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Destiny 12 Month Systems Report

January 2002

Here's my second report, done after about 12 months of cruising. I'm only listing equipment that I feel is worth discussing, either for good or bad. Stuff that I mentioned in my first systems report that I don't talk about here is still on the boat but just works fine!

The categories below are based on a schedule I found on the web once which seemed to work fairly well. The sections are described in the first report I did. Links to later reports are also there or on The Boat page.

Electrical
  • Electrical monitor - Emon II by Ample Power: This is an electrical monitor (shows voltage, amps, amp-hours used, etc.) that continues to work well and I consult it every day. I do wish it could be a little more flexible in displaying the values, like keeping the backlight on longer (it has some of this but not enough). Also, the manufacturer should make explicit that the values showing percent "full" and the like are not completely accurate. The manual alludes to this but someone who is not an electrical engineer probably won't understand it.
  • Voltage Regulator - NextStep by Ample Power: This 3 step voltage regulator continues to work well. The electrician in Bermuda adjusted this down and I'm not sure he was doing me a favor since the charging voltage on the batteries was never high enough. I've since readjusted it back up a bit.
  • 120 Amp Alternator - S120i by Amptech: After being serviced twice, I continue to have problems with it although "maybe" it is not the unit at fault. The issue is that I've never seen the rated output. According to the spec sheet, at an alternator rpm of 4000, I should see 100amps cold and 80 amps hot - the most I get is 35 amps. This makes charging VERY slow. So it works but not as efficiently as it should. This is an ongoing problem but one that I may be close to solving. (It could be that the batteries have so much internal resistance that they will only accept a small charge. If this is true, I have an idea how it happened. I talk a little about this below.
  • 2000 Watt Inverter - Freedom 20 by Heart: I am still very happy with this unit. It works well although it does draw a lot of power. Since this is the first inverter I've ever owned, I don't know if this is normal or not but I suspect that, from everything I've read, they are all this way. It might be nice to have a unit with true sine wave output but I don't have any equipment that has objected to the stepped wave it does produce. This includes small NiCd battery chargers, electric tools, my TV/VCR, etc.
  • 75 Watt Solar Panels - SP75 by Siemens: These are still excellent but I need a better way to mount them. They are currently mounted on rails that replaced the lifelines on the stern of the boat. The problem is that the port side is in shade much of the day with our new awning up. But even without the awning, that side still gets shadows from the mast, boom, etc., for some of the day. I believe I will get some L shaped stainless tubing and mount them on one side and insert the other side of the "L" into a piece of PVC attached to a stanchion. They can then be "winged out" from the boat and tilted forward or back.
  • Through-deck Electrical Connectors - Buccaneer by Ampair: These are the connectors I used to wire the solar panels and they haven't leaked or shown any signs of corrosion. They are a bit pricey and may be hard to find, but I think they're really good. They are also a little bulky, but I think there are some flat, bulkhead mount types.
  • Wind Generator - KISS: I still can't say enough good things about this unit. Its quiet, especially now that the manufacturer replaced some questionable resistors that caused it to freewheel prematurely. It produces a significant amount of amps and was easy to service. The manufacturer is in Trinidad and I spoke to Doug when I was there. Not only did he upgrade my plastic control box to the new aluminum one for free, but he replaced the thermal resistors for free once I told him about the problems with freewheeling at 20 knots. He's also workiong on an upgrade to have the unit produce amps at up to 30 knots. He was a pleasure to deal with and has a superior product. At least in the Caribbean, they are definitely getting very popular - and he deserves to be successful.
  • AGM 8D House Batteries - Concorde by Lifeline: I am not sorry I bought them, but I wish I had known more beforehand and that the manufacturer was more "upfront" with the fact that AGMs should be equalized. At anchor, which is 95 percent of the time, I think they were being undercharged for a variety of reasons. The first is that the alternator was not putting out the proper voltage, and this was because the well-meaning electrician in Bermuda turned down the setting. The next is that the alternator does not produce the proper amount of amps (maybe because of several issues) and last is that the electrical monitor needs to be synchronized every so often so it correctly reflects the actual capacity of the batteries.
  • AGM Grp 24 Starting Battery - Optima by Lifeline: This battery hasn't suffered from undercharging and still works like a champ.
Plumbing
  • Watermaker - Little Wonder Modular by Village Marine: My maximum output for a unit rated at 8 gallons per hour is still only 5.5 to 6 gallons per hour. It gobbles amps but does keep working. I recently moved it to a more accessible spot and can use it much easier.
  • MSD - Skipper Head by Wilcox Crittendon: It still works well but continues to leak a bit. If I had buy a new one, which fortunately I don't at this point, I would evaluate the others by Groco and Lavac. I have a WC Headmate on board but have never used it (in the forward head that's now a workshop/storage area).
  • Faucet - by Delta: I replaced the single lever old one in the galley with a new single lever one by Delta that incorporates a spray head. The old one worked but I felt a spray head would be handy and also the old one was always loose. Unfortunately, the "Water Saver" I had mounted on the old faucet didn't fit the new one. The old faucet had a female thread, the new one was male. (Why?) I went to just about every hardware store in northern Trinidad trying to find an adaptor. I finally got one by buying a adjustable spray head that happened to have the right adaptor as part of the package. Only cost $15 for a $1 part. Other than that, it works fine.
Propulsion
  • 3 Bladed Feathering propeller - Maxprop: It continues to work well but I think the blades are starting to have some looseness or play. They may need to be professionally adjusted when we get back.
  • Engine - Universal 5444: This engine continues to run great. I do regular maintenance on it and the only problems I've had were minor. I broke the plastic connector to the air cleaner, since it was just hanging on to the air intake without any support. I now support it with large wire ties and I don't think I'll have this problem again. I also accidentally broke one of the electrical tabs to the alarm for overheating/low oil pressure. I'm going to get this fixed when I can get a replacement. The engine hours are now 2417, so we've put about 100 hours on the engine in the last 6 months. Of course, we were in a marina in Trinidad or on the hard during much of that time so this is probably not the norm. We started at 1953 hours when we bought the boat in December, 1998.
Rigging
  • Rod Rigging - Navtec: Nothing new here, except I rebedded 2 of the chainplates in Grenada and the rest probably need to be done as well.
Hull
  • Hatches - Goiot: These are good hatches but they're getting old, replacement parts for this model are very scarce and they are getting harder to keep up (the aluminum arms are getting tired). They also have stainless allen head screws into the aluminum frame, that must be kept lubricated.
  • Through-hulls: In my first report, I described some of the wierdness I found on the boat originally concerning these, but every one is now replaced with "real" ball-valve seacocks. I used ones by Groco, with a triangular flange and yellow handle. Of course, they're new, but the ones I put in before we left are doing well and only one shows a little sign of corrosion, and then only because I splashed it with water at one point.
Outfitting
  • Propane Regulator/Gauge - by Trident: The regulator I purchased and installed before the trip had a gauge mounted already. I used to think I smelled propane once in a while when I opened the locker but I figured it was "normal." I never bother testing the regulator and gauge for leaks although I did test the hoses and the connections I made. Well, turns out that the fitting to the gauge did leak and must have been doing so since I bought it. While I've been satisfied with the equipment operation, this is a real safety concern. Its a good thing that my propane locker is sealed and vented (like it should be).
  • Roll-up inflatable dinghy - 315 by Avon: This dinghy is a good one for Long Island Sound and places where long trips in it aren't necessary. Its convenient because it will roll up into a relatively small package, but for hard use on open water, its relatively small tubes and soft bottom make for a wet ride. The rub rail also started to fall off while it was in its bag on deck during the time we were on the hard in Trinidad. Probably the cement used couldn't take the heat and humidity in the bag. That is though, the only real trouble we've had with it.
  • 2-stroke outboard - Mariner 5: Too small; you (me anyway) need an outboard that will push a good sized dinghy on a plane with 2 people and some gear or jerry jugs. That's the only way to stay dry on long trips from the boat to the dock (up to a mile away). We had problems with the fuel supply, as we kept getting water in the fuel and the engine would just quit, but that would happen with any outboard. I finally put a small Racor filter on the dinghy transom and the problem with water dissappeared.

Please remember that this is based on my experience only and certainly can't be considered an endorsement or a disapproval of any product, so sorry if I offended anyone but I called it as I saw it.