Electrical

Self explanatory. Anything connected to the batteries, charging system or wiring would qualify, but things like an electric bilge pump would go under Plumbing

Plumbing

These items are all pumps, hose and connectors, except where attached to the engine, where they would be grouped under Propulsion

Propulsion

This category is the engine, propeller, shaft, transmission and associated parts

Rigging

This is also obvious - mast, shrouds, stays, running rigging, etc.

Hull

This includes the hull and deck, but also bulkheads and things (more or less) permanently attached, like hatches.

Outfitting

This is a catchall group that includes things like anchors and rode, provisions, and miscellaneous items

The first report is below; these are the later ones:

• 1 Year Systems Report
• 15 Month Systems Update
• 18 Month Systems Report
• 2 Year Systems Report
• 30 Month Systems Report
• 3 Year Systems Report
• 42 Month Systems Report
• 4 Year Systems Report
• 4.5 Year Systems Report
• 5 Year Systems Report

• Electrical monitor - Emon II by Ample Power: This is an electrical monitor that I installed myself before leaving. It shows the voltage on 2 battery banks and the amps, amp-hours, temperature, etc. on one (presumable the house bank). It works fine and shows voltage and amperage accurately enough, but the critical reading of amp-hours, which is the amount of energy stored in you batteries, slips a little every time. This means that a reading of 100 percent isn't necessarily 100 percent, but something less. This isn't unique to the Emon, all the amp-hour meters have this problem. But, I have seen the meter jump to 100 percent when charging from the solar panels and a load comes on, like a pump. This means that the reading is even more inaccurate, since the reading of 85 percent (for example) that was rising slowly as the auxiliary charging sources worked, has just "reset" to 100 percent so the meter is even more "out" than before. Of course, these changes are cumulative. They can be fixed only by recalibrating the meter. This is done by letting the batteries run down by running a 5 percent load to a 50 percent charge and then running the engine or plugging in to an external source, like a dock, for a period of time aand letting the batteries take as much juice as they can (as measured by amps and voltage). This is all temperature dependent also, just to make the problem challenging. Overall, I still like the unit, and I doubt if any do a better job of this, but it is a deficiency that is troubling.
• Voltage Regulator - NextStep by Ample Power: This 3 step voltage regulator has worked very well, although it was a bit difficult to wire. It doesn't provide the same level of control as their higher priced Smart Regulator, which I probably would go for now. After installation, it is monitored by the Emon II above by the same company. So far, so good.
• 120 Amp Alternator - Amptech: This was on the boat when I bought it. Its a 120 amp alternator and works fine, although I've had trouble with it, the unit wasn't "at fault." Getting dowsed with salt water during our Gulf Stream crossing would cause trouble with any piece of electrical gear. The broken tab to the field also might have happened to any unit. My only complaint is that is doesn't produce enough amps at low speed, only 30 to 40 when the engine is at around 1200 RPM. Of course, this is also dependent on the state of charge of the batteries at the time, but this seems to be true even when the batteries are low. Of course, I also had it (and the starter motor) rebuilt before leaving.
• 2000 Watt Inverter - Freedom 20 by Heart: This is a 2000 watt inverter charger that I am very happy with. It is the older model (now) and quite heavy and somewhat bulky. It also doesn't give a "true" sine wave output, but I run everything I need, including my laptop, TV/VCR, and all my power tools, including the recharger for the cordless drill and the NiCad battery recharger for the digital camera, with no problem. I even ran a hair dryer (75 watt) for 20 minutes so Diane could defrost the freezer (man, did that deflate the batteries!).
• Differential GPS chartplotter - 215D by Garmin: I like this GPS alot although I definitely wouldn't spend extra money now on the differential capability now for 2 reasons; one, with SA (selective availability turned off, the accuracy is excellent without it; and two, you can't get differential broadcasts in the Caribbean anyway. The only problem I've had with it is that the alarm that tells you there's no RTCM (differential) input can't be turned off. The thing beeps periodically and forces you to push a key to acknowledge the alarm. Garmin promised a fix but so far, I haven't seen it. (Of course, I haven't been able to look recently either, as of June 15).
• HF Radio (Single Side Band) - M710RT by Icom: This is a great radio and definitely the most popular. It handles email well (email requires a "continuous" duty cycle of high power which some radios don't handle well - they overheat). I had some problems with installation but this had nothing to do with the radio. The tuner also works well.
• 75 Watt Solar Panels - SP75 by Siemens: These are great. Very strong and they produce. One of them took a large wave on our trip from NY to Bermuda in the Gulf Stream and came through without a scratch (more than I can say about the stanchions!) I have (2) 75 watt panels and at midday, with bright sun, can make about 10 to 11 amps at 14.2 volts. Of course, this only lasts as long as the sun is directly overhead, but if I angle the panels on the mount, I do get more juice. These must go through a voltage regulator because the open circuit voltage can be very high (around 20 or more) and this would be damaging to the batteries.
• Wind Generator - KISS: This unit is definitely one of the quietest wind generators out here. It was dirt simple to install and worked as soon as I connected it. It will produce electricity at about 5-6 knots although only 1 amp or so. At around 10 knots, I get about 6 amps and at 15 knots, about 8-9 amps. The only problem I've had was with the control box mounted inside the boat. This box has a rectifier and a switch inside. The problem was that the switch has moved in its mounting and was too close to the rectifier, causing an intermittent short. This was easily fixed. The box itself is just a large piece of PVC wire mold, but the newer ones are aluminum. The last issue is that in higher winds, of 20 to 25 knots, the unit will heat up internally and start to "freewheel", meaning that its no longer producing any amps. This will also happen if the wind starts to gust heavily. In St. Martin, with the Christmas winds gusting to 40 knots and then almost calm between the gusts, the unit didn't produce any usable power so I turned it off to avoid the tremendous noise when a big gust would hit and the generator started to sound like a helicopter. I understand from the US distributor, Hotwire Enterprises, (great people, by the way, and former cruisers themselves) that the maker is working on a control box that will fix the freewheel problem and increase the power producing range up to 30 knots. He's in Trinidad and when we get there, I will definitely talk to him about it.
• AGM 8D House Batteries - Concorde by Lifeline: I am very happy with these. I bought them so I wouldn't have to struggle with filling batteries with water every week, and for that reason alone, I feel they're worth it. (Access to my batteries is difficult.) I do check them every month, though, looking at the terminals and cleaning the tops and so far the terminals show no corrosion and the tops have been clean (OK, maybe a little dust). Someone just told me though, that they are supposed to be equalized periodically, since the plates will sulfate. I will check this out with the manufacturer before doing it though.
• AGM Grp 24 Starting Battery - Optima by Lifeline: A tiny footprint but great power. I bought it since I was changing house batteries and wanted the same type. So far, I'm very pleased.
• Dinghy navigation lights - Aqua Signal: They worked for a bit, but then stopped. I can't see any obvious corrosion which I might have expected, so I'm at a loss. We just use a flashlight now.

• Watermaker - Little Wonder Modular by Village Marine: All cruisers have a love-hate relationship with their watermaker and I'm no different. My friend Ken says "I don't need a pet, I have a watermaker." Well, it's maybe not that bad, but they are definitely a "high maintenance" item. The problem I had with mine initially was that the factory installed a valve facing the wrong way so that the discharge brine solution was feeding back into the membrane when I thought it was going overboard. Once that was cleared up, I never got the rated output from the unit, only a little under 6 gallons per hour when its rated for 8. The manufacturer suggested doing the cleaning procedure and that helped a bit, but their only other suggestion was a new membrane. Although I didn't make an issue of it, I felt that if that were the case, they should have replaced it since it was their problem that the valve was backwards that created the bigger issue. Of course, I was already in the Caribbean and the unit was out of warranty already by the time it was working correctly.
  
  It uses a lot of amps, about 16 to 17. If I had it to do over again, I might go for a higher volume unit so I wouldn't have to run it for so long. It typically takes me about 2 and 1/2 hours to make one-quarter of a tank of water; that's about 40 amp-hours. We use about that much in 2-3 days, or more if we're snorkeling alot and rinsing off our equipment. People we met with a competing brand (Spectra) seemed pretty happy with it. Its much more expensive initially but produces about the same output (or more) with a much lower electrical demand.
• MSD - Skipper Head by Wilcox Crittendon: I have mixed feelings about this head. Although its never clogged (and I don't believe it will), it leaks and I've never been able to correct it although I rebuilt it once already. I also rebuilt it before we left. The leak (fortunately "clean" water) was really bad during the passage from Bermuda to St. Martin and prompted me to install another ball valve on the intake line to prevent the head compartment from flooding. (The valve on the through hull is pretty inaccessible.) I have since read reports from people with the same problem so I don't think its just my unit or the way I've rebuilt it. On the other hand, its been reliable; on the other hand, its EXPENSIVE; on the other hand, its built solidly; on the other hand... (You get the idea.)

• Feathering propeller - Maxprop: This is a three-bladed one and was on the boat when I bought it. I can tell you that it was a bear to remove and reinstall, and you had to be VERY careful about lining up all the interior marks so you got the right pitch on reinstallation, but it works very well and I'm happy with it.
• Engine - Universal 5444: This is the original engine and I had a very good mechanic go over it in fine detail before the trip. The exhaust elbow was changed, the engine mounts replaced, the bell housing replaced, all the hoses (both water, fuel and exhaust) were changed, as well as new raw and fresh water pumps installed. The transmission was removed and checked as was the prop shaft. There was a small leak at the drain plug of the transmission but that was fixed when I replaced the washer. I also installed a remote oil filter since it was impossible to change the oil without making a real mess. The nice thing is that the engine is really a Kubota tractor engine and fuel and oil filters and such are available from Kubota dealers if you can find one that will cross-reference the right parts. My mechanic found one in Tennessee, of all places, and I got loads of fuel and oil filters at a fraction of the cost of Universal parts. Of course, there are also third party dealers also, but I felt more comfortable with these. The engine hours were 1918 when we left for Bermuda and are now 2330, as we lie in the Tobago Cays. I've kept up with the routine maintenance, and so far, no problems.
• Prop protector - Spurs: These were useful more in Long Island Sound, but could be here as well, for while Long Island may have lobster pots, the Caribbean has fish traps. Luckily, I haven't tested their effectiveness here (fortunately), but did about 2 years ago near Cuttyhunk Island off Massachusetts. There, they worked as advertised although I lost the $10 zinc on it as a result of an encounter with a floating line.

• Rod Rigging - Navtec: This is the original rigging, which I was nervous about using for the trip for several reasons. First, it was 16 years old, second there is no way to tell if a piece of rod was about to let go (with 1x19 wire, usually one strand will go and "tell" you something's wrong) and third, I would not be able to replace it easily if I wanted or needed to. But I had the entire rig inspected by someone who knows rod rigging (not all riggers do) and he thought it would be fine. He did find one problem, at the top of the mast naturally, and that was fixed before I left, and so far, so good. I go up the rig periodically to inspect everything and remove and replace the tape covering the shroud end caps since that's where corrosion may start, even though I have continuous rigging.
• Hydraulic vang/backstay adjuster - Navtec: These also came with the boat and are integrated into one control panel in the cockpit. Although I like the system, it's a complicated piece of gear and I would probably have a lot of trouble getting it fixed. There is a "failsafe" turnbuckle on the backstay though so it the adjuster fails, I can still tighten the backstay.

• Through-hulls: There were some strange shortcuts taken here when the boat was built; the bronze through-hulls were connected to hose by PVC hose barbs. One of these cracked the first year I bought the boat and could have sunk it; fortunately I found it and replaced it with bronze and eventually replaced all the PVC fittings that way. I also replaced 2 through-hulls with new ones: the engine intake and the port side head intake. All the through-hulls had ball valves attached; mostly fine except for some corrosion and I replaced the ones that were bad. I replaced the engine intake with a larger size since I also wanted to use it for the feedwater line to the water maker. I can run the watermaker and the engine at the same time, but only when the engine is just at a fast idle or below since I don't want to risk "starving" either the engine or watermaker. There is also a series of valves I installed to be able to use the engine as an emergency bilge pump. (Hopefully I'll never have to use it!) I replaced the other through-hull because when it was originally installed, the lock nut was placed "over" the insulating foam placed inside the hull to prevent condensation. AMAZING. Also amazing was the fact that it never leaked. I replaced it with a seacock with an integral ball valve. So far, these have given me no trouble. I put some waterproof grease on all the valve balls and all I do is turn them every so often.

• Inflatable dinghy - 315 by Avon: This is a hypalon fabric dinghy with a roll-up aluminum floor, weighing almost 100 pounds. Although this dinghy is about 8 years old, we never really used it before this trip. I like it and made several modifications/additions to make it more easily locked up and hoisted out of the water, but I would buy a hard bottom inflatable dinghy now. You need a dinghy that will be relatively dry and plane easily with 2 people and some gear.
• Outboard - Mariner 5: As with the dinghy, this is about 8 years old but we only used it extensively on this trip. Except for some initial problems, which were probably my fault, the engine has worked well. But as with the dinghy, I would buy a larger (15hp) engine now (and DID in Martinique). For what its worth, the majority of the engines here are Yamaha followed by Mariner.