Do not believe what you are told!

[georgetheleo]

you made your bed-now get in there

[ForumAdmin]

Just how did I make my bed?

I had AGM's installed which were then ruined by an electrician who managed to ruin them when left on the hard in Grenada. His work managed to cut off all charging to the batteries. So how could I have avoided that one?

[Mr B.]

Ouch,

[Gringo]

I absolutely hate it when I have to trust my property to someone else to work on or repair. It seems that they always screw it up. Living where we do, I've had to learn all kinds of things I didn't have to know in the USA. I find that in most cases, I am capable of learning whatever it takes to understand a system, be it electrical, plumbing, mechanical, etc. I now do all my own maintenance on the Land Rovers, the house systems, the outboards, the computers, and I know it will be the same with the boat.

I wish I could just hand someone else some money and have them do the same quality of work that I will do, but in so, so many cases when I've trusted it to someone else I've been ripped off at worst, and disappointed at best. La Gringa says I am turning into a grumpy old fart, but I find it next to impossible to find competence in almost anything these days.

It does exist, of course, but those guys who know what they are doing seem to be getting real thin. We've got too many politicians and lawyers, and not nearly enough competent craftsmen.

[Mr B.]

I used to get that when I was working on site,

Some one had been there before me, It was obvious by the way stuff was stacked, or left laying about,

The Tradesman had thrown in the towel because it was beyond them.

The Foreman says to me, The Tradesman said it was beyond their capability and to get Brian in to fix it, Hahahaha

The previous Tradesman had been there a couple of days, I rock up and have it finished in a couple of hours and I am gone again,

They do not teach Tradesmen their trades any more, The mere basics, and thats it,

And a lot of them are just, Fly By Nighters,

another five years and you wont find old school tradesmen left. They will be all retired like I am,

[georgetheleo]

Real craftsmen cant make a living in the USA. Its all been dumbed down and illegal aliens working Gyppo---- the type of man who used to do excellent work always has been forced out of trade work and is doing other things to make a living............very sad the way the USA has deteriorated -all in the lust of greed......... Ive seen all it as a Construction Engineer and Project Manager in Heavy Construction since the early 60s---very glad Im retired and dont have to search for qualified subcontractors anymore!!!!

[Mr B.]

Same here in Oz, Tradesmen driving trucks It pays a hell of a lot more than tradies rates,

Privatisation killed apprentices, Private companys dont employ apprentices,

The Govt here is just waking up to this fact, They have to open schools to teach tradesmen now, hahahahaha

[ForumAdmin]

The government rules, minimum wages, health and safety etc plus the social mobility of the population made it uneconomic for private industry to have apprentices. Private industry used to emily nearly all the apprentices but were forced not to do it by those changing circumstances.

[Bubba]

My dad a house builder and general contractor had me apprentices with all his sub contractors sence I was 10 years old untill I was 18 and out of high school. Then I went thru 3 years of teck school and became a mechanical designer and went on to design simple stuff like nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel and senior eng erectinging turbin generators both hydro and steam. Lots of times I had to lead the college grad eng's by the hand, all they could do well was wright reports.

I agree apprentices over 18 years old should be a part of all work as long as they get paid enough to live and that's way over min wages and kids should start apprentices should start no later than 12 years old.

[georgetheleo]

That is how Germany does it-The worlds mst successful economy, In the USA, except for very large cities like NYC, the construction trades and the Union/Apprenticeship system are long dead--killed by greedy business--and politicians--there hasnt been a white non -Mexican plumber in Texas for 30 years.

[Gringo]

Mommas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.

Dont let them pick guitars or drive them old trucks.

Make em be doctors and lawyers and such.

[Talbot]

.........I think I read somewhere that 110 is harder to kill yourself with than 220.

It is not voltage that kills you, but current. using 110 means that the amount of current needed is double that of the 240v, thus more liable to kill than the 240v version. Neither are toys!

[rgesner]

It is not voltage that kills you, but current. using 110 means that the amount of current needed is double that of the 240v, thus more liable to kill than the 240v version. Neither are toys!

It's the energy that kills you. Volts x Amps = Watts.
15A at 110v = 1650 Watts
7.5A at 220v = 1650 Watts
15A at 220v = 3300 Watts ...

[Mr B.]

No matter how you would like to work it out,

You can only die once, And both will certainly kill you,

Whether its a big zap, or not so big a zap. Your fried,

Try 3 phase power, 440 volts, Your charcoal.

Keep your Pinkys out of it, Its not healthy,

More so, if you add water,

[rickp]

In future I will always check the voltage or maybe just leave it on 220 and rad it on the voltmeter before switching over the transformer.

Been there - had a 220v shorepower socket plugged into a boat that turned out to be wired across phases so was generating 380v. You have to wonder why the voltage meter on the panel were *after* the main breaker - so no ability to read the voltage first before turning on.

Meter and scope on any shorepower I'm not sure about to be certain of voltage and frequency - only way to be sure.

Rick

[BigCat]

Perhaps a few more members will sympathize with my long held conviction that boats should not be wired for shore power, that voltage should be 24, with a step down transformer for 12 volts for anything that can't be gotten in 24 volts, and that power should be obtained from huge 24 volt alternators attached to the propulsion engines, solar power panels, and nowhere else. Oh, and batteries should be lead acid, with water saver caps and built in water filling systems. Don't forget the zap-stops on the alternators.

Well, I might go for one of those little diesels with a big alternator, auxiliary pump, and water maker attached to them, like an Ample Power Genie.

http://www.aquamarineinc.net/aquagen.html
http://www.rivermarine.com/electrical/genie.htm

As some may recall, I also think that the Marconi rig is inherently problematic, and think that sails should be intrinsically self reefing and furling, with no struggles or gimcrack attachments.

[georgetheleo]

You must be in the Chinese Navy.

[georgetheleo]

The government rules, minimum wages, health and safety etc plus the social mobility of the population made it uneconomic for private industry to have apprentices. Private industry used to emily nearly all the apprentices but were forced not to do it by those changing circumstances.

I thought there was no minimum wage in Britian???

[Sand crab]

I was kicking around the idea of having a dedicated plug wired direct to a multimeter. Use the same fitting as your shore power but just a cheapo meter on the end. Or..... you could spend ABOUT $400 on a clamp on tester. These are safer because you don't have to actually become one with the sparks.

[BigCat]

You must be in the Chinese Navy.

I did sail a junk-rigged boat to Hong Kong, but the rig was designed by an Englishman....of course, Hong Kong was under the British flag, then.