Louis Derry

Looks like a great addition to the engine gauges. There is nothing nicer than identifying an overheating problem early before the engine high cooling water temperature alarm sounds an alert. Seawater cooling system failures are a common problem, and changing an impeller or unclogging the strainer is never a fun job at sea when the engine is super hot.

This is interesting, I’m wondering if it can be used under compression points on a sailboat like the mast? Otherwise I don’t see it being a bad alternative, what was the ball park price point? I bought balsa for my recoring project.

One major problem with all composting toilets, and especially the simploo is their height. Obvious, as there has to be a large container to hold the waste. But many small boats cannot fit them as the heads compartment lacks headroom. Its a bit of a stretch to use our Simploo as it was fitted on the old seatoilet plinth. So bear that in mind and…[Read more]

I too have had a Simploo for nearly 2 years. I LOVE it! Easy to use, easy to clean. I double bag and bin and use wood shavings from a carpenter mate as cover. It’s cheaper than all the other compost loos (unless you make your own). I don’t see the point of the lid thing for the poo box so Ive chucked that – it prevents the fan from access to the…[Read more]

I got one in my boat. I know, i know, i know… it would take me a years worth of defication to equal the spew of one whales wet fart… but its fun filling that thing up with a years worth of excrement, and all that extra weight stops it from sliding and sloshing about while at sea… ciddling up with defication while out at sea has kept me warm…[Read more]

we started with peat moss but now use compressed pine pellets (cat or, better, horse litter, but not clay based cat litter) as that seems to work better and takes up less storage space. the pine pellets are cat litter we got ours on Amazon. As i say dont get the cheap clay type. And horse litter is also pine pellets if you buy in bulk thats…[Read more]

We have a Simploo on our boat in the UK. Happy enough with it but we have a C-Head on our Bahamas boat, which we are on now and which we think is better we have had it for 6 years. But nearly 2x the price plus shipping from USA having said that both sre better than a conventional sea toilet

Upside down, between Perkins 426 and the bulkhead, that backs the shower, working on bilge pump wiring, with belt loop stuck. No one with me either. It was a bloody mess when it was all said and done and I got back out. I am talking liquid red all over the place. Lessons learned.

To work on rebuilding the outboard well on a Columbia Saber (32.5 L x 6.5 Beam) one has to shimmy through the leg space over the port bunk, drop down into the void past it and crawl up to the work area. Not too bad, getting out in reverse is the real treat, there are always those tense moments as you are trying to squeeze back through the bunk…[Read more]

Sorry no photo but, I was working in the port lazarett. I was completely inside laying on the floor working on a thru hull when I heard the lid close😕 I first thought no big deal I’ll just open it but, then I realized the hasp had closed when the lid went down. I was locked in! I banged in the area of the hasp hoping I could pop it up and off the…[Read more]

End of Oct, blowing 25+ out of the NW, 2100 hrs, 25 mi offshore from SW Hbr ME, out new eng oil drain plug fell out. The bottom of the bilge was 3’ below the bottom of the engine pan. Upside down for 3 min to retrieve. My only time being seasick and friggin cold.

When I was younger and smaller my name in the boatyard was Bilge Worm. The worst situation I recall involved locating a blind latch on an irregular hatch. I didn’t quite fit on my side in a fetal position. So we had a 300 pound man sit on the hatch to compress me a little more.

I actually managed to get stuck while making one if my first boats, a Glen-L Squirt, some years ago. I forget exactly why, but one day I was on my back in the bottom of the boat and had shuffled myself backwards so my head was up against the transom, and the deck beam that forms the seat back was across my stomach just below my ribs.
The problem…[Read more]

Crikey, as an engineer I’ve had to get upside down with stuff dripping on my face while I hold the stupidly long extension bar and not drop the heavy starter motor into the oily bilge full of water……. not managed to take a photo of myself while at it but perhaps I can with a fourth arm..

No picc, cuz 1. I’m by myself. If there was someone else there, THEY would be the ones scrunched up in there, and 2. I’m usually too busy to take pics.
I think i’ve been in like 20 positions that would tie for “worst” – one being the “hobbit hole” I had to fold myself into (sometimes risking compression asphyxia) to work on the back of the engine…[Read more]

Man, this is why the first thing I look at in any boat is the engine setup. You’re going to need to be fooling in there frequently, if you can’t get to it don’t buy the damn thing.

I remember having to soap up an engineer who went into the boiler to inspect and clean and then couldn’t get out. Worst one I had was clearing out the condenser on a 300000 tonner after we sucked up a couple of tonnes of shrimps.

I worked for Volvo penta for a few years it’s basically torture. Changing turbos in sun seekers for 1990’s is rubbish. I have pulled a few guys out of places that they would certainly still be in if I didn’t. New boats take the biscuit, azimut are the worst

Hey Wayne – perhaps you could send them to my email louisderry@gmail.com and I could update the article with some new images ?