bertram31.com

Carl, indeed.

Notice the lateral wooden strips that secure independently the two turbos.
To this, add the meticulous packaging foam that I removed for the pic.
Plus the box top was screwed down with 10 screws, he called the boy to unscrew for me to see...
When I asked why so much packaging effort, he said...we couldn't know where and how it will travel...!

Carl, I used your Staten Island address, hope its ok with you, thanks!

No problem Yannis, send me the turbos...you can keep the invoice.

I was going to say that crating costs a lot, I wonder why they didn't note customer pickup. But then working with Turbos daily I have a feeling they have so much turbo crating and packaging they are looking to get rid of it any way they can.

Glad to hear you can cross a big project off the to-do list and it did not hurt as much as you thought it would at that midway point of buying new.

I now have to figure out the whole solar panel choice/placement/connection/etc that I have to do from scratch, since the whole flybrigde arch (with bimini and panels) snapped and almost flew away during my return trip in terrible weather, and was discarded...

I will not have a bimini from now on, nor a metal arch...the solar panels will go on the slope fwd of the steering wheel, new cables, connections etc, as if I didn't already have enough to deal with this year...

The only consideration is that, although this configuration is by far simpler than the previous one, when I'm docked next to a taller yacht it may block the sun, which automatically means less ice, which is a reason to panic!


(Solarfam 2X150w balcony type-look it up)

Yannis

Looking good. Soon you will put them to the test.

I'll put them on today Tony!
Let's see if I made the right choice...

The turbos were mounted alright, only the old metal O ring between the riser and the turbo was ..."homogenized" on the riser side.
It took us as much time to remove these bastards as it took to mount the turbos themselves.

The engines started as if nothing had happened, they sounded like sewing machines. However we will have to wait until we splash so that we can rev them higher.

Long story short, everything went as planned, I'm moving on to the other issues...

Let us all have a nice new season!

When a job goes to EZ, I know I did something wrong.

I'm on board with having a good season!

Carl,

Don't forget that apart from the O ring, another major difficulty in this whole story was to find the correct shop and avoid the rip off. All well when it ends well...

PS. We could have all here chosen an easier life whereby vacations would be in nice hotels, and breakfast would be served in bed. Instead we chose to deal with bolts and nuts, render our hands and clothes all black and greasy, all of it for at least 3 times the cost. We are nuts and we enjoy it!

Yannis

That is too funny. But you spend at least 3 months on the water. That is something most of us in the US don't get to do, unless you are retired.

Yes Tony, I am retired so to speak, because I left my job before I could qualify for retirement.
However, it is also a choice, I know ppl who are retired but fail (or are simply not interested) to take it easy and enjoy life as they could.
My goal is to spend 100 nights per year on the boat. I have always been above 90 and a couple of times just hit 100 in these last 12 years.
After September, even if you still have the willingness to stay, it is too cold and these boats have no insulation or heating. And no room for...blankets!
Besides, by then, October, you suddenly realize you're left alone, schools are open, everybody’s gone, restaurants, nightlife all closed, there is no point in staying any longer.

Yannis wrote: ↑Apr 10th, '24, 22:21 Besides, by then, October, you suddenly realize you're left alone, schools are open, everybody’s gone, restaurants, nightlife all closed, there is no point in staying any longer.

Other than the cold...being left alone sounds nice

Carl, you have too many women at home! LOL !!

Yannis wrote: ↑Apr 11th, '24, 11:53 Carl, you have too many women at home! LOL !!

Now that's funny.

Yannis wrote: ↑Apr 10th, '24, 22:21 After September, even if you still have the willingness to stay, it is too cold and these boats have no insulation or heating.

Add a diesel bunk heater. I have the D2. In fact, I have one in my camper and another on the boat.

https://www.heatso.com/espar-marine-heaters

Thanks Mike.

To tell you the truth, if I had 2-3K to spare on a heater, I would probably spend it on an A/C.
The days an A/C is needed are way more numerous than for a heater.
Besides, there is no room anymore for either of them!
I'll save your suggestion for when I buy that camper!

mike ohlstein wrote: ↑Apr 17th, '24, 07:24 Add a diesel bunk heater. I have the D2. In fact, I have one in my camper and another on the boat.

https://www.heatso.com/espar-marine-heaters

The water stays cold year round up here so the cabin sole can be chilly even with the diesel range fired up. A couple years ago I added 1/2” foam insulation under the cabin sole, under the dinette sole (where our feet live), under the double berth forward and above the cabin overhead. It makes a difference and my wife really appreciates the cozier berth.

Doug,

Down here it's just that the temperature outside is cold, say 15-20 in the day and 10-15 at night, so really during the day, if it doesn't rain (rare) it is OK if you dress warm. That is easy.
It is at night that you need some sort of duvet or heavy fleece blanket, but I have no room to keep 2 duvets and/or two blankets, over and above the summer blankets and all my clothes and stuff for 3 months.
Afterall, it's about time to head home, lay the carpets and start preparations for...Xmas!!

They have those space blankets that look like alum foil that could fit in your pocket….hmm. I might have to get one of those myself. Had a couple frigid nights I wasn’t planning to sleep on boat that one of those blankets would have come in handy. Fishing season so amenities were gone, poles n tackle everywhere.

Carl,

This is supposed to be a vacation, not an army drill, lol!
I’ve done 2 years in the army, thanks...besides, have you tried to turn around in bed in these blankets? It sounds like you're shuffling in a bag of potato chips!

I have not seen, felt or turned around in bed with one of those blankets. I realize it’s not a great idea, I’d wake up hunger…I love potato chips.

Carl,

Potato chips is my tastiest snack. It is also the worst thing to eat health wise. There is nothing on this planet that its less healthy. Smoking is better compared to eating these bastards...

Yannis

Actually, a little electric heater plugged into the 110 or in your case 220. Pointed at the V berth you will be sweating before the night is over.

As for your potato chip problem, make your own. You can cut down on the fat by letting them drain well and then putting them between paper towels to absorb all the left-over oil.

The Chip manufactures that offer reduced fat chips, only do one thing different from the regular chips, the spin the hell out of them to get rid of the excess oil. The taste is not sacrificed because they kill you with the salt.

It's not that simple Tony!

It's not only the fat that would bother me. Most of which I could get rid of with the paper as you propose.

The chips are terribly unhealthy because of the acrylamide they accumulate from the oil they fry in, that rises to high temperatures.
No oil can sustain these temperatures before it becomes deadly, with the exception of one or two oils, like olive oil, that just reduce but not delete the amounts of acrylamide produced.
And all this, provided you fry that oil just once! Now tell me, at € 12 per liter who in the industry will use olive oil? Once?
Even at home, a frying pan's worth of chips will cost you 10 times more than in the supermarket.
Same for fried zucchini which I love too.
Same for everything fried really!

Chips
Tasty and adds to the waisty...

Oils and salt are a concern as is acrylamide s, but if I'm having chips or fries I want them crispy. I'd rather skip having a few times and enjoy once in awhile.

As for smoking being better, if your reason is acrylamide s, tobacco smoke has several times the amount you'll find in fried foods. Luckily I don't smoke so I have that going for me...but I do eat and I want my crispy items crispy, I love a good char on my steaks, go for the corners on a well done Sicilian pie, roasted vegi's when edges brown up.

I guess it all goes with the saying everything in moderation.

I agree. Moderation. Oh boy, Easter is coming !!

Keep in mind though, that the US southeast that fries a lot more than the north, have a life expectancy reduced by a few years from this reason alone...
Next time you are about to grab and devour a crispy steak's corner, keep that in mind!

Yannis wrote: ↑Apr 22nd, '24, 07:48 I agree. Moderation. Oh boy, Easter is coming !!

Keep in mind though, that the US southeast that fries a lot more than the north, have a life expectancy reduced by a few years from this reason alone...
Next time you are about to grab and devour a crispy steak's corner, keep that in mind!

Yannis

You haven't lived until you have been in an early morning business meeting down South, that serves Biscuits and gravy. That sit there for several hours and gels up and then the head of the department walks in and grabs one to eat.

I still haven't gotten over seeing that one.

Biscuits and gravy? What gravy? You mean sweet and salty together?
Like eating ice cream with... sardines?
What else is there for me to learn...

Biscuits as in kind of quick-bread, dinner rolls thing, not like crackers or cookies and not sweet.

The Gravy is a Bechamel / White sauce made with the drippings of the breakfast sausage that's broken up and added.

When its good...it's real good.



Sweet n salty together may be more the Chicken n Waffles...fried chicken over waffles with butter honey or maple syrup, not too bad with sausage gravy either.

For a quick lesson in what it's like to have breakfast in the South, please review the menu from Cast Iron Kitchen, below. This restaurant was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives a couple of years ago. It's down the street from me. I had the Dirty South Biscuit on my last trip there....instant food coma...pretty awesome, but it really takes practice eating this way to function afterwards. I'm a light breakfast person...not in shape for bigtime Southern breakfast! There needs to be a warning label somewhere!!!

https://castiron-kitchen.com/wilmington ... -food-menu

My wife loves it and orders it all the time. Me not so much, I can't stand it. I've never come across biscuits and gravy that I liked.

No matter how good Biscuits and Gravy might be fresh out of the kitchen, after it sits for a couple of hours, and it gels up it is kind of gross and if Yanis is worried about fried food, this will just put him over the top.

Hey, Cam, that's a serious 2000 kcal breakfast there...
I mean, that's a day's worth of calories in one sitting!

Tony, except for cooked fish, I pretty much eat everything, I'm not 110 kg for no reason!

Tony Meola wrote: ↑Apr 25th, '24, 21:27 after it sits for a couple of hours, and it gels up it is kind of gross and if Yanis is worried about fried food, this will just put him over the top.

Lots of gravies setup when cooled, kinda like pudding. Except this is a butter and sausage dripping pudding, kinda doesn't sound so bad now.

We usually call that stuff "A Heart Attack On A Plate". Something to indulge in once in a blue moon, and plan for a nice nap, hopefully not a Dirt Nap.

Yannis wrote: ↑Apr 23rd, '24, 23:49 Biscuits and gravy? What gravy?
What else is there for me to learn...

About the South? Let's see....zydeco?

Heart attack special in my neighborhood is a fried egg with Pork Roll (Taylor Ham). Got to love that Pork Roll.

I purposely try not to keep it in the house. Otherwise, I would eat it every morning.

Doug, Im clueless!!

Yannis, my fault for drifting way off the core topics of Bertrams, food and alcohol.

It’s back country Louisiana music mix of blues, rock n roll and soul with lyrics in a mashup of French, English and dialect. They use drums, guitar, accordion, harmonica and a weird washboard like contraption that hangs from your neck. It’s wonderful music. I did business in the South back in the day and if I called a friend down there on Friday afternoon he’d have Zydeco hollering out in the background. I think I’m gonna put some on right now.

Now, back to Bertrams, food and alcohol.

Doug, you have to be specific.

Also. who classified food, before alcohol, in the Bertram league?


Carl, I re-read our com of a few days back, I lost my sleep!!!lol !!

Yannis,

Zydeco sounds like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa8vyTfugcI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If4fv5t ... Qe&index=7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cn_G75 ... Qe&index=8

When I was young, I thought hard rock, played way way too dang loud, was about the only music I really liked, (Think Ted Nugent) but as I matured I found that I like just about any live music where folks are enjoying themselves.

When you hear Zydeco playing, you can bet folks will be having a very good time.

It’s popular in New Orleans, or as my old Cajun coworkers over there called it “Noo-Wahl Uhns” or “Naaw-lins” I couldn’t hardly understand my colleagues from the Louisiana sites, but they were good folks. Well-schooled in alcohol, food, and sometimes Bertrams.

Ha ha great!

Interesting beat, albeit with whatever sound this scratching apron produces!!
I also enjoyed that Canadian french, unless it was not Canadian, but it surely sounded like it!

DanielM wrote: ↑Apr 27th, '24, 21:36 When I was young, I thought hard rock, played way way too dang loud, was about the only music I really liked, (Think Ted Nugent) but as I matured I found that I like just about any live music where folks are enjoying themselves.

Daniel you’re so very right. Big mistake of my youth is believing I had to pick one favorite kind of music, and hardly tolerate other kinds. Rock preference moved to hard rock, to metal to heavy metal…I had little tolerance for I guess it was disco like stuff. That was till a young lady allowed me to visit her at home with her girl friends. I wasn’t going to push my musical taste of the time. So I listened and slowly after several visits I found I liked some of that music too. I guess musical taste being 180° allowed me open to enjoying everything…well almost. I have an appreciation for talented opra singers…just cannot seem to enjoy it for more then a few minutes.

Rap or Hip Hop has also evolved…or maybe de-volved to something I’m not overly found of anymore…I still give a listen n see. It’s all not bad…. My playlist will have it all, heavy metal, light rock, Sinatra, disco, rap Country n bluegrass toss in some Tony Bennett n Johnny Mathis n Billy Joel n Louis Armstrong…. I guess zydeco is missing. Not for very long though. Lol

DanielM wrote: ↑Apr 27th, '24, 21:36 When you hear Zydeco playing, you can bet folks will be having a very good time.

It’s infectious in a good way, especially in the midst of people enjoying. Add some great food, an adult beverage and it’s hard to sit still.



Hey, what is this post about anyway?..

I've been on a kick lately listening to Mark Knopfler, just got his latest album One Deep River on vinyl today. He puts a bit of the Zydeco in his music.

Yannis, good ear on the Canadian French, I don’t know for sure but I’m guessing that’s kind of what it is. I’m pretty sure the original Cajuns immigrated from Canada to southern Louisiana many years ago.

Carl, sounds like we took the same path. Exclusive hard rocker to liking just about any music. This southern boy even discovered Ol’ blue eyes along the way.

I had a ‘Death before Disco” T shirt in high school, but I wound up doing a fair amount of underage drinking in a small Spanish language bar with friends. The juke box had nothing but Spanish music and 4 Donna Summer tunes. Not speaking a lick of Spanish I got pretty good singing “ohh toot -toot hey beep-beep” lol. God Bless Donna Summer. That, and I wanted to dance with the girls and they weren’t going to dance to what I was listening to. I like all that old stuff now days. As ktm_2000 mentioned, even vinyl is making a comeback, but my turn table has been long gone.

Yes, this thread has meandered a bit. Fortunately, Yannis’s turbo saga turned out well, I’m very glad for him. I guess to bring it back on topic, I bet if Yannis put his turbos back in a box and shook them with rhythm that ‘gling-glong’ would be a pretty solid stand in with those Zydeco bands.

Daniel, Sounds like your a little ahead of me. Donna Summer and Rod Steward are deep in my memory. My family rented a cabin Upstate New York on the Delaware for many summers. Dad and his family rented the cabins since he was a kid.

Anyway- - Radio reception was limited to one AM Station with what seems like two artists and the same handful of songs repeated over and over and over again ALL Summer. Toot toot, awe beep beep and If you want my body and think I'm sexy hold a special place in my heart. Mixed emotions of great memories and Oh...not this song again mashed together. Thinking about it I can see the radio on the fridge, hear the rapids undertone in the background and the smell of that fresh country air. Toot toot r beep beep

So Yannis, when do we hear how the Turbos r running??

Carl,

Im currently facing the solar panel mounting saga...
Also its Easter week and Im contemplating how to fit so much food into such a beaudacious body...LOL

Happy Easter!

Yannis- I have spent many a year perfecting such a skill. I found eat slow, chew well, enjoy and repeat works best. I will not take responsibility for the enlargement of the waistline should you choose to try this well established method. If done well, you're gonna need a bigger boat. LOL

Here are the new 2 x 150w flexible solar panels awaiting for sicaflex to cure.
No more stainless arch, bimini, rigid panels above my head.

The need for shade while riding the boat was a myth.
First of all, all rides are between 30 min and 2-3 hours, not enough time to justify any need for shade (as the breeze up in the flybridge doesn't let you feel hot).
And then, most important, the sun NEVER was above the bimini, it was always at an angle, so really the bimini was not serving its purpose.
I'm eager to see the difference in the ride quality when it's windy...that whole structure was catching the wind and was altering the boat's behavior.




https://www.flickr.com/photos/191620136 ... ed-public/

That is a no nonsense approach, should work well. Maybe a down side is having to orient the bow to the sun for maximum charging through the day.

Having top is nice in high sun, even if just sitting taking views...it does come with a price. The price being cost and it does grab wind. I'm not a fan, but hats work well keeping high sun off a balding scalp...not that I'd know. LOL...ok, maybe a bit more than a little I may know...still not a hat fan.

I would however consider having a canvas cover made for helm as sun will take a toll. Gauges, switches, controls, steering wheel, electronics, cushions all fade and degrade. A towel works too but blows off too ez. To bad you couldn't incorporate a flexible solar panel kinda cover...kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

Carl,

I agree, this was my concern too, the orientation of the boat, but:

In both islands which are my main bases in the summer, where I spend 80%+ of my time, my slips are oriented towards the sun! Lucky? Maybe...

Then, mind you, technology has evolved in the 10+ years when I first installed my old solars. This technology now is efficient even with indirect light. It was in the products’ specs.

Also, these are 300w, the old ones were 260w, so 40w times 8 hours (at least) = 320wh divided by 12v = 30 amps more!

Of course all the above is theory, I hope to be able to verify all this by the end of the season.

Yes, I have an instrument canvas, only now I will be using it too!
I also want to paint in black the white triangular surface between the two panels. Do you think a black spray paint would do?

We cruise early before the wind picks up in the Aegean, so really the sun is never on top of you. But even with the sun, after a couple of weeks we are tanned like monkeys so we are not concerned anymore. Hats? Never heard of them. Its so breezy up there you don't mind the sun really. Now if I ever invite a blonde Scandinavian girl, well, she may have to sit on the engine cushion down below. Usually women prefer the deck because there is no wind and they enjoy looking at the wake...

My painting skills and knowledge are lacking so going to pass on answering that question.

Yup, orientation was the biggest down side I could see mounting panels where you did. The way you have it figured you should be as good or better than before. Nice when technology works in your favor...

Hats, one time in multiple years I found myself needing cover to be in sun all day. Sun was cranking from sun up to sun down, tan didn't get a chance to catch up. So baseball cap went on...why it was even on the boat I'm not sure. Well...most likely cause my wife is smarter then me and packed it.

Yes breezy during the day...similar here for the most part although it seems to really blow by you more. We just get a good late afternoon breeze that often lays down as sun heads off. That is my favorite time to be boating, unless having to make time.