The elegance of a teak cockpit sole.

Earlier this week our crew tested the fit of the optional teak cockpit sole in the new Sabre 46 Salon Express and wow, is it pretty ! Hull one will be getting both the cockpit sole and the swim platform in teak. It's going to look so elegant and this teak is easily maintained with a stiff brush and some liquid soap applied from time to time. No teak oil and no varnish and it will look just perfect. If you like a teak cockpit sole and you are tempted to look into having one installed contact Teak Deck Systems. A great supplier who will not disappoint.

 
The other big event of the week was the arrival and installation of the last major FRP part, the hard top and liner. Now we can really see what she looks like. Of course there are still some aft corner windows to be cut in so we can "kinda see" how beautiful she is. If you are contemplating a visit to view our progress we would welcome it. Just email brenda@sabreyachts.com to arrange a tour any Monday through Thursday.

 
 
 

The finishing touches are starting to be applied and the ice is melting. Can't wait!

More on staying out of the sun

I don't usually have a lot of sympathy for folks from Bermuda asking about sunshades but this summer here in Maine we have had a real summer, very little fog and plenty of clear days. So I too have been trying to stay out of the sun. (Alan I hope you understand a little Maine "Humour" (spelled for a Bermudian to understand) and a jab from your colleagues here in the cold white north of the US of A.)

Alan had asked to see some more images of the Aussie sunshade so I asked for and got some to post. This example is relatively short and there is nothing to stop you from going all the way to the transom with this design.

This is not a design as such. In Australia the metal working guys (a.k.a. the tinny) just come to the boat and create their own but they all look very much the same in style and function.

 
 

  
 

Trim Tab Talk Sabre 52 with Volvo IPS

Last winter Sabre built it's first 52 Salon Expresswith the Volvo IPS pod drive train. In this scenario the owner sought no new interior accommodation plans and was more interested in the pod technology, the joy stick docking and of course the fuel economy of a pod drive boat. The results were excellent and one of the important elements of this installation is the subject of todays blog. In our business there are many truly excellent products but I would have to place the Humphree Interceptor trim tab system in the "over the top" category.

Conventional trim tabs pivot from a point at the transom corner and displace water coming off the hull bottom to push the bow down. There is a lot of pressure on conventional "flap" style tabs and most use electrical power or hydraulic pressure to perform their function. The Interceptor principal is that a blade mounted on the vertical surface of the transom is deployed downwards into the water below the hull bottom surface, 90 degrees to the water flowing over the hull bottom. This small amount of surface area creates a high pressure area forward of the blade and in doing so creates hydrodynamic lift.

Our experience on the 52 was excellent and the product is performing well in service. The system installed on the 52 IPS has several memory settings allowing the operator to preset for specific load and weight circumstances such as high/low fuel, sea conditions etc. At the high end of their range are adaptive systems which learn by themselves and trim the boat to a predetermined state and will even adjust for wave conditions to lessen roll. Amazing stuff and worthy of a look and a "Gold Star" from the Sabre team.

Have a great and level weekend!

Tinned wire. Yawn !

Not exactly a hot topic I know but some days you just need to speak about things that are important and hope someone is listening. That's the beauty of the blog. You can get up on your soap box and prattle on and if somebody wants to read then great. For those who don't know tinned wire from a tin can, well.....

Boats that go in salt water, like most of ours do, have a lot of wire in them. The best wire for conducting electricity is made of copper so that's what we use as does every boat builder (and home builder too for that matter.) But boats that go in salt water have a problem. Copper, salt air and water don't mix. After just a few weeks in the salt water environment, copper wire can start to corrode. You can see that green powder starting to accumulate around connectors and wherever you can see bare wire. Not too long after that you can experience wiring failures as the corrosion sets in.

Tin is not a great conductor but it doesn't corrode in salt air either. So the wire we use is made by taking copper wire (the great conductor) and, prior to enclosing the wire in it's plastic casing, drawing it through a bath of liquid tin. Once the process is completed the copper wire is no longer visible. If you are buying a  new boat or surveying an older one be sure to ask the builder or surveyor if the elecrical wiring is tinned.

You'll be happy to have tinned wire further down the line. I hope you stayed awake long enough to finish the reading the post.

 

CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) Tanks

Many of our older model Sabre's built back in the 80's time frame were equipped with a CNG stove, and have one or two bottles stored in a locker in the cockpit. Over the years these tanks can develop surface rust and degradation. These tanks should be inspected yearly to make sure that they are safe and can handle the pressure of compressed gas. I mention this because we were just recently notified of an incident that took place on a 1985 Sabre 36 where one of the cng tanks exploded, (thankfully no one was onboard) and caused a fair amount of damage to the transom and starboard corner of the hull. There is one company that I am aware of that can service, refill, and I believe replace CNG tanks. They are Corp Brothers. Visit the web site and you will see a list of facilities that they have.

Blogged by: Glen (aka) Chappy