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Jim, Your Fleet Tender has the same basic outlines as trawler. At 80ft., she is easy to handle as you know and at sea, I have never had any worries at all in all sorts of weather. A very rugged craft that will last for many years to come. A proper little ship. I expect that you have converted...

What a lovely boat. I have had 2 of this type over the years. With 2 inch timbers If the hull passes a survey by a wood specialist surveyor only, then it's going to go a few more years before you have to really spend. With any large boat particularly wood you will need to be able to do the work...

You don't say what your main engine is, but they are usually so much more rugged and reliable than a twin, and in 60 years properly installed and maintained is usually better than keeping a twin installation. The Prop being on the centre is well away from trouble and with no A frames to worry...

Bar it over two revolutions, pull out the stop lever or disconnect the run solenoid, turn the engine over on the starter motor until the oil pressure shows, then start her up.

Can't really see the working end clearly, but my first impression is that of a tool used for securing jubilee clips.

How hard to run a Perkins Diesel. All the boats that I have owned (some 20 over 60 years) have been second hand. Thus the engine and props have already been sized and paired off. My usual practice over the years is that I get up to WOT and check the revs. Then I compare the revs with the engine...

how-important-do-you-find-speed-through-water- Over 60 years I have used most of the systems for measuring speed through the water from Pitot tubes to impellers to screws rotating via a cable to the instrument and even setting and towing a Walker log. Now I have the Sumlog which works...

Chinese heaters. These heaters are certainly good value and the spares are cheap too. With the cost of spares on the Webasto/Eberspacher heaters, you can afford to get a new one every 2 years. Servicing the German heaters can be as much as £300. I must add that for a unit not fitted by a...

Fuel Valves It is a requirement in all the European regulations that I have seen, the sight glass valves be spring-loaded. Thus they are permanently closed and only opened when you push them to get a new sight glass reading. Any other type of valve is a fire hazard and is not allowed!

daylight readable monitor The various chart data bases that are available for iPad and Android tqblets seem to use the same filename protocols ie KAP etc. Windows, Android and iPad are able to take these files using perhaps OpenCPN and display the results. Does anyone know of a way to provide...

oil level monitor. If you are worried about engine oil level underway, the easiest way to keep your eye on what is happening is to attach a thermocouple to the side of the sump with glue and monitor the oil temperature as part of your hourly log. Put an alarm in the system and you can get the...

Both my Lehman 120's run at around 175 degrees, but it is important to bear in mind that both the temperature senders and the gauges are getting rather old and of course are uncalibrated. The important thing to remember is that if they run at a particular temperature, it is when they deviate...

Overpropped - but why Way back in the old days before even Lehmans, the rule of thumb with engines was to go to the maximum speed and then back off by 10%. This would reduce the load on the engine such that it was not labouring and not producing black smoke. I still carry out the same process...

Webasto heater Thanks for your comments. I have actually been able to get the handbook from Webasto. They had one in their museum! The local agent did not have a manual and was unable to comment on an item so old. He said that when he was trained they were not taught about the old HL series...

On my boat I have I believe an original Webasto circa 1978. It has the clockwork control mechanism. It works really well at full heat, but when I go to half heat it cuts out. The manuals available seem to be all about the new models so I have no idea of the mechanism that takes this heater to...

Ballast Firstly you need to know just how much ballast is necessary to maintain stability and where it should be put. My first boats in the 60's all had loose ballast which had to be removed and painted every few years as water got into the bilges. In Europe inland waterways it is true that...

Trawler yachts In Europe a trawler yacht is one where the weather deck has a higher part of the hull extended to form a wall around. Thus a motor yacht which has standard stanchions fitted to the deck, becomes a trawler yacht if you put a solid side to those stanchions thus providing shelter...

getting rid of Spiders Here in the UK we use horse chestnuts (we call them conkers). You have to drill them to let the vapour out. Some people have said that they crush them and put them in water with a little pectin (used in wine making). Don't know how it would work in florida though.

In Europe, a pleasure trawler yacht is usually defined as one with solid bulwarks all round such that you can walk at the same level all around the boat.

Live aboards On my trawler yacht, 43ft, I have taken out a piece of the fixed furniture and bought 2 armchairs which have made so much difference to the way that we enjoy the boat.

Overheating and keel coolers Fitting a keel cooler is not an easy job and they can be prone to problems with respect to bleeding and airlocks. I would suggest that you get working what you have first and as suggested start by checking the cooler end covers for debris from the previous owner's...

True displacement hulls The traditional true displacement hull is a fishing boat. The form is that of a 'double ender', pointed at each end at the water line. They are also fat bellied which reduces to some extent the rolling, but then a displacement fishing boat gives with the sea and does not...

Dock water inlet. Connecting the boat directly to external water pressure is a recipe for disaster. The water tanks should be sealed and have overflow vents such that if you overfill them the water will spill over the side into the dock. I have seen boats fill up with water because of the...

Boat smell On my Albin 43 which I have just sold there were no ventilators for any of the cabins. This is a prerequisite to keeping the boat smelling fresh when you leave it for a few days. Mine always had that odour when I returned to the boat as did my clothes when I unpacked them at home...

Boat smell seems to be worst where you have damp conditions. Usually this is caused by water in the bilge which can be unavoidable in wooden boats. When this dsmp condenses onto a cold surface like the hull and topsides, there is likeky to be mildew forned. Unpainted wood can be particularly...