A collection of Maritime HAM and SSB nets for cruisers

Since Alena got her HAM license, we are exploring all the HAM and SSB nets which are frequently used by cruisers.

Importing a yacht to Australia

This article is a summary of my experience, which one might find useful when trying to figure out, how to import a boat, yacht, or catamaran to Australia.

Recently our Kogan "KAPORAIRCON Reverse Cycle 4-in-1 Portable" air conditioner started to make a loud grinding noise

What a great opportunity to look under the hood and see if I can fix this

A season in Fiji

How to use the free software OpenCPN and Google Earth charts to navigate around the numerous reefs in the waters of Fiji.

 
Oil change on a Yamaha FT 50 outboard engine - while the engine is in the water

We have two Yamaha FT50 BET engines from 2003 on our houseboat and the only way to get the engines out of the water is to haul out the entire boat. Since going to a boatyard and lifting the houseboat out of the water for each oil change is rather impractical, we are changing the oil while the boat is afloat. With the right equipment this procedure is clean and doesn't spill a single drop of oil. 

Creating your own Google Earth charts is straight forward

Thanks to the free software GE2KAP and OpenCPN, Google Earth charts are a great aid in navigation.

Opening and cleaning the carburetor out of a Tohatsu 3.5 HP outboard 4 stroke

A clogged carburetor can be easily taken apart, cleaned, and re-assembled. Here I will also clean/replace the main jet, the main nozzle, and the slow air jet. 

Taking the Carburetor out of a Tohatsu 3.5 HP outboard 4 stroke

If you let the gas sit too long in your outboard without running it will actually turn to varnish and coat the inside of your carburetor and fuel lines. This results in a clogged carburetor and the only solution is to remove and clean it.