[C320-list] DC power system upgrade advice

[Kirk McCullough]

If mine is well set, as I hope it always is, I do need to motor the boat 
over the anchor and pull it out that way. The windlass is a big help in 
hauling up the 60 feet of 5/16 th chain I use.

The windlass can be over-stressed if its used to break the anchor out.

Kirk

#124
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Nolte" <dcnolte at mac.com>
To: <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 11:34 AM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] DC power system upgrade advice


>
> 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
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