Harry said his other potential crew asked about all his equipment like "Do you have a life raft? Do you have this, that?" Etc etc. Then when he asked when they were flying down or for ticket info - they would NOT have a response. He theorized that they were all "dreamers," but would not take action to actually LIVE their dream. I was the only that didn't ask about equipment as I did read his blog and felt it was sea-worthy and had the equipment I felt I needed to be safe/well equipped for a long trip.
I just wanted to TRAVEL to the South Pacific and wanted to ask about COMPATIBILITY of personalities - not so much boat stuff! When Harry emailed me last minute - I JUMPED and bought my ticket the next day to set sail in a WEEK! I don't NEED long notice - I was READY to GO!
South Pacific HERE I COME!@! I'll tell you about how I got REJECTED at first b/c my "personality" was IN YOUR FACE on my old blogs and FB! hahahah
Much thought went into choosing the
equipment on Malua. I discussed my decisions with experienced boat owners who
would know, rather than rely on vendors who obviously only want to push their products.
The equipment was purchased with ease from all over the world. The principle
was to keep it simple but use the most up-to-date equipment and most advanced
technology. The idea that old is good is not always the way to go. Use
the best available but ensure that it is the best.
A great deal of thought went into
choosing the following equipment and systems:
After the second hour, the fun of
steering a yacht loses its appeal, so turn it over to a system that in most
cases does a better job than you are able. It has to be appropriate for
the conditions and the mode of operation at the time. If you are sailing
well then why not use the wind in the form of a wind vane. If you are
motoring use the power of the battery and use an autopilot.
I chose the Australian-made Fleming
which is made of stainless steel and has a continuous adjustment for the wind
sensor. The current model purchased is now in its third or fourth
generation and has matured and improved with every release. The boat has
a large sugar scoop stern so the challenge was how to install the wind vane and
not totally restrict the good features of the stern. A tripod has been
constructed onto which the wind vane is attached. The swim ladder slides
out between the legs of the tripod and one can still easily dive off or climb
on to the sugar scoop while the wind vane is in place. There is an added
advantage in that wind vane can be removed by just undoing three bolts and
storing the system in the cockpit locker.
The electrical autopilot is based on
the Robertson autopilot from Simrad connected to a Whitlock 1/4Hp drive
unit. This
system is robust and uses a clever clutch system to disengage the motor when it
is not in use. The Whitlock pedestal is connected via a draglink to the
rudder and then, on the same unit, the autopilot is connected. It has
very little resistance and works as smooth as silk even when controlled by the
Fleming wind vane. The clutch does use some extra electricity but there
again I will be using the autopilot when the main engine is driving the boat so
there will hopefully be excess amps in the system. Picture: Whitlock autopilot
drive unit and feed back ready to be installed.
NEW
The electric motor unit is bolted to
the clutch unit which I have located in the most inaccessible place on Malua -
under the cockpit floor aft of the engine. After sailing through some
heavy seas and a grounding, the nine 3mm (yes 3mm) bolts sheered off or
came undone. The motor unit parted from the clutch unit as we crossed the
bar at Batemans Bay. To replace the bolts required removing the
base. It requires a very small, strong person and a person with long
arms. Fortunately I became one while the other was Bart working on his boat in
Sydney. These 3mm bolts are a design weak point of the system.
The Simrad C42 GPS/chart plotter and
radar is the best piece of equipment on the vessel. It is tightly
integrated with the autopilot. The display can show the charts alongside
the radar and many other important sailing variables. The display system
is at the chart table along with one multi-display IS15 wind instrument.
The other four, wind, compass and depth/speed instruments, are set above the
companionway hatch. There is a repeater of the C42 at the instrument pod
at the wheel along with the second autopilot control. This gives full
functionality and control from the wheel. I have found these essential
pieces of equipment with any coastal cruising especially being able to look at
the C-Map charts and the graphical depth sounder on the one screen while
steering the yacht.
The autopilot shows the waypoints,
their distance and bearing and can also steer the vessel along a set
route. A further advantage I have found is the ability to tack the vessel
while I am sailing single-handed. I only have to look after the sheets and not
think about the heading.
The mast head rig has a sloop/cutter
sail configuration. The inner forestay is removable with a Profurl
sail furling system. It is on a high field lever so it can be removed and
stowed against the mast if you are doing some close tacking but while cruising
it is left in its normal position. While hanked on storm staysail has all
the traditional benefits, a correct setup and well managed staysail is very
reliable. It gives extra flexibility and safety. The mast was made
by Allyacht Spars - Australia. They produce a beautiful piece of
equipment. The majority of the components are cut on their laser cutter
and fabricated in-house. This gives greater flexibility and the ability
to be creative with component construction. The whole component is then
anodized as a single piece. The turning blocks for the halyards at the
base of the mast are a good example of this feature. They have included
good lengths of halyards and placed the exits from the mast via the turning
blocks in a very logical position. The whole experience of purchasing
this mast was a delight. It has beautiful workmanship. The people added
value through their experience and the final product was excellent value for
money. A recommended product.
My approach is to do everything from
the cockpit, including furling the genoa and other sails. All the
halyards and lines come aft to the cockpit through turning blocks at the base
of the mast on to jammers and an electric winch. The main sheet has also
been led aft so the helmsman can control it from behind the wheel. This
is not always easy but essential. I have include two electric winches for
the main and the spinnaker sheets. They also double as a windlass for the
stern anchor.
All lines are Donaghys double braid
polyester. A poor product because the cover slips. In places it
will stretch such as the spinnaker guys, but in a cruising boat, a little
stretch in a gust can help save the sail if you fail to take it down in
time.
The sails come from the North
Sails loft in Sydney. This, like the mast, was a delight to purchase
and great value for money. The MD measured the sails, made some
suggestions and added his big boat experience. They complete the sail on
time and they fitted perfectly first time. A highly recommended
company.
The main is loose footed with four
sets of full length battens on Antil “teflon” bearing cars. The headboard
runs on a similar system. The reefing is single line which is operated
through the boom back to the cockpit. There are three reefing points.
The staysail is the sail of last
resort however it add great value going into the wind on Malua because it
balances the large mainsail. It has been cut as a blade sail so it stays
off the mast and spreaders. It does not have much power by directs the
flow of wind past the main.
If the wind is forward of the beam I
always fly the staysail. Depending on wind strength I fly the
genoa. It is a 150% so it is a large sail. I have it unfurled up to
18 knots then progressively furl it up to 25 knots. The foresails are
balanced with the main which is reefed sooner than later because it is a very
powerful sail with a big roach. Having single line reefing led back to
the cockpit means that it is easy to pull a reef in and to let one out.
Off the wind there is a massive
spinnaker which can be flown from either the port or starboard mast head.
The reacher is also available. A North snuffer is available to both sails
so a single person can douse these sails if the wind comes up.
One very rarely hears that someone
is not happy with the engine on their yacht. In my opinion they do not
compare theirs with others. I have a Yanmar 4JH2E which is 50HP
because I understand it was built for the marine environment. The
important thing about an engine is that it is correctly installed. It
should have good sound-proof engine mounts with the correct water exhaust
system and a flexible connection to the propeller shaft. This reduces the
vibration. Picture: Yanmar
on mounts prior to being enclosed.
While a yacht has sails, one uses
the engine far more than you think. This is particularly true in the
Mediterranean where the wind seems to blow or not, so you motor from one gale
to the next. I chose a feathering propeller from Autoprop because
the write-up from people who fitted them was always good. I
unfortunately had to deal with the local Australian agent who in retrospect has
given me poor advice ever since I started the negotiation with him. At
one point I all most cancelled the order and sourced it unit from New
Zealand. I wish I had.
The unit has good thrust and can
stop the vessel quickly as well as going astern with power and speed.
Unfortunately I have had balancing problems from the start. I am not able
to achieve 3600rpm from the motor because of the vibration. I
have repeatedly had people on board who have assisted with the engine alignment
but to no avail. The consequence of this situation is that the skeg shaft
bearing has worn much faster than expected. After only a few hundred
hours I had to replace the bearing. Now after only 250 hours it has
started to wear again. The local agent's recommendation is to add a second
bearing on a 900mm long shaft with a diameter of 1 1/2 inch thickness.
Not only impractical but should not be necessary. The manufacturers have
a different explanation but no solution. I will give it one more season
and replace the original prop to see if it is not the Autoprop.
All the systems are based around a
good 12 volt DC battery bank. I chose the best and biggest I could
afford, not only in terms of money but space and weight. I started six
Sonnenschein 6 volt 200Ah connected in parallel and series. There is
also a 12 volt 85Ah Sonnenschein starter battery. They are both
gel construction which will work underwater and require no distilled water or
maintenance. Not worrying about maintaining water levels, or acid
spilling in the battery locker, as with regular lead acid batteries, is the
greatest. These
were truly zero maintenance batteries and give me 600 amp hours, plus the 85
amp hour engine starter source. The NSW survey requires that the
navigation lights and the VHF have an additional battery source which is
located above the cockpit level externally. I have a 70amp hour gel
battery directly connected to these two units. Rather overkill and
hopefully never required. Picture: a single six volt unit.
After the cruise in the Pacific I
decided to add an additional battery bank to separate the electronics from the
motor driven equipment (autopilot) because after 18 hour of running the
autopilot it draws too great a current which leads to the chart plotter cutting
out because of low voltage. I added four 6 volt 200Ah Sonnenschein,
similar to the original type. These were located under the aft cabin
berth in a unused space. While giving me additional power I had to rewire
the main switch and change some of the other equipment take-off. Having
undertaken the original wiring it was easy to understand the schematics and to
design the new setup. Having done that the actual running of the new cables
went very easily. I now have a very robust system with redundancy and
isolating electronics from motors (winches, autopilot and windlass).
NEW
Having implemented the new system I
found that using the two house batteries for starting the engine was not the
best solution. Not only did it draw the incorrect current (high quick but
also had an impact on the running electronic equipment. It therefore made
sence to bring the redundant engine battery back into service. Now that
was quite easy because I had left the battery cables in the main switch box,
just disconnected the terminale. It was easy to connect them up but the
house and engine have two different charging regeimes so I had to isolate the
engine from the house battery. Not a problem just add a third 1, 2 both
switch. Unfortunatly there is no space so the switch had to be fitted
into the switch compartment. Having acommplished that all I do is when I
want to start the engine turn the switch to 1 and press the starter. The
engine starts from the engine battery and the alternator charges the engine
battery. After a few minutes switch to both and then to 2 and the house
battery system gets the energy. I can the deceide if house battey 1 or 2
gets charged first... simple. On all accounts I have separate amp and
volt readout for each battery.
Most yachts have a good alternator
on their main engine, but then have to run it every day to keep the batteries
charged. This is done, usually not under load, but at an idle speed,
which glazes the cylinders and uses lots of fuel. Not
a good use of their second most important asset. I have installed an
auxiliary motor used for battery charging, water making and filling diving
tanks, etc. It is a 13HP Kubota diesel motor that has a directly
connected 150Amp Leese Neville alternator. This puts out lots of
power and is controlled by a smart regulator. Picture: Generator in situ under
the cockpit floor astern of the main engine.
I have two 75 watt Siemens solar
panels mounted on a stern arch connected via their own smart regulator to the
batteries. These help keep the amp hours up when the Kubota is not
running. On an average day the two panels pump 10 amp. It is just
great and it is free and environmentally safe. The solar panels will also
charge the batteries when there is no-one on board.
A Sharplift industrial desalinator.
The high pressure water pump is connected via an electric clutch to the
Kubota. This produces in excess of 80 litres per hour while the batteries
are being charged. It has none of the fancy saline measuring meters only
a few valves that you switch on when the water tastes sweet. Simple and
easy to maintain.
Also available on the Kubota is a
place for a small compressor to charge diving tanks.
The inverter is a Mastervolt
1000 watt charger inverter controlled by the Heart management system. It
has very poor radio suppression. So bad in fact that the email will not
work if connected to the 240 volt driven computer. It
does do a good job for the microwave oven and the charging of smaller
batteries. The 800 watt toaster only just works if the batteries are full or
the engine is on! The Invertor supplies AC power through all the AC plugs
on the boat - galley, saloon, navigation station, and workshop.
There is an Ample Power 3 step
regulator for the Leese Neville. A Trace regulator controls the solar
panels. Both seem to work well.
With any refrigeration system, good
insulation is crucial. When I built the boat I made sure there was
sufficient insulation. In most places there is between 6 to 7 inches of
insulation with an aluminium foil layer on the outer layer to reflect the
radiant energy. The compressor is water cooled because in the tropics the
air can get as hot as the cooling coils. I also run a fan over the coils
just to keep them cool. This is a small 12 volt computer fan.
The Isotherm ASU Magnum has dual compressors which come into play when there is
extra charging capacity. When the compressor is running normally only one
compressor is working. This draws about 3 amps, but when the engine is
running, the second compressor kicks in and it draws 9 amps.
The fridge/freezer is divided into
four spaces. The bottom of both the fridge and freezer stores the
infrequently used items, such as packages of meat. The fridge section is
then used for the day-to-day items. The two are interconnected so the
cold air flows between the two. I believe that 12 volt DC refrigeration
is superior to an engine driven cold plate system. Cruising boats with cold
plate systems generally run their engines 1.5 hours per day, which may be OK if
you are moving on a daily basis, but generally just to run the main engine is a
waste and not good for the cylinders. I have a 13 HP auxiliary engine to
charge the batteries so this gives the extra charge to bring the freezer down
if it has been opened frequently or extra food has been added. Normally
the solar panels supply more than enough to keep it going. We left the
boat for ten days to do an overland trip and left all the systems
operating. When we returned the freezer was at –10C and the fridge was at
zero. It worked wonderfully even during the overcast periods.
This is the key to a good night's
sleep. The anchor is only one component of anchoring. I have a 45lb
high blade SQR. It is attached to 100 meters (yes 100 meters) of 10mm
tested chain. Well, I have never used all the chain but have used 70 meters
for three days when the wind blew 25 knots all the time. The chain is
attached to 70 meters of 18mm nylon rode which may also be used in a big blow
in deep water. I use a 18mm nylon snubber. The length depends on
the strength of the wind. It is usually only 5 to 10 meters long but is
could go out to 30 meters. I have a back up Bruce 45 lb which has been
used in soft mud. A further backup not only for mud but as a stern anchor
is the 12 pound Fortress. Being light, it is easy to take out in the dinghy.
It always set rapidly and hold in mud. As the final backup and for use in
rocks is a 40lb fisherman or navy pattern anchor always secured to the pulpit
in case of emergencies. Hopefully it will never be needed.
This is part of the anchoring system
and should, like the anchor and chain, be over specified. I have a
1200watt Muir Atlantic chain and rope windlass with extra capstan on top.
It is either operated
from the cockpit (yet again) or from two electric foot switches on the
bow. This is a very powerful Italian motor which has more than once got
me out of trouble. The chain feeds directly into the chain locker below
the windlass. I have put the windlass motor in a plastic box to keep the
salt water off the works. The Muir is not good for rust so this was my
solution which appears to be working.
In my opinion there is only one
cruising roller furling system and that is Profurl. They are simple and
well made. They have one weak spot and that is the use of stainless steel
grubber screws to join the aluminum tube sections. If not put in
correctly they do come out and do corrode. But there again, when do you
want to take the sections apart? Certainly not at sea. The stay
sail has a highfield lever at the deck end, built by Allyacht Spars, which permits
me to disconnect the staysail from the deck and move it aft, out of the way of
the genoa, for harbour sailing and tacking duals! Not required while
cruising. It just stays in place.
This is an added bonus which will
pay for itself on those cold dark nights when you can't just determine what
that moving object actually is. In my case it did just that coming
in to Recherché bay in Tasmania one afternoon when a thick fog came down on us
from nowhere. I had plotted a series of way points through the islands
and reefs to the north of the bay so I was prepared but had not expected not to
be able to see the islands. The fog/mist was so thick we could not see
more than 20 meters. I turned the boat over to the autopilot to follow
the predetermined track and just sat there watching the Simrad radar and chart
plotter to verify that the electronics were doing their job. At each
waypoint the Simrad would ask if it should turn towards the next way point and
if approved it would turn the vessel and off we would go between the islands
and reefs. That day the repeater unit at the wheel and the integrated
system paid for itself many times over.
Some boats can mount the radar
screen in a position that can be seen from both the navigation station and the
cockpit. I have done this but the repeater unit at the wheel means
that two people can follow the boat. One at the wheel and the other
behind the dodger.
There are two radios at the chart
table. The high frequency unit is ICOM M710 with international bands
making it a fully tuneable ham radio. I have the very basic ham licence
just to meet the requirements. The second radio is a VHF ICOM M502 with a
second commander control unit at the wheel. This gives complete send and
receive control at the wheel where you need it in an emergency.
There is so much said about radar
reflectors that you just have to pay your money and get what you get. I
believe the only place to put a reflector is well up your mast and to have one
that is quite a good size. I spent the extra money for a Firdell
Blipper radar reflector, including the mast bracket. The Blippers's
smooth veneer and sturdy mount keep it hassle free. This was included in
the mast package from Allyacht Spars and as always it was superbly done.
The system I have used is the Xaxero
Weatherfax 2000 but I have been disappointed by the hardware
interface. It does not pick up the serial port when it starts up.
So frequently you have waited for the time to come around for the fax
transmission. Switch on the computer, click the icon and wait for the serial
port to be found but no, it can't find it. So the only way to solve this
is the reboot route which, by the time that is all finished the fax picture is
almost completed. The computer is connected to a PTC II Pro PACTOR 2
Sailmail Modem PK 232 for weatherfax and other ham projects. It works
well for sailmail e-mails which is the communication method of the
future.
On long passages our RIB is deflated
and stored over the life raft under the boom. This is not the best
place because it stops the life raft from self-inflating. On short trips,
we kept it inflated and hoisted on the davits on the stern of the boat.
It works very well and permits us to leave an anchorage at short notice.
It also secures the RIB at night in case the wind gets up. It does add
extra weight at the ends. Davits don’t work while the wind vane is in
place so that has to be removed and stored to use the davits with the
RIB.
NEW While in the Pacific I caught a huge fish with the rod
trawling a lure over the stern. The fish ran out taking all the
line. What I did not notice was that the line was running over the
pontoon of the RIB and made two long cuts right through the material. I
was able to patch the area but I estimated it would not last so I purchased a
8ft Aquapro RIB. A great tender but not able to plain with two people on
board which the 10ft RIB was able to do.
The current outboard is a Yamaha 8HP
which is stored on the RIB if on the davits but on ocean crossings it is stored
in the cockpit locker on a special engine mounting. Too frequently yachts
have small tenders with low powered outboards. This restricts their
ability to explore and travel any distance with comfort such as on dive
trips. We found this essential in the Pacific.
I purchased an ARCO Boom
Brake. It works well in controlling gibes but not well as a
preventer. A rope preventer works well in light air and in lumpy sea
conditions it stops the sails from slapping.
The boat has two large water storage
tanks integrated above the keel. There is a third tank of stainless steel
for the very sweetest drinking water sent directly from the Gods. This is
captured from the deck or from a canvas bimini over the cabin top. The
desalinator can be directed to this tank in the event of no rain. The
heart of the water system is controlled from a locker under the settee.
It is designed on a star network distributed from one point. The locker houses
the four Johnson water pumps (fresh, drinking, salt and salt wash down).
The water uptake can be directed via three valves to any of the three tanks.
The pipes all include accumulator tanks to reduce the on/off of the
pumps. Foot pumps were included but removed because they were never
used. The galley's drinking water is fitted with 10 and 1 micron water
filters to eliminated any foreign matter that may get in. It can include
a carbon filter.
For hot water the two engine's
cooling water has been diverted to a 50l hot water tank made by Woody in
Queensland. This provides hot showers and hot water in the sink. The pipes are
run directly via the shortest route to each tap to reduce the water wastage
waiting for hot water to arrive. The water cistern also has a 240volt 800
watt element which can be used when one is connected to the power grid.
There are two heads on the boat. The
forward head can be used with salt water and pumped over the side. It is
a standard manual flush. If fresh water is used it is pumped into the
holding tank. Two Y valves direct the correct flow in and out! The
main head is based on Sealand vacuum pump which is supposed to use less fresh
water and keeps the micro-organisms in sea water out of the pipes and holding
tanks. If the breather is good it should be able to create a perfect
sewage farm in the holding tanks. A suck-out line is fitted if this is
available and a large piston pump is connected for the discharge of the goodies
from the holding tank if one is far enough out to sea. The maintenance
kit costs an arm and a leg so hopefully it will not break.
The Magma BBQ is connected to the
granny seat located under the bimini. It has a very nice addition for the
hose adapter that connects directly via a tap to the LPG tank regulator.
There are two stainless steel 6 kg
tanks secured in a self draining lazerette locker. Each is secured and
independently connected.
There is good logic in having a good
bilge alarm but they all work off the same electrical system as the pump.
I use a high volume alarm to the main bilge pump but as a backup I have a Dick
Smith kit alarm run off a 9 volt battery. Nothing could have been easier to
build but I do think it will corrode over time.
The vessel requires a 6 person RFD
Seasava life raft packed in a hard case. It is secured to the cabin top
with a hydrostatic release. It is fitted with a 121 EPIRB and all the
coastal supplies.
The vessel has a McMurdo Pain Wessex
Precision 406 EPIRB located just inside the companionway. It is
registered with the authorities and should help find the boat if anything went
wrong. Each crew member has a personal EPIRB in their wet weather
gear.
The jack lines running fore and aft
along the deck. They are climbing tapes which should be strong enough to
hold two people over the side. They have some stretch and lie flat on the
deck.
The dodger was designed to stand
with little aft facing canvas work which would intrude into the cockpit.
As a result of this it is not easy to lie flat if one has to but it is secure
and provides a good handhold. The canvas work was done at Batemans Bay
and is very poor. The bimini is attached to the aft arch. Here the
canvas work is good. It has sun shade sides which may be added to keep the
sun out in the tropics -a great idea especially at anchor.
NEW After a particularly wet summer in the Pacific where
it rained as if a fire hose had been turned on, the canvas on the bimini could
not cope. I decided to build a hard dodger for Malua. At the time a
fellow in Newcastle NSW was completing a similar vessel so I agreed to make a
mould for both of us to my design. In the end he did not like the design
and cut it to pieces and built his own using some of the components from the
mould. I don't think either of us got what we wanted. I am happy
with mine but may rebuild it in a few years to look more integrated.
The weather cloths extend from the
cockpit start aft to the Bimini stanchion. The greatest idea is to have a
clear see-through section along the top panel. This permits you to see
out while sitting in the cockpit. When the seas are up, it is great to
have them although they affect the working of the wind vane.
