Sea Ray SSS 1993 63 ft

Hi Rob,

Went past your boat a couple of times on Monday, have to say its still looking goood.
 
Ian: that was an awesome explanation you gave Gary in your thread on the use of marine rescue!
You have a knack for explaining things really well! Sounds like one amazing few days you had for the RAN event!

Yeah I think she still looks great, I am still every bit as crazy about her care as ever just struggling with the funds to do things! Hard when the money is not around but luckily apart from the batteries everything is fine so far "knock on wood" now with your help I have those too. A dive or two and she is up and running! Just finished putting the batteries in just now! What an absolute nightmare ! Carrying those 3 heavy things down 3 flights of stairs then into a tender then the big boat. Then taking four bad ones out from downstairs lifting them over vacuum pumps and all kinds of other crap. I'm pretty sure I have flared up all my back and shoulder and knee injuries! I will be feeling this for weeks! But the good part she has power as soon as I hook it all up in ten minutes!! I am genuinely thrilled about that in so many ways I can't even say!! Ian thank you so so so very much mate for your help with this it's massive how much you just helped me!
So tomorrow is 3 tank scuba dive to get the bottom clean and she is ready to roll! Well that's if the back is not too bad right now I can barely move, hoping it tones down soon! It always hurts pretty bad but not like this lol

It's hard work owning a boat esp if you are going to do things yourself!

I have had 3 people out to look at her for a potential sale and all 3 times the same thing happened. The broker pulls up to the boat with the clients they see all the growth up to the water line think the boat has been neglected and right away get a bad taste in their mouth for it ! Even though he tells them this guy has kept up on it just needs an anti foul I'm not sure they buy it. Plus they got onboard the roof is bad with a bunch of patches and for the last few weeks bad batteries and no power . Put that all together and people don't want anything to do with buying it! They think I have just let her sit and rot ! Even though that's very far from the case. In out here several times a week doing anything that needs to be done!

So yeah on the way! Have power, this week end clean bottom and then it should be easier selling her! Or better still I work things out and get to keep her, now that would be the scenario I am most hoping for!
Anyone in Sydney got a job for a half crippled ex professional acrobat / tiger trainer lol? My skillset while pretty unique sucks and is useless to me now with a wrecked body!
 
Do what I do Rob, everytime I work on the boat,............book a massage............hmmmmm think I need to do some work on the boat LOL

Seiously though it is my trade off, along with accupuncture
 
Massages actually hurt me Ian I can't bear them way too painful! I have 14 sesperate herniations in my spine running all the way from top of neck to the bottom of my spine some disks are herniated is 3 diff spots. Every single disc is dehydrated and black and are bulging out against my spinal cord all over so when it flares up it's really bad and nothing on this planet helps. I was not even supposed to be able to walk properly again but you know docs they exaggerate and always go worst case.

So yeah massages are out they kill me! Acupuncture I have never tried might be something to give a go!

Was so nice to turn the power on and see all the batteries at max capacity and everything working! I'm going to run the generator for an hour every day to keep them up and good! Probably what killed them. As you guys said the boat has a draw even with things powered down. Systems monitor etc etc when I was at the boat daily all the batteries stayed good as I ran the generator daily. Then when everything went to hell there was a period for about two months where I only made it out once a week. Have a feeling that's what happened the standing draw killed them as they were getting no charge for up to a week at a time! They went completely flat once or twice and that was it game over!

Shame I lost that solar panel in a windstorm. Who knows maybe I will find it when I do the dive. It's sealed so not much to corrode!
 
Glad those batteries are looking good, as I said we tested them.

We sell solar panels too, so if you get desperate let me know.

Highly recommend acupuncture, I use a guy in Liverpool, am suffering with another nerve some where in my shoulder, a couple of visits and he has me right again for a few months


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
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Guys, good news I made it through the crisis is ending! I took the Le Cabaret off the market today, she will be staying with me for years to come and some exciting things are happening! More details later.

Ian: or any Aussies that may know. Best place to buy prop speed here is Australia?

The le cabaret will be getting her much needed anti foul not too long from now and a new roof along with all the other minor repairs.

A friend mentioned that the reason my batteries have been going bad is the new cadmium batteries need a 6 stage charger or they get ruined by the charging process. The le cabarets chargers are older and definately not six stage so looks like I need to put in new chargers. Although I don't believe it's the original charger in there have to do some research.

Anyways haven't been this happy in a long time! Getting to keep my boat is nothing short of a miracle with how bad things got there for awhile ! Nothing I wanted more in this world than to be able to tell my broker take her down!
 
Rob - that is a pleasure to hear! :) Good one!

anyway - consider putting on CopperCoat as I have. Now I'm at 15 months - and not a barnacle in slight only a layer of slime. I have done one "annual" dive with scotchbrite to rub new copper to the surface and paint looks perfect!

But CopperCoat is VERY dependent on the person who put it on. If they don't give a S**T it does not work. Here the distributor supervises dealers until they put it on fault free.
 
Rob, great news, congrats. As to your batteries, I'd be surprised if you have NiCad (Nickel-Cadmium) batteries of the size you use, they used to be the typical flashlight-size battery and I've only heard of larger for military and aviation applications. But maybe it's an Aussie thing and if so I would agree you need to look hard at your charger. I would encourage you to try and take regular readings of battery voltages if you can and note the usage (charger on/off, when fully charged, then at regular intervals while you're using the boat) that might help develop a pattern for trouble shooting.
 
Great news! I had no doubt that you would turn it around! takes a lot of determination to do what have done in the past!

Cheers from Canada!
 
Rob

Great to here, I just got back into Oz tonight from China and was going to shoot you a text as hadn't seen anything from you for the last couple of weeks.

I would stick with buying your propspeed here, being a paint, I think you would find with there being issues trying to have it mailed or freighted in......Dangerous Goods.

A friend of mine put a new product on his a few weeks back that I believe they are agents for. I will try and get an update from him.

I also distribute several brands of Chargers, so chat with me when your ready.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Good news Rob! Glad things are turning around for you!

Good on ya' mate!
 
Hi Rob,

I think you'll find your batteries are calcium not cadmium and yes they need to be charged properly to avoid damaging them.

About prop-speed... mate, if you are going to use the boat a lot at cruise speeds then prop speed is good. Otherwise stick with antifouling as it will keep the growth off better during periods of non use. I have tried both and the performance difference wasn't worth the reduced time in between haul outs. Plus it's damned expensive to apply due to the time required to prepare and prime properly.
 
Rob, I believe Propspeed is only designed for running gear (shafts, props, rudders). I had great success with using it on my boat; it was still working well after 3 years. I didn't realize it was made by a New Zealand company until I looked so I imagine it's readily available. Their website, http://www.propspeed.com, lists a number of Australian distributors. You would still need to settle on a good bottom coating for your area.
 
kaz911 said:
Rob - that is a pleasure to hear! :) Good one!

anyway - consider putting on CopperCoat as I have. Now I'm at 15 months - and not a barnacle in slight only a layer of slime. I have done one "annual" dive with scotchbrite to rub new copper to the surface and paint looks perfect!

But CopperCoat is VERY dependent on the person who put it on. If they don't give a S**T it does not work. Here the distributor supervises dealers until they put it on fault free.
Click to expand...

+1 for Coppercoat.

As stated it must be applied properly, but once done, it is the Dogs B------s

Graham
 
Hi guys
Sorry for my disappearance have been super super busy!! Thank you so much to you all for all of the great advice. I was excited about te cooper coat but seeing as it is not environmentally friendly and Australia is pretty nuts about that stuff. If there is not a law against it yet there will be soon you can bank on it. So will go regular anti foul for now suited to our region.
Just went under the boat today to get the props cleaned so I can take the boat into a dock. Wow guys I was horrified it is so much worse than I could of ever imagined! It is a reef I could not get pieces to dislodge with te scraper had to use a hammer carefully !! It I a damned good thing I didn't try to go anywhere as there was so much growth in the props that I would have had zero propulsion. The boat would not of moved at full throttle !! Took video will piece it together and post it and you guys will be in shock. I swear the first propellor if I did not know it was a propellor I would not of been able to tell. Just shocking its a reef it's its own Eco system lol. But yeah got one prop almost fully cleaned and the other half way done before getting out of the water because if a small shark swimming nearby. Jut didn't like the thought in that really bad visibility with fish in a frenzy eating all the organisms I was knocking off the bottom. Plus it was the end of the day and sundown not a good time to dive in Australia's shark infested waters!
Anyways will be back a bit later and lost that video. The good thing is off the hull the growth is coming off very easily. Quite a bit harder off te steel bits but the hammer is working well. And don't worry being very gentle with it and knocking the stuff off not banging on my shaft or props !!

Ok more later and thanks again to all for the advice posted above. You guys are awesome!
 
rszarka said:
Hi guys
Sorry for my disappearance have been super super busy!! Thank you so much to you all for all of the great advice. I was excited about te cooper coat but seeing as it is not environmentally friendly and Australia is pretty nuts about that stuff. If there is not a law against it yet there will be soon you can bank on it. So will go regular anti foul for now suited to our region.
Just went under the boat today to get the props cleaned so I can take the boat into a dock. Wow guys I was horrified it is so much worse than I could of ever imagined! It is a reef I could not get pieces to dislodge with te scraper had to use a hammer carefully !! It I a damned good thing I didn't try to go anywhere as there was so much growth in the props that I would have had zero propulsion. The boat would not of moved at full throttle !! Took video will piece it together and post it and you guys will be in shock. I swear the first propellor if I did not know it was a propellor I would not of been able to tell. Just shocking its a reef it's its own Eco system lol. But yeah got one prop almost fully cleaned and the other half way done before getting out of the water because if a small shark swimming nearby. Jut didn't like the thought in that really bad visibility with fish in a frenzy eating all the organisms I was knocking off the bottom. Plus it was the end of the day and sundown not a good time to dive in Australia's shark infested waters!
Anyways will be back a bit later and lost that video. The good thing is off the hull the growth is coming off very easily. Quite a bit harder off te steel bits but the hammer is working well. And don't worry being very gentle with it and knocking the stuff off not banging on my shaft or props !!

Ok more later and thanks again to all for the advice posted above. You guys are awesome!
Click to expand...


CopperCoat is NOT environmentally unfriendly. It releases Copper-ions - not copper into the water. It is environmentally friendly to a huge degree. I can't measure any increase in copper concentration in the water around my boat AT ALL.

http://coppercoat.com/antifoul-tests/coppercoat-wins-environment-agency-approval-after-7-year-trial

So I don't know who is telling you stories...
 
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