"Capt. JG" wrote in message
ons...
"Edgar" wrote in message
...
"Capt. JG" wrote in message
tions...
Just picked up my new handheld.. HX850S. Very cool - DSC/GPS/6-watts.
Registed the MMSI number.
Now I have three handhelds, that one plus the HX350S and HX270S.... all
submersible.
http://picasaweb.google.com/SailNOW....20498028943010
Don't you have a fixed one at all? It can give you more than 6 watts
output you get from those handheld ones and if you also have a fixed
chartplotter in the boat they can be linked so that the VHF can send out
a distress call including your boat's id and exact location at a press
of a button. If the boom knocks you overboard unconscious with the
handheld in your pocket how are your crew going to call for help? I have
no problem with a hand held one for a backup but would not have one or
even two as my main sets.
I was interested in the seacock diagram on your site. Ignoring the
cockpit drains and exhaust outlet which are above the water line why are
all the underwater ones marked 'open' except for the head outtake?
Surely all underwate thruhulls should be shut when the boat is
unattended? Any one of them can sink the boat if the hose comes off.
I have a notice, encapsulated in plastic, on my boat, kept where nobody
can miss seeing it. It gives the location of all seacocks and makes it
clear that all are shut when the boat is left unattended (except for
short trips ashore)
All great questions....
I do have a fixed VHF aboard. It's an old ICOM, which works fine. It's on
my list for 2010 to replace with a DSC-enabled. Since the boat is so small
(30) and I rarely go offshore, even more rarely overnight (unless
anchored), and almost always have more than just one person up top, I'm
not concerned about being AWOL without someone noticing.
I don't have a chartplotter (and an AIS), sadly. It's not in my budget
until 2011 at least.
The 850 is my primary backup... I will be carrying it in my foulie pocket.
That's what I did with the 350, which will now be my secondary backup
below. The 270 is for the dinghy, should I need that and don't want to
take either of the other two (probably, I would take the 350, since it has
better battery life).
The ones marked open are when I'm there. Specifically, the head intake,
the sinks, the raw water.... They're closed normally when I'm not there
(except as you put it for short trips). I have them marked open, since I
do this before we leave the dock, and this is for customer/passenger
orientation. I keep a similar plastic-enclosed sheet in my orientation
book, which is revealed before we leave the dock. I have an emergency
check-off list displayed, but there's no reasonable place to put all the
boat orientation documents without papering the walls with them.
I think you should reconsider the head intake. The intake valve on the
head itself is obviously configured to let water in and therefore if you
leave it open when the boat may be heeled while sailing there is a strong
possibility of flooding, especially if the head is installed near the
waterline. On the other hand the head valve on the outlet is configured to
let stuff out and will block any water trying to come back in. Therefore,
although it may be a bigger looking pipe this is not the one you really have
to worry about, although this does not mean you should leave it open when
you quit the boat.