Tuesday, June 10, 2014

M is for May; M is for Maintenance



The past 30 days haven’t been too exciting from a sailing point of view.  This is the month where we take care of all the things that we have let slide over the past year.  We are in a lovely marina/boatyard, Herrington Harbor North, which is truly state of the art. 
View of one of the launch wells.  We were hauled and relaunched with a 50 ton lift.

If you had time to enjoy the amenities you could lounge at the pool and hot tub that has a bar on weekends and overlooks the docks and distant vistas to the Chesapeake Bay.   
Swimming pool and hot tub on an overcast weekday.
Entrance to pool area - showers and laundry are in nearby buildings.

Outdoor bar and grill building by the pool  
You could stroll along the landscaped and winding walking trails that connect the docks and wander through bird infested wetlands.   
Nature trails with interpretative signage throughout the facility.

Wet lands along the trails where the birds get pretty raucous in the mornings.
You could visit the restored historic village on the grounds. You could sit on a patio and enjoy morning coffee.  You could sip sundowners on another shaded and landscaped patio overlooking the Bay.   
One of several patios overlooking the harbor

You could participate in Saturday night outdoor movies, Sunday morning water aerobics, and various talks by outside resources on the ecology of the Chesapeake. We, on the other hand, are doing none of the above.  Instead, we are availing ourselves of the large on site West Marine store, canvas, electrical, and mechanical contractors (all on site), and a nearby hardware store. Annapolis is a half hour drive and source of extensive supplies and provisioning. Herrington Harbor North calls itself an Eco-lifestyle Resort Marina, but we call it a great stop for a month of maintenance. 

So our month has been spent cleaning everything imaginable, polishing stainless and fiberglass, refinishing exterior wood, varnishing interior wood, doing routine maintenance on the engine and generator, emptying, cleaning, and inventorying all interior storage areas, installing a backup starting system (our key start has failed several times – not a comfortable feeling), steam cleaning upholstery and rugs, removing all the exterior canvas to clean for mildew and re-water proof, and washing everything that could possibly go into a washing machine.  Additionally, we are having new cushions made for the cockpit, shower grates in both heads professionally refinished, and the starter rebuilt. Yes, the cruising lifestyle is not a twelve month vacation.  We are tired and sore, but only a few small jobs remain before we can cast off. And, Exuberant is sparkly again.  

During our stop at Herrington Harbor North, we also took two weeks to head back to Ohio and Wisconsin.  This is our annual maintenance stop for the bodies where we cram a year’s worth of doctor and dentist visits into a few frantic days.  We spend time with family and friends in Ohio, and then head to Wisconsin for a long weekend to visit our son and daughter-in-law and our two grandsons who keep us entertained the entire time. Enterprise will be surprised when they read the odometer on our rental car.

A while back, one of the readers of this blog requested that I write on what works and what does not. You non-techies or non-boaters may want to skip this section. When we purchased Exuberant, it was basically, systems-wise, an empty shell.  With the exception of the engine and generator, almost everything has been changed out.  And, speaking of generators, many cruisers opt not to have a diesel generator, but instead use portable Honda generators which they swear by. As with so many options, it is a matter of taste and preference. For the most part, we are happy with the choices we have made.

Electrical Systems
Much of this has been updated to meet ABYC standards. The Vectron multistage battery charger does not meet our expectations and once had to be replaced under warranty with great hassle. We installed a separate Xantrex inverter this past year and have been very happy with the results although we don’t have large AC loads.  Our 2009 600 amp house battery bank of Lifeline AGM batteries is functionally about 400 amps as we lost capacity due to improper charging in the beginning. We have gotten smarter now and are getting along very well with our batteries.  The starter battery was replaced about a year ago and the separate battery that powers the windless and furling system is still going strong. Our primary charging comes from 280 watts of solar panels and a D400 wind generator.  Rarely do we have to rely on the generator for charging.  We did discover that the wind generator alone was not sufficient for our needs; the addition of the solar panels has made all the difference. We use a Blue Sky solar regulator for fine tuning the charging of our batteries. We have a Blue Sea Battery monitor for the house bank and starter battery, which does a pretty good job, but it has some quirks. We have replaced virtually all lights with LED bulbs or fixtures; Imtra and Sensi-bulb bulbs in most interior lights and Orca Green fixtures for all running lights and mast head light.

Electronics
We have put in mostly Garmin products with mixed results.  We have had failures with both the 4212 Chart plotter and the radar dome. Garmin did replace the units but we have had some expense and frustration.  We chose Garmin as their pre-loaded maps were based on the Explorer Charts in the Bahamas, known to be the most reliable charts of the area.  A splurge was the installation of the Garmin XM Satellite weather radio.  It gives me confidence to be able to receive real time weather and weather radar while at sea, but it only works along the coastal United States; in the Bahamas it is useless.  Our only Raymarine product is the auto-pilot. We changed out the old Raymarine auto-pilot for a more robust model last year.  Some components of the old system are interchangeable with the new system, allowing us to carry spares at no additional expense. We installed a Vespermarine transmit and receive AIS system.  It is a stand alone device which we favor as we don’t want to clutter the chart plotter screen with additional data.  It is something we would highly recommend from both a safety and social standpoint.  Night passages in congested areas are much less stressful, and often we have freighters and cruise ships hail us to negotiate passings.  Other cruisers also make contact on passages, and as a result we will chat during long nights and meet up in person once we reach our destination. We have an ICOM 504 VHF with an additional cockpit microphone which we find very helpful.  And we have an ICOM 802 Single Side band radio with Pactor modem for communication out of VHF range. We use it for weather reports when offshore, minimal offshore emailing capacity, and connections to Cruisers’ Nets.  Some people opt for satellite radios for offshore, but they do not give access to nets.

Plumbing
We installed a Spectra Cape Horn DC watermaker.  It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of more elaborate models, but we hear reports that failures tend to happen with the bells and whistles parts.  Our model can make 10 gallons an hour (10 amps per hour) using one pump and 18 gallons an hour (18 amps per hour) using an additional pump.  We go with the lower flow rate, alternating pumps to extend their life. We only use the watermaker when we have very clean water, generally in the ocean, the Bahamas, and New England.  The rest of the time the unit is pickled and we scrounge for water.  The watermaker is a luxury, not a necessity, but we do enjoy it.  We have an elaborate water manifold that allows us to fill and draw from any of our three water tanks which total 120 gallons.

Engine and Fuel Systems

Our Yanmar 4JH2-TE diesel engine (62hp) is very reliable.  One factor in engine reliability is insuring fuel is clean.  Burt installed a complicated fuel manifold and polishing system.  Additionally, we are careful where we buy fuel, especially in the Bahamas. As an additional safeguard, the pick-up lines for the engine are offset from the bottom of the fuel tanks by ¾ inch, while the pickups for the generator are right on the bottom. If we do get bad fuel, it will stop the generator before impacting the engine. And, an engine that starts and runs reliably is a very good engine! We carry about 100 gallons of fuel giving us about a 600 mile cruising range between purchases. We installed a Max  Prop feathering  prop when we purchased the boat.

Anchoring and dinghy
Our primary anchor is a 72 pound Rocna with 130 feet 3/8” chain and 220 feet of ¾” nylon rode.  We sleep soundly and would highly recommend this set up.  The secondary anchor is 66 pound claw with 80 feet of chain and 180 feet of rode. Both are carried on offset bow rollers. Additionally we carry a large Danforth anchor and rode in our stern lazarette.  Our Maxwell 2200 windless that was original with the boat still functions well. Our dinghy is a Walker Bay 10’2” hard bottom that we carry on Atkins and Hoyle davits that incorporate the pole for the wind generator and are altered to use one arm as a hoist for the Tohatsu 9.8 outboard.  Dinghies are never big enough and outboards are never powerful enough – you are limited by weight and carrying capacity.  We seem to survive with this set up.

Safety
We carry a 4 person life raft and a 406 MHz GPS Epirb, both of which we hope never to deploy. We comply with virtually all Coast Guard regulations although we do not carry flares on our inflatable dinghy – who in the world ever thought of that regulation? It seems like a good way to burn a hole through the dinghy and sink as you await rescue. Instead we carry a handheld VHF with strobe light. We use inflatable life vests with aftermarket crotch straps and attachment points for tethers.  We always rig jack lines when going off shore.

Refrigeration
We replaced our engine driven refrigeration system which was failing with two SeaFrost 12v systems; one for the refrigerator and one for the freezer. Before installing them the insulation in both boxes was inspected and 2” of insulation was added to the freezer and then re-glassed in place.

Other Items
We carry two Dahon bicycles on board that we couldn’t live without.  They are our transportation to groceries, laundries, and sightseeing.  Without them, our explorations would be very limited.  That said, they are useless in the Bahamas as the roads, when they do exist, are too narrow and potholed for safe biking. Also, the bikes, in their zip on covers, take up our entire forward stateroom making it next to impossible to comfortably accommodate guests. We have a stereo system with XM satellite radio and an iPod dock which we use constantly.  Even far away, we can keep up with the news. We carry two 17 pound fiberglass propane tanks for cooking. We can go up to six months before we need to find a propane source. We have a gas barbeque on the stern rail that is wonderful for cooking in hot weather.  And, speaking of hot, we have two reverse cycle air conditioning units that came with the boat.  We only use them when at a dock or when we need to load up the generator when charging batteries.  Rarely are we uncomfortable at anchor as the breezes keep us cool. Finally, Kindles or other e-readers are a great addition. We don’t have a television or a microwave, items other cruisers consider essential.  We have learned to live without them and appreciate that both can be energy hogs.

There is certainly more to report, but it does escape me at this point.  The bottom line is that many equipment choices are just a matter of taste.  As we gain more experience with our boat, we have a better understanding of what it takes to make our lives more comfortable. You can find reviews of different products on cruising web sites, and the advice of experienced cruisers is helpful but perhaps not always appropriate for your situation. We would be happy to address any further questions at the email address associated with this blog.