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Here is a look into our galley freezer this spring prior to defrosting the evaporator plates. The last time we defrosted was in the fall, so the build up you see is the result of the last six months (this totaled about half a quart/liter of liquid when we finished).

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We’re in Cordova, Alaska, and have just finished changing the engine oil. We’ve got 8 gallons of oil left aboard and decided to see what it would cost to add 5 additional gallons. We like to carry enough oil for a minimum of three changes – in case we should get water into an engine and need to flush it (it takes 2.5 gallons for a change).

There is a NAPA auto parts store next to the harbor where the fishermen buy parts, so we figured they were a good spot to check prices.

Chevron Delo 15-40, which is what we have been using, is $170 for 10 gallons. However, they have a NAPA brand oil that is just $120 for the same quantity. It carries the same government ratings as the more expensive Chevron brand. Is there a difference? We do not want to be taking chances with our little diesels!

So we decided to e-mail our favorite diesel mechanic, Craig Hatton (Hatton Marine in Seattle). We figured if anyone knew about oil quality it would be Craig. His main thrust is servicing fishing boats, and commercial fishing folk are notoriously tight with their maintenance budgets.

Craig’s reply was, “When it comes to oil, I can only suggest using products from major oil companies – i e. Chevron, Shell, Exxon. It is good to remember that the SAE rating only reflects passing minimum government requirements and does not give a real basis to compare the quality ranges between products. Though these brands are more expensive, they are quality products and in the case of engine longevity and preservation I cannot suggest buying bargain brands.”

Looks like we’ll be staying with our higher priced lube oil.

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“How can there be any more cool tools?,” you must be thinking. Hang around with the professionals, keep your eyes open, and the tool bag gets more goodies!

John Brooks from Ocean Alexander in Seattle was on board doing some maintenance on our Glendinning shift/throttle system. When John began to clean up the wire loom with lots of nylon ties we noticed this wire tie puller and cutter.

Simply grasp the tie end, pull, and then twist. These tools leave the wire tie cut off flush, so there are no sharp edges waiting to cut your hands and arms.

These are sold by electrical supply houses, and come in a variety of forms and price ranges. John’s unit costs about $30. You can order one from McMaster Carr (type in wire ties in their search engine to find the page with these tools).

We’ve got one aboard Wind Horse already.

Walking around a Seattle electronics store, on our way to the ink supplies, we happened to see a new wireless printer. “Wow, how cool!” we said. If we had a wireless printer it could live in one of the aft cabins, or be brought to the saloon when we were doing a big project.

We asked how hard this was to install and were told “Easy. Just follow the on-screen prompts.” By now you can see where this is headed.

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We said we’d report on how the revised exhaust system was working out after some time living with the change. We’ve put 1200 miles on Wind Horse since making the modifications, but before telling you what we think, we need to review what has been done.

We had a very quiet propulsion system before we started this fine tuning. Wind Horse under power is quieter than Beowulf was under sail. But still, after 2000 hours of engine time, you forget how quiet things are in an absolute sense (57 dB as measured by PassageMaker magazine) and start to concentrate on what you are used to in the present. Machinery noise has always been muted, but exhaust noise, coming from the outside into the saloon through our 3/4″ (19mm) thick windows, was annoying.

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One of the big decisions during the design of Wind Horse was our heating system – which keeps us toasty, and warms our washing and bathing water. At Jim Schimke’s suggestion (Jim is our heating guru) we went with a Dutch-built Kabola diesel heater. We chose a 65,000 BTU model with a built-in domestic water heater. The boat is kept warm with hot water pumped to a series of Jim’s MSR heater coils with 24-volt fans.

We had one problem early on, a faulty water pump, but otherwise the system has operated flawlessly. It is quiet on and off the boat, very efficient (the exhaust is quite cool), and is capable of a 100% duty cycle.

Lars Nilsson ( www.nortecmarine.com ) is the US distributor for Kabola. Since he is located in the Puget Sound area, we asked Lars to make a service call and check our heater. We were heading for Prince William Sound and Kodiac Island in a few days – and it can be cold up there – we wanted to stay ahead of the maintenance curve. We figured that after the equivalent of almost a full year of use, our Kabola might be showing signs of age to his expert gaze.

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The real thing is shown in the next series of photos. Bruces are forged from a single piece of steel. No welding. Keep in mind that stiffness varies with the cube of the thickness of the item in question, so a little thickness has a huge impact in stiffness. Notice how thick the vertical portion of the shank is in the photo above, and also the thickness of the aft sides of the flukes. Read the rest »

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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!

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Here are some permanent awnings which work under way as well as at anchor.

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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.

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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.

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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:

• Provide protection from sun and rain.
• Be easy to set and remove (or reef). Think of this in terms of a 35-knot squall at 0300.
• Catch rain water if the decks are not set up for this. And shed water in squalls if they are not being used as a catchment system.
• Be strong enough to withstand years of sun, wind, and rain.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Over the years we’ve looked at alarm systems for various clients, and even installed a few. However, the results have been less than stellar, often involving so many false alarms that the systems were typically not used.

We decided to give this subject another look for Wind Horse. After all, there has been a lot of progress in other electronics areas, so why not in alarms?

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We’ve had a 30 HP Yamaha outboard on our dinghies going back to the days of Sundeer. Our first 30 was with us for 15+ years, and went to a new home when we sold Beowulf. Read the rest »

We’ve been following up on the INMARSAT BGAN voice and data service (previously described a couple of weeks ago). Here is what we have learned.

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Propeller engineering involves a combination of science, gut instinct based on real world experience, and trial and error. Regardless of the project, the latter part of this equation is always present – even on military vessels, when billions are spent to get it right, you cannot get away from trial and error.

With Wind Horse, we’re just on our second set of props, which have been slightly modified from their original design. By adding a slight amount of cupping we have gotten close to where we want to be. (Adding a trailing edge cup to a propeller works like a flap on the back edge of an airplane wing. The cup/flap increases the lift of the foil.)

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For years we have carried a set of screwdrivers which mechanically capture the flange of a screw head.

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With 16,000 miles now on Wind Horse we’ve zeroed in on a couple of things that we want to fine tune. One of these is the level of engine noise and/or vibration. Mind you, at our cruising speed of 1900 RPM/11.3 knots this is just 57 dB in the saloon/bridge area, so the noise level is already very low. But when you are passaging for thousands of miles, what would be considered almost silent on most boats can become bothersome.

As we are in Ventura, California, we called our old friends Dale and Steve who own and run Ventura Harbor Boat Yard. Steve came down with his yard foreman, Tom, and they gave the exhaust system a quick look.

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