[C320-list] DC power system upgrade advice

[Chris Burti]

They gave you the correct and best advice, but I fudge a bit. Since I
usually weigh anchor alone while the Admiral is tending to other more
important tasks (such as sleeping) and the engine controls are on the wrong
end of the boat, that is not a convenient procedure for me.

We have a mostly sand or mud bottom in these waters, so I pull in the rode
until it is taut, then pull it in another foot or so with the windlass and
wait. After a few moments, I can almost always pull the anchor in the rest
of the way by hand as the boat's displacement breaks it free. If it
doesn't quickly break free, I cleat it off and commence with the wacky races
drill of running back and forth to bust her out with the engine unless the
Admiral is free.

On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 2:34 PM, David Nolte <dcnolte at mac.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the info Chris. I will try that.
>
> I find it interesting that you use your windlass to pull the anchor loose.
>  You're not the first person to tell me that.  I don't have a windlass -
> I've got an older boat, before Catalina started putting them in. I have not
> gotten a windlass, in part because someone (possibly at Maxwell, or maybe it
> was the manager of my boatyard) told me that they were not really designed
> to pull anchors loose, only to pull up chain & line once the anchor was
> loose. So I figured I didn't really need it to pull up the slack line.
>
> I pull my anchor loose by slowly motoring forward once I have situated the
> boat directly above the anchor & have (manually) pulled in the slack line,
> which is cleated on a bow cleat.
>
> David Nolte
> Beach House #4
>
>
>  On Jul 16, 2008, at 2:18 PM, Chris Burti wrote:
>
>   That is what I do. It is better to have a load on a diesel even when
>> idling.
>> When I set the anchor overnight, I reverse at full throttle in order to
>> set
>> it properly, so mine are usually dug in pretty good. Once in a while, she
>> will set really deep, but never so deep that the windlass can't pull it
>> out.
>> The windlass will work on the chain rode if you keep it tight, but it is
>> rough on the chrome. A simple solution to protect the finish without a
>> conversion to a rope/chain gypsy is to secure an old piece of halyard
>> between the anchor shackle and the rope rode shackle. When you get to the
>> chain, take it off the windlass and take a couple of wraps of the halyard
>> on
>> the drum and haul her on in.
>>
>> If the engine is running, I feel that good seamanship requires me to keep
>> a
>> good watch so I sit in the cockpit, usually partaking of a beverage of
>> some
>> sort and enjoy the view.
>>
>> On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 1:45 PM, David Nolte <dcnolte at mac.com> wrote:
>>
>>   Chris,
>>>
>>> Do you really run it in reverse at anchor? I guess that allows you to run
>>> at a high RPM, and charge better & quicker. But wouldn't that dig your
>>> anchor in something fierce? Ever have trouble pulling it loose?
>>>
>>> I had never thought of doing that. I guess you need to keep a good watch
>>> &
>>> make sure you don't drag.
>>>
>>> Do others run in reverse at anchor?
>>>
>>> David Nolte
>>> Beach House #4
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jul 16, 2008, at 1:35 PM, Chris Burti wrote:
>>>
>>> Gary,
>>>
>>>> This is not a recommendation, consider it a report for evaluation.
>>>>
>>>> We have hull number 867 with a Yanmar with a 55 amp OEM alternator. We
>>>> try
>>>> to get at least one one-week cruise each year. On those cruises, we
>>>> freeze
>>>> or buy 10# of block ice for the bottom of the reefer, set the controller
>>>> in
>>>> the middle and run a small fan for air circulation which dramatically
>>>> reduces the current consumption. Other than that, we try to be
>>>> conscientious
>>>> about not wasting electricity, run the fans only when needed, make sure
>>>> that
>>>> we rotate battery usage and turn off the anchor light early. We run the
>>>> engine about 20-30 minutes in gear, in reverse @ 2500 rpm in the morning
>>>> and
>>>> evening to heat water and charge the batteries. We replaced our OEM
>>>> Excide
>>>> 4d's in 2006 with Excide commercial truck 4'ds along with the charger
>>>> which
>>>> lightning had fried.
>>>>
>>>> Have not drawn the batteries below 12v with this regime.
>>>> On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 1:08 PM, Magnuson's Ragtime <ragtime at gte.net>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hull 205--- I need to replace the 4D batteries, and am not sure if I
>>>>
>>>>> should
>>>>> stay with the flooded or go to the Gel cells.  My 30 amp Newmar charger
>>>>> is
>>>>> humming a 60hz tone that pier walkers can hear, which started this
>>>>> project.
>>>>> I think I understand the pros and cons of both types of battery and I
>>>>> think
>>>>> that a new 40A  Xantrex charger will handle either while at the slip. I
>>>>> have
>>>>> the Perkins engine with the original alternator. If I choose the gel
>>>>> technology now, and buy the new charger, do I also need to buy an
>>>>> external
>>>>> regulator? Does anyone know the output specs of the OEM alternator? Any
>>>>> danger of the OEM alternator damaging the gel cells? Option 2 is to
>>>>> stay
>>>>> with the wet cells, and the Xantrex charger and keep the internally
>>>>> regulated OEM alternator. (KISS)
>>>>>
>>>>> I did buy the reference book suggested earlier, but it seems to give me
>>>>> a
>>>>> lot of choices, that can become expensive and complicated.
>>>>> Normal use is shore power most of the time with two or three day trips
>>>>> sailing the Apostle Islands.  We are planning a two week trip to the
>>>>> Lake
>>>>> Superior North shore, and I am concerned with the charge rate of the
>>>>> batteries if we don't spend a lot of time under power. I have
>>>>> considered
>>>>> paralleling the two new batteries, and taking along a deep cycle
>>>>> battery
>>>>> with jumper cables as an emergency back up just for the duration of the
>>>>> trip.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Gary Magnuson
>>>>> Time-A-Weigh #205
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Chris Burti
>>>> Farmville, NC
>>>>
>>>>
>>> David Nolte
>>> Nettle Net(R) BOAT POOL(R)
>>> 800-962-9020
>>> www.nojellyfish.com
>>> dcnolte at mac.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Chris Burti
>> Farmville, NC
>>
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
Chris Burti
Farmville, NC