"It is probably best to have on board no machinery at all unless one regards it as one does the wind, fickle and liable to stop."               Bill Tilman
 

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Welcome to the Fellow Traveler Gear Blog. I do not consider myself the final word on any piece of gear, supplier, manufacturer, or technician discussed in this blog. But, I will report, as honestly as I can, my experiences with the mechanical aspects of my boat , her equipment, and maintenance. These comments derive from (as of this writing) over 5 years aboard Fellow Traveler, 15 years of living aboard 3 different boats and cruising extensively, and a lifetime of sailing. I hope it may be of value to others. This is a work in progress: as I continue my sailing adventures, I am sure I will have new additions to both my love and my hate pile!

BOAT

 I will start with my boat, a Morgan 461. For those who did know (as I did not), the 462 is not a later version: it is the ketch rig. Most of the sloop rigged boats were built for Moorings Charter in the Caribbean . The ketches, to my knowledge, were all for private owners versions. The hull is based on the Scheel 45, designed by Henry Scheel, of which I believe only 6 were made. Indeed, the 461 is only 45 ft on deck, despite the name. Morgan acquired the mold, and molded Morgan 452's in 1978, which are pretty much the same boat as the Scheel 45. All of these were ketch-rigged, I believe. The differences between the 45/452 and the 461/462 that I note are these: On the 462 (ketch rig) the main mast is stepped further aft in the same location as the sloop rig. This causes the rig to look a little "unbalanced" to my eye, with the large foretriangle and small main. Instead of a low coach roof, the 45l/452 had more of doghouse with fixed windows and a heavily cambered deck forward for headroom in the V-berth cabin.  Morgan added 1/2 foot to the keel with the 461/462. I am not sure if this is to allow an encapsulated keel (which the 461/462 has, but I do not know about the Scheel or 452) or to offset the taller rig of the sloop. The 461/462 was designed for life in the tropics, i.e., extensive hatches and ports for ventilation. The charter version had several concessions to their intended purpose, such as upper/lower  bunks in the passageway vs. the workbench, and a master stateroom bunk that works as two twins fore and aft, or an athwartship double vs. just the double with more cabinetry. Also, there is access to the aft head from the passageway as well as the aft cabin. Personally, I like the charter version. Too many cruising boats lack good sea berths, particularly if sailing on the wind (Eastern Caribbean sailing is mostly on the wind). I turned the passageway bunks into a comfortable single with tool storage under, thus gaining an excellent sea bunk. The twin configuration in the aft cabin provides ok sea bunks: I intend to eventually box in the space under the shelf above the bunk. This will make the bunks narrower, but you do not end up under the shelf, which is claustrophobic. You also get some more storage.  I prefer the simplicity of the sloop rig over the ketch.

A few other quick comments on the layout: the walk-in engine room provides superb access to the mechanicals, and keeps them all in one area. As someone who hates engine work this reduces my excuses to not do it. On the down side, there is no sound-proofing, and it would be hard to install with all the wires, equipment, etc. mounted on the bulkheads of the engine room.  A friend considered adding a separate sound-proofed engine box inside the engine room, which would be a clever solution, but I have a simpler one: turn off the engine and sail.

The galley is bigger than any equivalent-sized boat I know of except those that put the galley in the passageway, not an idea I like. The fridge, BTW, was terrible. Best to cut it open and build a much smaller, better one inside.

The chart table is nice and big, but the seat is rather uncomfortable.  But then, when was the last time you sat at a chart table for hours reducing star sights? 

The aft head (complete with bathtub!) will spoil you! It is the size of those found in mega-yachts! Personally, I hate phone-booth heads that lack a separate shower stall, so this is a major selling point for this boat. Many cruisers I know do not use their interior showers as they are so small and not seperate. I use the deck shower when in remote anchorages. However, showering in a port with your swim suit on because your head is too small seems silly to me. Since most boats this size have two heads, some of my friends set up one head for showers, the other for the remaining functions. Me? I like my bathroom. 

The level of finish is ok. It does not jump out at you with the superb craftsmanship of some boats. Personally, I no longer care to sail around in something that resembles my grandmothers armoire. I have endeavored to avoid the "yachty" look the few times I've gotten in touch with my interior decorator side.

As to sailing ability, keep in mind this is not a race boat. But, she performs surprisingly well for a pure cruising boat. She does not sail very close to the wind. The main reason is the jib sheeting angle: the shrouds lead to chainplates bolted to the outside of the hull. I think this is by far the best approach for chainplates for a cruising boat, but with a 13.5 ft beam, any jib that overlaps can not be sheeted in enough to sail close to the wind. Her hull shape does not help either, with a longish keel that is only 6 ft deep (6 1/2 actual for Fellow Traveler when loaded for cruising). I suspect windward ability would be greatly improved if a blade jib was used that sheeted inside the shrouds. I considered this option, but chose to go instead with a blade staysail: in a good sailing breeze, she will sail much higher than before, but if wind gets light, speed drops without more sail area. The blade jib would be a great option for someone who is not crossing oceans. People are finally realizing that a huge genny just is not a friendly cruising sail. For off the wind, buy a cruising chute or Code 0 on a removable furler. 

On a reach, Fellow Traveler is as fast as all but the racing sleds. The former owner supposedly won a St Croix to St John race once in her (almost always a fast reach the whole way). Down wind, again, as fast as anything except the sleds. All boats are compromises.

I really like the Peterson 44's. (hate the iron ballast, though. So stupid. Iron and salt water are just a bad combination).  They will probably out sail the Morgan, particularly in light wind and upwind. But, for similar-sized boats, the galley and heads seem small. If sailing performance is more important, find a good deal on a Peterson . Just make sure you never go below on a Morgan....don't want you to doubt your decision. 

Anyone looking at these boats has probably found an extremely negative website written by a surveyor. By all means, read it and take it in to consideration. But, I have found few of the problems he mentions on my boat.

The hull is very heavily laid up. Good thing, as 25 years in tropical waters led to extensive blistering on my boat. I figure I ground out the thickness of a typical modern hull, such as a Benneateau, and still had 2 more hull thicknesses left! From cores I have drilled to add through-hulls, the layup quality is not great. there are some dry spots. If it were not for the serious overkill on the amount of fiberglass, I might be worried, but there is so much there, it does not concern me. 

By the way, Many people think steel is a more solid material than fiberglass, and has a better chance of surviving a reef-grounding, collision, etc. Maybe. We open steel cans all the time with a not very sharp cutting instrument (and coral reefs can be sharp!). I will tell you a quick story about fiberglass. In 2002 I was  in Porto Santo, near Madeira, having arrived in the dark after 8 days from the Azores. I was anchored in the small boat anchorage just off the beach and by the walled-in port. While I was in town buying ice cream and beer (8 day at sea!), a local boat t-boned my boat at full speed. The local boat was a massively built reproduction of the traditional sailing cargo vessels that hauled freight on the open Atlantic from Madeira to Porto Santo. It was around 65 feet long, with a bow probably 15 feet off the water so he could not see my low boat (don't know why he missed the mast. Perhaps it had something to do with the skimpy European bathing suits on the beach on a holiday weekend). The harbor master, who witnessed the collision from the road, said he thought it would go right through my boat, cutting it in half and sinking it. The captain on another boat in the anchorage rushed up on deck to see what was happening because he heard my anchor chain being drug across the bottom at 8 knots. My boat, by the way, was a 1962 Pearson Alberg 35, one of the early fiberglass production boats. It was heavily laid up (but not the 2+ inches some claim. The bow sections could oil-can disturbingly in rough seas). Did it sink? No. Did it cause major damage? No. It put a hole in the hull/deck joint about three inches across, with a crack running down the hull maybe 6 inches. Fiberglass, in adequate thicknesses is very tough stuff!

Back to the Morgan. All in all, if I were to hire a designer to come up with the perfect boat in this size range, I honestly can think of few changes I would make. Maybe move the electrical panel so you could get a comfortable seat at the chart table. Maybe squeeze a little more foot room into the V-berth. I have wondered about her relatively modest amount of ballast. She does have large tanks in the keel above the ballast, so maybe that helps. I can not say I have found her tender, nor would I second guess Henry Scheel, who is most famous for designing a shallow-draft cruising keel. Moving the chainplates inboard would help the sheeting angle, and thus the windward performance. But, then I would need a double-spreader rig, and chainplates that penetrate the deck are a constant source of leaks and crevice corrosion. They probably cause more dismastings than anything else (the chainplates look perfect above and below deck, but where they pass through the deck, they turn to swiss cheese). Not sure the complexity and cost are worth the gain. Sail downwind instead!  I guess I am happy. I could easily spent 5 times as much and not get a boat I like as much.

Continuing with boats: in the past several years I have captained the following production boats: Gulfstar 42, Fountaine Pajot Bahia 46, Lagoon 44. I will not go into details, but, the Gulfstar seems a decent design. The fuel and water capacity seems rather limited for the size. The Bahia 46 is perhaps the worst production boat I have ever captained. It develops so much weather helm it is impossible to sail anything broader than a close reach with any mainsail and not have the rudder hard over. Avoid this boat like the poxed whore she is! The Lagoon 44 sails much better...but there is no way I would trade my boat for one of these except for the obvious way higher resale value. I have captained 3 catamarans now, and none are worth what they cost IMO.

Other boat comments: I crewed on a Amel through the Panama Canal recently. I once thought Amels where perhaps the ultimate cruising boat....not now. The cockpit is small and cramped, the view from the helm makes boat handling in tight quarters a absolute trial, and the interior volume for the length seems rather small. I admit, there are some brilliant ideas built into the Amels....but give me beater Morgan. It is by far the better design.

Countertops

Fellow Traveler, like many older boats, had fading, scrached plastic laminate countertops (Formica) in the galley and on the dinette table. I replaced the galley countertops once, but after a few years they again looked shabby. I was pondering getting  solid surface counters (Corian) made for her, but worried about the cost . So, I decided to try a cheap and easy approach: I painted my old counters with 2-part polyurethane paint! I used an auto-paint that is readily available in Panama, and cheap, although made by Azco-Noble, the same company that turns out Interlux and Awlgrip paints. I would say the work is a bit less to paint the counters than to replace them. And, mistakes are much easier to deal with. Of course, you start by sanding the old laminate, then tape off very carefully. 2 coats each of primer and paint, and it is done. Any repairs or resurfacing in the future should be very easy: either buff them out, or, if the the damage is too deep, simply sand and put on a new topcoat.  (note: I gather you do not buff Awlgrip, so it may be better to use another brand that is buff-able). Of course, if you have the equipment and skills to spray, that should provide a smoother finish, but I find, since the area is very small, it is easy to keep it very smooth if you have experience brushing 2-part paint. You are limited to a single color, not the fake stone, etc, of other methods, but I did not mind this. I think the bright yellow counters look great alongside the other bright colors and white bulkheads of my tropical-inspired boat.

A quick note on other boats of this vintage that I would consider if I were shopping for a lot of boat for a little money, and my thoughts on them:

Morgan 38: This is a great smaller cruising boat if your budget is limited. It was designed by Brewer, who drew sensible, somewhat heavy, cruising boats. The layout is kind of like the 461 without the aft cabin, so very suitable for a couple cruising. There are times, particularly when singlehanding, that I wish I had one of these and bit more cash in the bank. The biggest issue is when you try to equip it like so many cruisers are these days: fridge, SSB, watermaker, computers....modern boats use lots of DC power, so large battery banks, lots of solar, etc, are required. I am not sure where I would put a 6-golfcart battery bank, like Fellow Traveler has, or the 300 watts of solar. If in the trade winds, a wind generator would help. Maybe an engine driven watermaker instead of a DC one. Still, if I were boat-shopping today, this would be high on my list: smaller and simpler than Fellow Traveler, but capable of carrying a reasonable load.

Gulfstar 43: Basically, a similar layout to the Morgan, but it is all squeezed in a bit tighter. They galley and heads, in particular, suffer for this. Biggest issue, though, is the lack of tankage: just too small for a cruising boat of this size.

Gulfstar 50: The Gulfstars tend to be leaner, with longer overhangs, than the Morgan 461, so this has about the same interior volume of the Morgan. A very pretty boat, and reported to be a pretty good sailor. Usually priced a bit more too, though.

CSY 44: While it looks much different, the basic design concept was the same for this boat: big, solid charter boat. It is slightly heavier than the Morgan, and slightly slower. They come as both  "walk thru" and "walk over" designs (i.e., is there a passage below to the aft cabin, or just "over" through the cockpit?). The Galley is an L-shape, not as large nor as good in a seaway. Often priced slightly cheaper.

Whitby 42/Brewer 4?: These are similar designs. I was told by a Brewer owner that  the Brewer (I think it is a 44) resolved some issues that the Whitby had by not following Brewer's design, but do not know the details. These are heavy boats, and thus need lots of sail to get them moving, hence the large ketch rigs. I the cutter/sloop rigs until you get a lot bigger, personally.

Morgan Out Island 41: These have, at times, gone for incredibly cheap prices. They are not good sailors, being only 4'2" draft and shorter and beamier than the 461. They are fine off wind, and the big ketch rig some have will really get them moving on a broad reach, but forget making much ground to windward. But, they have sailed all over the world, and if you want the most living space for the money, this very well might be it.

Westsail 42/43: The 42 is the center-cockpit, the 43 is the aft cockpit. They are a bit heavy, and double enders, so lack the interior volume of the 461, but they are stout, seaworthy boats. Google the yacht Fiona to read about one that has done more actual sailing than I have in my dreams.

You will note that I list no Taiwanese double enders, such as the Baba, Hans Christian, Tayana, etc....all good boats, I am sure, but their glitzy interiors tend to run up their value, while doing nothing for their seaworthiness, so you pay more for a Tayana 37, say, than a Morgan 461. And they are all very heavy designs, so will require equivalent equipment while providing less usable volume and boat speed. If you find a good deal on one, by all means, go for it. However, my experience is the boats above are likely to offer more boat for the buck.

A note on double-enders. These have always had a place in blue water sailing, and in the early 70's, when the Westsail 32 came out, it became very much a dogma that they were more seaworthy. Of course, they are not inherently more or less seaworthy than a transom design, but the dogma became so strong in the US that nearly all serious cruising boats designed in the late 70's had them. I prefer a transom design for one simple reason: modern cruisers have a lot of "stuff" hanging off the backs of their boats: dinghies in davits (but not on passage, I hope!), solar panels, wind generators, radar and other electronic arrays, self-steering windvanes.... and all this stuff needs space, and perhaps a little reserve buoyancy to keep you dry in the cockpit in a sea. The reserve buoyancy can be designed into a double-ender, of course (the Valiant's, for example), but it becomes much more difficult to mount the stuff.

I will finish this blurb on boats with a brief story of some friends I knew when I first was cruising. They were fulfilling lifelong dreams of going bluewater sailing, and thus bought a Kaiser Gale Force, which is, I believe, 34 feet on deck. These are very heavy, very tradition, very beautiful boats, and theirs was equipped with everything the magazines said you should have (most of which I lack. In fact, at the time, I was sailing a Pearson Triton that lacked even an engine!). I remember how crowded the cabin seemed in this boat! They spent one winter in Cuba, but were limited by how far they could get by the large number of cold fronts that ripped through that year. They returned to NC, where I was after a winter in the Bahamas on my Triton, then the next year took off for the Bahamas with plans of going to Trinidad. Well, once out in open ocean past the Bahama banks, they got caught in a gale that was bigger than forcast, with items crashing around their beautiful teak interior so lovingly varnished, and decided it was more than they bargained for. They returned to Rum Cay, spend a winter there (certainly not a bad place to be) then returned to NC. My friend said if he was to do it over again, he would buy an old Morgan Out Island, or something similar: twice or three times the living space, big engine, all for about 1/3rd the cost. In the end, they decided to sell the boat and return to life ashore.

The lessons here are manifold. 1) Sailing to the Eastern Caribbean from the Eastern US in winter is not easy. Be patient, and willing to turn back and restart. 2) The boat that impresses you with its spectacular woodwork will make you very nervous when the pressure cooker flies off the stove and crashes into it. 3) All the gear in the world did not carry this couple any further than my engineless Triton did the year before. I have met many cruisers with radar, chart plotters, masthead wind instruments, etc, but only had a main with one or two reefs and a huge jib on a roller furler. Get the important stuff first: storm sails, etc, and realize the other stuff is just dressing. 4) Heavy, small, traditional designs might look salty, but they are not necessarily any more seaworthy than other designs. The further out into the ocean I go, the more the boats all look different and I realize that it is less the boat, and more the equipment and the crew that determines who makes it out here. I see more of those salty, traditional, heavy boats sitting in marinas back in NC than I see out here (in the Pacific, as I write).

On to gear.

SAILS

I had a jib and a staysail built for me by SAILS EAST, ordering through John Ward, their NW US rep. There were problems when they arrived. Honestly, I have never ordered a sail, through a local sailmaker or elsewhere, in which there were not some issues, so I can not say Sails East was significantly better or worse. John Ward  is very knowledgeable, and great to deal with, and went to bat for me to fix the problem (wrong size luff tape) .  I do think, though, I was a bit more impressed with the workmanship from Rolly Tasker, in Thailand (main for my last boat). Of course, that was 10 years ago, so may not be the same. The US rep for Tasker, National Sails, in FL never did make good on that sails  problem (mast slides on foot and vice versa, and non-reusable attachments for them, so had to buy extra slides and new plastic shackles. Do not know if the problem was caused by him or the loft). In view of his  unwillingness to resolve this problem despite promising to do so, I would never order a sail from National again. 

RIGGING

I have ordered extensively over the years from RIGGING ONLY (www.riggingonly.com) and always had great service at great prices. I highly recommend them for all rigging needs, including prices for new winches cheaper than Ebay used. They are very knowledgeable if you need rigging advice.

MARINE CHANDLERIES

ISLAND WATER WORLD  and BUDGET MARINE: The Eastern Caribbean has two main chandlery chains that compete strongly for business, so it is actually an ok place to supply. Best deal is to use cash in St Martin at whichever has the best price. Next best is the islands that have one of each store: Grenada and Saint Thomas. On big items, get them bidding against each other. 

DEFENDER INDUSTRIES: supposedly a marine chandlery, but actually a den of thieves. I do not order from them no matter how much cheaper they may be, because in the end it will cost you. They mailed an order that I had cancelled 6 months before because I was leaving the country (the items had been in stock, they just never mailed it for some reason only known to them). I returned the package AT MY COST (not easy to do from a foreign country when it is at an address you no longer live at!), yet never was credited. My bank said write them with the details, but claim they never received the multiple letters I sent from various foreign countries. Ask around among long-term boaties and you will quickly find similar stories. Their reputation is terrible.  If you still insist on ordering from them, DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!

MARINE STOVES:

Best deal going: New Princess stoves from The Stove Doctor (ultimateaccuracy@aol.com, or GEARBUSTERS on Ebay). He also is your source for parts for old stoves, even parts the manufacturer no longer carries. But, while the Princess is much cheaper than a Force 10, I recently did an Atlantic delivery on a boat equipped with a Force 10 and think it is a superior stove. I have also captained a charter catamaran with an Eno stove and hate it: the burners are so wimpy it takes half an hour to boil water. The oven is not thermostatically controlled and the "control" provides little variation in temperature. A stove without a thermostat, but a built-in thermometer readable from the outside and a good control would be good, but I do not see those anymore.

RADAR DETECTOR

the CARD (Collision Avoidance Radar Detector), from Survival Safety Engineering, is an essential piece of gear to me, particularly for a singlehander. From when it is first visible, you have about 15 minutes to  spot a ship at speed before you are going to be running out of time to contact it or maneuver out of it's way. Genny poled out? Move fast! No main up, so can't turn upwind much? Move faster! The CARD gives you that extra edge of warning, and lets you sleep, even if you do not entirely trust the person on watch. And, it draws milliamps. Not for coastal sailing, but open ocean. I used one on my last boat, on which I singlehanded the Atlantic. I added one to Fellow Traveler as well as I never know when my crew might abandon me (or I throw them off!).

AIS is a good alternative to radar detectors so long as it can be hooked to an alarm. I know some who bought the stand-alone model so they do not have to run a computer contantly for it, and others who turn it on to check the surrounding area (good for 50 miles or so) then turn it off for an hour or two. Radars seem like a good solution, but they just draw too much power and have too many false alarms  to really work as a an alarm when off-watch, IMO.

SELF STEERING AND AUTOPILOTS

First, everyone sitting on land dreaming of sailing thinks they are going to cross oceans. Most cruisers I know in the Caribbean thought they would, but never do. Here, where passages are short. a good Self Steering device or a good Autopilot will suffice, but both are not needed. You can add the other later before you actually start that ocean passage. But, if going bluewater sailing, Jimmy Cornell says he thinks you need both, and I agree. 

My AUTOPILOT is a SIMRAD (formerly Robertson) AP 11. Not many bells and whistles, but I don't need them. Just steer the course! I have no complaints about this gear. It was recommended by "Mac" MacNeil, who helped me install it (see below). He has dealt with most, if not all types, so I respect his opinion. I know, everyone else is going RayMarine. Well, I listen to Mac. Since then I have captained two boats with RayMarine autopilots, and I am very thankful I had Mac's advice! It does not compare to the Simrad. Follow-up: I recently captained a Lagoon 44 Catamaran, which was equipped with a RayMarine Autopilot with a hydraulic drive, and it handled the boat no problem. I still think the Simrad is a superior autopilot, but perhaps some of the problems the RayMarine I previously used were caused by inadequate drive units.

If you are anywhere near the US Virgin Islands, and have autopilot or major electrical issues, contact James "Mac" MacNeil (usvitechnical@yahoo.com). He is good, he is honest, and her is reasonable.  

SELF STEERING: I have used a very beat, old RGV, a somewhat beat Aries, and now, a brand new HYDROVANE (www.hydrovane.co.uk). I could get all three to steer my boat, albeit with varying amounts of finagling. The Hydrovane  is clearly the best of the three...however, remember, it was purchased new. Both the RGV and the Hydrovane serve as emergency rudders. I used the RGV as one once when my tiller on my Alberg broke at the base. The Aries does not serve as emergency steering.

 Honestly, for most boats, you could not go wrong with a used Aries. Get spare parts and rebuild it if need be. But, for my situation, this would not have worked. I have hydraulic steering, which means there is not a fixed center point to the wheel. Also. with the center-cockpit, the lines to the wheel would be long, leading to friction and stretch. And, the high freeboard of my boat might make mounting it difficult or impossible.  Perhaps the biggest concern,  the steering and autopilot both work through the hydraulic system. If it failed, I would only have an emergency tiller in the aft cabin to steer by. The Hydrovane is the perfect solution in every way but one: IT IS CRAZY EXPENSIVE!. In fact, it is the single most expensive piece of boat gear I have ever bought. It cost more than my first cruising boat did! All I can say is, now I have to cross an ocean just to justify it!

HF Radios (Ham/SSB) When I took off sailing 10 years ago, I was expecting the rapid demise of the HF radio as a primary means of communication for cruisers, being replaced with Sat phones and world wide internet, which I figured had to be just around the corner. 10 years later, very little has changed, and HF Radio is still the primary means boats keep in touch with each other and the outside world.

I will state that I am hardly an expert in this area, nor am I very experienced. I only added a HF radio before heading across the Pacific. Never the less, here are my opinions on the subject. First: GET A HAM LICENSE!!! This allows you to use both the Ham and the Marine SSB bands. I can say unequivocally that the Pacific Seafarer's Net, a Ham net, is the best emergency contact for the Pacific. They use dozens of shore-based and maritime mobile stations to listen for emergency calls, giving you the best chance of getting out if needed. The shore stations use powerful rigs with directional antennas that cover the Pacific like no SSB  net could begin to. And, Hams are just generally more serious about their radios and their use, so the Ham nets are more organized....I've heard SSB nets that were only slightly short of total Bedlam!

As to radios: there seems to be near unanimous opinion that ICOM marine radio is your best choice. These days many of these are fully functional on both Marine SSB and Ham bands, avoiding the need to get someone who knows electronics to "open" up your radio to the bands that are not covered. Ordinary Ham radios, while great shore side, are not designed for the marine environment, so will probably have a shorter life. However, they are significantly cheaper than the marine SSB's, so may offer an alternative to someone on a budget.

My radio is a used  ICOM M700 I bought for $100, spent another $150 getting it serviced and opened up for Ham, plus a typical Ham style antenna tuner rather than the expensive automatic ones most use, which set me back $25. The antenna is a plain 8 gauge wire I have tied up to the masthead. It is not perfect, but i seem to do about as good as most basic systems for getting out. This radio is not compatible with a Pactor Modem (see below), but I do not care as I think that system is not worth the trouble and expense (again, see below). So, for about 10% of the cost of a new, state-of-the-art SSB, I have HF radio capability to chat with friends, check in with the nets, et cetera. That will do until they finally figure out how to do affordable satellite internet mid-ocean!

ONBOARD EMAIL

Most cruisers these days use a Pactor modem, about $1000 extra, to allow their SSB or Ham radio to transmit email. Using Ham to do this is free (however, it is not legal to conduct any business via Ham). The boat I delivered across the Pacific had this type of rig, using SSB frequencies. I found the system to be problematic. As yachts often move in large groups, determined by the weather, the network of antennas that handle the email quickly become overloaded. Coming across the Atlantic, there were periods of 3 or 4 days where we could not get a connection to any station to download the weather charts we wanted. Out in the Pacific, a number of friends got "shut down" for exceeding their allowed usage by Sailmail, the SSB system. They say they were not sending many emails, mostly just downloading the weather charts. This, if it occurred at the wrong time, would be a serious flaw in the system! Personally, for the trouble and costs, I do not think this is the best way to go for onboard email.

I have a Skymate system I have used for the past 6 years on Fellow Traveler. I would rate it OK. The cost, when I bought it, was about the same as the Pactor modem. I believe it has gone up some since. The costs to operate it are reasonable, depending on how much it is used. They have several levels of service, based on how many characters a month one requires. You pay a per-character price if you exceed your limit. You can change your level of service anytime you want, effective the first day of the next month. There is a level of service that does not transmit any messages: you access them from the internet, for when you are in port, that is very cheap...sort of a "park" mode.

All of this sounds good...but there are problems, too. The software has problems communicating to the modem, a separate device that is part of the system. Usually, I find that, after a few minutes, the computer and modem loose contact. I have worked around this by writing all me emails in advance in a word-processing program, then starting the Skymate program, pasting the text into the email, and sending it, all in less than a minute. I know of several friends who had problems with this serious enough that they gave up on the system and wrote it off as an expensive lesson. They felt that customer service never properly addressed the issue, claiming it was loose connections, etc. But, everyone I know with this system reports the identical fault, so it lies either in the software, or the fact that the modem works through a serial connection, which laptops these days do not have. Thus, a serial to USB adapter is required, possibly introducing "issues."

Perhaps the biggest problem with the Skymate system is that there is a big hole without coverage, right in the middle of the South Pacific cruising area. Not good!

If I were starting over, instead of the Skymate system, I would buy an Iridium satellite phone. The cost is not much more than the alternatives, but you get so much more. First, you can access your regular email account if you want, as you are using the Sat Phone to access the internet for your email. Better, though, are email servers that are designed specifically for the slow transmission rate of Sat Phones, minimizing connection time, and hopefully set up to avoid spam. In a pinch, you can use the phone to access the internet same as always (albeit, with a slow connection). And hey! You can even use the sat. phone as a phone! How cool is that? And think of the safety benefits: Is there an injury aboard? No waiting for propagation to be right and someone to be listening to request assistance. You call help immediately. Your boat sank? EPIRBS are great, but nothing like a phone call, giving the Coast Guard precise details of the emergency. I actually looked at this option when I bought Fellow Traveler, but at that time, Iridium was in bankruptcy, and there was serious question if they would still be around down the road. Too bad. I would love to have that system now!

WATERMAKER

3 years ago I installed a Little Wonder Watermaker by VILLAGE MARINE on Fellow Traveler. For most of this time, I was a huge booster of Village Marine. Until this summer (2007), when I needed a new membrane. I contacted the company, and they said it cost $500. I looked at my manual, and it gave the model number and specs. of what membrane I needed. And, it turns out that model is a standard part, made my most membrane makers, and selling for less than 1/2 what Village Marine was asking. Or so I thought, The manual was wrong. I need a "special" membrane that is two inches shorter than the one specified in my manual. I don't know, but I suspect that when Village Marine started making their own membranes, they intentionally made them 2 inches shorter than the standard ones so they could charge you more than twice as much. When I pointed out the clear error in the manual, they dropped the price a whopping $25 over what I could order it for through one of their reps. Never even apologized for what I think is a major screw-up on their part. Not the kind of treatment of customers I look for in a company. 

I no longer recommend Village Marine. If I were buying a watermaker today, I would ABSOLUTELY shop around a lot more. And, I would ask any company whose watermaker I was considering whether they use standard membranes or some proprietary model, and what they charge for replacements. You might find that the watermaker that cost a few bucks more to purchase saves you a lot down the road. Caveat emptor.

There is one more solution: build your own. The basic parts needed are available, and while I am not sure what the savings are, by building your own system, you will know it inside and out.

BOATYARDS

Since arriving in the Caribbean, I have hauled in boatyards in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and Carriacou, and Panama. Only one would I recommend to avoid. Here is the rundown: Puerto Rico, I hauled in the fishing Coop in Puerto Real, on the SW of the island. It is a total do-it-yourself yard, and the 5 foot draft of my boat was marginal for getting in there. My one complaint is that I was charged a higher price for my poor, beater old sailboat than the rich Puerto Ricans with their high-dollar fishing boats, because it is a "fishing" coop.... The real reason, of course, was I was an outsider. This would never happen in NC, where I am from. The price is the price.

 INDEPENDENT BOATYARD in St Thomas is excellent, but expensive.

Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor has a nice, large yard, but expensive like St Thomas. The only problem I encountered is that the office and the yard workers do not communicate very well, so you have to make sure both groups know what you want.

TYRELL BAY YACHT HAULOUT in Carriacou. is unquestionably the finest yard I have encountered in the Caribbean. The guys who own, run, and work in this yard are the best! Their prices are reasonable, and they do not attempt to nickel and dime you over everything they can. It is a pleasant and safe place to be hauled as well. There are two negatives that I will point out: their bath facilities are pretty rough, and there chandlery is modest. But, they can get any part available in Grenada shipped in on the ferry within a couple of days at the Catalogue price (cheaper than you pay in Grenada).  They also are more environmentally friendly than most yards in the islands. If you want to move off the boat, there are reasonable accommodations nearby (i.e. AC and clean restrooms). As I write, I am about to haul there for the third time. Did I mention that, when they took a direct hit from hurricane Emily, they went to extreme pains, adding extra chocks, moving boats from their moorings into the mangrove hurricane hole, etc? Result? Superficial damage only. That's the type of yard they are.

Shelter Bay Marina and Boatyard: I could not find a yard whose attitude is more diametrically opposed to Tyrell Bay's  if I tried. Over 15 years I have lived aboard, owning 3 boats and occasionally working on others in yards, I have hauled out in 8 boatyards. Shelter Bay was by far the most UNFRIENDLY, expensive, and unprofessional. I would advise avoiding if at all possible. Specifics: I watched the yard guys putting stands under my boat while on the hydraulic trailer...but the keel was still a foot above the keel blocks! VERY STUPID AND UNPROFESSIONAL. Good thing I was paying attention. The office staff are unpleasant at best, and nearly impossible to get info from. The manager, Russ, was absolutely rude and unpleasant when I first hauled out. To his credit, he was making an effort to be polite when I returned to my boat to leave...but it was clearly an effort!

Pricing: They charge a $10 a day live-aboard fee. And now you can not live aboard at the storage yard or storage rate, only in the "work area", which is more than double the price. They rent ladders, the only yard in the Caribbean that did not provide them. When I hauled, I was placed right next to a boat spraying gel-coat. When I returned, I had to pay $100 to have my boat moved to the "work area" (spraying gel-coat is not "work"?)...and was moved right past boats the yard was doing the identical work on in the "storage yard" (sanding, priming, and painting the bottom. I could have had the yard do the work and paid the cheaper storage rate....except they wanted about $600 to "lightly sand, prime, and bottom paint". I did it myself and it took about 16 hours. They pay their yard help about $15 a day, so we are talking $30 in labor, but they want to charge me $600??? I know all yards mark up the labor costs...that is normal. But 2000%??? That qualifies as total exploitation of the labor and a rip-off of the yacht-owners in my mind (after all, Fellow Traveler is named after early activists in the labor rights movement). If you are hauled out for long term storage you can expect regular rate increases without notice. You may think you have a six month rate when you haul, but forget that. You are at their mercy!

You could move to the Marina at some point, where you will pay prices like the US. Internet? $10 a week extra for terrible internet (this is provided free in many marinas in the US). In the end, it is totally, completely apparent that the owner and management do not give a fuck about boaters in general, or you as a person. You are nothing but a cash cow to them, and they will figure out as many ways as needed  to extract every cent you have.  As I write this, I am unsure if I am leaving Panama, or basing out of here and working wherever. But, either way, I do not intend to be a "guest" of Shelter Bay ever again.

MARINE HEADS

One word only: LAVAC. Buy them through ST BRENDAN'S ISLE (see mail service below). These heads are simple, do not leak, and almost never need maintenance.

MAIL SERVICE

I have used ST BRENDAN'S ISLE  (sbi@boatmail.com) for 5 years now. They are not cheap. They are good. They also rep Village Marine Watemakers and Lavac heads (see above) as well as folding bikes, if I remember right.

WINDLASS

I bought a QUICK WINDLASS from ISLAND WATER WORLD  in St Martin in 2004. It was half the price of equivalent competitors, and worked nicely for the first two years. When I purchased it, I thought the studs that connected the above-deck part with the motor, and thus held the whole windlass onto the boat seemed a bit undersized. Well, this winter (08) they sheared off. I had a machine shop drill old the broken studs and tap for larger ones, so that should hold it, I hope.  There has always been a problem, when dropping the chain manually with an occasional link coming up the chainpipe sideways and getting jammed. This is less of a problem in the power-down mode as it allows for a slow, steady decent and gives the chain more time to shake out the kinks. If I am still using this windlass in 10 years, then it will have been a good purchase, so the jury is still out, but honestly, I wish I had spend the extra money and bought a Maxwell or Muir.

FRIDGE

I have heard differing opinions of the efficiency of DC cold plate fridge systems. Basically, it comes down to two factors: a larger compressor is more effecient than a small one. However, cold plates are inherently inefficient as you have to chill them to about 20 degrees lower than you want your box to be at, and each degree lower becomes progressively harder and less efficient to achieve. There can be increased efficiency, however, if you have periods where you are maxed out with your batteries and you run your fridge at those times. For example, you have a HUGE solar farm on you catamaran (I doubt a monohull provides enough space for mounting this many solar panels and still be seaworthy), then you can run your DC holding plate system each day around 2pm when your batteries are topped of....if it is sunny and you are in the tropics.

Engine driven coldplates are becoming much less common: I know no one who has installed one in years. However, they are the most powerful system you can install.

A friend, who installs and repairs refrigeration on mega-yachts in St Martin tells me the trend, even with mega-yachts, is 12-volt dc: they will have a bank of  WAACO (formerly Adler Barbour) compressors. The reason? quiet operation, dependability, and redundancy. Nearly every cruiser I know uses the small dc units. I know many people who ditch their engine-driven system for these. I prefer Waaco as they have been around the longest and are the most readily available in my experience. I have the water-cooled option just because the unit is installed in the engine room, although one friend swears that so long as the temp is under 110 degrees, air-cooling is fine. I figure, I can turn it off or on as I want, since it works both ways. If your installation space is cramped, go with water-cooling, as airflow is essential otherwise. And, take the time to build a good box, or nothing will work except a generator and AC system!

For a differing opinion on refrigeration, go www.soggypaws.com as he installed a DC driven holding plate system. In some ways, it comes down to how big a fridge do you require? If you are cruising in remote areas with a big family or crew, you may need the extra capacity of the holding plate system. But, ultimately, we are talking BTU's here, and the system for removing heat is less important than the design of the box. Just be aware you are not going to have a household-sized fridge and freezer in the tropics that operates on 50 amps a day. If you want big, you have to think big for your batteries (to store the energy) and big for the means of creating that energy (LOTS of solar and wind, etc). 

Note on insulation: most people use polyurethane as it has the highest R value, but this is a mistake. Polyurethane rapidly looses R value if it becomes wet, and a fridge will ultimately have moisture enter the insulation space as vapor and condense into water as it gets colder closer to the box. If you have lots of money and very little space, use the vacuum panels. But, it would almost be cheaper to buy a bigger boat!  For the rest of us, the stuff to use is Extruded Polystyrene (the blue stuff they sell at most lumber yards) as it does not absorb water so does not lose much R value due to condensation. Then, do yourself a favor and seal you insulation inside and out with fiberglass to minimize the vapor that can penetrate. Oh, the hole for the tubing? Cut the hole and fit a piece of PVC pipe and glass it in. Then, use spray foam inside the PVC around the tubes. This way, no moisture gets to the rest of the insulation. 

LIGHTING

My boat is old enough it has lots of the simple screw in base sockets that take bulbs that look like normal household bulbs. These bulbs are terrible, sucking up juice for little light. But hey! They now have 12V screw-in fluorescents and they are great! If you don't have the screw-in sockets, buy them from a home lighting place in a style you like: it does not matter what the socket is, only what voltage you hook up to it. Recently, LED interior lighting has become possible, and may be the next best thing.

BATTERIES

I have used golf cart 6-volt batteries exclusively for my house bank now on two boats, and think they are the  best value. My Alberg used two wired together into a 12 volt bank. Fellow Traveler uses 6. Brand is less important than freshness: a battery that has been sitting on the shelf for 2 or more months without being trickle-charged will never perform at full capacity. I do not know if Chandleries are ignorant of proper battery storage techniques or just assume the customer is. Carry a volt-meter into the store with you and do not accept any battery that is not showing near a full charge. Use a supplier that supplies fresh batteries, not old ones, or trickle-charges them. In St Thomas, USVI, contact CARIBBEAN BATTERY for the best price and freshest batteries.

In Colon, there is a shop, Casa de Bateria, which sells golf carts, AGM's, etc, for the cruisers. The only problem is they charge double the US price. Golf Carts are good in part because you get a lot of battery for the money. But not at Doubled Prices! Two 8-D's will fit in the same space as 6 golf carts, and while this is only 2/3rds the amp-hours, if they are 2/3rds the price, as they are at Casa de Bateria, I would consider going this route. My point is, in remote places, do not become too locked into a particular style of battery. Instead, figure out what will suit your needs at the cheapest price.

With the ever-increasing demands we place on our batteries, such as DC fridges, radar, stereos, computers, etc, realize that a battery is only as good as the system to charge it. Take the time to learn about DC systems, or you will always have dead batteries.  Why live on a sailboat and yet still need an endless supply of fossil fuels to sail? Go alternative! But please, do not anchor anywhere near me if you have one of those screechingly loud AIR MARINE wind generators. Buy a KISS or one of the new ones out of Europe that do not disturb the peace and tranquility of paradise. While I like alternative energy, you do need something for when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine (6 months a year in Panama!). I recently bought a portable Honda generator and a nice auto-style 110V charger that puts out 40 amps and has a pulse-desulfating mode. This is much simpler than a diesel genny, but will run my power tools or top my batteries.

PORTLIGHTS

Fellow Traveler, like many boats of her vintage, came with plastic ports. I found them problematic: if you never opened them, they did not leak...but then why have opening ports? Once opened, they would leak no matter how tightly sealed, until a layer of grime "sealed" them again. The plastic latches break. They are usually not through-bolted, so, in a knock-down, just might all pop out (well, in, actually). So, I bit the bullet and bought 14 stainless ports from NEWFOUND METALS (www.newfoundmetals.com). These things are so beautiful they belong in a museum as sculpture! But be forewarned, they are a pain in the stern to install! After 1 year, I finally found time to install the last 6. 

Dinghies

First, most people leave the US or Europe with too small of a dinghy. In the Caribbean, and no doubt most of the rest of the remote cruising grounds I usually prefer, you almost always anchor out. Harbors are often large and open, with a pretty good chop in them, so you want something big enough to get you around without soaking you and everything you are carrying in the dinghy. You want something big enough to load with snorkel gear and your friends from the boat next door, and get through some open water to a great snorkeling reef. Nearly everyone trades up once in the Caribbean. While they might buy similar dinghies, American and European attitudes to powering them are very different. Americans go for a 15. Europeans usually go for a 5, or even a 2 (although this is starting to change).  And, more and more, everyone is buying deflatables. I loved my Carib 12-footer with the 15hp. When I was in St John, I lived several miles from town and worked as much as 7 days a week, so this allowed me to get to shops and bars in the evening without owning a car. But, it leaked air. I have debated about buying a hard dinghy for years. Finally, some thieves in Colon, Panama and a lack of money made the decision for me.  Before describing what I built, let me give the pros and cons of the various engines and boats, as I see them.

Inflatable: Pros: very stable and safe, does not scar the mother ship when coming alongside. Good loading capacity. Easy to secure aboard for passages. Cons: Expensive, do not last, and eventually need regular pumping, and are usually pretty heavy.

Hard Dinghy: Depends a lot on the design, but: Pros: May be cheap, and can be home built. Should last a lifetime if properly built. Cons: needs padding to avoid scarring the mother ship.  Some are hard to enter from the mother ship or the water due to lack of stability. Can be hard to store aboard.

Big engine (15hp+): Pros: you can cover ground fast. You can go between nearby islands if it is on a seaworthy dinghy. If your motor dies on your mother ship, a 15 hp on a dinghy strapped to the side will move it around in a pinch. Cons: Heavy, consumes more fuel, costs more, and is more of a target for theft.

Small Engine (5hp): Pros: Are you really in a hurry? When I use a smaller motor, I discover that the trips are more relaxing, so it does not seem slow even on a long commute. Fuel efficient. Light and easy to handle, even if you have to drag your dinghy up a long beach to get above the high tide point. Cheap. Cons: A 5hp would move my old Alberg 35, but not my current boat. If you load several people and gear to go snorkeling it will slow way down.

Now, let me tell you about my new dinghy: it is a Spindrift 10, designed by B&B designs. Here is the link to their homepage:

http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/index.html

This dinghy is designed for stitch and glue homebuilding out of plywood. Due to no decent ply available in Colon, I built mine out of sheets of fiberglass (click here to go to my page for building stitch and glue fiberglass boats). This dinghy can be built as a two-part nestling dinghy that takes up very little deck space. It comes in other sizes (up to 11 ft for nestling, up to 12 foot for one piece). It is a bit beamier, particularly at the waterline, than the pure rowing dinks like a Whitehall, so probably does not row quite as nice, but should sail and power much faster. More important, the stability it derives from this means it is very easy to enter from my high-freeboard boat or from the water. I find it easier to enter from the water than my old inflatable, climbing over the bow, which dips way down but does not come close to letting water in. I weigh 210 pounds. When snorkeling with some Kuna friends in Panama, who are much leaner and smaller than I, they could climb over the sides without them dipping.

 I do not like to row much as I have carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis in my wrists, and this aggravates it. But, when anchored in a small harbor, it is nice to have the option to leave the motor stored, take a few strokes, and be ashore. I NEVER rowed my 12 foot Carib (which actually comes with paddles, not oars). With a 5hp motor, the Spindrift planes easily with one person (a tiller extension is needed so you can steer from amidship, and I designed mine so I can adjust the seat forward or back for best position for rowing or motoring depending on conditions and load). Their website shows a small person planing the Spindrift 10 with a 2hp! I built my boat with additional freeboard, particularly in the bow area, so it is very dry, even in rough conditions. I have had three Kuna friends and myself with our snorkel gear in it heading out into the open waters of San Blas Gulf to get to a distant reef to snorkel and found it dry and comfortable.  If you go to my Travels '09 page and scroll down to the photo gallery, you will find a picture of the dinghy with 11 people in it, about to return to my boat after a day a swimming on the beach. Now, admittedly, they are all Kuna, who (with the exception of the one woman in the middle) tend to be small, and all but 3 are kids. But still....

I rode in a friend's before building mine, and thought it was much bigger than 10 feet. It has the carrying capacity of an 11 or 12 foot hard-bottomed inflatable, but weighs less and needs a much smaller motor to get equivalent speeds. I am considering, when I find the time and place, building the 12-foot version as I often take 2 or more crew with me when I sail, and occasionally charter my boat. The extra space, capacity, and seaworthiness of the longer boat would be nice when loaded. I would seriously consider building it the same way again, as it makes for a strong, light boat pretty cheap (I have about $500 in the 10 footer).