Steve and Linda,

You have one of the most useful resources on the internet and I have learned a lot from your websites. I was curious what you currently use as navigation software and what you would recommend for someone looking to do world cruising and why that is the best choice in your very knowledgeable opinion. I did find your recommendation for Coastal Explorer referenced in your Nav section. I am pretty computer savvy if that makes a difference. I have tried to figure it out from the various pictures but (looks like VNS to me or maybe MaxSea) but what is best for you may not necessarily be best for me. I am building a motorsailor if that also makes a difference.

Thank you very much for your input.

Happy and safe voyaging.

Mike

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Dock line cleats are a controversial subject at Dashew Offshore. There are some who swear by them and others who swear at them. For getting the boat tied up,and adjusting position when there is wind or current to fight, winches combined with high modulus dock lines are the answer. That’s why we have three Lewmar #40 winches plus the big electric winch aft.

For longer term docking, and once the boat is secure, a case can be made for cleats.

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A properly design anchor chocking system will allow the windlass to jam the anchor flukes tight between roller(s) and the base of the chock weldment. If you get it right, the anchor stays fixed in place, with minimal movement as the bow feels waves, or drives through them. The result is a quiet anchor. Any softness, on the other hand, and the noise of the anchor shifting can drive you nuts.

By the way, that is a 240 pound (110kg) Rocna anchor on the bow of the FPB 64.

Trying to get a feel for the interior of a boat under construction is difficult. Furniture is covered, lighting is bad, there are no embellishments to give the image a finished look. But now that the upholstery is starting to go into the first FPB 64 you will be able to get sense for the space. The photo above is taken from the aft end of the port side guest suite.

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We found a series of photos showing the actual process that Circa uses for shaping hull plate. Their approach is relatively sophisticated and allows us to chose hull shape and plating thickness that are optimized without worrying if the design can actually be fabricated.

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The distance the chain has to drop from the deck and the area in which it can spread out are key details in a smoothly working anchoring system. Too little drop or space and the chain will not strip or spill cleanly.

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Why would sailors move to Arizona? There are rattlesnakes, gila monsters, scorpions galore, kissing bugs, not to mention javelinas, bears, and even mountain lions. Birds, of the snow and flying variety, flock here in the winter, clogging the arteries.

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If the system used to handle the anchor chain is right, the chain comes in or goes out at the push of a button. If it is wrong, all sorts of problems can occur, typically requiring human intervention to prevent and or remedy the issues. In this report we will show you a few of the details we employ to get this right.

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The FPB 64s have a large day tank in the engine room. There are two 1/4HP geared pumps, used one at a time, that fill the day tank from the main supply. These pumps are also used for the fuel polishing system.

The logic and basic control components are the same as we have used for the past 15 years, and the system works as follows:

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Hi Steve and Linda,

Hope this finds you well and having fun wherever you are. In all
honesty, I have not been keeping up with you the last 2 1/2 or so years.

In trying to find something in the way of a review for Furuno’s Fax 30, I
see that you installed one going on two years ago. So, I just wondered
if you would have time to say a word or two about how you like
it(couldn’t find such mention on your site). Maybe one of my questions
is whether or not it adequately provides on it’s own the weather fax
function of a ssb radio? I don’t have the transmitter yet, so wondering
whether the 30 might let me put that off for awhile longer, but get me
used to using the faxes. Please refer me to something that I missed that
you have already written if you like.

Roger N. Larson

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We’ve got a lot of photos to share in this update, starting with the now installed bridge electrical panel. Our philosophy has always been that we want the hidden stuff to look as good as that which is exposed. It costs a little bit more, but the pleasure knowing that things are done right, and look good, even when out of sight, is well worth the cost to us. This gives us more of a buzz than the front side.

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The one question that comes up more often than almost anything else is how do you get a round bilged metal hull? The simple answer is with a great deal of design and engineering thought, and careful work by the builder. We’ve got a series of photos here to briefly walk you through the process.

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The FPB 64 hydraulic system provides power to the stabilizers and damage control pump. Oil flows from a pump mounted on a transmission PTO through the block valve in the photo above.

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The valve center bottom in the photo above is a small but important detail. This is the condensation drain on the engine room day tank. Note the pipe plug in the valve as a double check. The valve is threaded into a small sump making it easier for water and other gunk to collect at the low point. Normally a sump like this would be drained once a season and you might find a quart/liter of water at the most.

There are a couple of areas where it is important to know if water is flowing (or not flowing). On the FPB 64 these include raw water feed to the engine and through the damage control pump. The light grey device in the upper left hand corner is a vane type flow meter made by Aqua Alarm. A vane senses flow or lack thereof and triggers a micro switch that can be wired normally open or closed.

On the FPB 64 both of these alarms show up on the Maretron NMEA 2000 displays.

You are looking at a pair of magnetic “reed” switches. The lower unit turns the bilge pump on/off, while the upper gives an alarm signal if the pump fails to keep up. The gray plastic floats contain the magnet which controls the reed switch making the electrical contact.

In the case of the bilge pump, the reed switch is used to trigger a relay through which the current for the pump flows.

We have been using this combination of reed switch and control relay for 25 years and it has proven to be extremely reliable (much better than moisture sensors and mercury float switches).

All diesel fuel carries the ingredients for a nice bloom of algae. This yucky goop can clog filters, and if it works its way into the fuel injection pump, do serious damage. Over the years we have seen lots of cruising yachts with algae problems. But so far, we have avoided this fate.

Algae requires two important items to bloom, water and heat. The heat comes from the excess fuel which the diesel injector pump returns to the tank (it is warmed running through the engine). The moisture is a byproduct of the temperature differential between the tank surfaces and ambient air.

Here are the system and maintenance items that have to date kept us clean:

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Stainless steel and aluminum are not happy in direct contact, so we fit a plastic isolating washer between the surfaces, as shown above. The stainless steel fasteners are coated with an anti-corrosive compound (the type varies with depending on the situation).

We often use our dinghy as an exploratory vehicle. We carry spares, emergency supplies, GPS, even a small EPIRB. But we have no secondary means of propulsion, other than oars. This is always a nagging concern, even though our 30HP Yamaha two stroke has never given us a problem (nor did its predecessor which served us faithfully for 15 years).

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Hi, I watched you on TV last night. Wow talk about having a light bulb turn on in your mind. Anyway can you tell me what a good boat would be to start out with would be. I far from being loaded. My idea would be to live on my boat and make my way south. I’m at the very early stages of planning so knowing what boat I should be looking at is a starting point. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can pass on.

Robert West

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Here is some tricky detailing in stainless steel. We are looking at the “gates” at the forward end of the flying bridge. These, and the other rails adjacent, will have clear Lexan plastic affixed as a wind screen. The gates are designed so they can be opened when you want air flow, and to allow space for an extra couple of friends to sit across the forward end of the table.

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There are three Danfoss compressors, one for each of the two freezers, and a third for the fridge. Combined with evaporator plates and our special box design, with lots of insulation, this system is extremely efficient. We’ve discussed the box design before. What we wanted to show you here are two small, but important details.

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The traction battery bank and its related cabling and structure weights nearly 3000 pounds (1.5 to tons). It obviously needs to be well secured!

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Here’s an image to set your heart aflutter (with a little imagination). Add the sun/rain awning to the framework, move to a lovely anchorage in the tropical South Pacific, insert puffy cumulous clouds, coconut palms, and translucent warm water, and then relax with a cold drink and good book.

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“The hull is much closer to the canoe shape of a yacht than the usual displacement powerboat. Long and narrow, just like their sailboats, the vessel is eye-catching for its purposeful lines…”
–Seahorse Magazine

The hardest part of a hull design to get right is the bow. The tradeoffs that need to be made between upwind comfort and performance and downwind steering control are the same for power and sail. This is an area where computer programs and tank testing are of little value. What you need to do is call on experience and then visualize how the design in question will work in the waves.

To do this you need to understand the design objective, which is what we want to talk about in this blog. We’ll use some photos from the third (above) and fourth (following) FPB 64s under way in New Zealand to illustrate.

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We don’t expect fuel or water leaks in our engine rooms, still it makes sense to take precaution where practical with electrical gear. In the case of the two fuel transfer/polishing pumps protection is provided with the drip shields shown above.

You do have to check to be sure that there is sufficient air flow for cooling. During fuel polishing the pump being used could run upwards of fifteen hours, and it will get warm. Circa will be checking for heat build up here during trials.

Hi there,

We recently purchased a 1995 Sundeer 60 and found the original ‘old’ Sundeer 60 Owner’s Manual on board. Is there any chance we can obtain updates and/or a new manual? E-format would be fine.

Thank you in advance.

Russ & Gwen Hobbs

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I am trying to determine what products are ok to use with

* Marathon 3DL 2004 140% Genoa
* Marathon 3DL 2003 90% Jib
* Ace Dacron Challenger Cloth 2002 Main

for light cleaning, I have been using just mild dishwashing soap and no bleach and rinsing the sails in the fall, but would like to see if one of the following would be ok. I would like to use

* 20 Mule Team Borax Natural Laundry Booster (sodium tetraborate decahydrate)
* Oxi Magic Mullti-purpose stain remover (Chlorine Bleach free) which has Sodium Percarbonate and Sodium Carbonate in it.

Are the two products above okay to use with the above sails?

Also my lines have some green mold/mildew and I’d like to see if I can use one of these on them as well
The lines are basically :

* Braided Nylon sheets and dock lines 1/2″
* StaSet-X halyards 3/8″
* Amsteel soling stay

I have not used any chlorox bleach.
I would like to use

* 20 Mule Team Borax Natural Laundry Booster (sodium tetraborate decahydrate)
* Oxi Magic Mullti-purpose stain remover (Chlorine Bleach free) which has Sodium Percarbonate and Sodium Carbonate in it.

Are the two products above okay to use with the above lines?

I had both Jibs coated with Sailcote Plus about 5 years ago to help with the mildew problem and it seems to be working but this year we had more than usual on one jib and I need to clean it better than mild soap would do.

Thanks,
Rick Gleason

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You are looking here at the top of the raw water take stand pipe. The clear plastic lid provides a view of what is going on inside. If you suck up a large plastic bag or clump of weed, remove the plug and a mop handle can be used to clear the debris. This lid is above the load waterline so in smooth water no leakage should occur with the plug removed.

Occasionally it is necessary to tie to commercial docks in areas with high tidal ranges. The West Coast of the UK is one such area where tides can range from ten feet (3m) on the low end to 40 feet (12m) or more in parts of Bristol Bay.

Unless you want to be continually adjusting lines, very long bow and stern lines are used as in the photo above. They will be slack at high tide, but as long as the wind is off the end of the boat, or blowing you onto the dock, you will be fine.

If the breeze is off the dock an adjustable breast line is used when going ashore. Much more on this subject will be found in Practical Seamanship.

Even though we have dual isolated hydraulic steering systems we still want to have an emergency tiller aboard. Its primary purpose is to secure the rudder amidships if you are disabled and hove to behind a parachute anchor.

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The upper of the two valves shown here controls the flow to the two diesels and boiler (through their respective filters). Note the bellcrank with attached Morse cable opposite the handle. The Morse cable runs to the bulkhead in the aft starboard cabin where it is in close proximity to the air vent shut off and manual fire extinguisher controls. Should the need arise in an emergency fuel and air can be quickly shut off.

what are your thoughts on the french OVNI range of cutters produced by builder Alubat?

they have several features – variable draught, all alloy construction, ability to be beached and a reasonable price – which i believe might make them a good starting point fo a long distance crusier.

my main concern, and it stems from having never personally sailed on a large centre-boarder – is their ability to go well to windward when required and their ability to cope with really rough conditions.

your comments?

many thanks

Marcus Petraska
New Zealand

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Hello!

Are you still happy with your Whitehall from Gig Harbor? Am looking to place an order this week…..

Thanks!

Will

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The ideal helm design should accomplish a number of things:

• It should work well when the person on watch is standing and seated.
• Critical controls need to be close at hand.
• Alarm functions should be easily understood.
• Space is required for log or guide books.
• The helm ergonomics must function in heavy weather.

The design of the FPB 64 helm is based on our experience over the last 45,000 miles with Wind Horse, the approach to which has been refined over the last four years with a series of minor changes.

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How big should your raw water strainer(s) be? We are not sure, but we have two of these enormous (and very costly) Hayward strainers on the FPB 83 Wind Horse, and they have served us well.

We have never seen more than a quarter of the baskets filled, even in debris filled waters after hundreds of hours of operation. The same pair of overcapacity strainers is being used aboard the FPB 64s.

We’ve got a new batch of photos covering the electric panel details which we thought you might find of interest. We’ll start with the panel adjacent (to starboard) of the main helm.

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We have always been amazed at how much space it takes for electronics installations. Not the control heads, but the black boxes and various interfaces. Although we have continued to add space for this over the years, the quantity of gear aboard has grown even faster. With the FPB 64 we have finally caught up.

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Systems details make a big difference in longevity, trouble free operation, and security.Over the next few weeks we will be bringing a series of these to your attention, so check back often. We’ll start with the raw water manifold in the engine room.

We have previously mentioned the hard anodized aluminum weldment fabricated by Circa for the raw water manifold. What we want to show you here is one of the two inspection and/or clean out ports.

Small details like this won’t come into play for a few years. But as the boat ages they become invaluable.

Designing an engine room air intake system is a complex process, full of tradeoffs. Before you start you need to have a clear goal for the system. For us this is simple: we want a system that minimizes water incursion through a variety of weather conditions with the boat upright, knocked down, and inverted.

How do we accomplish this?

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You are looking at a chafe section on the high modulus dock lines we have been using aboard Wind Horse. After 45,000+ miles of cruising, much of it in rough surroundings when docked, this original inventory is still going strong.

The outer cover is polyester and their primarily as a first line of defense against chafe (it contributes little to overall strength.

We’ve discussed the advantages of high modulus dock lines before, but to recap:

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When you see the “sparky” (Kiwi speak for electrician) working on the outside lighting and electronics it is a sign launching is within six to eight weeks. This photo also demonstrates the advantage of a hinged mast (aside from vertical clearance). It makes maintenance and changing electronics easier.

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Batteries and DC power systems are a subject of discussion wherever cruising yachts meet. The system we are using in the FPB Series is based on industrial quality traction batteries (so called because they are used in forklifts, railroad systems, and other heavy service applications). Our first experience with traction batteries was in 1988 with Sundeer. Every yacht we have done since has used these wonderful batteries.

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Hi,
you mentioned some time ago, that you encountered problems cruising in Alaska, as taking a pilot aboard was/is mandatory for non-US flagged yachts over 65ft loa.
This will become relevant for us – how did you get around that issue, or settle the problem?
Thank you!
Wolf

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Last night we were going through an old stack of yachting magazines and came across a write up on a well known yacht builder’s latest offering. This sixty five footer came with everything, even a tool kit (with a photo in the article). That tool kit was one of the small plastic cases with a variety of basic tools. We had a good laugh, and then thought you might like some ideas on what should be aboard a well equipped cruising yacht.

The basic stuff is easy. It is the specialty items which often make the difference between success on your own or needing outside help. You can have the greatest spare parts inventory in the world, but without the right tools you are helpless. (For a look at the spares which come with the FPB 64 click here).

As the tools for the first FPB 64 have recently been shipped we have a few photos and some comments to share. This selection is based on what experience has taught us over the past 30 years.

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I light of our recent discussions on anchoring, we offer another related topic, buoying the anchor (or not).

Anchor buoys are a complex subject. They offer the advantage of being able to easily free a fouled anchor. But they add a layer of complexity which is not necessarily beneficial.

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We’ve previously outlined the advantages of big anchors (shorter scope, less swinging room, security, quicker setting). But we neglected one huge factor, reducing scope reduces the risk of fouling.

Here is an example. Assume you are anchored in forty feet (12m) of water including an allowance for the height of the bow roller off the water.

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Hello, I need a replacement switch for the Lewmar electric winch, air activated. Lewmar says they don’t make them anymore. Any ideas where to locate one?
Wayne Simmons

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In the olden days before big space or skeg mounted rudders were common the steering forces generated by keel hung rudders were marginal. So the hull shapes had to balance as they heeled or the weather helm would be uncontrollable.

Here are two deck views to show how the lines were typically balanced.

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Nothing in yacht design and cruising evokes such discussion as anchors and their related gear.One anchor or two, chain or chain + rope, CQR, Danforth, or Rocna anchor type, electric or hydraulic power? We’ve fitted just about every combination you can imagine, and after 40 years of testing here is what we have learned.

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Steve, I have thoroughly enjoyed your books, dvds, and website for the past 30 years. I was wondering where you studied yacht design?

Thanks for sharing the dream,
Doug Robinson

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OK history buffs, a stroll through memory lane is in order. We’ve heard from so many SetSail visitors about our multihull notes that we thought some really early stuff might be of interest, mainly triggered by a box of early photos recently discovered.

That is a 17 foot Wildcat above, one of the first two production cats on this side of the Atlantic (Tiger cats were built on the East Coast and Cougar Cats were built in the UK at the same time). We got our first ride on one in Newport Beach, CA, in 1958, and ordered number four. This photo was taken in Marina del Rey about 1962. Note the build out in the marina.

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We’ve been discussing various design considerations with a client headed for Tierra del Fuego and the Antarctic and thought some of the dialog might be of interest. We’ll start with the logic behind single vs. twin engines, and get home systems.

Everyone wants the safest, most reliable yacht. The question is how do you achieve this? Contrary to what you may think budget is usually not a major factor. Clear thinking about the risks and rewards of various approaches is the key ingredient.

Lets start with the risks as we see them, and our approach to reducing or eliminating these.

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We’ve just had some photos from Greg Weekes at Berthon’s where Wind Horse is patiently awaiting our return. We left them with a short list of projects to fine tune some details that have been bugging us (the list is very short). We’ll start with a new exhaust extension for the Kabola diesel heater.

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Correct amounts of refrigerant are essential to proper operation of air conditioning equipment (refrigeration too). One sign that a system is low is the evaporator coils (the device which chills the air) will become coated with ice. This reduces air flow and cooling and can lead to compressor damage.

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Hello Steve Dashew.

I am Vern Hanson, I do not know if you remember me. I worked for your father at Dashew business machines.

I would like to know what happened to or where the is the HU KA MANKI.

Any information you can remember, would be greatly appreciated.

It was my favorite pastime sailing with your dad on the HU KA MANKI.

Sincerely, Vern

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Hello all, We are in process of adding a/c to our Sundeer. We would really appreciate hearing from any current or past Sundeer owners as to the design and installs of any a/c systems aboard. We don’t need it, but our friends seem to.
Wayne Simmons

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We first noticed this approach to furling on the Thames River barges we saw last spring in London. It is quick and efficient in terms of manpower.

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