Spare parts

This page will start off very short, but I will add to it over time.

I have just ordered the first bit of new equipment to be delivered to the boat. It is a new shower sump pump.
The boat has two heads that are fitted with sinks and showers, but the shower drains are designed to run straight into the bilge. I am not a fan of any water in the bilge let alone smelly shower water and all the gunk that goes with it. So high on the priority list is to install a shower sump into the forward shower.
After a lot of research and study of reviews, I have gone for a sump by Attwood.

I will post more on this page about the spares I like to carry, and when I get around to installing the sump pump, I will do a separate post on it.



The next order has been placed for gear to arrive ready to be installed once we get the boat home.


The Adriatic can be very hot in summer. We try to live by the KISS method (keep it simple stupid) so are not keen in installing A/C.
Our first world trip was aboard a square rigger which also did not have a/c. these little fans are the bomb! It's amazing how powerful they are, simple to install and effective at keeping one cool on those hot summer nights!

Job List

We are in the process of setting out a job list by priority that we will undertake when we finally get the boat back home.
I run a fairly swanky marina, so if I am to have the boat in the marina, I need to make sure she is looking good. This means that the bright-work and varnish will have to come to the top of the list. Thankfully the previous owner stripped all the varnish, leaving bare teak which has been covered ever since, which means it wont be too difficult to prep it. The exception is the transom which is solid teak covered in peeling varnish....more work will be involved here to prep it. We are also thinking that we should paint it rather than varnish it. It will give the boat overall cleaner lines and will require much less maintenance moving forwards.

Anyway, more on the varnish as and when we get started on it.

So the general list so far in order of priority...

• Sort out the transom and varnish the aft companionway hatch (boats are berthed stern to in the marina so this is ascetically important)
• Install a shower sump in the forward shower to stop the shower from draining into the bilge
• Lengthen the aft bunks from 174cm to 190cm. This is the only major job that I want to get done before we start really using the boat over the summer.
• Polish the hull and superstructure paintwork
• Continue with the rest of the varnish

There will be loads more, but we need the boat for a while so that we can decide on what to do when.

Pre-Delivery job list

Although NS is generally in great working condition thanks to the previous owners investment and care, like any boat there is always a big list of jobs to be done.

In preparations for the delivery south that we will undertake in a couple of months when the weather improves (right now it is blowing 30 knots from the north and 3 degrees) I will have the boat yard where NS is currently located sort out a few of the more important jobs for us.

First on the list are the port cutlass bearings.

A good friend of mine is a marine engineer with 30 years experience. He accompanied me on the survey of the boat and noticed that the port cutlass bearings are in need of replacement. The starboard bearings were replaced by the previous owner as confirmed by the boat yard mechanic, but the port set were not.
This is a job that needs to be done while she is out of the water and involves the shaft being decoupled from the engine then slid out of the stern gland and removed from the boat. The bearings can then be replaced and everything put back together. The prop will also need to come off to allow the shaft to move aft past the rudder.

While this is happening I will have the props polished. The hull can be generally sanded and filled where needed under the waterline, ready for a few coats of anti-fouling just prior to her going back in the water.

The other jobs on the list are

• new starter and house batteries
• re-gas the fridge
• top up the hydraulic oil for the steering
• get the back up bilge pump working again
• service the domestic supply water pump
• new anodes 

I will also order a bunch of spares to carry aboard which will include

• Both Engine and generator filters, belts, impellers and anodes
• spare engine oil
• Spare nav' light bulbs
• hose clamps
• trusty role of heavy duty duct tape
• tools etc

These preparations should be enough to get us home, after which the list of jobs will end up long enough to trail back over the 330nm miles we will have sailed to get her here!

The decision to buy a motor yacht!

After having spent nearly 15 years together, on and around sailboats, my wife and I have finally decided to buy our first motor yacht. A 1980 Marine Trader 34 DC trawler.

The decision came about after the birth of our second daughter 5 months ago. Our current boat is a 31 foot racer cruiser, which has been a wonderful addition to our lives for 3 years. But we realize with two small kids (our other daughter is 3 in a couple of months) we needed a change. We didn't necessarily need more space, although having an apartment the on water is a nice change, it is more about safety and practicality. 

We are lucky enough to be ex-pats living in Montenegro. We have an amazing extended cruising ground at our door step and/or loads of wonderful anchorages just minutes away from the marina for that afternoon or weekend trip. Whilst we sail when we can, the mix of little summer time wind, the need for an awning over the boom to protect us and the kids from the hot Mediterranean summer sun, and those little exploring fingers needing a constant attentive eye on them to be sure they don't release a jib sheet potentially causing nasty injuries, has drawn us to the conclusion that at this point in life we need to hang up the winch handle and get a boat fitted with a couple of iron topsails!

There, I said it! :)

So now that all that is out of the way and off my sailors chest, we can move on...

After an extensive search for a suitable motor yacht, I knew that there was no way I could go from sail (by the way, we sailed round the world on tall ships a couple of times) to a white plastic Nike Air on steroids. Hence the decision to look for a trawler yacht. Completely by accident I stumbled across a Marine Trader only a few hundred Nautical Miles from us.

After an extensive survey, our offer was accepted and we are now in the final throws of change of ownership, after which I will head up to Italy with a couple of experienced friends for the 48 hour delivery back home.

The boat is in really good condition for a 32 year old lady, but is in need of quite a bit of cosmetic work, which is the main reason I wanted to start this blog.

During the search for a suitable boat, I stumbled across another MT34DC blog 'The Trawler Beach House'.  http://trawler-beach-house.blogspot.com/

After hours reading all their post, I had a better general idea of the boat that I was interested in purchasing and what I may come up against in the future, than if I had already owned her for months!

I feel a blog of my own will not only keep me motivated and accountable as I progress though the job list, but may also help others just as I was helped by Chuck and Susan's blog.

This is my first ever blog, but hopefully not the last.

Finally, here are a couple of shots of the new boat.