We normally do our own water pump impellers, and have written about the process before on SetSail, but since Craig Hatton was aboard we thought we’d watch how a professional does this. We learned a lot!
Here are some permanent awnings which work under way as well as at anchor.
One of the projects on our list to be done before heading back to cold water is adding a bit of insulation on the bottom of the hull in the forward and aft sleeping cabins. The normal practice with polyurethane foam is to stop it above the waterline. With our Armaflex being relatively hydrophobic, this precaution was not necessary. However, due to a miscommunication between us and the builder, the Armaflex stopped about a foot (30cm) higher than we wanted, as you can see in the photo above. As a result, last summer in Alaska we had a small amount of sweating on the bare metal in the forward and aft sleeping cabins.
A few weeks ago we ordered a roll of Armaflex from a local supplier, and had them slice this into appropriate widths to use on the hull, frame webs, and frame caps.
The sliced material was then cut to fit.
The Armaflex has an adhesive backing. Peel the protective paper to expose the adhesive, and then push it onto the surface.
Here is what the area in the first photo now looks like. There is a slight difference in the finished surface. The original Armaflex was made to order for us and has an extra protective coating on it.
This same approach will work if you have a fiberglass hull with a sweating problem. It also helps to deaden sound – something that is really helpful in most fiberglass boats. Armaflex is available from industrial rubber suppliers and also air conditioning supply houses (the air conditioning industry often uses Armaflex in air ducts).
If you are going to be hanging out in one spot for a long period of time, perhaps living aboard while you work ashore, larger awnings come into the equation. These awnings provide shade over the entire boat. They will be a pain to rig, remove, and store, but when they are up and it is warm outside, they will be very pleasant.
Some time ago we posed a question on SetSail looking for a miniature pressure washer to use in the engine room for cleaning those hard-to-reach spots which we all seem to have. Nothing came of the query, nor of any research we did on the Internet.
Then a couple of weeks ago a friend mentioned a steam cleaning service in Marina del Rey. We called these folks and they came by and had a look at our relatively pristine engine room. Their gear was large, and only suitable for bilges – and the service was costly. But it gave us an idea, so we Googled “steam cleaning” equipment and came up with a bunch of resources.
We eventually settled on a”Kleenjet Delux 175″ from Daimer Industries ( www.daimer.com ). The unit appeared compact, and we figured the $395 price was worth it if we got a couple of cleaning cycles from it.
If you plan on spending any time in the tropics, getting your awnings right will be high on the list of priorities. In general, awnings should:
We’re in the habit of walking marina docks with a pocket digital camera handy to record interesting details. The double anchor set up shown above reminded us of the olden days on our 50-foot (15m) Intermezzo. She had what we thought was the perfect system: a large CQR for everyday use, as well as a Danforth ready to go as a second hook and for use in soft mud where the CQR would not hold.
One day we saw the light. Why have two anchors, with their attendant weight sitting on the bow, when only one was earning its way 99% of the time? Would it not make more sense to put ALL that weight into a single massive anchor, which was working 100% of the time? The answer is, of course, yes. A single, really big anchor gives you better holding in poor conditions, and in good conditions allows anchoring on shorter scope. This logic applies to all types of anchors.
The cruising learning curve continues…If you look closely at the photo above you will notice some small vertical cracks in the bowl of our primary fuel filter. These also exist in our secondary filter bowls. We just noticed them in Mexico. They are on the inside, and not all the way through.
We called our supplier today and found out the cracks are a reaction to alcohol-based fuel treatments. The same thing would happen if we were to clean the outside of these with Windex – which is also alcohol-based.
These are not serious – yet – and the result of two years of service. So, we’ve got quite a ways to go before they begin to leak. Just in case, we’ve ordered a set of new bowls to to fit.
We’ve been using BIOBOR JF as an anti-fungal chemical treatment. After reading the label, sure enough, we learned that it contains alcohol. BIOBOR and other fuel treatment suppliers make versions without alcohol. So, we’ll be switching over.
Turns out alcohol can also affect some fuel hose products, and the plastic in some shutoff and check valves.
We have several areas on deck which we lock if we’re going to be away from the boat for an extended period. These include the outboard, life raft, and four storage areas.
We’ve used different types of locks over the years. The photo above is of Airbus brand locks. The left-hand lock was left hanging on a rail for the past 20 months. It was lubricated once in that period with WD40, and then again when we removed it recently. The lock at the right is a spare, to show you what these are supposed to look like.
There has been a lot of fresh and salt water over these locks – 17,000 miles’ worth. And though, while we normally lube these every couple of months, these seem to do OK when abused.
We’ve been watching the development of LED anchor and running lights for some time. Most of them have had some shortcomings, and none were approved as running lights, until recently.
In the olden days, pre-SatNav and GPS, the depth finder was one of the most important navigation tools. By comparing depths to the chart you could often figure out where you were. They were also handy for watching depth trends, giving an early warning of a rise in the sea bottom.
On our own boats we’ve stayed with a simple digital depth finder – just a numeric read out. When we were thinking about the electronics for Wind Horse we considered going to one of the fancier “fish finder” style units, with a historic graphic display. But in the end, we opted to stay with a simple numeric output of the depth.
Fast forward two years and we’ve been learning to use our SONAR for navigation. One of its modes is looking straight down, the same way you would with a fish finder. In this mode the transducer works if it is retracted – which we like, as it is not vulnerable then to debris or kelp.
For those of you steeped in the 21st century the wireless track ball mouse above may seem a bit prosaic. But it has been a revelation for controlling the computer aboard Wind Horse.
To begin with, being wireless means that the track ball device can be remote from the computer. This will work great if the computer were under a dodger or in the pilot house and you are at the helm. In our case, the preferred spot for the computer is about 3 feet (90cm) from where we con the boat. Having the track ball mouse under our right hand saves time when we’re entering tight navigational areas.
There’s a second advantage to the track ball. It sits in one place, so less room is required to operate it than with a normal mouse, which has to be moved around the nav desk. The track ball also seems easier to use than the mouse when the boat is being bounced around by an adverse sea-state.
One of the pieces of gear to which we gave a lot of consideration to was a remotely controllable spot light. However, these tend to be somewhat large, complex, and expensive (both to purchase and install).
One of the problems with all of this gear is its positioning. The light source must be positioned where it does not illuminate any of the boat. This includes standing rigging as well as the anchoring gear on the bow. If any of this is lit up with the spot light, the glare will blind you, rendering the light source worse than useless.
We’ve always assumed that the maximum rated load was usable for an extended period of time. We’ve kedged ourselves out of trouble, and ground in a lot of highly loaded sheets in heavy weather without problems. However, while doing our drogue testing last month, our Lewmar #66 winch cut out. This is a unit rated at 3000 pounds pull.
Checking the circuit breaker showed this was fine, so we assumed there must be a thermal overload protector on the motor. A call to our local Lewmar guru, Bob Davidson, confirmed this. We assumed this could be removed and was more a CYA device than something which was required, and we asked Bob to double-check with the factory. He came back with a reply that we could remove it, but there was high risk of burning up the motor if we did.
To be fair, we had both engines at slow ahead while we were grinding in lots of rode – to simulate real-world conditions where we’d be retrieving drogues in a moderating gale. We ended up dragging in the last drogue by hand, with Steve backing down to remove load, and two of our helpers doing the pulling. This was not a big deal given the help, but if it were just two of us, it would be a lot harder.
What we are not sure of in this experience is how much impact there was from a build-up of heat from all the prior rode retrievals (something we would not see in the real world). To find out we are going to re-test drogue retrieval again.
And when the time comes to use this winch to kedge us off a grounding, we’ll use it intermittently, to allow for some cooling.
Otherwise, if you want to be certain of winch rating over long periods, hydraulic drives are the answer.
Iridium claims total coverage of the earth. We’ve heard from users in Tierra del Fuego at the bottom of South America, and we know it works in Alaska.
For many years we’ve carried a heavy duty wet suit for use in cold climates. This 8mm (5/16″) wet suit includes a chest and hood element, gloves, and heavy booties. It works, but the ingress of really cold water is painful in the extreme until warmed by Steve’s tender skin. As a result, we’ve never used this for preventive inspections, and carry it only for emergencies.
We’ve wrestled with what to use for foul weather gear for many years. What works the best depends on the conditions, and we’ve had a hard time settling on a single suit of foulies which are ideal for temperate, tropical, and cold regions. Each climate has its special requirements.
In the past we’ve opted for the standard monitors, and dealt with the excessive brightness at night with a plastic “lens” over the screen to help protect our night vision.
Now we’ve found something better. Last week we tested a 17″ Samsung model 740 BX to display our SONAR and radar data. We expected the wide viewing angles and sharp images. But what surprised us the most was the excellent dimming capability.
And all of this for $200.
When we started looking at the electronics specifications for Wind Horse, we considered adding a depth finder with a bottom echo display, if it would also help us tell the difference in bottom conditions. Our reasoning was that it was worth having this gear in areas where it was hard to find a nice spot in which the anchor could dig in – if it really worked. So we checked with several friends that had powerful depth sounders and they all told us the same thing, that they could not consistently tell one type of bottom from another.
As a result we stayed with a simple digital read out – no moving display. This is the same approach as we’ve used for the last 20+ years.
One of the benefits of the Furuno CH 270 sonar we’ve just installed is that when the transponder is aimed down (vertical) it works as a very high-end depth sounder. During recent testing, with Furuno sonar guru Steve Bradburn aboard, we asked about interpreting bottom condition from the visual echo trace.
Like most of the cruisers we know, the crew in charge of marketing for Wind Horse tends to over-buy food when we’re getting ready to head out. We’ve found it is best to stock up when we can acquire the foods we like at reasonable prices. New Zealand is a great place for this, especially if one is heading to the tropics where supplies may be limited and will almost certainly be more costly.
We’ve had Aqualarm ( www.aqualarm.net ) products on our boats going back to the early 1970s. Catching up on our mail recently we noticed a new catalog with some interesting products which we thought might be of interest.
Aqualarm makes a range of engine, bilge, and intrusion alarms, much of which works well for retrofit.
