So, what have we been doing down the boatyard these past two years? Well, Avy-J is in the water (launched last August) and ready to sail and play with. Here’s most of what we have been doing to turn an tired old classic into a potential ocean greyhound ready for a long trip:
BOW TO STERN ON DECK
- New custom made double bow roller and chainplate – thanks to mark and Mackenzie Welding
- New anchor locker bulkhead in 18mm/36,, mariner play, fully epoxied in place – thanks to Darren, Mainsail Marine
- Anchor locker painted in Danboline, strong point for bitter end
- New anchor locker lid
- New 40m 8mm chain spliced to 40m 14mm octoplait
- New 9Kg Knox anchor
- 15Kg CQR chocked on foredeck
- New midships stanchions (inexplicably missing when we got the boat – new ones fit to toerail)
- New deck glands for mast cables, VHF deck plug renewed
- Liferaft supports treated and woodsealed
- 4-man Ocean Safety liferaft, in service date
- New 4-sheave deck organisers both sides
- Hatch garage top renewed in 12mm Robbins Elite ply
- Walk-on 50W black flat solar panel installed on hatch garage
- Morse control; tension fixed, unit painted
- Engine control panel repaired
- Tiller varnished
- Cockpit cubbyholes painted in white Danboline
- Cockpit cushions
- New steering compass on port side
- Lazarette partitioned to make it useable
- Navik wind vane rebuilt, refurbished, fitted and set up
- New custom made stern chainplate – thanks to John and Norman
- New inflateable danbuoy
- ‘New’ (to us) Yamaha 2 horse 2-stroke outboard
- Emergency boarding ladder on rail
- New flagstaff
HULL
- Rudder professionally repaired – many thanks to Darren of Mainsail Marine
- 2 coats Micron 350 antifoul
- Prop antifouled with Velox
- Prop bolts tightened and locktited
- New sealant all round the underside of the toerail
ENGINE
- New raw water filter added
- New stainless exhaust elbow
- All filters replaced
- Fuel tank repaired and re-plumbed
- All fuel piping replaced – thanks to Iain
- Impellor/belts/filters/anodes all replaced
- Stern gland re-packed and greaser cleaned and refilled
- New seacock on exhaust
- Morse control serviced, new cover for morse contols in quarterberth
- New engine stop cable fitted
ELECTRICS/INSTRUMENTS
- Partial re-wire with new marine tinned cables run internally
- New VHF with built in GPS
- New NASA wind unit
- New Matsutec AIS transponder/GPS flush-mounted in cockpit
- Active aerial splitter for masthead aerial
- CTEK intelligent battery charger in re-organised battery locker
- Battery holddowns
- New engine start battery with new 1-2-both switch
- Shorepower – consumer unit + 2 double sockets
- Voltmeter
- Nav lights rewired and replaced with LED bulbs
MAST/RIGGING
- New NASA wind
- Metz manta VHF whip aerial with new RG8X cable
- New NASA LED tricolour
- New steaming light
- New wiring for lights – 3-core Oceanflex marine tinned cable
- Cable run in new external conduit
- All running rigging cleaned/serviced
- New forestay
- New reefing spectacles on mainsail
- Blocks etc for slab reefing system
GAS
- New gas locker with space for 2 Camping Gaz 907 – thanks to Adam and Darren
- New piping – thanks to John
- Bubble leak tester
- NASA gas alarm
- Neptune 2000 cooker refurbished
BILGES
- New electric bilge pump fitted with auto/manual control
- New discharge seacock for electric pump
- Whale Gusher manual pump – new diaphragm
SALOON/QUARTERBERTHS
- Quarterberths, lockers, gally area repainted in Heirloom White
- New engine cover and slides
- New steps
- Floor repainted, new carpet
- Lockers below port bunk painted in Danboline
- Hinges replaced with wood slot-ins on port side lockers
- Instrument cupboard refurbished
- New custom made curtains
- New cushions
- Headlining painted and refastened with more screws and screw covers
GALLEY
- Neptune 2000 cooker refurbished and re-mounetd more securely
- New gas pipework to cooker
- New woodwork round sink
- Whale gallery tap refurbished
- New sink seacock
HEADS AREA
- New Jabsco twist and lock heads
- New inlet and outlet seacocks
- New heads compartment floor
- Hanging Locker repaired (large section of bulkhead replaced) and relined
- Large shelved locker refurbished, wires hidden, repainted, door catch fixed
- Main door to saloon rehinged, latch to keep it open fitted
- Latch repaired on locker behind heads
- Spotlight bulb replaced with LED
FOREPEAK
- Bulkhead partially replaced on stbd side – thanks to Darren, Mainsail Marine
- Bunk head areas lined
- Bunk foot area lined
- Cove lockers refurbished/repainted
- V-berth infill repaired
- Spotlight bulbs replaced with LEDs
- Bow nav lights rewired
- Custom made bedding/cushions
OTHER EQUIPMENT
- Comprehensive toolkit and spares
- EPIRB
- Emergency VHF aerial
- Boltcroppers
Nick… I am a former MG30 owner, long since moved on but still listening out for MG30 new.
I congratulate you on such a thorough refit. May you have much enjoyment after your labours.
Tony
Thankyou Tony. The ironic thing is, after all that work we have only sailed her about 100 miles so far. We plan to take her across Biscay and head South at the end of the Summer though.
I managed to get in touch with the last owner but one the other day, Robert Shennan. I was delighted when he told me he had replaced the standing rigging just before passing the boat on to the Sea Cadets some seven years ago. So the rigging is almost certainly less than ten years old and has put in less than 100 hours at sea. One less thing to worry about.
(The forestay was replaced anyway by meas it was a bit short with an extension strop which fouled the anchor, and I made new fore and aft chainplates and rebedded the shroud chainplates)