Tank Tender, Hart Systems

by John November 18, 2005
A Tank Tender panel

Our Tank Tender from Hart Systems is 20 years old and one of the few pieces of original equipment left on Morgan’s Cloud.

Glacier Bay Refrigeration

by John May 18, 2007

If you choose to have refrigeration on your boat, which we do as fulltime live-aboards, there is a price to be paid—refrigeration is a highly complex system. However, Glacier Bay is very reliable and, though expensive to purchase, very low in energy consumption. Update, February 2012: It seems, from what I can find, that Glacier [...]

Ideal Windlass

by Phyllis May 18, 2007

We have oversize anchors and chain to deal with tough conditions and so require an oversize windlass as well. Though we don’t like the extra weight on the bow, we think it’s worth it to have a reliable, quick way to weigh anchor, especially when a rapid retreat from ice is necessary. The Ideal Company [...]

Northern Lights Generator, Model M643 (5KW)

by John May 18, 2007

Our Northern Lights Generator is a piece of equipment that just keeps on working. We are religious with maintenance and oil changes but are rewarded with reliable service.

Shurflo Pumps

by Phyllis May 18, 2007

Finally, a pump that can actually work for three years without a rebuild! After years of 6-month rebuild schedules on our other pumps, we were ready for Shurflo!

Milton Cat, SOS Services Laboratory

by John May 18, 2007

The SOS Services Laboratory provides a great service. Once you have set up an account with them, they will forward special oil sample containers to you that you then fill with a sample of oil taken each time you change the engine, transmission or generator oil. SOS Laboratory will then analyze it. They keep a [...]

Force10 Stove (Cooker)

by John November 13, 2009
The Force10 marine stove (cooker) in the galley of aluminum expedition sailboat Morgan's Cloud.

This post will undoubtedly floor those of you who have read about our problems, some of them dangerous, with the Force10 stove. And I won’t kid you, we deeply and personally resent the time, effort and money expended over nearly two years that getting this stove working safely and properly has taken—it is simply not [...]

Feathering Propeller Review

by Colin April 2, 2011
Better light airs performance was our goal

When we took delivery of our new OVNI 435 in 2008, we decided to stick with the standard 3 bladed propeller, partly for reasons of cost (we were running out of cash!). But on all of my previous boats I’d had either a folding or feathering prop, and fully intended to fit one to Pèlerin [...]

Gear Test—Engine

by John January 7, 2012
JHHGH1_0971.jpg

As most of our regular readers know, we just completed a 10,000 mile, eight month voyage to the Arctic and back on Morgan’s Cloud, our 56-f00t McCurdy and Rhodes aluminum cutter. A voyage that constituted a gruelling test of all the gear on the boat. Here is our report on how the engine and drive-train [...]