tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-143295542025-07-23T00:36:19.772+12:00Sailing has been my hobby for 35 years. In the warm waters of Malaysia, I usually started sailing (in a small dinghy) by doing a capsize drill and finished with another capsize drill. I moved to New Zealand in 1995. Here, I found that the water is freezingly cold. So, I use a larger boat. Large trailer yachts cannot capsize but they cannot plane either. However, they are excellent for cruising and for exploring the many fresh water lakes near Rotorua and Taupo.David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-87723605220014346552017-07-01T15:36:00.000+12:002017-07-25T19:49:18.371+12:00

Some one once said that a boat is like a hole in the ocean; into it you throw all your spare cash. I am trying to keep track of all the new stuff I buy for this old boat. The cost of all new items added to an old boat is not recoverable when you sell the boat later. Magnum 21 1. Jockey wheel The original jockey wheel that came with the boat was old but still working well. I

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-79752682320434221602017-06-30T12:04:00.000+12:002018-02-09T23:06:40.458+13:00

Today (25th November 2016) is the day. I am going to launch the boat at Lake Ngaroto for the first time to find out whether everything is working: centerboard, rudder, sails, all running rigs and to check the integrity of the hull (leaks if any). After the welder and electrician have finished with the boat trailer I went for the WOF the second time and passed! I put back the mast and

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-1012101522700083032017-06-29T10:10:00.000+12:002017-09-18T15:28:20.956+12:00

My first submission for Warrant of Fitness failed for 2 reasons: 1. rust corrosion on the trailer. 2. the light board was too narrow. For welding the trailer, I need to remove the boat somehow and then send the empty trailer to the workshop. I removed the mast, rudder and outboard engine, storing them temporarily behind the house. There are ways for moving heavy engines without much

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-35344461877684990782017-06-28T21:17:00.000+12:002017-07-25T12:51:51.510+12:00

Before I launched the boat on water, I did a test rig-up, on my front lawn, of the mast, sails and rudder just to make sure that everything is there. I stepped the rudder and checked all the control lines on it. Next I raised the jib. Then I raised the main, checked the boom, halyard, outhaul, kicking strap and reefing lines. I have oredi checked the main sheet blocks when I used it

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-2379287788958927532017-06-26T18:51:00.000+12:002017-08-04T15:29:42.197+12:00

I spent a whole day working on the mast, re-installing all the standing and running rigging lines. It was like a big jigsaw puzzle. The trailer painting was completed yesterday, with undercoat and top coat bought from Bunnings. The painting job took me a week because I have to lay down on my back, under the trailer to do the under side. I suspect that I may have missed painting a few awkward

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-74803429417384934312016-11-05T18:36:00.000+13:002017-07-25T11:36:17.333+12:00

I decided to try to get the WOF for the trailer; so I started painting it and replacing the jockey wheel which did not have enough height to drain the water out of the cockpit. I have a heavy duty trolley jack which became very useful when I replaced the jockey wheel. The undercoat completed. The Yamaha 8 hp outboard engine started on the first pull! It

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-64152291957883477962016-11-01T15:40:00.000+13:002017-08-13T13:26:09.793+12:00

Moustique, my new boat is a Magnum 21. It has a similar layout to my previous boat, a Noelex 22. The sails, mast, centerboard and rudder set up are all very similar. One minus point is the outboard engine which is hanging from the transom. Plus point is the head in the fore cabin. All the running and standing lines for the mast have been removed and stored inside the fore cabin by the previous

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-45082365576728253042016-10-30T15:08:00.000+13:002017-08-28T19:04:09.888+12:00

Lake Taupo I drove all the way to Lake Taupo to pick up the boat, a Magnum 21 trailer yacht. It was advertised on Trademe. I followed the same route I took when coming back from Wellington last month. Putaruru Lake Arapuni Hamilton Home

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-5782537927827982872016-06-20T14:41:00.000+12:002017-09-18T15:58:22.499+12:00

As a single hander, the Hobie 16 was too much boat for me; so I decided to buy a Laser. I sailed it at Lake Ngaroto but mostly at Hamilton lake near my house. The water is still too cold for capsize drills. So I wore a wet suit. For a few months I had two sailing dinghies on my front lawn, a Hobie 16 and a Laser. Then I decided to sell the Hobie cat. There seems to be a lot of

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-42601607549594389332016-05-15T06:41:00.000+12:002017-08-30T11:16:27.248+12:00

Hobie cat I sold the Noelex 22 in April 2015. In May, I bought a Hobie 16 which has been on my bucket list for 35 years. I first saw this boat in the early 80's; wanted it but could not afford it at that time. The owner Chris Knight advertised it in the Salam for MYR13,000. He was the MD of SSB. I was a lowly COE working in the Production department. COE's and other coolies were not eligible

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-26670054169843905912005-08-05T20:15:00.000+12:002017-08-24T14:39:35.540+12:00

This photo was taken soon after I landed in Sydney in 1966. On that Qantas flight the passengers were mostly Colombo Plan students. 1966 I climbed the Sydney bridge with a friend in 1968. We saw many things from up there.There was the Opera House nearing completion, a hydrofoil coming from Manly to Circular Quays... 1968 ...and most important of all, a yacht with full spinnaker,

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-1120885203361555882005-08-01T15:11:00.018+12:002017-07-02T19:15:28.103+12:00

My very first sail boat in 1979 was nothing much but a piece of plank with a sail on it. It was a Sunfish. There was a centre board, rudder, a mast and one sail. It was even too small to be called a dinghy. The hull was made of fibre glass and it was small, meant for one person only. I first launched the Sunfish in the river near the Lutong bridge. It was a mistake as I knew next to nothing

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-1120886573415975032005-07-30T15:10:00.000+12:002017-07-08T14:57:13.646+12:00

The next sail boat I bought in 1980 was an Optimist from Peter Hammer for 1000 ringgit. He was overjoyed to have found a sucker buyer at last! That lousy pakeha (expatriate) did not tell me that the boat was suitable for kids only! It was very slow; but it cannot capsize because it was as wide as it was long and had three flotation chambers built into the plastic hull under the seats. Even

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-1120886738381192692005-07-25T15:09:00.000+12:002017-07-08T14:58:50.041+12:00

The Seahopper was built by Yamaha in Japan to similar dimensions as the Laser. It actually looked very much like a Laser. It cost me 2000 ringgit; but it was worth every cent because this sail boat some times forgot that it had no engine! At about 15 knot cross wind, it would plane and consequently, the speed would increase suddenly with most of the hull out of the water, behaving like a speed

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-1120887576264992412005-07-20T15:08:00.000+12:002017-09-18T16:00:40.218+12:00

The Panaga boat club was buying a whole new fleet of 470’s and they were selling their old boats in 1985 by auction. I entered a bid for 3 boats and was successful! All in all, including trucking, the 470’s cost me 2000 ringgit, a very reasonable price indeed. A Pujut friend, Chin Luk Choi bought one hull for 400 ringgit for conversion to a fishing boat and that took care of the

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-1120887792601777222005-07-15T15:07:00.000+12:002017-07-08T15:00:25.935+12:00

My most worthwhile purchase was a Laser dinghy for 650 ringgit! The expatriate owner came from Oman and he packed this dinghy inside his 20 ft. container together with all his furniture. On arrival he discovered Piasau boat club which has 14 brand new Lasers and six 470’s! All of them were available for his use, as he was entitled to free memberships to all the three expats social clubs! I was

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-1120887948759929382005-07-10T15:06:00.000+12:002017-07-08T15:00:51.232+12:00

The first boat I bought in New Zealand was a 19 ft. trailer yacht, a Kestrel. I drove to Raglan to see the boat. The owner had the sails all rigged up waiting for me to inspect the boat. I walked around the boat twice and informed him that I would buy it for 2.8K if he would throw in the 2hp Yamaha! All I was interested in, at the time was whether the hull was sound and water tight. I did not

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-1120895775541063822005-07-05T15:05:00.000+12:002017-07-09T13:19:10.229+12:00

This is the ideal one man boat for all the lakes in the north island. At 22 ft., it has a cabin large enough for a small family and therefore is very spacious for a single hander. It is like a floating caravan, completely self contained with a small galley and a porta loo. I have used it to explore lake Rotorua, Rotoiti, Tarawera and parts of Taupo near Kinloch. Each trip, I stay one or two

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14329554.post-73142470827951775022005-06-30T15:11:00.000+12:002017-07-29T14:36:46.077+12:00

Because I am a single hander, sailing mostly alone, it was difficult for me to take photos of myself on my boat. Here are a few rare photos: This photo was taken by Ross Wrenn Usually when there is not enough wind for sailing, I played my flute. There is just enough room for three people on a Noelex 22. This photo was taken by Alex Chow at Lake Tarawera. At 10 knots wind, the

David Chinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185379046787204351noreply@blogger.com2