Individual Boats Bekita

Individual Boats Secunda

Bekita

Owned by Liz & Brian Brawley

Bekita has a Bolinder 1052. Coming all the way from
Mount Compass South Australia

Photos of the big red 'kodonka' deisel motor. We tried some modifications as we
were getting fumes in the cabin. I installed a 20mm flexi-hose from the sump
breather (blocking off the small holes) to the air intake,

with a second 15mm hose from the rocker cover/oil cap (sealing the holes in the cap)
to the air intake.This has knocked out 95% of oil fumes in the cabin. The motor has no
oil filter so I change the oil at 100hours.

The original water pump has been replaced with a 20mm Jabsco belt driven
pump, which is now more accessible.

The generator has been replaced with a 35amp alternator and many years ago the
gearbox was rebuilt, in which we now run a high-grade oil auto transmission oil

The boat is built of 25+mm thick Jarrah (a highly respected Australian hardwood), the
transom is 45mm, the keel is 125mm x 75mm and all up it weighs approx 3.5 tonnes.

In the 10 months that we have owned it we have worked extensively re-fitting the
cabin, including fitting a new stove, galley sink, double bed in the forward cabin,
forward hatch with 2.3 amp solar panel, steering wheel system, replaced most of the
electrical wiring and installed new LPG gas lines. We are currently repainting
the boat - inside and out, as well as renewing the anti-fouling.

It has not been all work, we have also used the boat to travel approx 800 Kms -
mainly in the Lower River Murray channels and lakes which are fresh water.

These are of an ‘overnighter’ on a tributary called the Finnis River - a waterway
that is so narrow it probably would not even have a name in your area.

These are from our trips into the Coorong - a salt water 'channel' that lies
between the mainland and Younghusband Peninsular (a narrow sand

peninsular that is the last barrier between South Australia and the Southern Ocean).
The fresh and salt waters are separated by a lock. The Coorong is also part of the

River Murray system (the mouth of the river lies upstream from the Coorong) and
much of it is a National Park, it is world renowned as a haven for birds, including
many that migrate yearly from the northern hemisphere.

Coorong

Goolwa (the River port where the boat is moored) hosts a bi-annual wooden boat festival.

At this years festival we were lucky enough to meet a past owner of the boat who
has recently sent us some photos of the boat as it was - if we had seen them we
may not have bought it!

We hope Liz & Brian continue to keep us up to date on Bekita and their trips.

Top