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Destiny 4 and One-half Year Systems Report
June 2005
This is the tenth report on the gear and systems aboard Destiny, after over 4 years of cruising full time.
The categories are from a schedule I found on the web once which seemed to work fairly well and are described in the first report. Links to later reports are also there or on The Boat page.
Electrical
- Bilge Pump Switch - This is the typical float switch found on most bilge pumps. The old switch (at least 5 years old) finally gave up and I replaced with an identical one. There are newer designs but this seems to work just fine.
- Depth Sounder - I guess I can't complain too much but my existing sounder, a B&G Hecta, is becoming really flaky. It sometimes reads OK, but only if the engine is off. Of course, coming into an anchorage or a slip, that's not normally the case. I bought a Standard Horizon DS35 with an inhull transducer because I didn't want to drill another hole in the boat. The inhull transducers loose some range but i don't care about depths over 100 feet - I want to know when I'm getting close to 10 feet!
Plumbing
- Propane tank hose: The hose from the tank to the solenoid I installed when I first changed the old propane fittings is now getting hard. There are no leaks but I made sure I bought a spare, just in case. I know if I twisted it the wrong way it would probably break.
Propulsion
Rigging
Hull
- Antifouling Paint - I just used a new brand (for me), Ameron. It was recommended by several cruisers in Venezuela and is much cheaper than trying to buy something imported from the States. Its an international company and its products are used by the US Navy so I'll see how it works.
Outfitting
- Autopilot - Cetrek 770: I had to change and bleed the hydraulic arm on this and it seems to be working. I need to test it more though before I know its really OK.
- DVDs - These are much better than VHS tapes. The quality is better, the format is easier to store and they should last much longer. VHS tapes have a habit of growing mold, making them useless - so far, I've never heard of this happening to a DVD. (I think even if it did, you could remove it by carefully wiping the surface with soap and water and then carefully drying it to remove any water marks.)
- Digital Camera - Olympus 3000: The camera is fine but when using it in cold conditions, I made a mistake by trying to use rechargable batteries. The normal voltage on these is 1.2 volts as opposed to the 1.5 volts for Alkaline batteries. This lower voltage normally doesn't interfere with taking pictures but when its cold, the voltage drops even more and caused me to loose many shots while we were up in the Andes - shots that I'll probably never be able to take again.
Disclaimer - Please remember that this is based on my experience only and certainly can't be considered an endorsement or disapproval of any product.
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