Smile.... for the camera!

First; the stern bilge pump.  This morning Nick suggested to me he would have used a different method to mounted the bilge pump.  The current setup was recommended by Mark and consists of the pump being machine screwed to a piece of steel plate.  This method means the bilge pump is held in place by the weight of the plate rather than being fixed to the hull.  Nick’s method is to bend a right angle in a length of flat steel plate.  The pump is mounted on the foot of the plate and the leg is screwed to the bilge dividing wall.  This method appealed to me so I made the angle bracket and then drilled and threaded the screw holes before giving it two coats of bilge paint.  It will be fitted tomorrow.
Not fitting the bilge pump meant another task could be undertaken.  The bow cameras have now been fitted.

The top camera is wide angle and short range.  It points at the bow area and will be used to judge the distance between the bow and objects/obstacles ahead.  No doubt we will get used to judging the length of Waiouru after we have been using her for a few weeks.
The lower camera has a narrower angle and longer range.  The idea is this will assist with bridge holes on bends and other tight corners.  Of course they will shortly have to be removed for the painters.  The cables will be tidier when the get permanently fitted.

Bit of a “bloke’s gadget” really!
Nick has partially disassembled the 175A alternator on the Beta 43 and modified it by adding two wires for the Sterling PDAR (pro digital advanced regulator).  This voids the warranty on the alternator however the risk of alternator failure are outweighed by the additional output capacity gained from the PDAR.  We have a large domestic battery bank (900AH) and want to ensure the generating capacity is maximised. 
The Smartbank Advanced split charge controller has arrived.  Andy has ordered the version with the second relay so all three battery banks (domestic, starter, bow thruster) can be charged by the Smartbank.  We had a short discussion about the required size of the cables and which battery bank would be No1 (it will be the domestic).  Andy informed me the Beta Marine engineer had told him the 175A alternator would actually produce 200A when cold.  The 2nd alternator has a capacity of 45A which gives a maximum combined output of 245-220A; although I suspect the actual figure may be lower.
The masking tape has also arrived and Darren the painter informs us he will be making a start on Waiouru tomorrow.
Well the spell of sunny weather had to end (wasn’t London luck with the weather for the Olympic Games).  Around 4.00pm it started to get overcast and drizzle set in.  By 5.00pm we were experiencing some reasonably heavy rain so I laced up the front of the tent and we quit work for the day.