Tips, Tricks & Thoughts:
Tips
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The Importance Of Boat Speed To Autopilot Operation
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Read more: The Importance Of Boat Speed To Autopilot OperationModern smart autopilots rely on an accurate true wind calculation to steer well with the wind aft of the beam, particularly when a spinnaker, A-Sail or code is set. And assuming we have the apparent wind direction wand accurately adjusted for angle on each tack, another important input to true wind direction is boat speed, […]
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WakeSpeed Pro Alternator Regulator Announced
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Read more: WakeSpeed Pro Alternator Regulator AnnouncedWakespeed have announced a new alternator regulator, the WS 500 Pro. Here’s the scoop based on an in depth email conversation I have had with Al Thomason, chief designer at Wakespeed.
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Q&A—Which Courses To Take?
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Read more: Q&A—Which Courses To Take?Question You mention the International Certificate of Competence and the Yacht Master Offshore course. I’m at the beginning of my journey and started with an ASA course. Are the Yacht Master courses going to be the best overall to begin working towards? Member, Michael Answer Login to continue reading (scroll down) Learn About Membership Get […]
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Fun We Can Have Sailing Under Bare Poles
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Read more: Fun We Can Have Sailing Under Bare PolesI was out sailing singlehanded a couple of days ago. When I got back into our cove I, as usual when I’m planning to return to our wharf, dropped and furled the mainsail after starting the engine. But then it struck me that it might be fun to see if I could get alongside without […]
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Q&A—How To Increase The Insured Value of Our Boat
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Read more: Q&A—How To Increase The Insured Value of Our BoatQuestion …The alternative was a policy only for boats with a value above $75K US. I have massively upgraded my 45 year old Morgan 382 for offshore voyaging (most recently a new Beta 35), as well as its cosmetics. But I know the market and no surveyor could honestly value it at $75K (my paint […]
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Q&A—Sizing a Staysail Roller Furler
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Read more: Q&A—Sizing a Staysail Roller FurlerQuestion Having a good look at some of the pictures where I can see the furling gear you used on MC it appears to me that it is about 1 size smaller then your head furler. Is this correct? And if so, were you ever concerned about its size in heavy weather? Member, Pepijn Answer […]
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Interesting Refrigeration Option
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Read more: Interesting Refrigeration OptionI have long been a fan of holding-plate refrigeration systems over evaporator systems: More efficient. When done right, better temperature consistency. Can be force-run when there is ample power, say when motoring or a generator is running—can be automated. Can be shut down overnight for quiet without the box thawing out or getting too warm—if […]
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Q&A—Do I Need a Fail-Safe ABYC-Compliant Galvanic Isolator?
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Read more: Q&A—Do I Need a Fail-Safe ABYC-Compliant Galvanic Isolator?The fail-safe galvanic isolator was invented by Dairyland Electrical Industries Question Do you know why so-called “fail-safe” ABYC Galvanic Isolators are much more expensive than the Galvanic Isolators that are still allowed here in Europe? Member, Henrick Login to continue reading (scroll down) Learn About Membership Get to know us for FREE
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Don’t Buy Generation One Electronics
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Read more: Don’t Buy Generation One ElectronicsI’m not sure how many times over the years I have beaten some variation of this drum here at AAC. Here and here come to mind, but I’m sure I have written it, or something like it, many more times. And yet, when a new cool piece of gear comes out, what do we all […]
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Reduce Spinnaker Snag Risk
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Read more: Reduce Spinnaker Snag RiskOne of the nastiest spinnaker SNAFUs is when the sail jams in the V between the intermediate shrouds (D2s) and the uppers (V2s) at the lower spreaders (S1), usually on take down.
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ARCO Zeus Ground Loop Problem
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Read more: ARCO Zeus Ground Loop ProblemI recently received a link to this forum thread on lithium batteries that includes a concerning quote: Another note, during installation, there is a yellow and black wire on the Zeus alternator harness, “ALT GND” which is for a ground of the Zeus to the Alternator. In some installations, this has caused a ground loop, […]
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Learning From A COB Tragedy
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Read more: Learning From A COB TragedyI have just finished reading the above report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada about the death of a crew member on the St John’s, Newfoundland pilot boat who fell overboard just two miles outside the harbour during a pilot transfer. At first glance we yachties might think that the lessons learned from this […]
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Solar: Lead-Acid Battery Saver, Potential Lithium Wrecker
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Read more: Solar: Lead-Acid Battery Saver, Potential Lithium WreckerThe above is a graph of battery voltage on our J/109, currently still out of the water but uncovered. As you can see, each day shortly after dawn our solar panel starts charging and since, other than the first day when I was aboard and using power, there are no significant loads and the batteries […]
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Boatyard Fall Prevention
16 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: Boatyard Fall PreventionUs offshore sailors think and talk a lot about crew overboard prevention, but there’s another risk we subject ourselves to frequently that does not get much air time (ouch, bad pun): Falling off the boat when she is out of the water. And, believe me, even a 6-foot fall onto a hard surface can do […]
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Summary Table of Contents
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Read more: Summary Table of ContentsAAC, like most every WordPress-based web site, lists articles under Topics (or Chapters under Books) with title, image, author, number of comments, date and descriptive excerpt. And that’s great if you are exploring an Online Book to decide which chapters you want to read. But if you just want to get a sense for what’s […]
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Elliptical Hole Hack
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Read more: Elliptical Hole HackI have to cut an elliptical hole in the stern of our boat to accommodate the heater exhaust fitting above. And just to add to the fun and games, I need to also make two high-temperature gaskets out of silicon sheet. So how the heck do I get a nice clean hole just the right […]
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Don’t Fill Lead-Acid Battery Space With Lithium
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Read more: Don’t Fill Lead-Acid Battery Space With LithiumIn this Tip I’m building on the last Tip in which I concluded that huge battery capacity makes little sense for most usage profiles. It’s tempting when replacing a lead-acid bank with lithium to simply default to installing all the lithium capacity that will fit where the lead-acid batteries were. And indeed that might make […]
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Huge Battery Banks Generally Make No Sense
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Read more: Huge Battery Banks Generally Make No SenseI’m working on the second part of the Adventure 40 electrical system specification. One of the fun things about this project is that since we are starting with a blank page, rather than upgrading an existing boat, which I often write about, design fundamentals become more apparent. Here’s one that just came to mind:
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Great Headlamp
13 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: Great HeadlampI’m a huge believer in always having good light when working on our boat, so I wear a headlamp pretty much from the time I start a job below to when I knock off. And not one of those wimpy little things with a couple of AAA cells in them for me, I want a […]
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Beware of Ocean Options, Tiverton, Rhode Island
28 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesFree
Read more: Beware of Ocean Options, Tiverton, Rhode IslandWe just got ripped off. Here’s the story in the hopes that it will save someone else from the same fate. Some 25 years ago we bought a D8 Espar heater from Mike Bowden owner of Ocean Options of Tiverton, Rhode Island. And over the years that we owned the McCurdy and Rhodes 56, Eddie, […]
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Block Stand-Up Hack
1 CommentReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: Block Stand-Up HackOur J/109, in common with most boats with spinnakers, has turning blocks for the sheets that must reorient to loads from different directions, depending on the point of sail, and therefore uses loose blocks on pad eyes. The problem with this is that spinnaker sheet blocks tend to bang on the deck with motion, in […]
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Great Source For Epoxy Use Tips
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Read more: Great Source For Epoxy Use TipsWhile researching for a discussion we were having about epoxy shrinkage (or not), I came across a great site with a ton of information and tips on using epoxy resin to make repairs. I particularly liked their myth-busting post. Despite having used epoxy for over 40 years, including for a refit that turned into a […]
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RIP Good Old Boat Magazine
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Read more: RIP Good Old Boat MagazineI have been a subscriber to Good Old Boat magazine ever since I had lunch with Mike, the then editor, while attending the 2019 Annapolis Sailboat Show. I signed up first because I liked Mike and felt that he was a genuine guy who had done real cruising and really wanted to help get other […]
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WakeSpeed And Victron Get Even More Cuddly
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Read more: WakeSpeed And Victron Get Even More CuddlyI’m on the Beta test list for software Upgrades to the WakeSpeed WS 500 alternator regulator. Not because I like testing new software—only marginally more fun than having a root canal, in my view—but because I’m a huge fan of the regulator and firmly believe it’s currently by far the best option for charging most […]
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Cover The Negative Terminal On Batteries
23 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteMembers
Read more: Cover The Negative Terminal On BatteriesOne of the things I love about my job is that, despite having maintained and refitted boats for over 50 years, I’m still learning, often as the result of the discussions we have in the comments. This has certainly been the case here as I think about reducing short-out risk on batteries, particularly lithium. One […]
