Drones and mast cameras, can they be useful for navigation? Matt says yes. We also want to hear about your experiences with this intriguing technology.
Matt
Tucked into the heart of North America, five hundred miles from the sea, lies one of the world’s great adventure cruising grounds. A quarter-million square kilometres of water, and seventeen thousand kilometres of coastline, call out to sailors seeking a season or two off the beaten path.
Many waterborne cruisers have thought about trying the land-based version. Matt, who has done a bunch of the later, explores the challenges and rewards.
Just what is a commercial or continuous duty rating on an engine, and should you get that? Matt starts this chapter with the reason that these ratings exist, and then moves on to how to select the correct engine duty rating for a displacement boat.
Sick of fighting with an outboard? Want to keep fit while cruising? Like to get on the water in a small fun boat? Matt has the answer.
So far in this Online Book we have learned about the fundamentals of engine and propeller efficiency and, in the last chapter, we looked at a way to make our existing engines a bit more efficient. In this chapter Matt explains a much better way to get the very most out of every drop of diesel fuel.
Matt brings his customary clarity to a complicated subject: propellers. Reading this post will cause you a bit of brain sweat, but doing so can help you get big gains in engine efficiency.
Matt explains those graphs that adorn engine brochures and manuals. Understanding these diagrams is the key to better fuel economy and less problems with your diesel engine.
Most yacht engines are horribly inefficient, but that can be fixed. Matt, AAC Engineering Correspondent, introduces the book with this chapter.
Pretty much all of us rely on GPS, but have you every wondered how the thing actually works? Matt has the answers, and they are fascinating.
So far we have written a lot about how to buy an offshore boat, but what about the elephant in the room: how can you possibly afford to buy said boat? Matt tackles that thorny subject from the real life point of view of someone working toward just that goal.
Lightning strike! Just the words can make us cruising sailors, who sail around the ocean with the highest thing in hundreds of square miles sticking up above our heads, nervous. In this chapter Matt, AAC Engineering Correspondent, will help you understand how lightning strikes happen and what you can do to reduce the associated risks.
Matt examines lithium ion batteries in detail and answers the question, Should I use lithium ion batteries for the house bank on my boat?
Matt, AAC Technical correspondent, takes a look at an intriguing new technology that holds a lot of promise for cruising boats. But before we all rush to wire our boats this way, there are some questions that the vendors need to answer.
We continue our series on desirable offshore motorboats, for those retiring from sailboats, with a design analysis by AAC Technical Correspondent, Matt Marsh, of the Artnautica LRC58 currently in-build in New Zealand. Even if you are not interested in this particular boat, you will want to read Matt’s insightful analysis of hull form and cost considerations.
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