CrewWithMe ramblings

We match owners who want to use their vessels more often with keen crew for the day to share the fun and split the costs. We also take a keen interest in boating in general and want to share our thoughts www.CrewWith.me

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ChangeLog

While we have tried to keep users aware of the changes during each release we have been a bit slack about documenting all the minor changes. That will change now as we use this to keep track of the fixes and changes by release.

August 2016 CWme v1.5

Added a map on the front page centred on a users home location showing available crew needed listings.

Added post acceptance communication option for Skippers to contact crew for an uncoming event

Added “block this user” to the incoming PM options

Added a Thumbs up rating for events

Added a “personal recommendation” option to users profile with acceptance option before its published

Removed the troublesome map (and the pesky error messages) from event details

Removed troublesome map (and error messages) from each profile

Fixed a bug that affected PM’s not starting new threads

Added logic to allow private event invitations to be approved without skipper intervention

Added logic where events created by Club admins and noted as Express signin option (eg Twilights or club days) are auto-approved rather than needing their approval for every response.

Added a calender file (*.ics) on crews confirmation

Improved the confirmation emails with better templates and a printable pdf.

Added the ability to widen a crews notification area to include a radius around their selected location (in settings)

Added image resize tool to listing creation / profile pages

Added ability to view/choose from previously used images for skippers creating “crew needed” listings

Added a club admin feature that lets them post a listing on-behalf-of a skipper with detail entered used to create that skippers profile on the fly.

Added Express event features for “club events” such as Twilight racing where no approvals of crew are needed. Reduces manual interaction by skippers or admins.

June 2016 CWme v1.4

Removed duplicates from location database

Updated all locations with GPS co-ordinates, names and suburbs

Improved Dashboard to show unread items

Added the ability to unsubscribe from email alerts (in settings)

fixed a bug to allow crew to send a PM to a skipper from the club page as well as the event wall.

Improved club pages with full width banner image plus club details. Email and club URL both functional when selected.

Improved displayed items shown on detail page

Added pre-defined activity filters to home page and event wall

Fixed bug on emailed alerts

Added delete button to remove experiences from profile

Added pagination to club crew pages

Added multi-select to the calendar for crew availability listings

Added Emergency contact details field to all profiles

Dashboard redesigned to improve readability

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CrewWithme helps Skippers find extra crew so they spend more time on the water.

Here’s how we do it.

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Repairing Roswell board racks

A 10 minute fix for Roswell board rack inserts

Many Wakeboat boats use the Roswell racks on their towers. I was asked to help fix some worn rubber inserts which were causing damage to the board edges where they no longer protected them from the metal of the rack. In the past we had tried a variety of replacement tubing (we couldn't get the OEM rubber easily near us), but none of the fixes worked well enough. This $10 fix looks to be the best I’ve tried yet.

The problem:

The rubber insert in these racks are a hard compound that keeps the board up off the metal rack itself. 

Unfortunately over time, the edge of the board deforms the rubber at the point where it exerts most pressure (where the board rail meets the deepest part of the rack). 

This means the rubber no longer holds the board off the metal and you start to see dings, chips and then board delamination. 

One solution:

While I had tried a few different tubing types , the difficulty was always to find something stiff enough to prevent it crimping where the board edge touched the rubber. I found some clear tubing which would be a perfect fit, then realised that if i could insert a stiffening piece inside the tube at the bend it would keep its shape and last longer. I used some short lengths of electrical wire as the stiffening peice but it could also be wire or smaller tubing to prevent it deforming. The steps below describe how i fixed my racks.

You will need a length of 5/16 diameter PVC or similar tubing (8mm might do at a pinch) for each board position to be fixed. Each fork tine will need 42-45cm (so enough for 1 rack to take 2 boards would be 4 x 45cm = 180cm or 71″. A short length of stiff electrical wire that slides into the PVC, a length of coat-hanger wire to push the electric wire, and some silicon to stick the PVC tubing to the rack.

Using the coat-hanger wire, push the electrical wire into the middle of the length of tubing so that when it is bent this is centered on the curve of the rack.

Make a diagonal slice on the outside edge of the tubing  at each end (so that when bent in half the cut edges will slot into the metal rack channel).

Add a bead of silicone all the way down the tube where it will sit in the slot. then working from one end push the tube into the slot and firmly press it into place for a snug fit.

The electric wire or stiffener should be centered at the bottom of the bend.

Add extra silicone at the ends to hold the cut ends flush and then use tape to keep it in place while the silicone dries.

Once dried test it with your board in case the tubing shifted while drying, then re-install on the boat.

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At the recent Sydney boat show, the CrewWithme team spent time looking for what was new and different. While there were lots of interesting new models from known manufacturers (see our instagram account for pics ), it was the Pavati boats stand that caught our attention. This was for 3 reasons,

As outlined in a recent post on the Mercury V8TDi, Pavati have been exploring the use of Turbo Diesel power in their Towboats,

They make their boats out of Aluminium (or Aluminum depending on what country you’re from).

This was their first year in Australia and 1st at the Sydney boat Show, so they brought out the companies President to meet and greet.

The history of this upstart marine venture was interesting as it has evolved from the families personal connection with watersports but enabled by resources and equipment at their Aluminium engineering business. In this interview we spoke to President Chuck Gros about the boats, their origins and some of their thinking behind creating the industries first all Aluminium wakeboard boats. 

Of all the points he made, the most impactful was about their gravity fed ballast system. Into a boat weighing between 1700 - 1900kg, they can force another 1900kg of water in 90 seconds!! Without pumps they open the rear and direct ballast in while underway. It sounds like controlled sinking ! 

Enjoy the interview

[crewwithme]

Wakeboarding behind a  Diesel?

As wakeboats get bigger and heavier, buyers needing an engine to provide enough torque for towing are being pushed toward the larger displacement models. While this makes for effortless hole-shots, it only increases the cost of a day on the water, and the purchase price. Larger displacement engines increase stock boat weight and use more petrol per hour hitting the owner twice in the hip pocket. This may not be the only choice in the future however as the newly released Mercury V8 diesel might be a pointer to some viable alternatives. 

Based around a VW 4.2L block and fitted with a pair of variable vane turbos (the turbo blades change at speed to maximise the air being pumped into the engine without over-speeding the turbo), this engine punches above what its displacement would indicate.

Diesel engines work at very high compression rates (60-80% higher than most traditional marine engines) and are bolstered by turbos, but typically don’t rev as high as a petrol engine and produce lower peak power. In a water-ski boat this may be a drawback as tournament skiing speeds are 10 to 20mph faster than your typical wakeboarder. Generating these speeds from a low revving engine would need some major changes to prop dimensions and pitch which could create other handling issues at lower speeds. By contrast in a wakeboard boat, the idea is to load the boat up, sit it deep in the water and push up a nice ramp out the back of the boat. That requires less top end speed and more torque to maintain boat speed through turns and against a riders pull. In these situations a low revving high torque engine may make a lot more sense.

The numbers

When you hit the throttle at the start if a run, as a driver your main aim is to get the rider up and the boat on plane quickly, without having to mess with plates, or moving your human ballast around. The key engine number that tells you at a glance how well your boat is going to do this is the Torque value. That’s right the power rating in HP gives only a passing nod to your boats towing strength (power is a multiple of torque and peak rpm). To see this in a different setting think about the difference between a 100hp motorbike (Buell Motorbikes) that offers 84ft/lb  torque by revving to  6800rpm  vs a 100hp tractor (Case Tractor) offering 293lb/ft  at 2300rpm.So if Torque makes the difference (racers like to say "power's for show, torques for go") then it stands to reason you want that torque on tap at low revs as your prop starts to bite. While prop science can help alter the way the available torque is applied behind the boat, it is always going to be better to have a high torque engine in a wakeboat where the tacho will seldom see more that 3500rpm.

That’s what makes this new Mercury engine intriguing because with its twin turbos, this engine pumps out some really big numbers. What’s more impressive than the headline numbers is how big a gap there is between this engine and some more conventional petrol engines at real world revs (2500-3500) where they spend most of their time. The peak torque number shown here for the TDi is about the same as the petrol powered 6.2L supercharged LS3 puts out.

So while the 6.2 Vortec ultimately outguns the Mercury TDi, it never does so in the range most wakeboats operate in, nor before the TDi runs out of revs.

Could it be done?

At the moment the literature for Mercury only shows it being offered with inboard legs, but there are several companies that have been offering inboard towboats with Diesel options already. Mastercraft in the UK had offered boats with VW engines (previously a 3.0), while Pavati offers theirs with a Hyundai 3.0L as an option. The dimensions of the Mercury engine look to be marginally bigger in height and width (about 100 mm or a finger length) but a lot longer, so that may challenge boat builders looking to offer it as an option for an existing range.

The other factor is that diesel engines tend to weigh a lot more due to the thicker castings needed to contain the higher compression ratios (the TDi is ~55% higher than the LS3). In an unloaded wakeboat that may pose a problem as the towed weight rises, but once on the water it will simply form part of the Gross mass of the boat used to form the wake.

If you have ever towed your boat uphill with a modern turbo diesel, you'll know the added benefit that bags of low end torque add, so I’m really excited to see what some of the progressive boat manufacturers will make of this new engine.

The upshot

So more grunt for better holeshots in loaded boats, better fuel economy for longer time on the water between fills, and its still a V8 to boot (so still room for manufacturers to maintain a tuneful exhaust note). What’s not to like for future boats?

Note: The overlay data was prepared from multiple sources with the available data and in some cases data was transcribing from  3rd party sources. While every effort was made to preserve the accuracy of the data, some data points may not be exact however this will not affect the argument made in the article nor the curve trends.

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Scotty Kell from Black Diamond wakeboarding School on Sydney's Hawkesbury River talks about the program.

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G21 Walk through at the 2014 Sydney Boat Show with Nautique Team Rider Kyle Rattray

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Mastercraft NXT walk through with Cory Harris at the Sydney Boat Show

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2014 Sydney Boat Show - Mastercraft NXT

CrewWithMe visited the Mastercraft stand to have a look at their new entry level boat the NXT.

We spoke to Cory Harris about it and he took us through it (twice when we had video problems 1st time)

See the next blog entry for the video walk through

http://www.mastercraft.com/boat/detail/nxt20

Specs

NXT20 SPECS

Boat length 20' 0" / 6.10 M

Interior width *82" / 2.08 M

Weight 3825 Lbs / 1735 Kg

Fuel capacity 44 Gal / 167 L

Draft 27" / .69 M

Capacity 1804 Lbs / 818 Kg

Ballast 875lbs / 400kg

Boat height **121.5” / 3.09 M

Hull Vector Drive

Seating 11 people

Storage 80 Cu ft.

WakeThick - Rampy Wake w/ Crisp Lip

Surf - Powerful Wake Shape Activity Wakeboard - Recreation (18-22 mph)

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G23 Run through with Kyle Rattray

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2014 Sydney Boat Show - Nautique G23

CrewWithMe met up with Kyle Rattray, Nautique team rider, originally from Canada, now based in Florida and winning lots of fans for his classy riding and down to earth character.

We asked him to tell us what was new at Nautique, and he was keen to tell us about the new G23 and G21. Unless you've been under a wakeboarding rock for the last 12 months you'll know these are the bad boys of the range offering oversized everything.

Nautique G23 landing page

Kyle Styling on Vimeo

Length Overall 23' / 7.01 m

Length with Platform 25' 3" / 7.70 m

Lifting Ring Spacing 21' 6.25" / 6.56 m

Beam 102" / 2.59 mDraft 25" / 0.64 m

Approximate Dry Weight* 5,400 lbs / 2,449 kg

Fuel Capacity 65 gal / 246.1 l

Maximum Capacity 16 People / 2,500 lbs / 1,134 kg

Horsepower Range 409HP - 450HP - 550HP

Gear Reduction Ratio 2.0:1(409,450) - 1.48:1(550)

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Moomba Mondo - the interview and footage 

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2014 Sydney Boat Show - Moomba Mondo

CrewWithMe met up with Josh Sanders ex professional Wakeboarder (2005 winner of  the USA Pro Wakeboard Tour and King of Wake Champion) and now director sales at Ride Australia - Supra's Australian operation.

We aked him to tell us what was new at Ride, and he was keen to tell us about the new Moomba Mondo. The key details are below, and the next entry has the video interview;

http://moombaboats.com.au/mondo-2/

Overall Length w/o Platform: 6.25m | 20′ 6″ Overall Length w/ Platform: 6.86m | 22′ 6″ Width (Beam): 2.49m | 98″ Overall Width w/ Trailer: 2.49m | 98″ Draft: 0.64m | 25″ Weight – Boat only: 1,723kg | 3,800 lbs * Weight – Boat & Trailer: 2,300kg | 5,070 lbs * Capacity – Passenger: 13 Capacity – Weight: 907kg | 2,000 lbs Capacity – Fuel: 147L | 39 gals Capacity – Ballast (Standard): 590kg | 1,300 lbs Capacity – Ballast (Optional): NA Engine – Electronic Fuel Injection: 330 HP, V-8

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Marinising trailer brakes

Australian boat users differ from their US counterparts in that more boats in Oz  are used in Salt or Brackish waterways, rather than the lake or river systems that seem to dominate US boating.

That we use our boats in salt water puts additional wear and corrosion on non SS components on boats and trailers. This is compounded by the large number of imported (US manufactured) trailered vessels in the country as often the components are just not suitable for long term use in local waterways. What is the solution? An expensive process of replacement parts and upgrades, because the alternative of breakdowns and rusted components usually occurs at the worst times.

My US made sportboat boat was built in the late 2000's and came on a US made galvanised trailer with disc brakes that had alloy calipers but mild steel rotors and assorted other steel components. After 2 years of use in local waterways, i came back to it after a 2 month Winter layover to find the calipers pistons frozen and rusted in place, rotors swollen onto the pads, and a trailer that couldn't be moved from its storage location.

I looked into replacing the jammed bits, but realised that i would still be faced with ongoing degradation and continuous replacement of parts. Since i wanted to keep the boat and trailer for at least 3 years, i did some research to find a more permanent solution. While you can get Galvanised brakes, they are only good until the 1st application of the brakes when the galvanised surfaces get hot and start to break down, plus when you look into their actual anti-corrosive properties, you'll see that they are rated on a salt water test only for a certain number of hours (~400) which in the real world can probably be halved. The only real solution was brass (http://www.titanbrakes.com.au/Product/19/bronze-rotor-1025-holden-ht) or Stainless Steel. I chose stainless from Kodiak after a friends recommendation. In typical American fashion they came with everything needed (hubs / bearings / seals / brackets / SS bolts / brake grease) and bolted up pretty easily for this average DIY'er. I completed the package by opting to have the local trailer place replace the lines with SS and flexible lines.

The difference in stopping power was amazing - but that's also likely to be because the old rusted ones probably weren't operating effectively for a while before they totally seized. I now felt secure and confident when descending or in traffic and the initial cost was forgotten within a few days. 

So that's it then right - all sorted? ....................  Not quite !

See while the brake components were SS, the hubs and pads weren't, so i have still had some ongoing problem with premature wearing of bearings, and a bad hub where every stud wore a bigger hole in the hub. In the last week i heard a grauntching noise on slowing at the ramp, which is never good. Being a long way from home, i checked the hub temps and as they were cool surmised it was a worn pad or something between the caliper and rotor. Getting home, i pulled the wheel off and found that once again salt water had found a way to cause brake grief - this time it had rusted the brake pad backing to the point that the pad material fell off !  I know this because none of the other pads were worn down. 

Now i was ticked off!! A quick search let me know that while i could replace the pads with a car equivalent from locally, Kodiak now sold a ceramic pad bonded to a SS backing plate.

At ~A$90 per axle (4 pads) they were expensive but not over the top so i slapped down a credit card and will install them over the weekend.I'll be giving the whole system a good dousing with fresh soapy water after each outing, and a quick spray of Lanolin from now on to try to keep it all looking and performing well.

And that should be where my brake problems END for the life of this trailer!

[crewwithme]

Warbird jet turbine sport boat

What I noticed 1st was a small tipper towing a boat trailer inching up to a local ramp on Sydney's Nth beaches, "that's an interesting choice of tow vehicle" I thought. Then the boat on the trailer slowly came into view and got larger and larger until it consumed the ramp prep area and dropped jaws all around it. This twin hulled open cockpit plaything in a dazzling bright paintjob with exhausts like stainless ice buckets just kept moving into the staging area.

The vessel was called Warbird, and was powered by 2 jet engines. Apparently the owner and crew slipped it into the water without much trouble, started it up with a whine, and then idled out toward the open speed zone. As they rounded the corner, they opened the throttles and the last our friends saw was it enveloped in spray.

Intrigued we did some research and found out a whole lot more on the website of the builders Turbine marine. This boat was listed as a 50ft (~15.5M) twin prop, twin engine Nor craft. 

The manufacturers have an amazing amount of detail on their website about the build process and the ex-military turbo jets used. Each one is rated at about 1450hp giving this boat a combined output of about 2150kW !! 

To contain and channel this, the maker notes;

"...we use a custom water-jacketed turbine exhaust fabricated from a special alloy stainless material used in the military that is designed for this application. The exhaust system is kept cool using our own designed, high volume, 24 V electric water pump, being supplied with its electricity from the Turbine’s generator"

"The turbines can run on multiple fuel combinations; Jet A, Kerosene, Diesel, Diesel and unleaded gas ( 75%D 25%G Mix ), or a combination of all fuels mentioned. However Jet A, or Kerosene, are recommended."

"The Turbine generator supplies 24 volts to the start batteries, water pumps, power steering motor and battery chargers and all other 24 V systems on the vessel. We also use 12 V battery banks that are charged with a 24 V to 12 V charging system for the low voltage systems on board; gauges, lights, stereo etc."

"...our own electric over hydraulic power steering system that is powered by the 300Amp Turbine generator. After the Turbine has started, the starter / generator is switched from start mode to charging mode. At this point, it automatically activates the electric power steering system that runs at a constant RPM which in return gives you a smooth, pulsation free operation at any given vessel speed. The steering system is linked to both engines charging system, so whether you are running one or two engines, the system works properly."  (That's a relief when belting along at 100mph)

"We use a custom designed dry-sump hydraulic transmission on our Turbine applications. This combined with our custom designed electric over hydraulic braking system, with environmentally sealed micro switches built-in to the shifting levers, makes for flawless conventional shifting without any buttons or pedals to push"

The scary thing is that this is the "poker run" tune. When in race tune the engines push out an additional 400hp per engine.

If you are the owner or connected to awesome piece of kit, this please get in contact as i would love to complete this article with better pictures and an interview

Full video links here

CrewWithMe

[crewwithme]

DIY boat fixes #2 - overwidth trailers

In Australia the maximum legal width for a vehicle on the road is 2.5M. If your trailer and contents stay under that, you can drive pretty much anywhere at any time. If however your trailer or boat is above that you are governed by different regulations (the legislation and penalties vary by state, but the definitions remain) that put you in the same category as over-width semi-trailers. Those rules mean you need flashing lights, over-width signs, flags and restrict you to certain roads and daytime hours. Ignore this and you run the risk of being fined pretty heavily.

Image c/o NSW RMS Vehicle standards information (Nov 2012 rev 5)

With most Australian registered trailers meeting the guidelines, it falls to the beam of the boat to define whether you are legal or not. Usually there is not much issue as the majority of American sport boats are in the range of 2.50 to 2.60M which is not enough to warrant a 2nd look from the authorities. 

BUT what does attract attention is anything that sticks out and makes it look obviously wider, eg board racks (with boards still in them) or guide poles. My boat was only 2.49M but the guide poles meant that it was 2.8M wide at the top.  I was reluctant to remove them as they were bolted in, and there was no obvious safe place to lay them inside the boat without making a mess – so I left them on.

I changed my tune on a holiday weekend when I knew the transport authorities would be searching for targets and heard about some other boaties being hit with fines – but how to transport the poles??

When I looked at the trailer carefully, it looked like there was a large gap between the bottom of the boat and the trailer support rails that the poles could sit in so long as I could secure them. I unbolted the guide poles and tried it and they did fit snugly.

  Then it remained to work out how to secure the other end of the pole for travel. In the end it was easier than expected. I used an old piece of PVC pressure pipe (40mm OD thick walled), with a 45° angle to form a cup. This just slipped into the original guide pole socket on the trailer. I have drilled a hole in each and threaded a stiff wire to form a support but will likely change them to velcro or leather strap.

The net result is that my trailer is now legal width, and in 30 seconds I can remove or refit the poles at the ramp for launch or retrieval.

Update Aug 2016

These have been in use for the last 18 months and apart from having one bounce out of the trailer over pot holed gravel roads, its been very successful.

Cost: ~$6

Time to make: ~15mins

Available: Hardware or plumbing stores

Cheers

Email: [email protected]

CrewWithMe