Arch with bar lowered position.
Upgrading Limerence for long distance cruising
required lots of planning and hours of retrofitting.
Our intention was to make her as comfortable as possible, while
achieving real energy efficiency. The
following pages are the details of the projects we tackled over the past
two years. Most of you will
not want to bother with all the pages of technical specs . . . they
could put you to sleep. However,
some of you are thinking of making changes to your own boats, and
hopefully will find this information useful. Limerence is always under modification, so if you have comments
and ideas, please send them along. Many of our projects are working
great and have been well tested. Others
are being tested as we cruise. Hope you enjoy all the following gory
details!
The
Stainless Steel Arch
Goal
To devise a way to easily hoist the dinghy and engine out of the water
every night.
Considerations
After years of hoisting our Achilles dinghy upside down on the deck
with the main halyard, manhandling the outboard engine, and dreading the
task, we needed a better way. It
was time to upgrade and buy a new hard-bottomed dinghy. We decided to
plan our storage solution before getting the new dinghy. We had seen
pictures of a Hunter sailboat that cruised extensively with a custom
stainless arch on the aft holding the dinghy, and read a favorable
article in Practical Sailor about the versatility of aft arches. We were
intrigued with the notion of storing solar panels, radar antenna, radio
antennas, and wind generator in one place. When we found a local metal
fabricator who was just completing an arch on a 46’ Beneteau, we were
convinced to take that route.
Implementation
The new arch completely replaced the existing stern pulpit.
It was designed with a bar that encircles the dinghy –instead
of davits - and the bar drops down with the dinghy to offer stability
when boarding. The bar
hoists the dinghy up and down with a one-pull system using either the
manual winch, or electric winch. We purchased a 10’ Aqua-Pro aluminum
hard-bottomed dinghy and a 15hp Mercury engine. The engine stays on the
dinghy when in port, or hoists with a block and tackle and mounts on the
side of the arch. It is almost effortless to pull up the dinghy every
night, and it gives us real security to know it’s safe. When we sail,
we cinch the dinghy up tight to the chocks in the arch and strap it down
with strong webbing straps. We also have a full canvas dinghy cover to keep it dry and
protected. An interesting aspect of the arch design incorporates two
rear seats offering horizontal stability and a neat viewing perch when
underway. The whole system feels very solid.
The arch was built to hold two solar panels, a Four
Winds wind generator, and an adjustable bracket for the open-array radar
antenna, a mount for radio antennas, flood lights and an anchor light.
Later we added two Fortress anchors, a small propane fuel tank
and Force 10 grill. We also
have a Lifesling and ring on the arch
Results
The whole apparatus weighs about 350 pounds, and holds our
dinghy, outboard engine, and antennas. Although Limerence no longer
looks likes a racing boat, the arch blends well with the lines of the
boat, and she sails well despite the added weight.
Improve
Self-Sufficiency
Goal
To make Limerence more self-sufficient by improving the fuel, anchoring,
water and sanitation systems. We wanted enough fuel for a cruising range
of 500 miles, an improved anchoring system, enough fresh water to take
showers, and a more convenient sanitation system.
Considerations
The Beneteau 375 diesel fuel tank holds 27 gallons – about 150+ miles
and two integral water tanks that hold 110 gallons of fresh water.
Carrying deck mounted jerry jugs or collapsible plastic jugs for fuel
and water is often the answer to extending one’s cruising range. We
wanted to avoid cluttering up the deck with plastic jugs so looked for
space below. We also were experiencing problems with the anchor chain
piling up and needing to be flaked as the anchor was hauled in with the
windlass. This can be very
dangerous – especially in a rolling sea.
Finally, our sanitation system needed improvement because the
holding tank had no overboard pump-out.
Finding a dockside sewage pump-out every few days is often
impossible.
Implementation
A stainless steel baffled fuel tank was custom built and installed under
the v-berth. It has a
capacity of 40 gallons, a deck fill near the bow, and a transfer pump to
move the fuel to the aft primary tank.
After adding 300’ of ¼” high tensile chain and
a 33-pound Bruce anchor to the bow roller, an electric windlass was a
necessity. A Maxwell below
deck windlass was installed and the relatively shallow anchor locker was
rebuilt. We made the locker deeper so the chain would fall freely and
not require flaking, and added a water pump under the whole system to
keep it dry. The system
makes it safer and easier to drop and retrieve the anchor without a
hassle.
Fresh water is a luxury on a sailboat, and we
wanted the ability to stay at anchor and not have to go into marinas to
take on water. We had to be creative to find the space, but we added a
Spectra Watermaker reverse osmosis system that produces nine gallons an
hour using nine amps. (This
is half the amps of similar units) The controls are located in the
cabinet in the head, and the membrane and pump is in the rear lazarette.
As long as we are in clean seawater, we can convert saltwater to
fresh and not consume too much energy.
The Beneteau 375 has a very small holding tank for
sewage and no overboard pump-out. We
changed out the head for a VacuFlush Toilet, which uses a small amount
of fresh water and either pumps directly overboard, or to the rear
holding tank for pumping out at sea. The result is an odorless, easy to
use head. Women especially
love this feature.
Results
We carry 67 gallons of fuel extending our motoring range to over 500
miles. Because of the watermaker don’t have to replenish our water
supply at marinas. The
anchor can be set and reset without the hassle of leaning over the
anchor locker to flake the chain. Finally, the head is odor-free and the
holding tank can be dumped when out at sea eliminating the need to
locate pump-out stations.
The
Navigation Station
Goal
Incorporate all systems in a simple, well-designed navigation station.
Considerations
The main decision before building out the navigation station was where
to put the radar screen. It would be protected from the elements below,
but impossible to see from the helm.
Implementation
We decided to locate the main Furuno radar screen above – under
the dodger - and install a repeater unit below at the navigation
station. We had a teak cabinet built at the navigation station below
that in addition to the radar repeater screen, houses two GPS units –
Global Positioning System, an SCG 2000 SSB radio, a VHF radio, a CARD
unit – Collision Avoidance Radar Detector, a Pactor II modem, Simrad
wind/depth instrument, tank level indicators, all gauges, and an audio
disc player.
Results
The result is a sleek looking simple navigation center.
And the projects continue...
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