stubaz

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I'd say he was ex RN transferred to the Canadian Navy. At a guess. Nice Keepsake and treated with obvious respect. Don't ever sell it no matter how broke you get. It's worth more than money anyway.

I was a Naval Cadet in the UK for 4 years and left as a junior Petty Officer. Then came to Australia and joined the RAN and lasted only 8 years before I was sick of waiting for promotion. I was the youngest Leading Seamen to be promoted. I made the minimum age by 1 day and there I stayed after doing all my exams and passing top of the class and my Power Of Command etc all passed but because my department was over compliment I couldn't get a promotion unless someone died or retired. There was no sign of that happening and so I put in 12 months notice and left. Honourable discharge. I have a nice collection of medals to show for it and many feet of insides and spine not to show for it. I'm on a lousy 80% pension but lucky enough to have a Gold Card which gives me free medical for the rest of my life no matter the problem. The Navy bought me  a few "gifts" like a special electric armchair and a walking trolley and chair for the shower plus a nurse visits 3 times a week but that's it. My fantastic life in the Navy. I didn't get quite as far as your Father In Law though but I reckon I've got plenty of stories to tell.

Kind regards  Stu

stubaz

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My new Baby.

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stubaz

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rcguy1411

glad to see you got her in one pice looks verry nice hope you have a blast with her i hope to get out for the last run of our season befor the water hets hard hear as we are having some nice weather for Oct in Canada

noahdear

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Now there's a proud owner

stubaz

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G'day Noah,

You're right mate. A very proud owner. Believe it or not even my wife is proud of it. I've heard her on the phone telling her friends how great it looks. She doesn't care if it only does 5mph but she just says it's beautiful. My wife usually calls my stuff "JUNK" Even my deep Vee electric home made is grwing on her. She likes the color
It was an old hull collecting dust in my mates shed and he'd used it to test his paint gun on. It was a mess plus had no cowling. So with a good rub down and respray a few times and some gear fitted plus two pieces of perspex and silicone. I ended up with an extremely watertight boat but a bugger to change the batteries in. The blue bit on the transom is just tape protecting fingers from being cut on the turn trim. I still have to fit another water pickup on the transom and the ESC, receiver and antenna. and another one hits the growing flotilla. The other one is a brand new boat which was advertised as a GAS engine but turned out to be Nitro. It's never been run or even been wet. I'm not keen on nitro so I'm taking a loss and selling her for $250 complete with brand new radio gear. All it needs is fuel. It's a lot less than I paid for it. But do you think it's a fair price? Sorry they came out the wrong way around The one for sale is now the first one???

I did get another one but I'm rather ashamed to even take it's picture. It's a baby shovel nose. Fully rigged but I saw the photo of the hull on the site I frequent in China. They had hulls where the paint had run or varied. They were reduced to only $21 so I ordered one. The boss saw my order and told the worker to exchange the one I wanted for the same thing but this one was perfect except they had used it for a video demo and painted it and stuck a couple of Skull type stickers on it. So it turned up with all the gear for only $45.00 But pictures don't tell the truth and it's about 3 times smaller than I thought. It goes like mad on the video but I'm not game to let any of the boys see it. I'd be laughed off the lake. So I'll sneek up there one day and try it alone       Stu

apache 1

Hey Stu, did you get your new cat in the water yet this week end. It looks great, think you did ok on that one. Can you see what I mean now about limited space for a clutch?
You were way off on guessing my father inlaws' navy, but by all means try again. There are only so many countries with subs lol.
Just wondering if your house smells like turkey right now. Mine does, makin me hungry!!!!!

stubaz

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Well there's always the U Boats, I don't think it's the Swiss Navy or Irish (the Irish subs didn't last long, they kept leaving the windows open.)

 Can't get any boats on the lake since the day I got the Segad. It's completely covered in duck weed and nothing but a rowboat would survive on it due to it clogging the water cooling. Just my luck. If the council want to they could leave it there for months as the only way to get rid of it is spray  and they are the only people allowed to use the spray.

I see what you mean about the clutch, far too much work to put one in. I don't think they're needed really it's just a know it all who advised it.and he has one. What's with the turkey anyway, it isn't Christmas and I reckon they are too tough. I prefer chicken. :-)

 I just had a phonecall to go to the Lake tomorrow. Supposedly the wind is holding the weed on the other side of the lake. So the next comment was "me and me mate want a go to see how bad it is. I told him straight out he wasn't getting the controls because he made some comment about if it's too good he'll pile it into the lake wall. He then changed his tune and said we just want to help you get it running. When I mentioned fuel he said he would supply it as he runs 40 to one. He reckoned new motors must have that. He then said his runs 30 to one because it's much older. But he's only taking one can to the lake. So I haven't a clue if I'm getting 40 or 30 to one and after all his humerous (supposedly) remarks I'm hoping he isn't out to keep me off the lake as he wanted.
He also mentioned he would refuse to put his boat on the lake whilst mine is on it if it's faster than his. I asked why and his answer "It's a waste of time if you're going to win all the time" He also mentioned tuniing it in which would be a good opportunity to detune it to make me look silly. I'm stuffed, him and his mate are the only two in town who know about Zenoahs and if I snub him I'm on my own but I don't want to upset him because I may need his help. I honestly don't know if I should even go. I mentioned the gap setting on the brand new spark plug and the comment was " just put it in it'll be right" do they come preset? I don't know and I don't think I could find my gap setter after so many years. If I plead sickness which I am anyway, I may not get the chance again and going it alone I couldn't manage. Stuffed if I know.

Stu

apache 1

Its thanksgiving Stu.
Go boating with your mates. Otherwise you'll be known as the stick in the mud with the nice boat. I'd just suggest mixing up your own batch of fuel though if possible.
Sometimes if you want something done right, best do it yourself.

stubaz

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I never even thought of getting a fuel container. We have a law that you can't use plastic bottles for fuel. That's what is in my boat and also in every lawn mower. But you can't buy it in plastic so you use a tin can and after 2 years it drops rust in the fuel. And we live in the clever country?

I didn't know the Canadians had Thanksgiving I thought that was over the border which I stood on once. I didn't have a US visa so the Canadian customs man let stand with one foot in the US and one in Canada. That way they could only arrest half of me. Luckily I dress left and i was standing with my left side in Canada.. Love the Horseshoe falls by the way. Got a great shot of the falls. Me in a chopper above another chopper above the falls. Trouble is I had a new camera and shot everything in slides. Decent slide scanners for computers are worth a packet. And at the moment every penny is going on boats.

That reminds me, I travelled the Canadian Highway into Ontario on the last day of a long weekend and got caught in a 40 mile traffic jam. Two cars collided then 3 collided bylooking at the first two and I think about 15 ended up involved. I had a great time. I called on the CB and a bunch of guys waked back through the traffic lineup and we made a cuppa and had a chat in the mobile home. I was even requested to move onto the hard shoulder to stop idiots going up the inside and then pushing in when the road came to a bridge or creek. Best 40 mile traffic jam I'd ever been in. When we got going the guys ran for their own Winnebago and drove me to the highway to the border bypassing the City and saving hours. They even took me into a special station and showed me how to clean the tanks of the mobile home. I even got a special award from a trailer park where I stayed for 4 days near the Falls. I emptied my riubbish bin every morning and was told it wasn't my job to do it. When I left I was presented with a golden campers award. I collected badges right across Canada and my sister sewed them all on the official Canadian Honda team's jacket which I was also presented with. I still have it somewhere but it's way too small now.

Gotta go I'm rambling (drugs)    C'ya Stu

noahdear

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You actually can buy plastic fuel containers from most garages and car accessory shops like Supercheap. Look for the red ones with the black caps or the black ones with the yellow caps. They pass the Australian Standards for fuel storage. Also get a 100ml plastic measuring cup wen you get the petrol container and use it to measure out the right amount of oil. It should be 50ml to a litre for 20:1.

You'll need a hand pump or a electric fuel pump as well. The electric ones are 12v and work well from a SLA battery.

stubaz

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Gee thanks Noah I honestly thought plastic was out. We have a car supplies place which should have them I'll ask my nurse to grab me one tomorrow. I've got a hand pump I ordered weeks ago so it should be here in a few days.
Today was the big day and my two mates were coming to take me to the lake and in getting the boat ready I dropped a bolt and it went behind the electrics box. I up ended the boat and my wife screamed. She pointed out a bloody gash in the back edge of the boat. It had been badly dinged during transit. My wife was in tears, believe it or not she loves it. I was furious and we had to call the grand launching off. My mate taught me how to fix it and it's now curing and tomorrow I'll get a baby pot of blue paint for cover it and a piece of wet and dry. I've already trimmed it with a hobby knife so it should be OK soon. It sort of took the gloss of the whole affair though. I know it will get dinged and dented over the years but I wasn't planning on quite so soon. I know it was nothing I did because it was in a big box wrapped in bubble wrap and on the floor I pulled the boat and my wife pulled the box and she just slid straight out. It stayed on the floor until we took the nect 30 minutes getting the bubble wrap off and then put it all back in the box and put it in front of the bar and carefully placed the boat on it's stand on the box. So there was no chance of us marking it let alone gash it.

Anyway I had the electric Surge Crusher so we gave her a launch for the first time. I overheard my mates thinking I was too preoccupied to hear them whisper Holy S*** it bloody moves. And move she does. It flies, much faster than their bog standard Zenoahs. I only went to about 2/.3rds speed and she started porpoising. My fault I had larger batteries too far back so a little adjustment next time and they reckon a minimum of 85kph. I couldn't believe it even at half speed it was as smooth as silk. Cornered perfectly and made a terrific gurgling noise when I bought her in. The prop shaft was letting a fair amount of water in though even though it was well greased. I can't think of anywhere else it could get in. I checked all the cooling hoses but couldn't see any leakage there so I think the prop shaft was the only place it could come from. I had the canopy nicely sealed so what tricks are there to stop water coming up the shaft? There was about half a cup full after only 15 minutes. The water eject was working well I could see a nice stream of water leaving the nozzle. One thing I did notice was the stern sat rather low in the water but I can't see how that would leak.

Never mind it lasted for a full twin battery charge and the speed was worth it. I honestly think it shocked the petrol boys. Strange that the day I got the Segad suddenly two hulls were being layed. I was also told in no short terms that if my boat was faster than theirs they wouldn't put their boats on the lake because they didn't want to race a boat they knew they couldn't beat. That's why they don't want anyone on the lake with a Zenoah unless it's slower or identical to theirs. I shut him up with a very fast comeback of "Well you'll just have to make your boat faster to compete won't you" He didn't like it one bit. God, I wish there were a couple of blokes with some adventure in them in town. By buying a better boat I've limited myself to one man racing. Oh Well, that's life.

Stu

stubaz

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Look what I found just before it's launching ceremony. Done during transit but no way to claim insurance. I'm DISGUSTED AGIN'  This was on the side closest to the bar and of course we never saw it until I was getting it ready to take to the lake. Needless to say I never launched her. We couldn't have done it whilst unwrapping all the bubblewrap because I used blunt nosed scissors and my wife removed the tape. We've been through the box and all the packing and there was no sign of it. I 100% believe the guy who sent it didn't do it, he was as upset about it as me. But my mate is a fiberglasser and he mixed an epoxy paste and plugged it all. I've trimmed it excess off with a hobby knife and when it's gone right off I will lightly sand it and buy some baby pots of paint. Luckily it's not very visible right way up and it's in a place which is above the waterline. Still makes me mad though. Sort of takes the gloss off owning your first real boat.

apache 1

Hi Stu. I wouldn't fret over that ding in your boat. I've seen worse on new ones straight out of the original box from that particular manufacturer and others. It wont cause it to sink and you will be banging it up soon enough anyway.
On that note, have you had it in yet? Is it fast enough for you? How well does it turn at speed? Also how do you like like launching big boats? That "know it all" who suggested a clutch had a point. I know I like haveing one on my big gas boats.
By the way, you're still way off on guessing my father inlaws' navy.

noahdear

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What it looks like to me is a manufacturing fault. If it had been broken during transit it was have bits of course, sharp fibreglass everywhere. But that is a clean gash because you can see bare cloth that has no resin on it. I reckon you've been ripped off.