|
Thumbs Up & Down
The summer is almost over and rather than giving a travelogue I thought
I'd give some thoughts on what gear worked and what didn't. First, though, a micro-travelogue: In late June we went with daughter, cats, and dog from Boston to the Vineyard, and hung out around there for several weeks. Then, daughter went to camp and the rest of us went to Maine, where as everyone knows by now it rained. A Lot. About a foot while we were there! Back to Boston, picked up daughter and cousins and headed to Wellfleet on the Cape, and we'll go home in a few days via P'town. Now the reviews, mostly electronics since I've replace a lot of that this year: Big thumbs up to Loki, our PDQ 36 catamaran, which once again has carried us in safety, security, speed, and the lap of luxury for another year. Thumbs down to Wilbur who has insisted we would have capsized by now! Thumbs up for the Harkin furler and winches, etc. which have worked flawlessly. And also the new Lewmar OneTouch winch handle which is pleasure to use. Thumbs way up for our Delta anchor which always set quickly and held securely, especially when the T'storm hit with 40+ kt winds! Thumbs down for the CQR that failed the Tartan next to us, forcing them to circle the anchorage while the storm blew out! Thumbs up to our Garmin 545 GPS which has made navigating almost too easy. However, Thumbs Down to same for dropping the satellites repeatedly in the middle of the above mentioned T'storm, proving once again than when you need it the most, you can't count on it. Thumbs up to the new alternator belt, a Gates Green Stripe HD (similar to the XL series) which shows no sign of wear after a summer. Thumbs down to Torreson Marine, who after I politely queried them as to why the last set of belts they sent me were shredding in less than an hour declined to respond. Thumbs up to my LL Bean Goretex rain jacket, which I thought was an indulgence but earned it's keep during the incessant rain. Likewise the Blackberry which could provide instant weather radar except in odd dead zones in Maine. Thumbs up to the EnGenius 362 EXT USB WiFi with 7 dB antenna (about $65 from Keenan Systems) which has been able to connect up with the 'net almost wherever we are. Thumbs down for not providing a native Linux driver. (And I suppose a thumbs up to those who neglect to turn on security on their routers!) Thumbs up on digital TV which gave us crystal clear reception on our new $200 HD TV, particularly nice for the Olympics! Thumbs down for the cheap stations which still have minimal signal (Portland was iffy in Freeport!) and those that haven't converted yet. And thumbs up to the new Sony receiver with iPod connection and control. I don't understand why people pay more for "marine" radios. Thumbs down to the Windows version of Apple iTunes which really sucks! Thumbs up to the LED's I've partially re-equipped Loki with. Anchor and reading lights now draw a tenth of what they used to, almost negligible compared to the fridge. Thumbs down to the high cost - we'll finish the job next year! Thumbs down to the high price of fuel, but thumbs up to the great fuel efficiency of the catamaran - about a gallon an hour at 7.5 knots - which meant it wasn't too painful at all. In fact, this year we were able to a get a mooring everywhere we wanted, even places that normally booked long in advance, so maybe this isn't so bad. Thumbs up to the CPP bottom paint I put on 16 months ago - we got some slime, but were still able to sail at 8.5 knots. Detractors said going down from Micron Extra (twice the price!) would have a big penalty but it doesn't seem to be that bad. Enough for now - Jeff, aboard Loki, Wellfleet Harbor |
Thumbs Up & Down
"jeff" wrote in message ... The summer is almost over and rather than giving a travelogue I thought I'd give some thoughts on what gear worked and what didn't. First, though, a micro-travelogue: In late June we went with daughter, cats, and dog from Boston to the Vineyard, and hung out around there for several weeks. Then, daughter went to camp and the rest of us went to Maine, where as everyone knows by now it rained. A Lot. About a foot while we were there! Back to Boston, picked up daughter and cousins and headed to Wellfleet on the Cape, and we'll go home in a few days via P'town. Not much of a sailing trip. Sounds like more motoring than sailing. But, that seems to be the norm for cruising catamarans that tend to be so below their designed LWL by the time a family loads them up with all kinds of extraneous crap. Now the reviews, mostly electronics since I've replace a lot of that this year: Big thumbs up to Loki, our PDQ 36 catamaran, which once again has carried us in safety, security, speed, and the lap of luxury for another year. Thumbs down to Wilbur who has insisted we would have capsized by now! Pretty hard to capsize in sheltered waters or doing short coastal hops, dude! Multihulls mainly capsize well offshore where very large waves can form due to the long fetch. Thumbs up for the Harkin furler and winches, etc. which have worked flawlessly. And also the new Lewmar OneTouch winch handle which is pleasure to use. WIMP! Get some real sails and use real winches. Try being a man for once. If your forearms don't look like Popeye's then you're no sailor. Thumbs way up for our Delta anchor which always set quickly and held securely, especially when the T'storm hit with 40+ kt winds! Thumbs down for the CQR that failed the Tartan next to us, forcing them to circle the anchorage while the storm blew out! You can't judge anchor holding by one particular case. Next time it could be the Delta that fails to perform. Don't get too smug because you held and the other guy didn't. He might not have even backed down on his anchor. I've seen plenty of people just toss them in and then let out some chain and they think that's all they need to do. Thumbs up to our Garmin 545 GPS which has made navigating almost too easy. However, Thumbs Down to same for dropping the satellites repeatedly in the middle of the above mentioned T'storm, proving once again than when you need it the most, you can't count on it. Idiot! You were anchored. WTF do you think you need a GPS turned on when anchored? Best to leave it turned off in case you get struck by or lightning strikes nearby. The fact that you seem to think you need it most anchored in a thunderstorm tells me you're no sailor. Ever hear of a visual range to see if you're dragging. Much more reliable, dude! Thumbs up to the new alternator belt, a Gates Green Stripe HD (similar to the XL series) which shows no sign of wear after a summer. Thumbs down to Torreson Marine, who after I politely queried them as to why the last set of belts they sent me were shredding in less than an hour declined to respond. Nothing whatsoever to do with sailing, dude! Thumbs up to my LL Bean Goretex rain jacket, which I thought was an indulgence but earned it's keep during the incessant rain. Likewise the Blackberry which could provide instant weather radar except in odd dead zones in Maine. Leave the camping clothing to the campers, dude! Leave the lubberly gadgets at home. Thumbs up to the EnGenius 362 EXT USB WiFi with 7 dB antenna (about $65 from Keenan Systems) which has been able to connect up with the 'net almost wherever we are. Thumbs down for not providing a native Linux driver. (And I suppose a thumbs up to those who neglect to turn on security on their routers!) Thumbs UP to you for not posting a daily blow by blow with parenthetical sailing word definition inserts. Perhaps you are smart enough to realize it would be an example of the blind leading the blind. I wish Skippy would realize it. Thumbs up on digital TV which gave us crystal clear reception on our new $200 HD TV, particularly nice for the Olympics! Thumbs down for the cheap stations which still have minimal signal (Portland was iffy in Freeport!) and those that haven't converted yet. LUBBER! Lose the TV habit. It will make you even stupider. And thumbs up to the new Sony receiver with iPod connection and control. I don't understand why people pay more for "marine" radios. Thumbs down to the Windows version of Apple iTunes which really sucks! Next time stay home and play with all your little techie toys until you have an orgasm over them. Do you realize how wimpy you sound posting this lubberly crap to a cruising news group. Next time try sailing. Leave the gadgets ashore where they belong. If you can't enjoy sailing for sailing's sake then WTF are you sailing for? Figure out your priorities, dude! Thumbs up to the LED's I've partially re-equipped Loki with. Anchor and reading lights now draw a tenth of what they used to, almost negligible compared to the fridge. Thumbs down to the high cost - we'll finish the job next year! Stupid waste of money. You run your engines plenty enough that the miniscule savings in light bulb wattage is simply not worth the price paid for the fixtures. Thumbs down to the high price of fuel, but thumbs up to the great fuel efficiency of the catamaran - about a gallon an hour at 7.5 knots - which meant it wasn't too painful at all. In fact, this year we were able to a get a mooring everywhere we wanted, even places that normally booked long in advance, so maybe this isn't so bad. Try actually sailing and you won't need to worry about the high price of fuel. Thumbs up to the CPP bottom paint I put on 16 months ago - we got some slime, but were still able to sail at 8.5 knots. Detractors said going down from Micron Extra (twice the price!) would have a big penalty but it doesn't seem to be that bad. Lazy? You should be in the water cleaning the slime off with a sponge or non-abrasive scrubber. S'matter? Spend all your time playing with the lubberly electonic gadgets and have no time left for the more important boat maintenance issues? Some sailor! Enough for now - Enough forevermore. (Please!!!!!) Wilbur Hubbard |
Thumbs Up & Down
Sounds like a Bobsprit review of his entertainment system (home theater).
At least he would be jelious of your set up. "jeff" wrote in message ... The summer is almost over and rather than giving a travelogue I thought I'd give some thoughts on what gear worked and what didn't. First, though, a micro-travelogue: In late June we went with daughter, cats, and dog from Boston to the Vineyard, and hung out around there for several weeks. Then, daughter went to camp and the rest of us went to Maine, where as everyone knows by now it rained. A Lot. About a foot while we were there! Back to Boston, picked up daughter and cousins and headed to Wellfleet on the Cape, and we'll go home in a few days via P'town. Now the reviews, mostly electronics since I've replace a lot of that this year: Big thumbs up to Loki, our PDQ 36 catamaran, which once again has carried us in safety, security, speed, and the lap of luxury for another year. Thumbs down to Wilbur who has insisted we would have capsized by now! Thumbs up for the Harkin furler and winches, etc. which have worked flawlessly. And also the new Lewmar OneTouch winch handle which is pleasure to use. Thumbs way up for our Delta anchor which always set quickly and held securely, especially when the T'storm hit with 40+ kt winds! Thumbs down for the CQR that failed the Tartan next to us, forcing them to circle the anchorage while the storm blew out! Thumbs up to our Garmin 545 GPS which has made navigating almost too easy. However, Thumbs Down to same for dropping the satellites repeatedly in the middle of the above mentioned T'storm, proving once again than when you need it the most, you can't count on it. Thumbs up to the new alternator belt, a Gates Green Stripe HD (similar to the XL series) which shows no sign of wear after a summer. Thumbs down to Torreson Marine, who after I politely queried them as to why the last set of belts they sent me were shredding in less than an hour declined to respond. Thumbs up to my LL Bean Goretex rain jacket, which I thought was an indulgence but earned it's keep during the incessant rain. Likewise the Blackberry which could provide instant weather radar except in odd dead zones in Maine. Thumbs up to the EnGenius 362 EXT USB WiFi with 7 dB antenna (about $65 from Keenan Systems) which has been able to connect up with the 'net almost wherever we are. Thumbs down for not providing a native Linux driver. (And I suppose a thumbs up to those who neglect to turn on security on their routers!) Thumbs up on digital TV which gave us crystal clear reception on our new $200 HD TV, particularly nice for the Olympics! Thumbs down for the cheap stations which still have minimal signal (Portland was iffy in Freeport!) and those that haven't converted yet. And thumbs up to the new Sony receiver with iPod connection and control. I don't understand why people pay more for "marine" radios. Thumbs down to the Windows version of Apple iTunes which really sucks! Thumbs up to the LED's I've partially re-equipped Loki with. Anchor and reading lights now draw a tenth of what they used to, almost negligible compared to the fridge. Thumbs down to the high cost - we'll finish the job next year! Thumbs down to the high price of fuel, but thumbs up to the great fuel efficiency of the catamaran - about a gallon an hour at 7.5 knots - which meant it wasn't too painful at all. In fact, this year we were able to a get a mooring everywhere we wanted, even places that normally booked long in advance, so maybe this isn't so bad. Thumbs up to the CPP bottom paint I put on 16 months ago - we got some slime, but were still able to sail at 8.5 knots. Detractors said going down from Micron Extra (twice the price!) would have a big penalty but it doesn't seem to be that bad. Enough for now - Jeff, aboard Loki, Wellfleet Harbor |
Thumbs Up & Down
Mike wrote:
Sounds like a Bobsprit review of his entertainment system (home theater). At least he would be jelious of your set up. I doubt he's jealous. My total cost for the AM/FM and HDTV upgrades was under $400, and the TV will go back to our house in a few weeks. Bobsprit spends more than that for speaker wire. Actually I mentioned it here because I'm sure there are some people who are wondering how the change to digital TV will affect a boat TV. The answer is it will be nice if you have a good signal, but even within 20 miles of a city, we would fall back to analog (which won't be there come Feb) a lot. Hopefully, enough broadcasters will get powerful enough transmitters so that it will work. |
Thumbs Up & Down
I knew this would bring you out!
Wilbur Hubbard wrote: "jeff" wrote in message ... The summer is almost over and rather than giving a travelogue I thought I'd give some thoughts on what gear worked and what didn't. First, though, a micro-travelogue: In late June we went with daughter, cats, and dog from Boston to the Vineyard, and hung out around there for several weeks. Then, daughter went to camp and the rest of us went to Maine, where as everyone knows by now it rained. A Lot. About a foot while we were there! Back to Boston, picked up daughter and cousins and headed to Wellfleet on the Cape, and we'll go home in a few days via P'town. Not much of a sailing trip. Sounds like more motoring than sailing. Why? I didn't mention how much we sailed or powered, or how far east in Maine we went. I haven't measured but I'd guess the summer was about 750 miles, 1/3 sail, 1/3 power, 1/3 both. But, we're usually going somewhere. I sailed a lot more when I had no place to go. But, that seems to be the norm for cruising catamarans that tend to be so below their designed LWL by the time a family loads them up with all kinds of extraneous crap. She'll out sail your boat (do you even have one now?) on any point. The reason they power a lot is that they are so fast and efficient under power that its tempting to always arrive quickly. I do recall the last honest trip report that you posted, where you admitted you powered over to the Abacos, powered virtually everywhere, and then powered back. Now the reviews, mostly electronics since I've replace a lot of that this year: Big thumbs up to Loki, our PDQ 36 catamaran, which once again has carried us in safety, security, speed, and the lap of luxury for another year. Thumbs down to Wilbur who has insisted we would have capsized by now! Pretty hard to capsize in sheltered waters or doing short coastal hops, dude! Multihulls mainly capsize well offshore where very large waves can form due to the long fetch. Everyone seems to know that, but it didn't stop you from insisting that every cat eventually capsizes. Thumbs up for the Harkin furler and winches, etc. which have worked flawlessly. And also the new Lewmar OneTouch winch handle which is pleasure to use. WIMP! Get some real sails and use real winches. Try being a man for once. If your forearms don't look like Popeye's then you're no sailor. Funny! I didn't think your boat had sails big enough to require winches. Thumbs way up for our Delta anchor which always set quickly and held securely, especially when the T'storm hit with 40+ kt winds! Thumbs down for the CQR that failed the Tartan next to us, forcing them to circle the anchorage while the storm blew out! You can't judge anchor holding by one particular case. Next time it could be the Delta that fails to perform. Don't get too smug because you held and the other guy didn't. He might not have even backed down on his anchor. I've seen plenty of people just toss them in and then let out some chain and they think that's all they need to do. Actually I watched him set it up - he seemed to know what he was doing - reasonable scope, plus he added a small mushroom as a kellet. The ironic thing is that about 15 years ago I was having trouble anchoring a CQR in the same spot (Richmond Island, ME) and friend came by and gave me an experimental anchor similar to a Delta and it worked perfectly. The next week I traded the CQR for a Delta and I've never had it drag, except in very soft mud where I should have used a Danforth style. Thumbs up to our Garmin 545 GPS which has made navigating almost too easy. However, Thumbs Down to same for dropping the satellites repeatedly in the middle of the above mentioned T'storm, proving once again than when you need it the most, you can't count on it. Idiot! You were anchored. WTF do you think you need a GPS turned on when anchored? Best to leave it turned off in case you get struck by or lightning strikes nearby. So you're saying that a GPS should always be turned off in the storm??? I have to think about that one! (To be honest, this was one of the few times I've used a GPS to measure drag - I never trusted the accuracy of my old one.) But what if was coming in and trying to anchor - should I turn it off??? The point is, no matter how reliable th setup seems to be, it can go down at any moment. Therefore, one should always be prepared with a backup. The fact that you seem to think you need it most anchored in a thunderstorm tells me you're no sailor. Ever hear of a visual range to see if you're dragging. Much more reliable, dude! At the height of the storm, a visual would have been impossible, and the radar was useless, also. I could tell by the feel I was still holding, but it would have been impossible to know if it was dragging slowly. The Tartan knew he was un-set because he fell 100 yards behind me in a few seconds! Thumbs up to the new alternator belt, a Gates Green Stripe HD (similar to the XL series) which shows no sign of wear after a summer. Thumbs down to Torreson Marine, who after I politely queried them as to why the last set of belts they sent me were shredding in less than an hour declined to respond. Nothing whatsoever to do with sailing, dude! For you perhaps, because you've never dealt with a boat that had an alternator. .... Thumbs up to the LED's I've partially re-equipped Loki with. Anchor and reading lights now draw a tenth of what they used to, almost negligible compared to the fridge. Thumbs down to the high cost - we'll finish the job next year! Stupid waste of money. You run your engines plenty enough that the miniscule savings in light bulb wattage is simply not worth the price paid for the fixtures. You're just showing that you haven't actually been on a boat lately. |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:51:59 -0400, jeff wrote:
Thumbs way up for our Delta anchor which always set quickly and held securely, especially when the T'storm hit with 40+ kt winds! Thumbs down for the CQR that failed the Tartan next to us, forcing them to circle the anchorage while the storm blew out! And if you think the Delta is good, try a Spade or Rocna. My Delta was good also but I sold it recently after many years with a Spade. Thumbs up to the new alternator belt, a Gates Green Stripe HD (similar to the XL series) which shows no sign of wear after a summer. Yes, I'm pulling 130 amps from a single 1/2 inch Gates XL with the notches in the belt with no slippage. I get mine at NAPA. Thumbs up to the EnGenius 362 EXT USB WiFi with 7 dB antenna (about $65 from Keenan Systems) which has been able to connect up with the 'net almost wherever we are. Thumbs down for not providing a native Linux driver. (And I suppose a thumbs up to those who neglect to turn on security on their routers!) I still use my 362 once in a while but our real workhorse is now a Engenius EOC-3610S-EXT from www.wlanparts.com It is not quite as easy to configure as the 362 but it requires no driver at all, has minimal co-ax losses and gives a more stable conection. The 3610 can be mounted at the top of the mast if you wish, with a POE ethernet down feed. Thumbs up to the CPP bottom paint I put on 16 months ago - we got some slime, but were still able to sail at 8.5 knots. Detractors said going down from Micron Extra (twice the price!) would have a big penalty but it doesn't seem to be that bad. Exactly what paint is CPP and where do you get it? |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Aug 24, 12:47*pm, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote: ... Not much of a sailing trip. Sounds like more motoring than sailing. But, that seems to be the norm for cruising catamarans that tend to be so below their designed LWL by the time a family loads them up with all kinds of extraneous crap. ... I don't see why it matters what power was used. By oar, paddle, mule, gas, diesel, sail or whatever, if it's cruising it's on topic. I also don't see where you're getting your ideas about catamarans. Rodger says he used 35 gallons of fuel to travel less than 500 miles on his monohull. On my catamaran I used about the same amount of fuel traveling from Honolulu to San Francisco and I thought that was excessive. I used much less than that sailing from New Zealand to Honolulu. Two of us live on my Catamaran and have done so for years and yet we still make pretty quick passages. Anyway, if Rodger uses 35 gallons of fuel on a Maine cruise and Jeff uses some similar amount of fuel in similar cruising grounds I think that probably says more about Maine in the summer than it does about differences between cats and monos. -- Tom. |
Thumbs Up & Down
"jeff" wrote in message ... Mike wrote: Sounds like a Bobsprit review of his entertainment system (home theater). At least he would be jelious of your set up. I doubt he's jealous. My total cost for the AM/FM and HDTV upgrades was under $400, and the TV will go back to our house in a few weeks. Bobsprit spends more than that for speaker wire. Actually I mentioned it here because I'm sure there are some people who are wondering how the change to digital TV will affect a boat TV. The answer is it will be nice if you have a good signal, but even within 20 miles of a city, we would fall back to analog (which won't be there come Feb) a lot. Hopefully, enough broadcasters will get powerful enough transmitters so that it will work. What kind of antenna are you using for the HDTV? The tv antennas are sometimes directional in the azimuth so it may be they don't want to transmit tv out over the ocean. Bobsprit will never see his tv signal fade and it's not because of his equipment. |
Thumbs Up & Down
"jeff" wrote in message ... I knew this would bring you out! At the height of the storm, a visual would have been impossible, and the radar was useless, also. I could tell by the feel I was still holding, but it would have been impossible to know if it was dragging slowly. If you put a stethoscope on your anchor line you could hear it dragging. A tension gauge will also tell if you are dragging. The tension signal will be discontinuous whenver the anchor drags, very similar to the force required to break static friction. |
Thumbs Up & Down
wrote
(Sensible stuff) The dramatic speed differences between sailing cats and monohulls are due to the ability to generate the required sail carrying power on very slender hulls. The speed differences, for equal horsepower and displacement, between power cats and monos are significant but much less dramatic. At low speeds, a cat may even require more. The large fuel consumption on my recent trip does mostly reflect the weather, lots of wind for brief periods but more long calms than I've seen on most cruises of similar length. Boat and personal characteristics do play a part though. This trip was on an ambitious schedule, one leg to get to a birthday party, and the rest to see some of far downeast Maine. I'm as happy motoring as sailing as long as there is shore to look at. Although my engine is louder at max continuous RPM, it is smoother and the overall effect is more soothing. Throw in a pinch of impatience and you have a perfect recipe for large fuel bills, by sailboat standards anyway. Now that I've revisited all the cruising grounds of my youth and seen all the coast from Buzzards Bay to Cutler, I feeling an urge to make next year's cruising a lot slower and more relaxed as well as reducing my carbon foot print. This recent trip would have been a much better 2 - 3 week cruise but my schedule made it a choice between seeing places I've spent a lot of time or getting past Schoodic delivery style. Next summer, I should have much larger blocks of time, hopefully the whole summer, and will take it much easier. -- Roger Long |
Thumbs Up & Down
Mike wrote:
"jeff" wrote in message ... Mike wrote: Sounds like a Bobsprit review of his entertainment system (home theater). At least he would be jelious of your set up. I doubt he's jealous. My total cost for the AM/FM and HDTV upgrades was under $400, and the TV will go back to our house in a few weeks. Bobsprit spends more than that for speaker wire. Actually I mentioned it here because I'm sure there are some people who are wondering how the change to digital TV will affect a boat TV. The answer is it will be nice if you have a good signal, but even within 20 miles of a city, we would fall back to analog (which won't be there come Feb) a lot. Hopefully, enough broadcasters will get powerful enough transmitters so that it will work. What kind of antenna are you using for the HDTV? The tv antennas are sometimes directional in the azimuth so it may be they don't want to transmit tv out over the ocean. The antenna is the 21" Shakespeare (or is a Winnegard? same item, I think) omnidirectional powered disk that I mounted on the mast 9 years ago. I can get 3 of the Boston stations here in Wellfleet, which is about 60 miles from the city, maybe 70 from the transmitters. Portland however was pretty wimpy because Freeport is boonies from there - I would think they'd want to go to Brunswick and Bath which is the same direction. Most of the Providence stations didn't even have DTV last month! Bobsprit will never see his tv signal fade and it's not because of his equipment. He doesn't even have to unplug the cable! |
Thumbs Up & Down
Wayne.B wrote:
On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:51:59 -0400, jeff wrote: .... Thumbs up to the EnGenius 362 EXT USB WiFi with 7 dB antenna (about $65 from Keenan Systems) which has been able to connect up with the 'net almost wherever we are. Thumbs down for not providing a native Linux driver. (And I suppose a thumbs up to those who neglect to turn on security on their routers!) I still use my 362 once in a while but our real workhorse is now a Engenius EOC-3610S-EXT from www.wlanparts.com It is not quite as easy to configure as the 362 but it requires no driver at all, has minimal co-ax losses and gives a more stable conection. The 3610 can be mounted at the top of the mast if you wish, with a POE ethernet down feed. Yes, maybe I'll go with the POE next year. This was my first year of WiFi connection, and all and all it was pretty nice, though always an adventure. Thumbs up to the CPP bottom paint I put on 16 months ago - we got some slime, but were still able to sail at 8.5 knots. Detractors said going down from Micron Extra (twice the price!) would have a big penalty but it doesn't seem to be that bad. Exactly what paint is CPP and where do you get it? West Marine ablative, like Micron. I believe that the year I bought it, Interlux was the supplier, but it probably goes to the lowest bidder each year! |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Aug 24, 5:17*pm, "Roger Long" wrote:
... *The speed differences, for equal horsepower and displacement, between power cats and monos are significant but much less dramatic. *At low speeds, a cat may even require more. ... I think you're being generous. At low speeds a cat will very likely require more power to attain the same speed as a mono of the same displacement. As Ted Hood was fond of pointing out, at very low speeds fat and heavy may have less resistance than slim and light. Of course, once a boat gets above a very modest speed to length ratio (Fn if you must) a long skinny hull offers less drag than than a short fat one. At some point a really skinny hull will have a tendency to roll over and one solution to that is to split it in two. Another might be to add outriggers. If we're talking fuel consumption at speeds that we're willing to put up with the graph in this paper of fuel/speed for three hull types is interesting: http://www.hiswasymposium.com/pdf/20...el%20Irens.pdf . -- Tom. |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:13:10 -0400, jeff wrote:
nice if you have a good signal, but even within 20 miles of a city, we would fall back to analog (which won't be there come Feb) a lot. Its funny but the most distant of the local stations, thirty to forty miles, has a miserable picture on analog, and is perfect with digital. Casady |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:28:24 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote: Rodger says he used 35 gallons of fuel to travel less than 500 miles on his monohull. On my catamaran I used about the same amount of fuel traveling from Honolulu to San Francisco and I thought that was excessive. 500/35 is 14 MPG, which is not bad at all by powerboat standards. Both my tow vehicles, a F-150 and a Navigator, get just over 14, unloaded. A logical comparison is a motor home or travel trailer with the same accomodations. Mileage is not good with either of those. Casady |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:14:11 -0600, "Mike"
wrote: "jeff" wrote in message ... I knew this would bring you out! At the height of the storm, a visual would have been impossible, and the radar was useless, also. I could tell by the feel I was still holding, but it would have been impossible to know if it was dragging slowly. If you put a stethoscope on your anchor line you could hear it dragging. A tension gauge will also tell if you are dragging. The tension signal will be discontinuous whenver the anchor drags, very similar to the force required to break static friction. All that is true. A hand on the line can maybe feel the same thing as a tension gauge. An electronic dodad, however, can, potentially, call you on the cell phone while you are in town. Fancy electronic alarms of every type are generally a good idea if you go offshore, or even if not. A single hander need all the help he can get. So do most of the rest of us, whether we admit it or not. Casady |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Aug 25, 12:50*pm, (Richard Casady)
wrote: ... 500/35 is 14 MPG, which is not bad at all by powerboat standards. Both my tow vehicles, a F-150 and a Navigator, get just over 14, unloaded. A logical comparison is a motor home or travel trailer with the same accomodations. Mileage is not good with either of those. ... FWIW (and I don't think IW much), HNL-SF is greater than 2.2k naut miles as sailed/motored. That puts the mpg of our house on its least efficient passage into typical Prius numbers, but, of course, we go very slowly by Prius standards... I don't think it signifies much when you get right down to it as the services involved aren't comparable. -- Tom. |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:13:14 -0400, jeff wrote:
Funny! I didn't think your boat had sails big enough to require winches. The fastest sailboats of all are the one ton, thirty eight foot, A scows. They do better than 25. They don't have winches, with a crew of four young and beefy guys. They daycruise eight, there is room. What the daysailers mostly have are winch drums that have a rachet, one way only, but no crank. We used to call them rachet winches. Of course, winches have a horizontal drum, containing the anchor rode, or a towing wire, sometimes thousands of feet long. Capstans are what sailboats have, although nobody calls them that. Trailers have winches, often multispeed. We use winches to haul boats up the beach. Some have an three speed automobile transmission. Casady |
Thumbs Up & Down
|
Thumbs Up & Down
"Richard Casady" wrote
500/35 is 14 MPG, which is not bad at all by powerboat standards. I wish it was that good. Strider has nice lines but she is fairly heavy. I get 8 mpg at max continuous RPM and 5.71 at cruising speed. I tend to run near the top end. One thing I forgot to mention: I checked fuel usage a few hours after the first fill up and a long power leg and it was significantly more than I expected. When boarding after a walk on Roque Island beach, I noticed a flash of blue color on the prop. Got out the hook knife and discovered a ball of poly rope around the hub and blade roots. It doesn't take much to really cut into prop effeciency. I heard it wrap on the first day but the engine was so smooth that I didn't think it had stayed. Zigging and zagging through the lobster pots also doesn't show up on the GPS track and must have added 5% - 15% to the distance in some areas. I've never seen them so thick and close together. I think fuel prices are making the lobstermen concentrate the traps on the best ground. Fuel consumption graphs for the boat, taken from engine data and careful sea trials can be found he http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/StriderSpeedRange.gif -- Roger Long |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Aug 25, 6:09*pm, "Roger Long" wrote:
... I wish it was that good. *Strider has nice lines but she is fairly heavy. *I get 8 mpg at max continuous RPM and 5.71 at cruising speed. *I tend to run near the top end. ... Nice graph. It shows 5.4 at max and 8 at cruising, no? I thought you had a fast running 18hp Yanmar like mine. Shouldn't it show 16 @ 34 or so for continuous (DIN 6270A)? -- Tom. |
Thumbs Up & Down
No, mine (2QM20) is the older engine. Maximum RPM is 2800 (up to 1 hour
according to the rating) and Maximum Contiuous is 2600. My prop is also matched to the boat which isn't always the case with sailboats. That raises the fuel consumption because the engine is actually producing its rated horsepower at maximum RPM. I'm getting more speed and bucking ability but I'm paying for it. -- Roger Long |
Thumbs Up & Down
Jeff, thanks for the write-up
jeff wrote: Thumbs up to the EnGenius 362 EXT USB WiFi with 7 dB antenna (about $65 from Keenan Systems) which has been able to connect up with the 'net almost wherever we are. Thumbs down for not providing a native Linux driver. (And I suppose a thumbs up to those who neglect to turn on security on their routers!) Does it matter that much? Some systems you have to re-configure often, some don't work as well with security enabled; and it doesn't seem likely that there's any big reason to... other than keeping Wilbur and his sockpuppets from downloading porn via your connection ;) FWIW I'm seeing a lot more secured wi-fi in the metro areas of the SouthEast. More than half actually. Wayne.B wrote: I still use my 362 once in a while but our real workhorse is now a Engenius EOC-3610S-EXT fromwww.wlanparts.com It is not quite as easy to configure as the 362 but it requires no driver at all, has minimal co-ax losses and gives a more stable conection. The 3610 can be mounted at the top of the mast if you wish, with a POE ethernet down feed. I can attest that Wayne's system works very well, pulling in clear wi- fi from unbelievable distances. I think he's getting on line via some of those nuclear subs from the other thread ;) FB- Doug |
Thumbs Up & Down
|
Thumbs Up & Down
On Aug 26, 3:03*am, "Roger Long" wrote:
No, mine (2QM20) is the older engine. *Maximum RPM is 2800 (up to 1 hour according to the rating) and Maximum Contiuous is 2600. ... Ah yes. I've got 2GM20s and they never get 20hp -- 18 max, 16 continuous -- and they rev a lot higher as well... According to the manual they consume, more or less, 0.065 gallons per horse power per hour from 22 to 32 rpm. I suppose they cost less, otherwise the QM seems like the better beast... -- Tom. |
Thumbs Up & Down
|
Thumbs Up & Down
On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:27:53 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:
On 2008-08-26 09:45:24 -0400, said: Wayne.B wrote: I still use my 362 once in a while but our real workhorse is now a Engenius EOC-3610S-EXT fromwww.wlanparts.com It is not quite as easy to configure as the 362 but it requires no driver at all, has minimal co-ax losses and gives a more stable conection. The 3610 can be mounted at the top of the mast if you wish, with a POE ethernet down feed. Hmmm. I missed this. How does this work? I've a Mac laptop that I'd like to use for light work: mail & such. The EOC-3610S-EXT is a long range WiFi bridge with an ethernet interface. It supports Power-Over-Ethernet (POE), so it can be mounted remotely with no wiring other than the ethernet cable. Configuration is done via your laptop web browser. No driver software is required. You need 110 volt power for the POE injector which can be obtained from a small inverter, also useful for powering the laptop. |
Thumbs Up & Down
On 2008-08-27 08:28:23 -0400, Wayne.B said:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:27:53 GMT, Jere Lull wrote: On 2008-08-26 09:45:24 -0400, said: Wayne.B wrote: I still use my 362 once in a while but our real workhorse is now a Engenius EOC-3610S-EXT fromwww.wlanparts.com It is not quite as easy to configure as the 362 but it requires no driver at all, has minimal co-ax losses and gives a more stable conection. The 3610 can be mounted at the top of the mast if you wish, with a POE ethernet down feed. Hmmm. I missed this. How does this work? I've a Mac laptop that I'd like to use for light work: mail & such. The EOC-3610S-EXT is a long range WiFi bridge with an ethernet interface. It supports Power-Over-Ethernet (POE), so it can be mounted remotely with no wiring other than the ethernet cable. Configuration is done via your laptop web browser. No driver software is required. So, I could set it for "bridge" operation, toss it on the deck with the antenna high to extend my range to -- how far? I seem to be getting about a half mile, line of sight, at the marina with the internal antenna. You need 110 volt power for the POE injector which can be obtained from a small inverter, also useful for powering the laptop. What's this POE injector? Sounds like a separate unit. -- Jere Lull Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/ Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:39:49 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:
So, I could set it for "bridge" operation, toss it on the deck with the antenna high to extend my range to -- how far? I seem to be getting about a half mile, line of sight, at the marina with the internal antenna. Yes. Using a 9 db omni-directional antenna 20 ft off the water, I have maintained solid connections at 3 to 5 miles. That assumes an outdoor AP on shore with a decent antenna also. Indoor APs usually top out at 1/2 mile or less depending on the situation but sometimes more. I can access my own indoor AP from about 1,000 ft, going through a wall, glass doors and pool screening. The POE injector inserts power into the ethernet cable to operate the bridge. It consists of a small wall wart transformer going to an even smaller box with ethernet in/out jacks. |
Thumbs Up & Down
On 2008-08-27 13:18:19 -0400, Wayne.B said:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:39:49 GMT, Jere Lull wrote: So, I could set it for "bridge" operation, toss it on the deck with the antenna high to extend my range to -- how far? I seem to be getting about a half mile, line of sight, at the marina with the internal antenna. Yes. Using a 9 db omni-directional antenna 20 ft off the water, I have maintained solid connections at 3 to 5 miles. Hmmm. The unit seems to have a 3db (or so) antenna. Where are the antennas available? Or does it matter if most probably won't be good for more than 1-2000 feet? The POE injector inserts power into the ethernet cable to operate the bridge. It consists of a small wall wart transformer going to an even smaller box with ethernet in/out jacks. So that looks like it comes with the EOC-3610s/8610/s series (mostly saying that so I can fid it again.) Looking at the quick-start and users guides, this isn't quite as simple as setting up a Mac wireless network. ;-) -- Jere Lull Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/ Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
Thumbs Up & Down
On Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:30:41 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:
Hmmm. The unit seems to have a 3db (or so) antenna. Where are the antennas available? Or does it matter if most probably won't be good for more than 1-2000 feet? A good antenna *is* important. Here is one similar to what I use: http://www.wlanparts.com/product/OD2...i_Antenna.html You will also need a short jumper cable with a Type "N" male connector and a RPC-SMA male connector: http://www.wlanparts.com/product/CA1..._12_Cable.html The POE injector inserts power into the ethernet cable to operate the bridge. It consists of a small wall wart transformer going to an even smaller box with ethernet in/out jacks. So that looks like it comes with the EOC-3610s/8610/s series (mostly saying that so I can fid it again.) Yes, the POE injector comes with the 3610 Looking at the quick-start and users guides, this isn't quite as simple as setting up a Mac wireless network. ;-) Unfortunately there is a bit of a learning curve. It's really not all that difficult however if you know how to manually configure an ethernet connection on your laptop. I can talk you through configuring the 3610 but you are on your own with the Apple laptop. |
Thumbs Up & Down
On 2008-08-28 00:59:57 -0400, Wayne.B said:
I can talk you through configuring the 3610 but you are on your own with the Apple laptop. I suspect that'll be the least of my worries. Looks like I can use my home settings to FIOS to take the defaults. I used to do some network stuff, build cables and such, but it's been a long time since I had to actually specify things like b, g or n, addresses, modes and the like. This is mostly play-time for me, but I'd rather waste my time off of the boat. -- Jere Lull Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/ Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:33 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 BoatBanter.com