Systems & Propulsion

S/V Balaena Skipper Andy O’Grady has taken his double-ended cutter rig to every climate between the Southern Ocean and the Artic. O’Grady explains that imperative to onboard power management and extending battery life is keeping batteries charged and avoiding deep discharges. His tips for long-lasting batteries include keeping the discharge above 50 percent, tracking sulfation, and equalizing the battery bank. Equipment O’Grady uses are Trojan 6-volt T105 batteries, Xantrex XAR Smart alternator regulator, 85-amp Bosch alternator, BEP voltage sensing relay, a Solarex 55-watt solar panel, 75-watt Shell solar panel, and a Rutland wind generator.

S/V Balaena Skipper Andy O’Grady has taken his double-ended cutter rig to every climate between the Southern Ocean and the Artic. O’Grady explains that imperative to onboard power management and extending battery life is keeping batteries charged and avoiding deep discharges. His tips for long-lasting batteries include keeping the discharge above 50 percent, tracking sulfation, and equalizing the battery bank. Equipment O’Grady uses are Trojan 6-volt T105 batteries, Xantrex XAR Smart alternator regulator, 85-amp Bosch alternator, BEP voltage sensing relay, a Solarex 55-watt solar panel, 75-watt Shell solar panel, and a Rutland wind generator.

How soon will electric auxiliary engines be available to all sailboat owners? Opinions differ on what type of drive system could surge to the forefront and whether the concept of electric propulsion itself is viable in recreational sailboats. Opinions also differ as to what system is best: a pure diesel-electric drive train with a hybrid-electric drive with a diesel generator as a back up or a pure electric drive with regeneration capability. Practical Sailor talks with companies developing DC motors, including ASMO Marine, Above the Waterline, Vetus Marine, Electric Marine Propulsion, Glacier Bay, Re-e-power, Polar Power Inc., Fischer Panda, and Solomon Technologies. Glacier Bay is concentrating on diesel-electric drives using Ossa Powerlite technology, and ASMO Marine is developing the Thoosa line of DC motors. Much of the movement toward electric motors is taking place in the catamaran world, with Lagoon Catamarans leading the push. Corsair Marine is working on a diesel-electric catamaran, and Maine Cat has also experimented with electric engines. Duffy Electric Boats has for years been building electric-drive-only auxiliary engines. One major issue in developing these systems is the safety of high-voltage DC. ABYC has yet to set a standard for high-voltage DC safety aboard a vessel, and Jim Nolan of BoatUS said there is no clear-cut guidance regarding insuring boats with electric propulsion.

Ice chests come in all shapes and sizes. And often times, sailors and fishermen will prefer keeping a large cooler aboard to installing a marine refrigeration system. So for this test, we narrowed the field to portable 65-quart coolers and a 70-quart cooler from Yeti, Engel, and Coleman. The three test products were the Engel ENG65, Yeti Tundra, and the Coleman Ultimate Extreme Marine. Testers compared the effectiveness of each cooler at keeping ice during a meltdown test: A six-pack of soda was covered with 16 pounds of ice and checked at 12-hour intervals. The top performer was the Engel, but testers deemed the Coleman a bargain as it was less than half the cost of the others.

I have an air-conditioning unit with more than 14,000 BTUs. Here in Florida, with a 38-foot boat, that just doesn’t hack it. The unit’s been checked for efficiency by a technician. My prior boat (also 38 feet) had two units totaling over 20,000 BTUs. Those were effective, but that output is enough to cool a small store ashore. How are boat A/C BTUs determined? I suspect the temperature of coolant water is a major factor. Also, what is the effect when coolant water is suppressed by a clogged filter? Are they built to automatically shut down the compressor?

First sailed in 1978, the Singlehanded TransPac (SHTP) crosses 2,120 miles of Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay, Calif., to Hanalei Bay, Kauai. Practical Sailor contributor and SHTP competitor Skip Allan took time out from his race preparations onboard Wildflower—his Thomas Wylie-designed 27.5-foot sloop/cutter—to open his notes on solo sailing. Last month, the veteran offshore racer and singlehanded cruiser discussed his gear, sail inventory, storm tactics, and his approach to provisioning. This month, Allan focuses on the electronics, safety gear, and routing tactics he employs when racing alone. Allan’s onboard systems include two deep-cycle wet-cell batteries that total 165 amp hours, two solar panels, and a 35-amp alternator on Wildflower’s10-horsepower Yanmar single-cylinder diesel. He has a fixed and handheld VHF, an Icom SSB radio, a Pactor modem for weather charts and weather faxes, and Winlink email. Other electronics include handheld GPS, LED lighting, and a small portable radio.

First sailed in 1978, the Singlehanded TransPac (SHTP) crosses 2,120 miles of Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay, Calif., to Hanalei Bay, Kauai. Practical Sailor contributor and SHTP competitor Skip Allan took time out from his race preparations onboard Wildflower—his Thomas Wylie-designed 27.5-foot sloop/cutter—to open his notes on solo sailing. Last month, the veteran offshore racer and singlehanded cruiser discussed his gear, sail inventory, storm tactics, and his approach to provisioning. This month, Allan focuses on the electronics, safety gear, and routing tactics he employs when racing alone. Allan’s onboard systems include two deep-cycle wet-cell batteries that total 165 amp hours, two solar panels, and a 35-amp alternator on Wildflower’s10-horsepower Yanmar single-cylinder diesel. He has a fixed and handheld VHF, an Icom SSB radio, a Pactor modem for weather charts and weather faxes, and Winlink email. Other electronics include handheld GPS, LED lighting, and a small portable radio.

I recently purchased an older boat. Not long before the purchase, the previous owner had the wiring replaced. All the workmanship seems to be in good order, with all connections and terminations made with Ancor crimped connectors and sealed in shrink tubing. All the wiring is the proper gauge (AWG) stranded wire. The only problem is that the wire used was not marine-gauge tinned wire. I am wondering what the risks are to leaving it as it is. Clearly to rip it all out and do it again would be very expensive. I am not using the boat that much and don’t intend a circumnavigation any time soon. If the connections are well made and the wire sheathing remains intact, what is my risk of wire corrosion with the un-tinned wire in a marine environment?

No bigger than a pack of gum, Freezer Safe is a digital recording thermometer that collects temperature data and displays it graphically. The battery-operated (two AAA cells) unit can optimize boat refrigeration systems by storing high and low temps for 100 minutes, 100 hours, or 100 days (though the batteries might not last that long). The data lets you adjust thermostat settings in order to reduce power use. The thermometer can also track warm and cold spots and help you find the best trade-off between food longevity and temperature. Freezer Safe can warn you if food may have thawed and refrozen, helps reduce the risk of accidentally freezing refrigerated foods. For holding-plate refrigeration systems to operate efficiently, the temperature cutoff on the compressor must be carefully set. Freezer Safe can help identify the ideal eutectic point for this system.

I am building an electrical system that will hopefully support wife and two teenage daughters. With this objective, I am planning approximately 1,000-amp hour battery bank. I see lots of hype about the external three-stage voltage regulators. Do they really provide more amp hours during the limited engine running time? If so, I have not found any definitive side-by-side comparisons that convince me that three-stage regulation is more efficient than a single-stage constant voltage regulator.