Stuff That Works

One of the major frustrations for us as full-time cruisers is that so much of the gear available for yachts is second-rate. Either it doesn’t work the way it is advertised to or it works for a short time and then disintegrates under the demands of full-time use in a salt water environment.

However, we don’t want to just harp on the negative so on this page we present the positive angle: Articles on equipment and services that we have found work reliably and/or that have made a significant contribution to our voyages.

Note that we are not being compensated in any way for commending these companies or individuals. If we have received any sponsorship or support we’ll let you know in our discussion of that company or individual.

Avon Dinghy

by John May 19, 2004

Our 16-year old Avon dinghy may not be much to look at, but it just keeps on floating! The bottom is covered with patches necessary after many rocky beach haul ups, not to mention being used as a pusher boat to move growlers in Greenland, but the pontoons still hold air for at least a [...]

Alpenglow Lights

by Phyllis January 1, 2005

Before spending the winter in Arctic Norway, knowing we would be spending a lot of time below on the boat during the winter darktime, we replaced our old dim, inefficient overhead lights with Alpenglow fluorescents. What a difference! They give off a warm natural light and are beautifully designed and built. Not cheap but worth [...]

Lifeline Batteries

by Phyllis January 1, 2005

We purchased two Lifeline batteries in 2001. After only two years, one of the batteries failed. We contacted Lifeline, told them our charging and use patterns, and they sent us two new batteries at no cost to us—they even paid the shipping—and with no arguments. That’s standing behind your product!

EchoPilot Forward Scan Sonar FLSII

by John January 1, 2005

We have found that having a forward scan sonar has made exploring in the high latitudes safer and more feasible. Instead of feeling our way along at 2 knots when off the charts, we can now travel confidently at 6 knots, since the forward scan reaches out up to 200 meters ahead. Also, the sounder [...]

Furuno NX-500 Navtex

by John January 1, 2005

Navtex is an invaluable resource for weather and ice information. When our old Furuno combined weather fax and navtex receiver died, we balked at paying the high price (over a thousand dollars) of a new Furuno navtex and so bought another brand.

Furuno Radar Model 1832

by John January 1, 2005

If we had to choose only one piece of electronics to have on board Morgan’s Cloud, it would be radar.

HF Radio Installation

by John January 1, 2005

In the winter of 2002/03 we decided to replace our aging Icom SSB with a new Icom. You would think that installation on a metal boat would be easy. Not so.

Espar D8 Forced Air Diesel Heater (8KW)

by John January 1, 2005

After years of fighting with an unreliable diesel heater, we are very pleased with the Espar heater we installed in 2000. It is one of the bigger ones they make and keeps us toasty in all weather.

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.

The Joys And Tears Of TurboCAD

by John January 1, 2006
A TurboCAD rendering of a wooden bookshelf and computer case to be mounted to the mast supports on expedition aluminum sailboat Morgan's Cloud.

For the last few years we have been using TurboCAD for visualizing and designing projects on Morgan’s Cloud. TurboCAD is a great value, with much of the functionality of systems costing many times more, at just US$150, and you can often get it discounted to as little as US$80.00 by shopping around on the Internet.

Frederiksen (Ronstan) Mainsail Car System

by John May 18, 2006

Morgan’s Cloud’s mainsail is big at 600sqft and has full length battens. The Frederiksen (now Ronstan) system is reliable and smooth running. It makes the main substantially easier to hoist and even more importantly makes it easy to get it down in a hurry. However, the biggest payoff is that we can easily reef and [...]

Harken Fittings

by John May 18, 2006

As it becomes necessary to replace blocks and other deck gear, we are replacing them with Harken equipment whenever possible. We have never had a failure to date, and they stand behind their products: When the bearings on our 16-year-old Harken jib roller furler system needed replacing, Harken found the parts and did it for [...]

Laminated Spectra Sailcloth

by John May 18, 2006

Our laminated spectra sails have retained their shape over eight years and many miles of use; much longer than the Dacron sails we had in the past. The fabric is from Dimension Polyant and Hallett Canvas and Sails in Falmouth, Maine made the sails. Incidentally, the first set of laminated Spectra sails delaminated very quickly [...]

Maloney Marine Rigging

by John May 18, 2006

It’s not often that we run into someone that is as obsessive about making sure the details are right when working on Morgan’s Cloud as we are. Jay Maloney is one of very few people that we trust to do the job right without us having to look over his shoulder. We have called on [...]

Navtec Hydraulics

by John May 18, 2006

Morgan’s Cloud was fitted with an hydraulic vang and with hydraulic backstays when we bought her. Initially we were skeptical, feeling that such complexity had no place on a cruising boat, especially one that sails to remote places.

Spartite Mast Chocks

by Phyllis May 18, 2006

Spartite is a pre-measured two part polymer that is poured directly into the cavity between the mast and the partners while the mast is in the boat. Spartite makes a one-piece perfectly fitting mast chock that replaces archaic wedges.

Waterboot Mast Boots

by Phyllis May 18, 2006

Water running down the mast, through the partners and inside the boat, whether it’s fresh or salt, is not a good thing. That’s where Waterboot comes in. They will make a custom rubber mast boot with velcro closure that will, with the application of a bit of silicone, effectively stop water from entering at the [...]

McMaster-Carr

by Phyllis May 18, 2007
Some hard-to-find bits that we found at McMaster-Carr.

During this last refit, we had custom wood bezels with embedded helicoils built to fit permanently around the cabin ports (we’ll discuss these further in our Refit Series). During cold weather, we screw Plexiglas covers to the bezels and voila…no condensation! However, after installing them we realized that the little chains with small bars at [...]

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 [...]

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