Sea Ray SSS 1993 63 ft

[Pietro]

Nice Riviera you have, Ozzie!!! Why don't you tell us something about her? I'm curious to know how she compares to the Sea Ray!

 

[rszarka]

Pietro, Ozzies boat is a real beauty, when he was buying it think in june he told us all about it and posted pics in this thread .... i think if you go back like 20 30 pages you will find the pics on it!! Ozzie: would be awesome to get some new pics of your boat and an update on her

I am stuck out at anchor, can't get into my berth for who knows how long it will be so officially living on the water full time in Rozelle.... won't leave the boat alone for long periods of time while at anchor so ima living on the sea lol

Attached some pics of my new neighborhood love it here A giant sunfish turned up dead on the shore nearby, well it was pretty big but still a baby as far as sunfish go ....NSW fish and wild life has been notified as it is very strange for a sunfish to come into the harbor let alone as far in as this bay as it is a deep sea fish ..also strange it is dead as there are no visible marks on it ...attached a pic of it .... also a pic of my makeshift anchor bridle, couldn't get out today to get the parts i needed to make a proper one ...this one is working great so far but would not hold in a strong wind i am sure!!

 

[Graham Lorimer]

Hi Rob

Once your Bridle (know as a "Snubber" in this part of the world), is attached, you can let out half a meter or so of chain so that it droops down over the roller, this takes the strain totally off the Windlass and completely stops any noise created by the chain going over the roller and then moving as the boat moves.

Graham

 

[rszarka]

Thanks Graham...went ahead and did that world well the snubber i have now is not very strong with that weak little stainless catch but the weather is calm and will be for a day or two ..so tomorrow will go to the hardware store and make a proper one!!
A catamaran cruised by today name Cabaret ...pretty close to the name of my boat was pretty surprised thought my boats name was pretty unique guess i was wrong lol even one here in my local waters with almost the same name

 

[Graham Lorimer]

Rob

Try and buy a hook that has a slot that will fit neatly over one link of the chain, and then use that to make up the Snubber. This means that if you have to let the Snubber go quickly and get the anchor in, it is very quick to do, and that may make a difference if you have to move in a hurry, dragging anchor or some other semi emergency. Clips and shackles can all take longer to disconnect, and the extra time may make a difference.

Graham

 

[rszarka]

Graham

Thanks for the advice I thought about quick removal when I put it on. I actually practiced taking it off quickly several times till I had it down actually moved it a bit up towards the anchor for easier access. It being a clip is a bit trickier than a hook and your right what if it got jammed somehow. So yes tomorrow will make one up properly!!

I am pretty fascinated with everything to do with boats my next one will be a catamaran and I'm going everywhere with it. Love this boat but it is expensive to run and ha limitations want to eventually be able to just head off to any location.

In the meantime have decided I will go for my master five certificate looking into what it will take tomorrow.

 

[rszarka]

So my berth has still not been ready for me to go back, hopefully tomorrow... i have not put foot on land for nearly 3 weeks now and for the first time feel like I am ready for a break from the boat! Was at anchor for awhile in Rozelle Bay which i posted about and learned about anchor bridles... then moved to a place called Rose Bay which is near to my home on land, was hoping to find a place where i could leave my jet boat and be able to pop back and forth between my home...no luck...could not find anywhere to leave it safely and all the yacht clubs etc i asked said no.. couldn't make a deal....Its a big bay with a lot of traffic got pretty annoying with the boat constantly getting bounced around so went to middle harbor for a day or two where its very peaceful... Now i am hiding on a swing mooring from a 30 knot wind storm that blew in! Hopefully tomorrow i can dock her and take a land break!

A new issue has surfaced with my generator just started happening all of a sudden out of nowhere... can not figure out what may have caused it ... when you stop the generator from downstairs on the unit itself ..the emergency stop solenoid stays open and you have to hold it in until you hit the preheat then it locks in the closed position so then gen can run... it only ever did that if you stopped it from the generator itself ... well now for some reason if i shut it down from the main board remote in the salon it does that ...kind of annoying to restart the gen i have to go downstairs take off the front noise shield panel..hold in the solenoid and start it from there... any ideas as to what may cause this and how i can fix it as I'm at a total loss..

Is anyone here familiar with 540 Das like mine? I realized that the indirect rope lighting in the vip berth is in one of my closets... i would like to put it back up but can't seem to figure out where the end of it goes to plug in .... i think this was recently reupholstered before i bought it and whoever did it did not put the rope lighting back on and covered the hole... does anyone know does it go into the closet to starboard or into the cabinet where the tv is to port?

Summer has just about begun here and you can really tell by the incredible increase in boat traffic on the harbor... sure glad i got good at captaining this thing before this! Saturday it took me 3 hours to get a swing mooring...had people pulling up my anchor nearly swing into me...the bay that usually only has a few boats had like 15 that night ...the chaos has begun!!

 

[rszarka]

At night when all the systems are shut down and it is quiet, i hear quite a bit of crackling and cracking sounds....sounds like it is in the water under the engine room ... Any ideas what this could be?? Could it be Galvanic electrolytic corrosion of my zincs? Would be weird as I am at anchor not a dock where would the stray current be coming from? My boat perhaps? What Could be wrong in my boat that would be causing current n the water, any ideas what system / things i should check to make sure this is not going on?

Thanks guys

 

[Sea Wolff]

Could it be some of the animal life in the water? Shrimp...?
May be asked other boaters who are in the area?

Best,

 

[Pietro]

I’ve heard those strange noises more than once while I was moored in some harbor. Some say it’s electrostatic currents, others it’s shrimps or micro animals… I do not know, but it’s creepy!

 

[Ozzie-iv]

Rob,

I think I would relocate to Pittwater (Basin, Refuge bay etc) before the critters eat through your hull. Never have this problem up here (Pittwater) The only cracking sound I hear is when the engines are cooling down. There are so many club and maritime moorings it would be very rare that you would need to be on anchor. Around at America Bay and Refuge you get the best sleeps..so calm. Sydney harbour is just awash with traffic. Check out google earth
Refuge bay, nsw, Australia
cottage rock, nsw , Australia
castle bay, nsw ,Australia
Yeomans bay, nsw, Australia
Basin,nsw,Australia

These places are used by boaters that stay a week or a few days etc they aren't permanent. During the week you will probably have a choice of a 100 moorings to stay at..

Ozzie

 

[barlow]

I have the same cracking sounds over here at our marina. It is not anything sinister only some minute marine creature feeding off the deposits on the hull. Spent a few anxious moments checking out the electrical system when I 1st encountered the little critters.

 

[carterchapman]

100 pages - is that a record for a thread?

 

[rszarka]

Hiya Guys

Found out those sounds are snapping shrimp, they come and go in schools ...apparently when they kick they make a little clicking sound! Glad it was not current eating up all my zincs hahha!

I am still out on the hook, but had enough will head in tonight! Been out here for 6 weeks now! Last night some kind of a wicked crazy insane nutty storm rolled in! Looked up and in the distance a black wall with a weird shape was coming.... well it was one hell of a storm...stood guard with the keys on as me and the 3 other boats in this bay went absolutely nuts swinging all over the place!! i swear there had to be gusts of 90 KMPH!! Was a really intense experience i was almost certain my anchor would pull out but no it held fine! Apparently it stopped trains, knocked out traffic lights etc ...was really a powerful storm front .... and the wind direction kept changing so it was really quite an experience! I felt like i was in some storm movie.... scared me a little at times as the lightning was everywhere and the intensity of the wind was really up there! lasted about 45 mins, so done my first really really bad storm out on the water ...i must be anchoring right for it to hold through that!

Hey for the Australia people, does maritime have the authority to confiscate your boat? I got up one morning and it was raining had to take a girl that stayed over to work in the jet boat ...so i went faster than usual didn't stick to the 4 iknot speed limit as she was in her work clothes and getting wet ...well on the way back a maritime officer stopped me ..i was very nice about it apologized told him why etc ...well he was just plain nasty and told me if he ever sees me speeding again he will not give me a ticket but confiscate my jet boat...Was kind of uncalled for not like i was a repeat offender that had been warned etc ..was first time they ever warned me about going fast and to start off with a boat confiscation threat lol later that day got a big sticker on my big boat saying if i did not move my boat within the bouys they would confiscate that one too.. they are pretty hard assed here!! i am like the most compliant person to, i aim to please maritime as i know being on the water you want to be on their good side... doesn't seem to be working!! But seriously do they actually have the authority to confiscate your boats over stupid very minor offenses like that??? have a feeling they would get ripped to shreds by lawyers if they pulled a stunt like that!! yeah we umm confiscated a half a million dollar boat because 3 ft of it hung outside of a bouy line lol Im sure thats adequate reason to do such a drastic maneuver! Nuts!

Ozzie: I am going into berth today, need to get some stuff done ..fix a bad injector, jet boat maintenance, new bimini top ...plan is as soon as all that is done i will sail up to pittwater area and spend a month or so enjoying your neck of the woods Right you are Sydney harbor is just insane in every way and just sooo busy especially now that its warm!!! The other day i was so surrounded in sailboats i had to just put her in neutral and throw my hands in the air! had nowhere to go...they were just all around me.... they actually hit each other dodging me ..but i just could not move!! kind of ridiculous and dangerous.... water police was there i looked over at them giving them the what the hell can i do gesture and he showed me the crazy signal and motioned to just keep going when i could ...they actually crashed into his boat as well haha.... on a hot windy day the harbor is actually like an intense obstacle course with nothing but sail boats...they don't give a crap whats in front of them and expect everyone to just move...tacking right in front of you etc ...its really hazardous and crazy ...dunno how it is allowed !! I actually hate the yachties as they are called here now!
I was out geocaching with a friend in the tender and i ran it out of oil like a mile from the big boat which was at anchor in rose bay ..some nice guys helped by towing us in.... well some woman was coming straight at us in one of those little sail boats that are hydrofoils...she waves for us to move ...i was like i am disabled i can't move ..well she nearly ran us over and was mad at us screaming etc ... they think they have right of way in every single situation and expect you to move wether you can or not!! If i am disabled how am i supposed to move out of her way lol .... my favorite is when they motorsail and still expect you to give right of way to them ...sneaky!! They can really make it stressful for everyone out on the harbor as they take advantage of their right of way and just don't give a crap and there is zoo many of them...i mean in the hundreds in one small area and make it impossible to maneuver at all... its hard to explain you have to experience it to get it .... every direction you look there is a sail boat all heading in a different direction... its like being in a school of fish where they are all around you... you just can't move without hitting something or cutting someone off and them hitting you!

Anyways sorry i disappeared for bit there guys, i know i promised to keep writing about this nutty live on the water time of my life... some of the places i have been my internet has been really touch and go! 6 weeks encouting out on the water and i would not go in now if i did not need to do these repairs! Next leg will be up near Ozzie in Pittwater, hopefully i will get to meet him when i am up there! Supposed to be really pretty up there so will be many new pics coming ...in the meantime here is a few of my latest pictures! Have you guys been following the thread with the guy that bought the 370 that is just beat to death?? and you guys thought buying this boat the way i did was crazy, that guy is in for one hell of a ride restoring his boat!! I would say he definitely tops me in crazy maneuvers lol

Nice flounder catch was uncles dinner that night along with a few bream..

one of 3 port jackson sharks we caught and released in middle harbor

Middle harbor the one spot on sydney harbor which tends to be peaceful most of the time ...there is a guy that drives around in a Vittoria coffee boat and serves up really good coffees and ice creams..

This was a pretty neat looking ship near my regular fuel dock

Every saturday all summer long darling harbor has fireworks at 9 pm ..pretty good ones aswell

The new iPhone 4s sure takes a bloody good pic...as good as a real pro cam!

 

[Pyrojodge]

Hey rob great to hear from you. I'm not sure how I would deal with the shrimp... I think I would loose my mind. You have some very nice pictures as usual. Hope your trip to Pittwater goes well. I can join your fight against the blow boaters/ rag baggers as I have had my dealins as well. Had one come into a marina with full sails up and clip several boats turn around and then left... what a winner. Atleast I was safe on the other side of the pier... have a great day and can't wait for the next instalment... Ps: I'm with you on XP3000... it will be an interesting journey for him we will have to compare notes...

 

[rszarka]

Pyro: wow so its not just here that the sailboaters are idiots lol ...that really sucks someone coming in damaging several boats and just leaving like that!! Some people are just plain rotten!!

Boats back in berth for now, has actually been nice to get a bit of a break from it! so massive cleaning and wax are underway along with engine and bimini repairs in prep for a trip up north
yes xp3000 will be interesting to follow, if he manages to get that boat back into a good condition it will be amazing i am gunning for him!!

Back out on the water tomorrow for the week end then back into berth on monday, going to some big art show on Cockatoo island instead of taking the ferry will just go and anchor off of it and tender ashore..

Now have a friends cat living onboard, was a little skittish about the water thing at first but seems to have settled in really well now! loves all the little hiding places it can find and explore in... went under the entrance steps and somehow found its way into the bilges under the salon from there ..went down a midships came up in the front vip berth lol ....

nothing new for now!! have a naval architect coming out next week to see if i can get this boat into survey so i can charter her out... want to do very select kind of charters not big parties that trash the boat ...i put a total end to all the drunken fool parties that were happening a month or so ago ...now i do not tolerate any such things onboard at all!! they did enough damage back then geez!!

Will check in after the week end and post some more new pics..... was thinking i will make the new bimini top black, think it will accent the white nicely...what do you guys think???

Oh one more weird thing! I went through the engine room looking for an inverter...i could not find one .... don't these boats come standard with inverters??? That would explain my problems when running on my 12 v system!! Advice guys, what kind of strength like in how many watts inverter should i get for the boat?? Also was thinking of throwing a bunch of solar panels inconspicuously up on my radar arch...what do you think???
Found a wind generator charger that is easily detached.... thinking of getting two that i can put up on either side when I'm on the hook and just take down when i move ...the idea is to get this boat a little more efficient power wise so i do not have to run the generator so much ...i mean i have actually had to run the gen just to do stupid things like charge up my cell phone or laptop....what do you guys think of these ideas? stupid to have solar panels and wind generators on a big power boat lol?? i mean if the panels will be well hidden and the wind generators can come down ...dont see the harm .... I'm out a lot at anchor or on swing moorings think it all would save me in the long run ..... hey anyone had any experience with those generators you drop in the water behind your boat and the current spins them???

 

[Graham Lorimer]

Hi Rob

I hope the following gives you some areas to think about regarding power supply and use. My boat was a 400 Sundancer, so smaller than yours but many aspects of this situation are the same.

I bought my last boat in Stuart, Florida in late 2007, and collected it in January 2008. I spent 7 days travelling down the ICC to Fort Lauderdale for shipping to Europe, and was immediately struck by the inadequacies of the house battery system.

Every morning, one engine (starboard from memory) would not start without using the emergency start switch, due to the fridge and lights having dropped the charge from the battery, and if I woke early and wanted to use the coffee maker, I had to start the Genset, not good in a quiet anchorage. It should be noted that the engine batteries are still in use 3 years later, so their condition was not an issue.

I had intended to convert the boat to 220 volts for Europe, but early investigation showed that to be unnecessary, expensive and messy, so opted for a pair of 3.6KV 220 – 100 volt transformers in the transom locker, they are lighter than the pair of 100 volt cables that the boat came with. There is a transformer fitted to each Line, One and Two, for shorepower.

When I got the boat back to the UK, I fitted a Victron 100 volt 3000W Invertor Charger, mounted where the original battery charger is fitted to the engine room forward bulkhead, a Victron battery monitor, (an invaluable piece of kit) mounted in the panel next to the main DB Board and easily visible all the time, and a 120 amp alternator on the starboard engine. There is also a remote power control panel for the Victron; it is mounted in a locker by the main DB Board.

The Victron also supplies a Float Voltage charge for the Engine batteries and Genset battery, switched through a simple voltage sensing relay, when on shorepower.

However the main addition to the system was six Fiamm two volt wet lead acid cells inside a custom battery box that is mounted between the two engines just aft of the mid bilge pump / aircon pump. The batteries are linked together to give 12 volts, and the total capacity is 630 amp hours at the 20 amp rate. The box that they sit in measures approximately 15 inches x 15 inches and is 18 inches high. The box has a lid on it, and makes an excellent step down into the engine room.

I then altered the configuration of the Line One and Line Two outputs on the main DB Board.
Line One, which is only supplied by Shorepower or the Genset, supplies AirCon Forward, Aircon Aft and Aircon Pump, Line Two, which is powered by the domestic battery / Invertor, supplies Refrigerator, Cook Top Hob, Microwave / Convection Oven, Galley Systems, Port Systems and Starboard Systems.

The 12 Volt supply switches have remained unchanged. I replaced most of the interior light bulbs with LED bulbs, made a massive difference to the power needed.

Both 100 volt lines also have a supply to a Rotary switch I fitted that supplies the Water Heater, and by setting the rotary switch to Line One or Line Two, the water heater can be run from either, I will explain why later.

In use on anchor, we run the Genset when using the aircon (seldom used on anchor), water heater and oven or cook top, however while these items are being used, the Victron very cleverly utilises all spare amperage to recharge the domestic battery. We find that 3 - 4 hours running during 24 hours, (if there is no main engine running during that period) , pretty much breaks even for power requirements and we do that when making toast and coffee in the morning, and whilst preparing dinner in the evening. Coffee and toast can be made from the domestic battery and Invertor if needed, as can a hair dryer be used, televisions run and the fridge is always on. During these 3 - 4 hours, when the Genset is running, the water heater is on also, we always seem to have plenty of hot water.

When on shorepower, the Victron Power Control panel has a rotary adjustment that enables the system to be set to draw from 4 – 32 amps, dependant on what is available from the shorepower, a feature we found very useful when travelling through France, many of the Marinas had very low power supplies, and everything that is on Line Two can be used, and the Victron smoothes out the current draw, always using anything spare to recharge the domestic battery between load fluctuations, without tripping out the supply.

The reason for the selection switch to run the water heater off either Line, is that if arriving at the boat after several days or weeks away, and initially needing full aircon or heating, as well as water heating, lighting etc, we switch the water heater to Line Two, and the Domestic Battery, through the Invertor, smoothes out the power requirements, otherwise with all air con or heating on, and the water heater, there is not enough power to supply all that is initially needed through Line One.

Whilst at anchor, if we retire for the night at about 90% battery capacity left, it will usually be down to 75 – 80% in the morning. This means the day can continue, and we run the Genset to bring it back up if we are not motoring anywhere that day, otherwise 5 - 6 hours main engine running will have the Domestic battery over 95% full again.

The Victron puts up to 80 - 120 Amp Hours into the battery initially, either from the Genset or Shorepower, the Starboard engine alternator puts out 75 Amp Hours.

I hope this convoluted explanation of the system is of some assistance, we find it very user friendly, and pretty much serves all our needs. Feel free to post any questions.

I sold this boat after three years, and everything was still working perfectly. I have now bought a 2002 460 Sundancer, and will fit a similar power system to this boat early next year. I will probably use four Rolls 6 volt batteries, wired to give 12 volts, giving a total capacity of 920 amp hours, however these will also act as start batteries for one engine.


Graham

 

[Pyrojodge]

Hey Rob,

Went to Lake Erie over the weekend to check on my boat and saw the picture below. This is a 50ft Sea Ray Sundancer... I guess he does this to keep his battery's charged in the winter time but see no reason why this wouldn't work for you...

 

[Pietro]

Hey Rob,

Went to Lake Erie over the weekend to check on my boat and saw the picture below. This is a 50ft Sea Ray Sundancer... I guess he does this to keep his battery's charged in the winter time but see no reason why this wouldn't work for you...

Nice idea... BUT, this guy should do something to prevent his boat from falling! Concrete blocks..nooo! :smt018

 

[Pyrojodge]

Nice idea... BUT, this guy should do something to prevent his boat from falling! Concrete blocks..nooo! :smt018

Not to start the debate again but 75% of the boats here are all blocked this way... do not know of anyone that has had a problem in my 8 years of being here...