edge gets too thin on that far side to support the router base without wobbling, use a scrap of new formica laid into the newly routed area to support the base from both sides.

Then I cut and carefully trimmed (using a plywood blade on a table saw) formica to fit the relieved area and installed it, using contact cement.

To make it possible to lift the lid, I again used the router to relieve an area now in the new formica to accommodate a brass D-pull and installed it.

After varnishing the exposed teak on the edge, and installing some foam tape for a gasket on the bottom, it looks really sharp!

(Well at least *I* think so...)

Cover up

In the bulkhead under the companionway stairs on Eolian, there was a large, unsightly hole where an old propeller shaft brake had been installed.

Rather than dutch in a repair, I took the lazy way out: cover it. Every US boat is required to have an "Illegal to Dump" placard anyway - what nicer way to cover the hole than with a nice bronze version?