Maintenance

Workboat

More To That Engine

Than Meets The Eye

Workboat engines can do a lot more than propel a boat For example:

Refrigeration

You can fit a small belt-driven compressor at the forward end of the engine which will operate a eutectic unit installed in a refrigerator.

If this unit is allowed to run for an hour or two it will get the tem perature of the refrigerator right down and hold it there for as long as 10 hours.

Thus a workboat engine, while pro pelling the boat, can also be made to keep goods refrigerated. (The compressor, incidentally, can be clutch-coupled, using either a manual or a magnetic clutch.)

Battery Charging

Many plantations have low voltage systems for either night or general use (and occasionally for radio use), and a workboat engine’s generator can provide an economical means of charging the batteries of such systems.

Another method of charging batteries is to fit the engine with one of the alternators (with regulator) now available. These units operate at a lower rpm than generators and, with step-up belt drive, will charge fully when the engine is idling.

When charging with generators, it is best to use 12 or 24 volt models of the heavier bus type. Such gen erators are reliable and able to stand up to long and continuous operation.

With an alternator it may be neces sary to provide extra protection from excessive salt air and dampness.

One important point. Keep the general wiring systems and arrange ments quite separate from the engine’s own generator wiring—it simplifies matters and is safe.

When using your workboat engine to charge batteries, remember that the amount of the load will not noticeably affect the speed of the workboat or increase fuel consump tion.

Fire Fighting

It is a good idea to fit a general utility pump to the workboat engine Such a pump should be a U in. or 2 in. centrifugal pump—possibly self pnming and preferably of a non ferrous metal.

A pump of this type, either clutch or belt driven, can be of great value when it comes to fire fighting or, in the case of cracked planks or ground ing damage, keeping the bilge water down.

In addition, the pump can be used for pumping water for domestic and general purposes. • Names and addresses of com

panies which supply the equip

ment mentioned in this article can be obtained from the Editor, Practical Planter section. Pacific Islands Monthly, GPO Box 3408, Sydney, NSW, 2001.

ice automatically on drying, but ! process may be assisted by manual sssure and rolling.

Packing and storage ; For the inese trade the bark must be deed so that it retains its aroma 1 essential oil content during long iods of storage. Small quantities preserved by wrapping in linen, ends being waxed, or by packing zinc canisters. .arge quantities are packed in >lined wooden cases divided izontally into two compartments a bamboo tray; the lower com tment is filled with honey, and bark is arranged in layers on the iboo tray. It is claimed that bark os indefinitely provided the cases kept tightly closed.

Western markets

he quills intended for Western kets are packed in bales of ■l/3 lb and 66-2/3 lb and are led as thin, medium and thick, he various operations of prepara —trimming, grading and pack -some of the quills are broken, the pieces are sold, also in bales, iroken cassia in two grades, ac ing to quality and appearance. le trade in Vietnamese cassia is ely in the hands of Chinese :hants, who purchase it from the amese or Tonkinese and after dng out any special preparation may be required, as well as ing and packing, export the bark 'ong Kong. me of the bark from Thanh-hoa ported from Haiphong, but the inder is sent to the market town fa-my, near Tourane in Quang which is the trading centre for i derived from wild trees. Tam-ky lother nearby market town to the cultivated bark of central im is sent. ese two markets supply the ;se traders at Faifo, who export Tourane via Saigon or Haip to Hong Kong. Cassia from the bay area is exported to Hong : via Haiphong or direct to i via Lao-kay, on the Yunnan :r.

OTNOTE; Because of the war etnam, cassia is today in short y. Islands planters should, ore, be sure of a good market ny cassia they produce.

ain getting through the decking. I nk the T&G hardwood decking ibers have shrunk over the years, ! original “Ormonoid” covering has icked and perished, and the uralon” is not sufficiently water- K)f when used as a deck covering.

Dther than going to the expense having the boat slipped and pos ly re-decked entirely, have you 1 suggestions as to how I may be e to overcome the leaking from top-side? As far as I can see the G hardwood decking has not yet ;n affected with rot.

A. E. Cridland.

Jjug, Popondetta, JG.

Swer

t is clear that the original deck ering of your boat, which is now ut 17 years old, is a liability, herefore, your best bet is to re /e all the perished covering and ■oughly clean the decking. Seal cracks in the planking and then ly a good stiff red oxide paint, iter drying, prepare a heavy /as covering to size. Apply a k red lead paint and lay your /as —preferably wetting it after ng, since wetting tends to tighten hen drying out. nee the canvas is dried and tened out give it no less than two s of one of the preparations now the market for this purpose. ou have a choice of lead base, >er base, asphalt base or plastic paint for deck surfacing. >ably you have your own pre ice here.