I have owned MB for 10 years in July this year.
Soon after I bought her I pulled the engine out, rebuilt it and, with help from a boat mechanic, put it back in. I have removed, overhauled and reinstalled just about every major bit from prop and shaft, rigging, sails to plumbing and electrics and steering systems.
I've done it all at least once so doing it again isn't fun anymore. I just want to use her to go places or just spend time on her.
Kalita is my fourth yacht and I have owned her for just nine months.
She is Australian registered and has already cruised the Pacific with previous owners.
Kalita is a Roberts 31 built in 81/82 with a heavy glass layup and with the addition of a bowsprit and davits overall length is 36ft.
Power comes from a 4 cyl Perkins that is surprisingly economical and she carries 400l of water in two tanks and in excess of 300l of fuel in three tanks.
I seem to have been lucky enough to purchase a boat in top condition and with the exception of replacing the house batteries and normal ongoing maintenance I have so far not had to dig to deeply into my pockets since purchasing her.
Until reaching home a few weeks ago I have lived aboard and cruised Kalita on the east coast since September last year.
She is a very comfortable, dry and surprisingly roomy boat for two but can accommodate up to six overnight. (Heaven forbid).
Being a heavy boat she likes a bit of wind to get her moving but once on the move seems to be able to sustain decent daily runs.
Unlike the modern light boats she doesn't do very well in light winds and a new MPS is planned to help overcome this.
As I am now retired I get to use her at least a couple of times a week and we are planning a months trip to either Cooktown or the Whitsundays in six weeks time.
I have owned Warana for just on 12 months. I have had several wooden fishing boats and one small timber pocket cruiser, a Pickeroon, over the past 20 years.
Warana is the first serious boat at 30 ft, and is in great condition overall with a Perkins 4108. The sails and rigging are about due for replacement so I have spent the year getting used to know her, how she sails etc, and learning,..... replacing old hoses, fan belts, but no major issues. I will be getting a new improved rear oil seal though. My wife and I have had a lot of use with the boat around the bay in this first year, and now it's time to get her out for some maintenance, painting and antifoul. We are also getting a survey done for insurance valuation and to make a list of maintenance and preventative jobs that need to be done to keep her in good shape. These will be prioritized and one or two tackled each year during the haul out. Some areas that will need work are the canvass deck covering will need lifting and all deck fittings removed to check and repair the surrounding timber that fresh water may have deteriorated. I will be re caulking the deck and leaving the canvass off. The cabin sides also need some repair around the port holes where the sugar pine is showing some deterioration. I also need to fix the manual windlass......... my Bro in law decided to show his strength when retrieving the chain and plough anchor and exposed a weakness.......... the lever assembly is no longer attached to the windlass but it looks fixable if i pull it apart. I have been using the danforth which is lighter and on rope. Like Franwick's Kalita, she needs a bit of wind to get her going but with the motor at 1500 revs and sail up in light winds she moves along at 5 knots no problem.
The forwad hatch and cabin hatch need replacing and the cockpit seats and under storage needs a good tidy up. I have some nice slabs of NZ Kauri that i have been hoarding for years that will at last be put to good use :)
Guitz.
I also have a 4108 in Kalita.
Since we have boats of about the same size I was wondering what fuel economy you get from the Perkins. I know there are a lot of variables involved but it's just an interst thing for me.
When I purchased Kalita the seller told me he got 2.5 liters and hour in fuel consumption. I was very skeptical about that but in time I have learned he was correct. In fact, if I am motor sailing I only use 2.2 liters and hour as the motor only needs to be just above idle to motor sail nicely.
Another good thing with a motor like these is that you can push into some pretty decent weather and still maintain a decent speed.
Last week we came back from Magnetic Island straight into wind and rain at around thirty knots and easily managed to maintain five knots boat speed at 1200 revs.
I know were supposed to be "sailors" but having a reliable and capable motor is a nice bonus.
Cheers, Rick.
My fuel economy is around the 2.5/hour at 1500 revs. You are doing better than me into the wind though at 1200 for 5 knots though. My boat is around 6 tons and built of tallowood so on the heavy side for the size. She draws 3.5 meters so is shallow draught. I am interested in comparisons as i thought i would reach the 5 kn mark a bit easier. How heavy is Kalita. I have recently moved some balast forward so the transome doesnt bury quite as much at higher revs and i have noticed i'm getting better speed for the given revs so still fine tuning really and I'm hoping for a bit better performance with new antifoul and a clean bum. She was antifouled 6 months before i bought her and hasn't been out since so i will see how things are after a clean. Then i can decide if need to search for better performance. Anyway, I can get away with having the motor on regularly because Warana is a motor sailer ;)
My 4108 has proved to be a great motor so far, so I will be looking after it to keep things that way. Does your rear oil seal leak. I have found a place in the US for an improved replacement:
www.foleyengines.com/tech-tip-100-perkins-4108-diesel-rear-seal/
I have owned Impulse for just over 12 months she was a bit neglected when I bought her. I have:
replaced standing rigging
replaced halyards
Fitted Furlex 200 furler
raised gooseneck
fitted seldon rod kicker
new boom including single line reefing
new mainsheet system
replaced mainsail
Replaced genoa
stripped back to gel coat and repainted topsides
repainted cabin
replaced all windows
refurbished hatch
replaced half the cockpit floor
Replaced all instruments
Stripped out and replaced most of the wiring
fitted new distribution panel
fitted tiller pilot (raymarine)
Replaced Coursmaster computer and display for hydraulic ram autopilot
fitted new stove
stripped and refinished all external wood work
stripped and refinished the internal woodwork on the starboard side of the cabin
replaced halyard winches with self tailers
new foam for all cushions
My wife still loves me but she gave me a good talking to last week because I have spent every weekend on the boat for the last year!
I still have to:
remove wheel and pedestal and replace with tiller
replace remaning cockpit floor
fit new fuel tank (while the floor is out)
Repair foredeck (where it is affected by rot)
replace all the flexible lines on the engine
install a raw water strainer
install new shaft and bearing
replace propeller with a folding prop
install lazy jacks
install flemming wind vane
remove mast and inspect mast and mast step
and go sailing
Hi Guitz,
Yes, my rear seal leaks a bit but at the moment it isn't a problem big enough to warrant doing anything about. I do oil and filter changes at 100 hrly intervals and she doesn't take any oil in between so the seal must be just weeping. I have a Landrover with a 5 cyl diesel motor and you don't have to change the oil. It just pumps it out the seals as you drive and you add oil when you add fuel. It's a good system, you always have clean oil that way. lol.
Kalita would be at least 5 ton but until I haul out I will not be sure.
Prop and hull shape are probably the biggest differences between the boats and my bottom is still quite clean as the boat has been in almost constant use since I bought her.
Select to expand quoteFranrick said..
I have a Landrover with a 5 cyl diesel motor and you don't have to change the oil. It just pumps it out the seals as you drive and you add oil when you add fuel. It's a good system, you always have clean oil that way. lol.
the Brits are renowned for inventing this genius seal technology!
you also save a lot of money on gym fees when all the power steering fluid leaks out.
Coconino is my 4th boat. I have had her for about 4 years and she went on the market yexterday. She is a stinky of 32 feet, but it is time to get back into sailing.
Select to expand quotefishmonkey said..Franrick said..
I have a Landrover with a 5 cyl diesel motor and you don't have to change the oil. It just pumps it out the seals as you drive and you add oil when you add fuel. It's a good system, you always have clean oil that way. lol.
the Brits are renowned for inventing this genius seal technology!
you also save a lot of money on gym fees when all the power steering fluid leaks out.
Yes,
I had a Triumph Bonneville in the 60's. Had it from new and it leaked from day one.
Had to have a tray under it in the driveway to stop the oil stains.
Jap bikes were starting to come on the Aussie market about then and we marveled that they never leaved oil. The faces of the parts were so accurately machined that they only used a fraction of the gaskets that the Poms and Yanks had on their bikes. Then again, no one bought Yank bikes back then unless they were army surplus.
My past yacht 42 years and 2 months! My previous yacht 9years! And my current yacht 6 months and 10 days! Thank good I'm bad at keeping receipts!
Select to expand quotefishmonkey said..Franrick said..
I have a Landrover with a 5 cyl diesel motor and you don't have to change the oil. It just pumps it out the seals as you drive and you add oil when you add fuel. It's a good system, you always have clean oil that way. lol.
the Brits are renowned for inventing this genius seal technology!
you also save a lot of money on gym fees when all the power steering fluid leaks out.
Ah yes-A good friend of mine had a Discovery and often made mention of it being the most economical vehicle he'd ever owned.
Used to use next to no fuel, mostly due to it spending most of the time on the back of a tilt tray!
Select to expand quoteFranrick said..
I had a Triumph Bonneville in the 60's. Had it from new and it leaked from day one.
Had to have a tray under it in the driveway to stop the oil stains.
It wasn't leaking!!!!
........................................ It was marking its territory.
I convinced myself that that is what my Rover P5B was doing from the steering box ..... till I re-machined the box to take a different kind of seal.
Ah yes-A good friend of mine had a Discovery and often made mention of it being the most economical vehicle he'd ever owned. Used to use next to no fuel, mostly due to it spending most of the time on the back of a tilt tray!
Yeah, Coolrunnings,
I have heard all the Discovery jokes before. Thats why I have two of them.
It's interesting that the people who rubbish them invariably have never had anything to do with them.
I have an older model V8 petrol that is quite decently modified and a much newer model with all the high tech crap and suspension mods etc.
It's good to line up with a bunch of other 4WD's before a day of serious off-roading and listen to everyone put crap on the Disco.
It's so much better when you see them struggling to get through a very soft patch or unable to get traction on a particularly steep hill and then the look on their faces as the Disco just sails through.
Yes, the Disco's do have reliability problems but as long as you know what your doing it will always get you home. I don't know of another everyday 4wd that will give you as much comfort. economy (try 1100 km on a 95 liter tank) and downright serious off roadability as any of the later model Landrovers.
My Disco's done the Kimberlies, Simpson Desert, all of the top end a few times and many notably hard 4WD tranks, including Daniels Point Track in the Wattagans, The CREB, Starkie, Frenchmans, Telegraph tracks and the Maytown Old Coach Road. Never once have I needed outside assistance.
I don't use the Disco as a town car, I have a Jeep for that, prefering to use the Disco for interstate runs and 4WDíng.
I have been 4wd'ing since the late seventies and had a great variety of vehicles and only got into Landrovers about seven years ago. I cant see myself owning anything else in the future.
Select to expand quoteLooseChange said..Franrick said..
I had a Triumph Bonneville in the 60's. Had it from new and it leaked from day one.
Had to have a tray under it in the driveway to stop the oil stains.
It wasn't leaking!!!!
........................................ It was marking its territory.
I convinced myself that that is what my Rover P5B was doing from the steering box ..... till I re-machined the box to take a different kind of seal.
Yeah, The triumphs were great at marking their territory.
I had the engine out of the Disco about 20 months ago to tighten everything up and put some new gaskets in here and there but as soon as you fix one leak another springs up. The main offender was a leak in the transfer case rear seal and once I replaced that it almost all stopped. They are not serious leaks but my misses is fussy about the driveway.
I have put a carport up beside the house now and she is quite happy and the Disco is happily shedding oil. A bit like a bitch on heat. lol.
Second Wind is my seventh yacht. I have gone from 14 ft to 24 ft to 42 ft to 23 ft to 34 ft twice and now to 30 ft.
I have had her for a year and three months and am very happy and content with her. Just need to get a lot more sailing out of her.
'Aria' - as we have decided her new name shall be - is my seventh yacht. She is a Marieholm International Folkboat built circa 1977 and will be my forever boat. Began with a Sabot, then Moth, Sunmaid 20, Cal 34 Mk III, Crowther Eureka 32, inherited my late dad's Triton 721. Purchased Aria - previously known as 'Ripple' and 'Heather II' - about two months ago.
I bought the Folkboat aware that she had some compression damage to the deck in the mast step area. At the price I paid, I wasn't complaining.
My little Folky arrived on the truck with a 'monster mast', however, after much ado, is within (just) limits and fits the boat. I recently found the receipt for the rig which is worth twice what I paid for the boat. I'm still not complaining.
At present, she's having her deck repaired and strengthened by a larrikin shipwright I endured Bass Strait with in January. She will be fantastic when he's finished with her. 
I have owned my B20 for 9 years
Sailed extensively PPB My tracks recorded up till april 2009
Quite a few more added since then and now enjoying cruising further afield
It has been a reliable platform and has some benefits
...........speaking of Landrovers, my son recently purchased an ex army one at Auction. He did his research and so far so good. Reasonable comfort on road, travels at 100k a lot better than I remember the older Landy's and great performance off road. It seams like a great buy for him being in the landscaping business. It has the Isuzu motor so not expecting it to be as "teritorial" as the Perkins!
Select to expand quoteGuitz said..
...........speaking of Landrovers, my son recently purchased an ex army one at Auction. He did his research and so far so good. Reasonable comfort on road, travels at 100k a lot better than I remember the older Landy's and great performance off road. It seams like a great buy for him being in the landscaping business. It has the Isuzu motor so not expecting it to be as "teritorial" as the Perkins!
The ex military Landrovers are usually a pretty good buy.
They get a lot of hard us from time to time (some never go off road) but the army spend well on looking after them and keeping them in good nick.
I have a few friends with ex military Defenders who swear by them.
I have owned Aqua-Fae (I just call her Fae) for the past 2 1/2 years and she is not flash but is a really nice original well mannered old girl
Regards Don
Select to expand quoteFranrick said..fishmonkey said..Franrick said..
I have a Landrover with a 5 cyl diesel motor and you don't have to change the oil. It just pumps it out the seals as you drive and you add oil when you add fuel. It's a good system, you always have clean oil that way. lol.
the Brits are renowned for inventing this genius seal technology!
you also save a lot of money on gym fees when all the power steering fluid leaks out.
Yes,
I had a Triumph Bonneville in the 60's. Had it from new and it leaked from day one.
Had to have a tray under it in the driveway to stop the oil stains.
Jap bikes were starting to come on the Aussie market about then and we marveled that they never leaved oil. The faces of the parts were so accurately machined that they only used a fraction of the gaskets that the Poms and Yanks had on their bikes. Then again, no one bought Yank bikes back then unless they were army surplus.
All my matchless bikes never leaked oil in the 60's every one was dumping them for jap bikes so I have a ball as a 15 year old some with reg and most with number plates did a lot of road miles before I got my license . But I guess a 5 year old on a farm can drive a truck I did sat on a box and steered it down the paddocks while my Dad picked up and loaded the hay 
My 1952 Vincent Rapide never leaked oil the worst thing with that bike was the throttle spring at 110 mph it would slowly back off so you would have to grab another hand full of throttle and squeeze the throttle tight
"
Land rovers you never wash the engines because of the prince of Darkness "Lucas"
My old boat is still being refurbished not quite as far as Andy's has his up to but its on schedule Ive still rigging and sails after winter.
The interior should be roughed out enough to be sailed this coming spring and summer
Select to expand quoteHG02 said..Franrick said..fishmonkey said..Franrick said..
I have a Landrover with a 5 cyl diesel motor and you don't have to change the oil. It just pumps it out the seals as you drive and you add oil when you add fuel. It's a good system, you always have clean oil that way. lol.
the Brits are renowned for inventing this genius seal technology!
you also save a lot of money on gym fees when all the power steering fluid leaks out.
Yes,
I had a Triumph Bonneville in the 60's. Had it from new and it leaked from day one.
Had to have a tray under it in the driveway to stop the oil stains.
Jap bikes were starting to come on the Aussie market about then and we marveled that they never leaved oil. The faces of the parts were so accurately machined that they only used a fraction of the gaskets that the Poms and Yanks had on their bikes. Then again, no one bought Yank bikes back then unless they were army surplus.
All my matchless bikes never leaked oil in the 60's every one was dumping them for jap bikes so I have a ball as a 15 year old some with reg and most with number plates did a lot of road miles before I got my license . But I guess a 5 year old on a farm can drive a truck I did sat on a box and steered it down the paddocks while my Dad picked up and loaded the hay
My 1952 Vincent Rapide never leaked oil the worst thing with that bike was the throttle spring at 110 mph it would slowly back off so you would have to grab another hand full of throttle and squeeze the throttle tight
"
Land rovers you never wash the engines because of the prince of Darkness "Lucas"
My old boat is still being refurbished not quite as far as Andy's has his up to but its on schedule Ive still rigging and sails after winter.
The interior should be roughed out enough to be sailed this coming spring and summer
Actually HG,
You do have to wash the engine, otherwise you can't find the oil filler plug.
As we have moved to other vehicles in our lives. I have owned this 1954 Triumph TR2 since Feb 1976, nearly 40 years. Ramona will remember it from our Navy days.
It marks its territory with high quality oil, and protects it with a low growl. The rear engine seal isn't a seal at all. It is what is called a scroll seal that is meant to leak at low revs/idle. Who thought that was a good idea??
However, the wife and I drove it down to Winton the weekend before last with a few other TRs for the historic race meet. We drove back on the Monday leaving Beechworth at 1245 and arriving home on the north side of Sydney at 1915. Had trouble keeping the speed below 120-25 let alone 110 kph. After cruising at speed for hours it burbled sweetly at 750rpm at the first set of lights in Sydney. This Sunday we will take it to Wollombi for lunch at the old pub there.
How many 2015 cars will be still doing that when they are 61 years old.
I had a few old Brit bikes in the late 60s/very early 70s. Matchless and AJS bikes were almost given away. Wish I had kept at least one.
the bluebird "Aroha" I've had for 18months. love it and learned to sail on her. upgrading just round the corner, but keeping Aroha in Sydney harbour and having another in pittwater. Why not.
My Enfield is 2012. EFI engine. 450km to 13 litres of fuel. had since new, she's now on 60k. doesn't miss a beat and easy to work on. i do all the maintenance.
love that triumph btw. sorry about the photos being sideways. for some reason they've loaded like that
Select to expand quoteFranrick said..
Actually HG,
You do have to wash the engine, otherwise you can't find the oil filler plug.
Ive seen one sitting in a wash bay for over 5 hours to dry outSelect to expand quoteMorningBird said..
I had a few old Brit bikes in the late 60s/very early 70s. Matchless and AJS bikes were almost given away. Wish I had kept at least one.
I never paid more than $50 for my old Matchies. I once pass my school teacher while riding it to a inter school sports day. Those days you could ride for hundreds of miles in the country
The only British sports car I owned was a 1968 MGB with the electric over drive loved her . Brakes wish she had some
