28 Februar y 2015
ideas locker: Petrea McCarthy
Dining
As a long-term live-aboard cruiser, Lea
Pennicott doesn’t ‘camp’ on her 15.8
metre cutter Tientos. Hence real glasses- Lea hates drinking wine from plastic –
and real china.
With plates fitting a drawer, interspersed
with non-skid and socks on the drinking
glasses when underway, Lea has never
suffered a breakage, even in the most
severe weather.
To find crockery that fits, Lea suggests
buying from a catering company as they
have many options to fit any area.
Entertaining
Lea also reminds us, not only catamarans
have room for an entertainment area.
As Tientos has a long open foredeck
(and Lea’s husband Keith dislikes
bean bags) the Pennicotts had their ‘patio’
built. Being forward, it gets the breeze,
ideal for their home port of Darwin and chosen cruising grounds in SE Asia.
With the table down, it carries the dinghy on
offshore passages, rather than the davits. Within
the seats are lockers for lines, lobster pots and
other stuff. This is all fibreglassed on with no
bolts through the deck and has never given a
problem, even with waves washing as far aft as
the cockpit.
With an awning up at anchorages, there is
nowhere more pleasant to relax, Lea reckons.This month’s tip is relevant to any rig with
stainless steel fittings on aluminium, but
I particularly want to highlight a problem
with modern production boats.
Many of these have stainless steel
slides in the lower side of the boom as
mainsheet and boom vang take-offs.
Perhaps because these mass-produced
rigs are anodised, or perhaps just to
save time, they do not appear to have
anything between the two dissimilar
metals to inhibit corrosion.
Over time the aluminium under these
fittings corrodes badly, creating weak
spots potentially leading to failure. It is
worth drilling out the fastening rivets and
moving the take-offs along to check the
amount of corrosion. If present, clean it
off – usually this means chiselling with
a screwdriver because nothing else will
fit into the space – then apply anti-
corrosion compound and refasten
This is one instance, I believe, where
the old-fashioned Duralac is superior
to Tef Gel because it can be painted on
and left to partially dry before securing
the fitting. Otherwise, as you slide the
fitting back into place the anti-corrosion
compound squeezes out.
If possible remove the slides entirely
so the Duralac can be painted on their
upper face as well as on the boom. Use
more Duralac when fitting, but be sure
to wipe off the excess immediately for
a neat job. Another way would be to fit
a thin nylon spacer under the slides.
Either way, remember to treat the new
rivets too if they are stainless steel.Ideas for
your boat
RIGGER’S TIP
PICK OF THE MONTH
WIN THE PERFECT CUPPA
This month’s winner of the Madura tea box
goes to contributor Lea Pennicott.
Thanks to the Australian Madura Tea
company for supplying one of these
boxes every month of which you too
could be a winner.
Send your contributions to Petrea
McCarthy at [email protected]
and be in the running for the all-Australian
tea pack.
http://www.maduratea.com.auLiveaboard style
TOP TO BOTTOM: Custom-bought crockery fits
snugly in Tientos’ galley drawers; Tientos’ wine
glass racks are just standard domestic stainless
steel glass holders. Note sock protector on one
glass, Right; Multi-purpose foredeck – dinghy
stowage at sea, entertaining area at anchor.Is your boom hiding this dirty
secret under its shiny fittings?