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#81
Boat Bits / Re: LiFePO4 batteries going ma...
Last post by s/v necessity - April 06, 2025, 05:16:35 PMLast summer we ran two batteries, a house and a starter battery. And the Atomic 4 is still rocking its original alternator (35 amp iirc). We had to run the engine near daily to keep the house reasonably charged, and it kinda sucked. Our electricity budget is basically VHF, Cellphones (3-4), Tablet and a wonderful 16watt florescent interior light, and multiple USB charged gizmos...
I'm thinking an Alternator upgrade is step one. And then I do own a third FLA, so I can double my house bank with no extra cost really, The house battery literally has a spot for the other FLA next to it. This alone should be a big step forward, and might get us to the point where we can go 3 days without running the engine. My current FLAs have perhaps 25 amps of useable capacity, I'm guessing it's closer to 20. It doesn't help that I'm a bit neurotic about keeping them topped off :(
A single 100amp LiFePO4 would basically give me 5x capacity I had last summer, and it would accept a charge faster. Kinda seems like a no brainer (Once I've upgraded the alternator)
I've been toying with Godots idea of an isolated starting battery with a small solar charger. I like the simplicity, but my gasoline engine needs more than just a starter... (Still might work though!)
I'm thinking an Alternator upgrade is step one. And then I do own a third FLA, so I can double my house bank with no extra cost really, The house battery literally has a spot for the other FLA next to it. This alone should be a big step forward, and might get us to the point where we can go 3 days without running the engine. My current FLAs have perhaps 25 amps of useable capacity, I'm guessing it's closer to 20. It doesn't help that I'm a bit neurotic about keeping them topped off :(
A single 100amp LiFePO4 would basically give me 5x capacity I had last summer, and it would accept a charge faster. Kinda seems like a no brainer (Once I've upgraded the alternator)
I've been toying with Godots idea of an isolated starting battery with a small solar charger. I like the simplicity, but my gasoline engine needs more than just a starter... (Still might work though!)
#82
Boat Discussion / Re: An old girlfriend just cal...
Last post by Frank - April 05, 2025, 11:08:18 PMHad the gang aboard for a pot luck tonight.
Fun evening, great sunset!
As I was below preparing earlier, I looked aft and thought what an incredible job Philip Briand did with this 23ft 7 inch hull!
It sails fast for its length. Has an amazing interior, aft cabin and with the keel-centerboard... shallow draft.
The high cockpit allows for more headroom in the aft cabin.
40 years on... I still amazed!
Fun evening, great sunset!
As I was below preparing earlier, I looked aft and thought what an incredible job Philip Briand did with this 23ft 7 inch hull!
It sails fast for its length. Has an amazing interior, aft cabin and with the keel-centerboard... shallow draft.
The high cockpit allows for more headroom in the aft cabin.
40 years on... I still amazed!
#83
Boat Discussion / Re: An old girlfriend just cal...
Last post by Frank - April 04, 2025, 05:57:32 PMKinda funny....
Seems any little boat project becomes a male social event (excuse for a beer)
Today was cleaning up the wiring behind my new panel.
I hate wiring, nice to have friends.
Fun afternoon
Seems any little boat project becomes a male social event (excuse for a beer)
Today was cleaning up the wiring behind my new panel.
I hate wiring, nice to have friends.
Fun afternoon
#84
Boat Bits / Re: Importance of hull speed.....
Last post by Kettlewell - April 03, 2025, 05:27:25 PMIMHO hull speed is not as important as average speed. To give an example, we cruised in company with a group of various boats down in the Southwest Caribbean. Mostly day hops, but a few one-three day passages. The boats varied from a 38-foot French cat, to our 38-foot motorsailor, to a 53-foot Crusader that Naomi James made famous in her circumnavigation. We almost never arrived more than 2 hours apart, and we traded off which boat arrived first. Sometimes our boat made it in first. Typically, you cruise in lighter winds, so absolute hull speed is out of reach, and even if you could get there you probably will throttle back for a more comfortable ride. Some boats quickly get up to cruising speed of 5-6 knots and just stay there, while others slow up more dramatically. Speeds in lighter winds are probably more important than ultimate speed. We cruised a Cal 20 for awhile around southern New England, and we found we tended to be faster than most of the cruising fleet. Some friends on a J24 routinely passed 40-footers.
#85
Boat Bits / Re: Anchors and Rodes
Last post by Kettlewell - April 03, 2025, 05:01:44 PMSounds funky, but I have seen people rig a snatch block hanging from the bow pulpit that can take the anchor line to allow you to stand back further on the deck to put your legs and back into hauling on the anchor line. Obviously wouldn't work too well with the chain unless you got a really big block, and the pulpit has to be strong enough. Those C&C bows are crowded, so hard to fit the roller on there. Another somewhat funky looking option is to put the roller off to one side of the bow a bit. Old sailing ships would haul the anchor using a cathead off to one side of the bow. Google it.
#86
Boat Bits / Re: Anchors and Rodes
Last post by Frank - April 03, 2025, 12:40:12 PMI agree with the concept.
In practice, with a boat hunting side to side as they typically do in a blow, my only concern would be if one anchor drug.....
Two rode's tangled can be a mess...
But yes, a lighter weight alternative for sure!
In practice, with a boat hunting side to side as they typically do in a blow, my only concern would be if one anchor drug.....
Two rode's tangled can be a mess...
But yes, a lighter weight alternative for sure!
#87
Boat Bits / Re: Anchors and Rodes
Last post by Kettlewell - April 03, 2025, 11:52:42 AMEveryone today, including myself, carries around very heavy anchoring gear, including big anchors, lots of chain, and often big windlasses to pull it all up. If you ever spy one in a flea market grab one of the old pamphlets put out by the makers of Danforth anchors. One is called Anchors and Anchoring, by R.D. (Danforth) Ogg. They include lots of interesting information on how Danforths were developed, tested, and used. They underwent much more rigorous testing than most modern anchors. In any case, it proposes using "The Ogg Method" of anchoring, utilizing two lightweight Danforths with maybe 6 feet of chain and the rest lightweight nylon, usually no bigger than 1/2" The anchors are deployed in a Bahamian moor pattern. In this manner Ogg anchored his 64-foot PT-type stinkpot with two 12# Danforths, often including raft ups. My two secondary anchors onboard are Fortress FX 23s and they have occasionally had to hold the big boat in some big blows, and they are certainly capable. In any case, a different solution to anchoring than everyone uses today.
#88
Boat Discussion / Re: An old girlfriend just cal...
Last post by Frank - April 02, 2025, 06:39:58 AMI have spent some time on the West Coast of Florida, more time on the East Coast of Florida, including the keys and considerable time over here in the Bahamas
I really must say that in my mind, one of the most important things on a cruising boat for these waters, a shallow draft.
It simply opens up so many more places to Anchor. Not having to wait for tides to enter some harbours are being able to make some passes easily. It's just such an advantage.
Yes, some folks do it with 6 foot draft, but it is so much less stress with under 4 feet.
The picture below is nowhere near low tide yet as the bank right behind the boat is not yet showing. I love going where others can't.
I really must say that in my mind, one of the most important things on a cruising boat for these waters, a shallow draft.
It simply opens up so many more places to Anchor. Not having to wait for tides to enter some harbours are being able to make some passes easily. It's just such an advantage.
Yes, some folks do it with 6 foot draft, but it is so much less stress with under 4 feet.
The picture below is nowhere near low tide yet as the bank right behind the boat is not yet showing. I love going where others can't.
#89
Boat Bits / Re: Anchors and Rodes
Last post by Godot - April 02, 2025, 12:28:03 AMOh, me, pick me!
I am not currently going far afield, and I do not anchor out in any named storms (my marina is in a hurricane hole and seems as good a place a any to keep the boat in a storm).
Primary: Rocna 10 (22#) with 90' of 1/4 chain and I THINK 200' of 1/2" platt rode. I've ridden out a full gale on this over a sleepless night without budging. It seems pretty solid for my needs at the moment.
Kedge: A small Fortress (maybe the FX7 or perhaps the FX11). I have maybe 15' of 1/4" chain and a 100' of three strand rode. I used it to kedge off once. I sometimes take it in the dinghy.
Secondary: Some Danforth knockoff I have jammed in a locker. It came with the boat. Probably 10-15' of 5/8" chain and maybe a hundred feet of rough and tough seen better days 3-strand something. If I am breaking this out I can tie any of a number of other lengths of line to extend it further. I hate this anchor. I dragged all over until I got the Rocna on this stupid thing.
Some day (I love you tomorrow...always a day away) when I take a more significant trip, my plan is to up to the next size Rocna or Manson Supreme or whatever modern generation anchor is most affordable at that time, on 100' or so of 5/16" chain and maybe 200' again of 5/8" rode and take the current Rocna and rode and keep it as the secondary. That's the plan, anyhow.
I am not currently going far afield, and I do not anchor out in any named storms (my marina is in a hurricane hole and seems as good a place a any to keep the boat in a storm).
Primary: Rocna 10 (22#) with 90' of 1/4 chain and I THINK 200' of 1/2" platt rode. I've ridden out a full gale on this over a sleepless night without budging. It seems pretty solid for my needs at the moment.
Kedge: A small Fortress (maybe the FX7 or perhaps the FX11). I have maybe 15' of 1/4" chain and a 100' of three strand rode. I used it to kedge off once. I sometimes take it in the dinghy.
Secondary: Some Danforth knockoff I have jammed in a locker. It came with the boat. Probably 10-15' of 5/8" chain and maybe a hundred feet of rough and tough seen better days 3-strand something. If I am breaking this out I can tie any of a number of other lengths of line to extend it further. I hate this anchor. I dragged all over until I got the Rocna on this stupid thing.
Some day (I love you tomorrow...always a day away) when I take a more significant trip, my plan is to up to the next size Rocna or Manson Supreme or whatever modern generation anchor is most affordable at that time, on 100' or so of 5/16" chain and maybe 200' again of 5/8" rode and take the current Rocna and rode and keep it as the secondary. That's the plan, anyhow.
#90
Boat Bits / Re: LiFePO4 batteries going ma...
Last post by Godot - April 02, 2025, 12:09:20 AMI haven't bit the bullet yet on new LiFePO4. I bought a new house since starting this thread and it has monopolized most of my free time for the past few years. I just can't seem to catch a break. I have been limping along with the old FLA, and since my longest trips seem to be overnighters I've been doing OK, even though they are a little sad and I need to keep an eye on their state of charge.
The good news is that these batteries have dropped so far in price it makes little sense to NOT buy them. I believe they are now cheaper per usable AH than FLAs. I was at one time planning on buying raw cells and a BMS; but that doesn't even make any financial sense anymore for a 200AH bank or so. Bluetooth monitoring is pretty common and should provide a very decent way of keeping track of charge state, so monitoring isn't really an issue anymore either.
The mixed technologies IS still an issue. I have two thoughts on it.
Thought ONE: The engine really doesn't take too much juice to start, so I'm thinking a group 24 FLA charging off of a small solar panel would probably be adequate. I could plug in a portable charger to it on occasion if necessary (even if I had to run it off the inverter from the house bank...a messy kludge but it uses what I already have). Then I will let the 75amp Balmer alternator (I got this on a killer closeout deal some years ago and finally got it installed last summer) charge the lithium directly.
Thought TWO: a DC-DC charger. It looks like small ones can be had for $150 or so. Conventional wisdom seems to be to send the alternator to the start battery and use the DC-DC to charge the Lithium. This makes absolutely no sense to me as the LiFePO4 can suck up massive (relatively speaking) amounts of current for a long time. I would charge the starter FLA from the LiFePO4 house bank. This is cleaner and kinda where I'm leaning.
I have been riding a weird razor edge between having just barely enough money at the end of the month to meet my expenses and having enough funds where I don't have to worry anymore. I'm closing in on retirement and I've been kind of aggressive in my money handling in preparation, dumping every spare nickel into retirement funds. With a little luck I will get past the hump and be able to free the funds to finally finish the necessary projects on poor neglected Seeker in the next year or two. It's so close I can taste it. Then maybe I can take the decades delayed cruise I've been craving.
The good news is that these batteries have dropped so far in price it makes little sense to NOT buy them. I believe they are now cheaper per usable AH than FLAs. I was at one time planning on buying raw cells and a BMS; but that doesn't even make any financial sense anymore for a 200AH bank or so. Bluetooth monitoring is pretty common and should provide a very decent way of keeping track of charge state, so monitoring isn't really an issue anymore either.
The mixed technologies IS still an issue. I have two thoughts on it.
Thought ONE: The engine really doesn't take too much juice to start, so I'm thinking a group 24 FLA charging off of a small solar panel would probably be adequate. I could plug in a portable charger to it on occasion if necessary (even if I had to run it off the inverter from the house bank...a messy kludge but it uses what I already have). Then I will let the 75amp Balmer alternator (I got this on a killer closeout deal some years ago and finally got it installed last summer) charge the lithium directly.
Thought TWO: a DC-DC charger. It looks like small ones can be had for $150 or so. Conventional wisdom seems to be to send the alternator to the start battery and use the DC-DC to charge the Lithium. This makes absolutely no sense to me as the LiFePO4 can suck up massive (relatively speaking) amounts of current for a long time. I would charge the starter FLA from the LiFePO4 house bank. This is cleaner and kinda where I'm leaning.
I have been riding a weird razor edge between having just barely enough money at the end of the month to meet my expenses and having enough funds where I don't have to worry anymore. I'm closing in on retirement and I've been kind of aggressive in my money handling in preparation, dumping every spare nickel into retirement funds. With a little luck I will get past the hump and be able to free the funds to finally finish the necessary projects on poor neglected Seeker in the next year or two. It's so close I can taste it. Then maybe I can take the decades delayed cruise I've been craving.