Frank
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Posts posted by Frank
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On 13/12/2023 at 9:15 PM, Black Panther said:
Posh !
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On 15/12/2023 at 10:03 AM, CarpeDiem said:
Wouldn't it make more sense to add a gybe preventer than a helmet?
We carry a ski helmet for going up the rig underway.
I agree, for offshore passages we pre-rig preventers on both sides and they are in use the majority of the time, If I go offshore again I will investigate a Boom Brake.
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On 15/12/2023 at 1:55 PM, CarpeDiem said:
I have witnessed four people who have been hit by a boom, nothing serious but enough of a bang to have them on the deck holding their head and pretty much out of action. One had on going problems which took around 24 months to fully recover from...
Three of these incidents were the helms person. Each one on a different boat.
Over the years I have also taken a couple of taps to the head while helming Carpe Diem, these have been during tacks, never in a gybe.
So definitely not a nonsense statement.
I guess the other aspect to being hit by the boom even if not initially fatal is it can cascade rapidly to a more critical situation as per the vessel Second Life and I think also Plastimo.
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On 13/12/2023 at 8:57 AM, Clipper said:
Another thought is the IMHO over the top safety requirements of some events. They add cost, complexity, no safety and even worse, give the competitors a false sense of security.
I've often wondered what people would take (me included) if we had to take responsibly for out own safety and there were no rules around it.
Id ditch a few things, but not too manySafety equipment is over the top and too damn expensive until you need it
which hopefully you never happens if you are a prudent skipper.
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Gas struts on the access hatch..............Posh
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I don't see why you couldn't use a DC to DC charger to recharge the house battery from the lithium
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Nobody wants invasive pests but wouldn't it be cool if just for once there was a silver lining like say " Voracious Schnapper fattening up on yellow clams" or "Crayfish Population Booming on Caulerpa beds" sigh !
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On 4/12/2023 at 10:25 AM, K4309 said:
Crikey.
What brand lip seal did you go with? Was your shaft in good condition? We put a new shaft in at the same time as the dripless seal. There was a bit of necking on the old shaft. I suspect that would have made it difficult for a lip seal to sit down properly.
We did have to put a water pump onto it to provide cooling water. It was thought we wouldn't need to but the temp alarm went off after a long motor one day. Very strait forward putting a water pump on, no issues there, but it was another job and another item to keep an eye on in the future.
It was back in the 90's and I cant remember if it was a Henleys or Chatfield unit but it was attached with the usual hose and clamps. It think it had a grease cup but not the water feed. I found it leaked annoyingly from day one despite adding the water feed tube shortly thereafter and the leakage rate deteriorated with use. There is a Finnish sailor on You Tube who installed a similar arrangement during a refit on the US east coast prior to a passage to Alaska. His looked to be beautifully engineered (Blue Water Seal ?) but also leaked and If I recall he changed it out for a PSS type in Port Astoria. My original BUKH 10 engine-shaft-propellor (2 blade non geared folder) set up was close coupled and there was always some degree of orbital movement at the gland so my theory was that the seal was intolerant of this despite the hose attachment. The motor was tired and eventually would not start so I ripped out the entire installation and put a sail drive in, best move I ever made period !
I am a fan of the PSS seal though as there is one on another boat I'm involved with and it hasn't leaked a drop in seven years of ownership and 1500 hours of motoring its 100% tolerant of any shaft movement too !
Edit: The shaft had a groove from the admiralty gland unit but I was careful to ensure the seal was not impinging on that. I think the water feed came from the pressure side of the raw water pump but I'm not 100% sure. When watching the video episode mentioned above there was some footage of the leaking gland and the shaft rotation looked to be rock solid i.e no axial displacement however I don't know if it was a new shaft from the refit.
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7 minutes ago, CarpeDiem said:
Sorry IT.
The citations are for the Maritime Act, specifically rule 40.
Rule 40 does not apply to pleasure craft. It applies to commercial craft in survey.
If you can show me a citation that applies to pleasure craft I will get off my soap box, so far out of three electricians and one inspector, none have been able to point to legislation that enforces the standard on pleasure craft.
Interesting debate, I'm trying to relate it to how the rules work in aviation where generally the regulator (CAANZ) not the rule maker (Parliament) controls what is acceptable or not in terms of a standard. The standards can be designated by the Director of the CAA as "acceptable" as a means of complying with the rule. Rule changes require an act of parliament and so specific mention of a standard can be a curse for the regulator and industry alike unless it specifically omits the revision status then any changes to the standard once published are automatically the new means of compliance. If we left it to the courts to clarify the acceptable standard then that would be a huge fail on behalf of the regulator and the industry (and perhaps parliament)
Any electrical inspectors here who can tell us how your compliance mechanics work ? who is the regulator ?
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16 hours ago, K4309 said:
If you feel like spending boat dollars, and have a little space, you can retrofit a dripless shaft seal. We did this after years of tolerating our packing gland dribbling and carrying on. Haven't looked back.
We got one from Henleys. Was in the order of $600 / $700 about 5 years ago.
Alternatively, you can re-pack the stuffing and connected a grease gun to it. I'd give the grease gun a pump or two every time we'd been out. I was super smart and put two connecting hoses onto the grease gun, so I didn't have to crawl to the far end of the bilge to get at it.
Noting that packing glands will always dribble a bit. It is just how they work. If you want a dry bilge you have to part with the boat dollars for the dripless seal.
My experience exactly and the replacement lip seal unit leaked even worse , finally solved with a sail drive
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2 hours ago, Hindsightgenius said:
I would very much appreciate that.
Just PM'd you his contact email, he is happy to assist
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1 hour ago, Hindsightgenius said:
I would very much appreciate that.
I will check with him and PM you
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15 minutes ago, prince rupert said:
Ok, I should try and explain my self better given I may have led to some confusing. Sorry, it is obviously and area that I barelly grasp so, i ll try my best. I am trying to make do with what I have without having to change/spend too much.
After starting this thred, and reading the posts following, i settled to replace the existing LA house battery with a 200amp CL. No lifepo4 hybrid system
This would be charged by a 330watts pannel through an mppt controller.
The LA starting battery is charged by the alternator. Whith a voltage cut off controller
I would like to use the alternator as a back up to charge the house battery in case of solar panel faliaure.
I think you just need to get a DC to DC charger
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3 hours ago, Guest said:
It’s been awhile since I read about them. I though they were used in light planes and were very safe so would consider. At 14yro for the sla’s , probably just repeat as I have a dcdc charger now as opposed the LFP profile from alternator.
l am curious, how do you power your windlass?On the yacht we still use FLA to power all systems but when due for replacement I will consider going to LiFpo after gaining confidence and knowledge with the van installation.
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If you want to ask a few questions I can put you in touch with a friend who owns one and has been offshore in it several times
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Reading this thread was the first time I'd heard of lithium-titanium-oxide (LTO) batteries. The interweb says they charge much faster than other lithium ion types however the energy density is low and the cost is high, I'm curious then as to why they would be considered an option ?
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Seen that movie before CD, no plan survives contact with the enemy
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My local marine electrician wryly commented that most batteries don't die from natural causes but rather they are murdered by the owners
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8 hours ago, CarpeDiem said:
That's an over generalization. Some AGMs made with lower grade materials may have that limit.
A good marine grade AGM will be rated to accept unlimited alternator current. The current is limited by the internal characteristics of the battery.
Eg, Optima Yellowtop AGMs state "no amperage limit" when charging from alternator.
My 75Ah Optima D31 accepts ~65Amps when charging from empty.
Many quality AGM batteries are rated at 0.5C or above by the manufacturer.
But you pay for the privilege...
Below is a summary comparison of the different battery types, LiFePo seems to score heavily in all categories. Our LiFePo has 330 Ah and we run an 800W microwave , 1200 W kettle and 1000 W induction top plus the usual sundry items like fans, lights etc. We have 440 W of Solar and a DC to DC charger, as far as I can tell the Solar has been sufficient so far but it might be different in the SI in Autumn. The array is wired in series as I was told the Higher Voltage provides better charging when the sun is low. We experimented one day by using all the appliances like there was no tomorrow and kept the lights on etc, the battery dipped to 68% and was back to 100% by the end of the day. The low internal resistance, flat charge profile and high available capacity are a real boon. Not having to set the land yacht up for LPG was also a significant win and cost offset.
All that said it was expensive and I totally get the argument that lead Acid chemistries are often the more financially attractive option particularly as it works as a Drop in.
For interest I was quoted 14 to 16K for a Turn Key installation at 300 Ah including solar panels. The Electrical Inspector who issued COC certificate said that the regs on Lithium Battery installation were being updated and he had to be diligent in keeping abreast of the latest requirements. That was in 2021 so it might have settled down by now.
COMPARISON OF LEAD-ACID AND LiFePO4 CHARACTERISTIC FLA AGM GEL LYTH LiFePO4 BENEFIT OF LiFePO4 Voltage 12V(2V per cell) 12V(2V per cell) 12V(2V per cell) 12.8V(3.2V per cell) More Power Life Cycles @ 80% DOD 500 400 1000 7100(to 70% remaining capacity) Longer Life Life Cycles @ 50% DOD 900 800 1400 13000(to 70% remaining capacity) 6-10X More Weight 30kg(66.1 lbs) 32.7 kg(72.1 lbs) 32kg (70 lbs) 13.5kg(30 lbs) <1/2 the Weight Capacity @ 27℃ C20 130Ah 115Ah 102Ah 100Ah Constant Power and C5 105Ah 91Ah 85Ah 100Ah Energy at any Rate C1 74Ah 62Ah 70Ah 100Ah of Discharge Capacity @ 0℃ 50% 68% 68% 90% Superior cold temp performance Charge Time 6-12 hours 6-12 hours 6-12 hours 1-3 hours 4-6x Faster Maintenance HIGH LOW LOW NONE No Maintenance Real Cost per cycle @80% DOD $0.67 $0.92 $0.57 $0.31 Cost over life -
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Our land yacht has LA for the start battery and 330 AH LifePo for the house battery, Its a fantastic but expensive set up with the beating heart of it being the battery which cost north of 6K. Battery quality like most things is variable but if you go for a quality product it makes sense to protect the asset by following the OEM's advice on equipping and configuring the system. I will watch the video later but i suspect it does not follow accepted practice and that could have expensive consequences.
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I can give you some detail on how I do it but really its best to watch a few videos and practice with some scrap material, it doesn't have to be Carbon cloth. I pull the Vacuum for the duration of the initial cure usually about 12 hours at Room Temp you can regulate the degree of vacuum with a bleed valve, the material supplier can advise of the Vacuum pressure required. All the bagging materials are available at NZ Fibreglass supplies and wont be expensive for a small component like a dinghy Rudder .
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If you source the cloth from Gurit I am sure they would spec the layup, a few years back High Modulus Fabrics did that for mine.You can make your own vacuum unit by converting an old fridge compressor, then watch a few videos to see how its done, otherwise hire one.
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According to Sailboat data.com a Farr 1220 displaces just over 6 Tonnes as Matt noted a Whiting 40 will be similar so your friends should be well under 10 Tonnes even with all the extras and fluids etc.
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Neat Video Links
in MarineTalk
Posted
Cool Boats , performance cruiser anyone ?:-)