dem doggone bloggin’ blues …

dem winds a’blowin …

I’m attempting to post this via email, via AT&T, via Gigahertz signals emanating from the phone I hold. amazing technology to watch vessels via AIS cruise the archipelago, and then blog about it in real-time!

AIS is working, the iPad remote is working well, and I am very pleased with the Standard Horizon GX-2100 with internal AIS receiver. very cheap, and very simple to install. check out my recommendation of Belden 1420A cable. unfortunately, I got dinged rather severely for shipping and handling, so check local sources first.

we’re off for the first real sailing this year. all systems are go. the weather is improving .. indeed, it’s downright hot on the boat at present. good breezes be a’blowin and the fridge is relatively well-stocked.

life is good .. bodacious winds to all

tillerman

on da radio …

electronics was clearly an afterthought with Catalina and the previous owners. when we bought the boat there was a monstrosity of an electronics panel mounted on the ceiling on the port side above the settee. it was immediately ripped out and new considerations were given as to my next move. being an amateur radio operator with a desire to operate both VHF and HF SSB, I present my solution. there is room for a stereo or UHF radio should I so desire later.

it’s not exactly what I envisioned but close. it works because I opted for the GX-2100 remote microphone/controller and display in the cockpit. the Icom IC-7000 panel can be removed and mounted on an Arkon suction holder to better facilitate tuning and CW operations.

sent from my iPhone from the boat

way cool …

at the V-berth with my iPad

the Raymarine e7D churns away in the cockpit, and the captain lounges in the comfortable V-Berth, out of the weather, watching the world go by on the iPad. how kewl cool is that? 29-feet depth, boat secure, and a school of indeterminate fishes swimming underneath the boat.

life is good …

tillerman

perspective …

from the archives …

A physicist, an engineer, and a psychologist are called in as consultants to a dairy farm whose production has been below par. Each is given time to inspect the details of the operation before making a report.

The first to be called is the engineer, who states: “The size of the stalls for the cattle should be decreased. Efficiency could be improved if the cows were more closely packed, with a net allotment of 275 cubic feet per cow. Also, the diameter of the milking tubes should be increased by 4 percent to allow for a greater average flow rate during the milking periods.”

The next to report is the psychologist, who proposes: “The inside of the barn should be painted green. This is a more mellow color than brown and should help induce greater milk flow. Also, more trees should be planted in the fields to add diversity to the scenery for the cattle during grazing, to reduce boredom.”

Finally, the physicist is called upon. He asks for the blackboard and then draws a circle. He begins: “Assume the cow is a sphere ….”

hints and kinks …

Catalina 27 owners -

I think one of the most difficult aspects of designing and installing electronics is the procurement of cabling and connectors. it’s always a pain and the pricing can be way out of balance. for connectors I tend to use Mouser.com or Digikey.com and pay the penalties of shipping and handling. I do my best to combine orders to help defray the shipping but sometimes you need two of something .. now! for RF connectors I tend to go to Ham Radio Outlet and they carry the real deal. my recommendation is to never buy connectors from Radio Shack or the abominations offered by Shakespeare in the marine world. at HF and VHF frequencies, if it is too easy to install, it probably isn’t a good connector at high-frequencies. buy the good stuff – silvered PL-259, BNC, TNC connectors and invest in a bodaciously big soldering iron and a good flux solder. remember .. ‘happiness is a warm gun’ -John Lennon

for data connections I use the European style terminal, which is the only thing I will buy from Radio Shack. in fact, I usually special order them, but I found them locally here on the island and they fulfill the requirement. the other issue is wire. I used to use Belden 8723 4-wire twisted-pair for data runs but now use Belden 1420A. it’s three separate pairs, low capacitance, and about 1/3 the cost of the ubiquitous 8723. for my applications, I typically route GPS and DSC bi-directional data from the chartplotter to the Standard Horizon GX-2100 VHF transceiver, and in my new current configuration, use one pair to route 38.4k baud AIS data back to the Raymarine e7D. instead of two separate 8723 cables, I use one 1420a cable for a slicker installation. Belden makes an 8-wire cable, 1421A, but it seems difficult to find. indeed, 1420a was generally not available by the foot, and I could hardly justify a 500′ roll. I finally found a vendor for computer cabling, Altex.com, that carries most Belden wires in smaller quantities for marine applications. check them out and get your wire Fedex’d post haste from Texas.

probably the best $12 I have ever spent

just about the only thing of value at Radio Shack

Belden 1420A specifications

I hope this is somewhat useful. it’s very rewarding to take on an install and look back at the end of the project and smile .. and watch everything working as anticipated. now, back to packing for our departure to Europe for the Summer.

tillerman

non-stop Paris …

I’m counting down the days till our return to Paris for the Summer. we feel blessed that we have found ‘home’ away from home. Paris is simply magical. at least it is for me. I think Debbie fell more in love with Salzburg, Austria. Austria in general .. but I love that she also found the beauty of Paris through her eyes as well as mine. I spent a little extra money this time around to fly the Airbus 388 non-stop to Paris. 9.5 hours from takeoff and I’m hopping the metro at De Gaulle Airport to our apartment in Montmartre.

an excitable boy …

apologies to Warrren Zevon … but I’m excited!

Raymarine has just announced their RayRemote and RayControl apps that extends the functionality of RayView for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. here I am holding my iPhone next to my new Raymarine e7D chartplotter that now mirrors everything on the plotter to my iOS device. but wait .. there’s more! now, with Raymarine Remote you can *control* the chart plotter from your iPhone or iPad. that is … I can view all instrument data, AIS, Radar, and my position via my iPhone as I lay in the V-berth, asleep with one eye open, watching how we are swinging on anchor. or look for fish at dinner time with a fishing pole at the bow

Raymarine View iPhone, iPad app

done except for compass swinging

finally, I feel like I am making headway. like the dream of running into the wind and going nowhere, I am starting to see the results of the last six weeks of labour as I inch forward. like clockwork, at 0645 you’ll find me walking the docks out to the boat with a bag of tools and some new doodad that needs to be installed. I’m sitting here at home typing this and watching the sailboats out on the channel and can’t wait to get back out on the water. it will be nice to reap the rewards of working on the boat almost constantly and spending a wad of money renewing all the systems. almost there …

Friday is my target date .. we are going sailing!

I’m still working on the SSB and AIS hookups, and anxious to drop the mast to install VHF antennas for marine and 2-meter use. not to mention reworking the tri-colour and anchor lighting, and running all new cable and coax down the run of the mast. after returning from Europe I’ll head to Port Townsend, haul-out, and take care of the more specialized projects.

tillerman

the first cut is the deepest …

Raymarine iPhone remote controller

whoda thunk it? from anywhere on your boat you can control your chartplotter from your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. to be honest, this would make a great deal more sense if on our 42′ cruising sailboat and not the little 27′ weekend warrior. after all, you simply can’t get yourself out of view or earshot from the helm. still, we have several iPhones and iPads just shouting out to afford us control over our new Raymarine e7D chart plotter. useful .. not so much, but nice to be asleep with one eye open at anchor, watching the winds and the boat’s position from one’s iOS device. very kewl cool.

speaking of chartplotters. just how many times would you measure before cutting a hole in your boat? a gazillion .. or so it seemed before I drilled the first pilot hole and launched my  attack with the Jig Saw. ouch .. it’s a big hole but in my mind, no viable alternatives. I’m philosophically opposed to NavPods and their ilk, residing at the helm. dare I mention that I don’t have a helm as such .. no wheel or binnacle to mount upon. just a four-foot unwieldy wooden tiller. I am the tillerman after all, or so I am reminded of periodically

the first cut – far easier said than done

measure twice, cut once? hardly. measure, measure again, and measure once more for good measure.

recrudescence …

Catalina 27 owners -

no harm done I suppose, if I toss some iPhone photos here as I am rejuvenating our C27. new blood and bones. this is a trivial installation though a bit tricky in dealing with deadrise and transducer alignment and calibration. it should get a tad more interesting as I install the new chartplotter and discover the vagaries of melding charting, AIS, and Sonar together. I actually enjoy finding where all the bones are buried, as there are generally surprises in the discovery.  in this instance, it’s discarding 1980′s technology and subpar installations of previous owners, and getting on with a more modern design.

Airmar P79 install

remove the old transducer, clean area, measure deadrise, attach the mounting housing per Airmar recommendations using silicone sealant, route wires. unless you are fortunate you will find that the existing holes used to route wires through the boat are too small for new cables with connectors. the Dremel is the perfect tool. don’t use polyurethane sealants like 3M 4200 as it tended to degrade in mineral oil and glycols. use a good silicone and fill the transducer housing with propylene glycol. the transducer is dipped into the housing containing the liquid to yield an air-free medium from transducer to the hull.

out with the old

wire routing

unboxing

just fishin’ …

Catalina 27 owners -

we’re back from Oregon and back to work on the boat.

first, installing the Airmar 50/200 khz transducer for depth measurement and rendering bottom structure. the reason I opted for the Raymarine e7D chartplotter with DSM sonar was mainly because of cost. it was cheaper, all things considered, and yielded the extra utility of displaying bottom structure and fish. less expensive than the cost of a depth transducer and NMEA 2000 interface pod that Raymarine requires to interface to the SeaTalk^ng backbone. these pods are priced extremely high, ~$250 per transducer, and hard to justify. we’re going barebones, no speed (over water) and no wind instrumentation, so the sonar depth option saved us money and provides entertainment  .. watching fish swim around us while at anchor

Airmar P79

trolling for lunkers

another addition …

we’ve been on the farm in Oregon this week to be with our newest grandson. one of the true miracles .. a new life. baby, mom, and dad are home and adjusting well, and we must depart for the islands tomorrow and continue with the great electronics install

I’m finding that electronics and instruments installation is far more difficult on a small boat. our HR42 had room to spare and plenty of horizontal and vertical real estate to mount anything desired. not so on our 27′ weekend warrior. judicious selection of position and considerations to hole-cutting and wire routing are mandatory. sadly, there is no horizontal space in the cockpit for trunnion mounts, so holes must be cut. I feel guilty wielding the saw so cavalierly but times have changed and a chartplotter is essential these days. if not for safety and nautical accuracy, then for just plain nautical fun!

I’ll admit to vascillating between selecting the new e-series and the essentially discontinued A-series at half the price. for Catalina 27 owners, there are few alternatives to mounting the chartplotter next to the companionway. Debbie suggested a swing-out arm, but for me, that simply isn’t workable with a chartplotter – touchscreen or not. I have an immutable bias against instabilities, and punching buttons on a wobbly mount in rough seas is unacceptable. it’s a good idea for what there is to work with, but I know that ultimately I would be displeased with that option. the A-series was perfect in all respects except for the flush-mounting scheme which is an afterthought at best. it’s a matter of asthetics .. almost two inches of chartplotter reside on the outside of the wall. that is to say, it’s just not as refined as a true flush-mount with a thin bezel. it’s a personal choice, and ultimately I was swayed by the new LightHouse operating system with Platinum+ 3D charts, and the built-in WiFi repeating the chart display to our iPhone and iPad. sleeping at anchor and having the chartplotter mirrored on our iPhone in the V-berth won Debbie’s heart!

Raymarine e7d and Apple iPad

we shall be out sailing Memorial Day weekend and will publish our observations on how the system performs. then, we’re off to our apartment in Paris for a month, to the south of France, Spain, and Portugal for the Summer. we’re spending a good deal of time in Provence and Marseille, France and are really anxious to go sailing on the Mediterranean Sea.

one more thing … I can guarantee that if you have grandsons, you will be asked to wear their t-shirt on your head and become a pirate and chase them around the boat yelling argh! ah .. the joys of being a grandpa pirate and being too old to care how silly you can be in the pursuit of their acceptance and hearing them giggle!

projectitis …

Catalina 27 owners -

the great electronics install

MinWax ‘Gunstock’ stain

a good match from Ace Hardware

the back of the engine near the transmission is virgin Universal, and this paint matches really well. close enough .. especially when considering cost.

da bomb – oil pump from heaven

building an electronics locker

more to follow …

bilging …

Catalina 27 bilge - almost done

Catalina 27 owners -

I’ve had Bob Marley’s ‘Jamming’ in my head all day. singing “I’m bilging …”  now that I am almost finished. I installed a Rule automatic bilge pump with new hose all the way to the stern. new hose for the Whale emergency pump. I like the Shields 141 Multiflex bilge hose well enough, but the helix doesn’t always allow a good seal when clamped. I ran into that problem on our Hallberg-Rassy, where it really required the PVC cuffs to keep a good seal. I love the bend-radius and the fact that you can’t kink it if you tried. the smallish 3/4″ hose seems to seal adequately and is much better than that ubiquitous thin-walled white stuff that crushes easily.

I still have some bundling of wires and hose to take care of. I painted the bilge with Interlux Bilgecoat and checked the keel bolts and nuts. it’s not much of a bilge, as bilges go, but at least I now have a semblance of protection when I am off the boat. I fused the pump directly to the house supply, and routed the manual-wire to the existing bilge pump circuit breaker on the main electrical panel. normally, the breaker is off, and when turned on forces the pump to run. I like to have an audible alarm sound when the pump runs. on our way home from Oregon in our HR42, offshore with a bodacious northerly, every time we were on a port-tack with green water breaking over the bow, the pump would continually cycle. somehow, water was getting into the boat only on the port-tack. the first window wasn’t well sealed apparently, and it is amazing how much water could enter the boat when the window was under water with such a tremendous force behind it. I was glad to have the alarm alert me to a problem. upon inspection, you could not tell that the window was leaking. I’m still not convinced that was the source, but I do know that I didn’t have enough hysteresis in my bilge-pump system. that is to say, it would come on at the first hint of water, pump quickly, shut off, and cycle. I should have set the lower threshold higher and forced the pump to pump-down lower.

next … NMEA 2000 backbone. electrics, fresh-water, and bilge finished. it’s time for electronics and the fun stuff .. finally!

tillerman

fusings and musings …

MRBF – Marine Rated Battery Fuse

I met a Hallberg-Rassy owner that had just returned from the hospital after inadvertently shorting the battery terminals on his HR42. The boat rocked, his wrench slipped, and shorted a gazillion joules, melted his wrench, exploded several batteries, splashed sulphuric acid in his eyes, and left him deaf. an emergency trip off the island to the hospital .. and he was lucky. I’m guilty of not always taking appropriate measures to protect myself from myself – wrenches and screwdrivers slip .. accidents happen. in flying, the most dangerous time for a new pilot is around 500 hours of flight-time. they’ve gotten their rating, taken passengers for joy rides and several cross-country trips, and have walked away from every landing. a confidence sets in .. just enough to think they can push their limits and succeed. soon enough, they’re taking off and landing just above minimums, landing off-airport, and to be polite .. are cocky as hell. they probably will never be another Sean Tucker. at least, not yet! after 500 hours, and most likely, an underwear-changing fuck-up, scared shitless wakeup call .. they will proceed to get their commercial and instrument ratings and live to tell some great stories over wine and cheese. not everyone survives.

and that is when we get bit. removing those battery leads at the battery box seems unnecessary. you just want to add a few wires to the distribution panel, and by god, you know what you are doing. with that in mind .. I ran an experiment. I guarantee that shorting your screwdriver across the battery supply without fusing will get the adrenaline flowing. you will have seen god. I always resist, but ultimately fuse my batteries. it can be a royal pain. the extra wires, connectors, crimps … but when I ran the experiment and shorted the supply, there was the briefest of spark .. a ‘poof’ and the fuse blew. no drama, no melted metal, no MediVac flights off island to the emergency room.

I highly recommend the Blue Sea Systems MRBF fuse block. 30-300 amperes .. installs in minutes. no mess, no fuss. buy a few extra fuses to stick in the drawer. and remember, disconnect the batteries before tinkering. accidents happen when we least expect them.

mounts at the battery post

tillerman

rats nesting …

a common response in any engineering lab upon viewing one’s latest prototype circuit design is ‘so, what was it before the explosion?’

thirty years of mods and additions has left me with this -

functional but marginally so

that’s the before look, and it will look quite different when I am finished. the cockpit engine panel is original but lackluster and I tend to enjoy finding new replacements for switches and meters, decals and paint, and bringing it back to like factory-new condition.

autumn project

chipping away …

Catalina 27 owners -

the simplest of tasks can take an inordinate duration to complete. ask any boat-owner! my first consideration has been to shore up the ‘bones’ of our Catalina 27. electrical backbone, water-system, engine systems, electronics. I know, what about sails, rigging, anchors? I am probably working in reverse order of most, but there are too many mysteries at hand that affect just getting out of the slip and enjoying a weekend in our favorite anchorages in the archipelago. with that in mind, I have tackled the entire electrical system, adding new batteries and battery-boxes, new wiring and battery-charger, and soon to migrate through the alternator charging system. the fresh-water system was easier, especially once I removed the support plumbing used to plumb a 15 gallon holding tank underneath the dinette. all new hoses and clamps from deck-fill to foot-pump to vent lines. all new AC wiring using GCFI outlets and upgraded wiring and distribution panel. all engine filters changed, fresh oil added, and new Trident hoses to be installed this week. our Universal 5411 is fresh-water cooled and it’s worth it to replace hoses and clamps, zincs, new anti-freeze … better now than wait for the inevitable.

ProNautic 1215P

almost completed - fusing next

fresh water

Danfoss refrigeration

Universal 5411 diesel

more funky iPhone Hipstamatic photos to follow …

Marinco failures …

this is such a serious problem that it’s difficult to understand why it isn’t addressed in a more serious manner. after my own experience, I have talked to several sailors with identical observations of charred wiring and melted plastic around the Marinco shoreline connector. 

from the archives …

are you one of many that have found your Marinco plug and socket assembly burned black? not just a Marinco problem, but there is an easy solution to avoiding potential disaster.

I’ll discuss arcing, plasma, negative resistance, and recommend a cheap and effective remedy.

when the right conditions emerge, a poor connection in an environment favourable to arcing, can cause a plasma discharge. we know it as arcing and the unfortunate reality is that it is generally destructive and feeds upon itself. one of the characteristics of arcing is that it exhibits a phenomenon called negative-resistance. Linearity no longer exists as we expect; meaning the event itself causes conditions to change that promotes the event to continue and exacerbate. bad news for us, since the temperatures can become excessive and exceed the working material specifications.

what to do?

dielectric silicone (methylphenyl polysiloxane) should be on your boat. it is a general purpose lifesaver! in our instance, removing air from the equation will induce our connection to not arc, as does the dielectric qualities of the matrix. in my testing, I found the main culprit was inductive oil-filled radiator heaters. the inductive nature of their design could (and did) start arcing within the plug/socket assembly that would quickly blacken and distort the fixture. using a liberal application of dielectric silicone on the contacts eliminated all arcing.

and it’s cheap … far cheaper than a ~$200 socket, plug and cord assembly.

captain dan

note: good news! this failure was so endemic to these assemblies, that Marinco now sells the plug and sockets individually. you will no longer have to buy a new stainless-steel assembly or an entire cord. snip the old plug off the cord and affix a new one … far cheaper than buying everything new once again as was previously required.

two guitar lovers …

my baby Taylor playing my Baby Taylor

I have just returned from a week in Oregon, teaching my grandson how to play ‘Bingo’ on the guitar and body surf at Cannon Beach. not by design .. he simply has no fear of water, or pounding surf apparently! he has been such a blessing .. and he loves his Papa! his brother is to arrive in the next few weeks, and I’ve run out of guitars that I am willing to give away. I love my grandkids but the Martin dreadnoughts stay with me

keepers …

essentials

two boats now, and what seems like a lifetime of cutting, scraping, sanding, sawing, soldering, vacuuming, and drilling. after almost eight years of living on the water, there have been a few necessities that rise to the surface, that just cannot be held high enough in appreciation. job well done! the little 1-horsepower vacuum is a miracle worker and what a trooper – 746 watts of pure whack! and my Milwaukee right-angle drill. today I had to get into the fuel tank locker to run some cable and a regular drill just wouldn’t fit. so many times, the 90-degree offset saved the day.

Paris to Marseille …

on our way to Marseille

150 knots by train from Paris .. 5 knots sailing towards Africa. we’re anxious to be heading south of Paris to Marseille this July, and hopefully, do some sailing in the Mediterranean.

DC to daylight …

Catalina 27 owners -

DC to daylight? not quite .. but 100khz to 440Mhz is pretty darn close to it. so, where to put the radios? on the starboard side at the dinette there is the perfect shelf to house several radios behind a custom-built teak panel. the GX-2100 Matrix AIS and the ICOM IC-7000 can both be flush-mounted, and I might install the Yaesu FT-2900R though the ICOM covers 2-meters and I have several VHF handhelds. the GX-2100 supports a remote microphone that will be located at the cockpit next to the Raymarine e7D chart plotter.

VHF/AIS antenna at the masthead, and a small MFJ tuner to tune the backstay if I can’t get better performance shunt-feeding the mast. of course there is the helium-filled  balloon ‘sky-hook’ for the quiet anchorage when the DX bands are open

nf7z/mm

wired weirdness …

Catalina 27 owners -

rewire

just do it .. it’s appalling what one might find when they peel back the facade and look at how their boat is wired. inevitably, it’s inadequate, unsafe, and poorly installed. not unique to Catalina, our Hallberg-Rassy was wired almost as haphazardly. the wiring as shown here is of poor quality, non-tinned, and poorly sized as can be seen by how many strands of copper actually found their way home in the socket. rip it out, replace with Ancor or Cobra wire and do it right. the next owner will probably rip out your hard work too, but at least you’ll know what you’ve got without too many surprises.

and check the polarities. I found one socket wired incorrectly, and one connection hanging on by a single strand of copper!

pickled oak 960 …

Catalina 27 owners -

one of the first tasks in owning a new boat is to locate the exact colour wood and plastic putty to fill in the holes left by previous owners. ideas change, new equipment rarely fits same as the old, and over many years the boat starts taking on a peppered look of screw-holes, dings, and vestiges of bygone installations.

our C27 has fared well excepting some obvious indecision on how best to install curtains. after a few futile attempts with gelcoat patch, I found a MinWax wood putty called ‘PICKLED OAK 960′. a perfect match for the interior colour. Debbie took charge, armed with putty and ‘GUNSTOCK’ stain … an hour later the interior looks as new. an absolutely perfect match. pickled oak 960 – whoda thunk it?

I’m an electron, and I’m okay …

ProNautic electron pusher

Catalina 27 owners -

I know, my iPhone and Hipstamatic app blotches up my photos with a green and black algae growing in the corners. looks cool though, in an early 1900′s way.

one can hardly imagine a little 27′ sailboat needing anything like this complexity to push electrons into a couple of group 24 batteries. still, she may be short .. but she’s needy. electrons might be all the same, but it’s how we set them on their way and how many follow our lead. there are cheaper battery chargers, but I have been rather fortunate to find a dealer that saves me 15% over Defender.com and ships next-day air. I place the order, and the very next day, UPS or FedEx delivers to my door. how kewl cool is that?

total overkill. the batteries are charging at the marina and can essentially trickle-charge their way to health. 15-amperes of oomph is more than enough and there is absolutely no reason to spend more money. speed is not of the essence. I tend to ramp up everything twice times  just because it hardly cost more, and I never feel in concert with manufacturers recommendations. I bump up the wire-gauge cuz dem electrons love their copper. it’s a technical thing .. but no worries. buy the next bigger size and be cool about it.

a few simple requirements separate my chosen charger from what you might find at Walmart. digital readout .. I want to know the charging voltage and current into the batteries. saves on buying an expensive shunt. and, we are in Europe much of the time, and I like the feature that monitors usage, and automatically puts the charger in standby mode if it detects an idle period. then, it maintains the appropriate charge, such that I am betting we return from Europe to charged batteries and bliss. secondly, I wanted a battery-temperature monitor and support for a remote panel. oh yes, and it should work for at least 5 years before any problems surface. for less than $200, I am happy. pleased as punch … really.

under the hood

VHF on the cheap …

on the bench

Wednesday night is Indian food .. and I’m the chef. tonight I made a chicken marsala and it turned out much better than usual? why? I don’t have a clue. Debbie had her first bite of Indian cuisine on our visit to Greenwich, England last year, and she now demands it at least once a week. from the boat to the kitchen to the bench. I think I am finally settling in.

so what’s an ICOM guy doing with Standard Horizon on the boat?

[under edit]