Ep 158 Boat Projects, Launching Talisman, Perfect Passage from Antigua to Sint Maarten
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- This episode isn't too complicated. We prep the boat for launch with a long list of projects to complete. We ride out a Cat 1 hurricane (Tammy), then it's back to work. Our new drone gives us some impressive footage as I learn to fly it. It's a new DJI Mini 3, and it's smaller and lighter than our old Phantom 3 that wouldn't accept new firmware and was therefore useless to us. Once in the water we celebrate with a pre-passage Mexican dinner at La Cantina in Jolly Harbour Marina. Perhaps a risky choice prior to a decent passage, but we did have three crew (including us), and no ill effects followed. Finally, we depart at 4:00am for an absolutely beautiful downwind run to Dutch Sint Maarten.
Been watching for years. I truly admire the amount of work you put into Talisman. We live in Hua Hin Thailand and had planned on buying a boat. Seeing all problems you've conquered and skills you've applied to it all made me rethink our sailing dreams. Chartering seems to better suit my skill set and budget. Taking care of our pool and yard is enough work for me. Thank You so much for the most valuable lesson of all! (Know your limitations)
Hi Bruce, and thank you for the kind words. My thoughts are these: I tell people that if you're not going to live on a boat and cruise full time, then you're going to be better off chartering, thus leaving the maintenance and headaches to someone else. From a pure money perspective, it's an obvious choice. Plus, you're in the middle of probably the third largest charter market in the world. As for the skill sets and what not, I have to admit that I'm a glutton for punishment and also somewhat OCD when it comes to having working components. I'll often replace a part that could be fixed on the belief that equipment and parts have finite lifespans, and even though it's something of a fool's errand, I would like to see Talisman fully upgraded to modern specs. I started with better than average mechanical skills, but I've also watched completely average guys do incredible work when required to do so. CZcams and the internet provide such an incredible amount of base knowledge that was rarely shared even a decade or so ago. Anyway, Wendy and I have a loose plan to visit Thailand and charter a boat ourselves someday (as sailing Talisman to such a far point isn't in the cards). Easier to just rent. But that's something we might never get to.
Superb as always,
Thanks Dan!
Thanks for the video. Can’t wait to see what this season brings.
Good stuff, to be sure!
I'm guessing that outhaul was a pain to rethread. Great video as always!
RGS
Thanks Rick. We used an electricians "fish" to mouse it back. Wasn't too bad except we scraped the paint slightly at the gooseneck (as I warned against), but whatever. Not too visible unless you look closely.
Another enjoyable video, thanks - if it wasn't for that constant flapping noise I'd take up sailing.
Yeah, it gets loud. We bought all new mics for next year. The wind noise on the videos is killing me.
You really got a lot done and what a shame the turbo oil pipe blew after all that - it’s like a kick in the teeth after all the TLC you have been lavishing Talisman with. Have fun.😀👍⛵️
Na, the turbo leak was from the previous season but we didn't see it. We generally take a look off to the side whenever we pump the bilge, but oil floats and our bilge pickup doesn't get all the water out, so you can miss having oil there.
You guys have got this sailing thing going pretty well. So organized, thought out and executed. God bless you!
Thank you so much Greg. It's been a long road and we try our best. Hope all is well with you!
If you could spec. a new boat, would it be a mono or a cat, fiberglass or aluminum, and what would the overall length and hull form be?
Late model Oyster, monohull, obviously, fiberglass, 56' +/-.
Our fridge is constantly running at 10 deg, we haven’t managed to see any temp changes but the Uk is freezing still so it’s not a problem. The freezer is running at -20 despite turning the temp right down. At least the amps have dropped. What temp should we be getting from the fridge. We haven’t explored it thoroughly yet but I’m assuming it’s not working to its capacity either.
Boy it's tough in the Caribbean. So hard to keep anything cool. Fridge usually stays at 5C, Freezer at -10C. Ours are Frigoboat 24V systems, and they're both identical. Just a matter of what you set them at.
Great video as usual , did you get your fridge running , its what I do .
No, unfortunately not. As you know, charging introduces the risk of getting moisture into the system, and despite my best efforts I was able to keep the fridge running for only a little over a month, charging every few days. But eventually it became blocked at the capillary. Pressures on the high side were nearing 250psi, so I decided to bring in professional help at the end of the season. The Frigoboat couplers are somewhat prone to leakage at the o-rings, so my guy started there. But so far it's still not working. He's looking to purge with nitrogen, then do a full evacuation, but the supply shop has been out of nitrogen. Low season in the Caribbean starts officially in June, when insurance companies require boats to be out of the water for hurricane season, so that's when Van will get back to it. One thing that's a possible failure point is the sintered keel coolers we have. I got a little aggressive with an impact driver and screwdriver/hammer combination trying to replace the small zinc disk anodes on the refrigerator cooler. It looked to the eye like a normal through-hull but I didn't realize that inside was an epoxied coil of copper tubing that could possibly be damaged. But being out of the water like we are now will be the best time to see any leakage there. My money is still on the o-rings, especially since we missed one that was hiding on the way between the keel cooler and the aluminum fridge plate.
@@SailingTalisman I repair frigoboat units all the time .Yeah those couplers are a service item , thats why they give you an extra set of o rings when you buy the unit. They know they are going to fail. Nobody changes them before they go so the system fails from air getting in and refrigerant getting out.They usually last 5 years. Have your guy remove the couplers and hard solder the lines , thats what i do . Another issue is the keel cooler , its just a gimmick item and not needed on these small systems . I replace them with a air condenser , placing it beside the compressor. This helps cool the compressor which Danfoss designed to be case cooled . that little heat sink that frigoboat puts on there is a joke and not really doing any thing . I have a box full of them . I actually use the to coil the CPUs inside chartplotters . These sytems only remove around 200 Btu of heat from your fridge depending on the speed you have the compressor running . The human body puts out more heat then that . People are always worried about adding heat to the cabin, and I can understand that , but do you feel the temperature rise when your wife sits beside you ? I have a stock of air condensers , the are all copper including the fins , very efficient. I can put a fan on one and send it down to you no charge , just call it a thank you for all the great videos.
O yes , sorry one more thing . I really only use nitrogen for pressure testing a new unit, not really to dry out a system . The best way to dry it out is to put on a good vacume pump and let it run for 24 hrs . This high vacume will get the moisture out of the oil , thats were it hides and it takes time to get it all to boil off. . And put on a over sized filter drier , that will get out any thing the pump missed . That of course assumes the system is totally leak free .
What's that pill shaped white thing on the forward part of the mast just above the radar?
Hi Robert. It’s a radar reflector. Inside is an aluminum spiral that helps the boat be seen. No electricity involved.
@@SailingTalisman Thanks. That's interesting. I've noticed several boats with them. Must be a new device.
@@robertlaird6746 Surprisingly, they go back many decades. Very low tech, but functional. Some form of radar reflector is mandated for joining the ARC for Atlantic crossings. Ours came with the boat and all I can say is other boats seem to see us on radar.
@@SailingTalisman Thanks. I'm setting myself up to build a Mumby Cyber 48 just like Sailing Life on Jupiter has and will have to check out that peace of equipment. I don't think that Jamie and Princess have one.
@@robertlaird6746 As long as you know you won't save money by doing so, and that it'll be a project that will consume every moment of your time and every dollar you have. Plus, remember that you'll need money to actually sail/cruise when you're done. For me, I'd be looking at a semi-abandoned boat with good bones sitting in some boatyard somewhere that you can buy for a song after the yard forces the owner to relinquish the title to pay yard fees. Often, the yard will practically give the boat away to either resume yard payments or have the boat taken somewhere else. This way at least you get a hull, spars, engine, etc.