Chasing Elegua

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

YES take care with the box and it's environs. You can get vacuum insulation panels now (actually they've been around for 15+ years) and the huge jump in R-value make them worthwhile.

I built a cold box with vacuum panels over 10 years ago as almost a total novice. (The boat never had a fridge.). Got them from rparts.com (r-parts.com?). High R-value for sure (for a small footprint/thickness compared to normal foam insulation).

Glad I did it, and well worth it for the very limited space in a small boat (foam insulation would’ve resulted in a uselessly small cold box), but certainly not a small, “easy” project.

 

[Russell Brown]

YES take care with the box and it's environs. You can get vacuum insulation panels now (actually they've been around for 15+ years) and the huge jump in R-value make them worthwhile.

I've never heard of this. Can the panels be cut, or sold in multiple sizes?

 

[Steam Flyer]

YES take care with the box and it's environs. You can get vacuum insulation panels now (actually they've been around for 15+ years) and the huge jump in R-value make them worthwhile.

I've never heard of this. Can the panels be cut, or sold in multiple sizes?

The panels can't be cut, but you can order them in any size you want. Anything other than rectangular costs extra.

RPARTS.COM - Vacuum Insulation Panels - RPARTS.COM

www.rparts.com

Also worth paying extra attention the other main sources of thermal loss: the lid and the drain. I built our freezer to drain via a trap, and put a cork in it for every day use... but then decided that sponging out the freezer box was not as big a hassle as having half-melted ice cream and running out of food. Some freezers are difficult to reach the bottom though.

 

[longy]

X A/Hrs of lead/acid do not equal X A/Hrs of lithium. The Li bank has almost twice the usable energy of the L/A bank. L/A can be (economically) discharged to 50% of rating, with output voltage sagging throughout. Li can be discharged to 80%, with voltage remaining almost constant throughout.

 

[Zora]

200Ah of lead acid must be, what, two 6v golf carts (in series at 12v) -is that right?

I’m finally getting solar sorted, and I can do 400w without too much trouble, I’ve realized. And I was thinking that, eventually, for full time cruising/living aboard (with a fridge, the key power hog), doing x4 6v lead acid golf carts (for 400Ah), would make sense (we once had that amount of battery capacity, which —not knowing anything— I thought we needed for a coastal cruise to Alaska - and then slimmed down to only two batteries for the strictly local cruising we’ve done in recent years). As for solar, I’m realizing now that I can also eventually easily add 50w or so (likely as a flexible panel) on the dodger. Then it must end

Other than zero maintenance, ability to withstand deep discharge, and lighter weight, why did you change to lithium? (You had 400Ah of lead acid, and now have the same capacity in lithium).

I had 200ah of lead acid, then I swapped that out for 200ah of Lithium. Then later I added 200 more of Lithium. So I have total 400ah of lifepo4 victron lithium batteries now. The lead acid I had was shit too. I don't know any liveaboards with a lead acid house bank anymore, usually at a minimum everyone Is on AGM or Lithium.

Its cloudier than you'd think in the Caribbean, sometimes we get days of cloud, and I can't think of anything I like less than running my engine at anchor.

In short, you can use about 25% max of lead acid capacity, and you can use 95% of Lithium capacity. And they are far lighter and faster to charge. Another big reason I added more ah is we are going North next year, and I want to run the heating 24/7

 

[Russell Brown]

The panels can't be cut, but you can order them in any size you want. Anything other than rectangular costs extra.

RPARTS.COM - Vacuum Insulation Panels - RPARTS.COM

www.rparts.com

Also worth paying extra attention the other main sources of thermal loss: the lid and the drain. I built our freezer to drain via a trap, and put a cork in it for every day use... but then decided that sponging out the freezer box was not as big a hassle as having half-melted ice cream and running out of food. Some freezers are difficult to reach the bottom though.

Thanks for that, Steam. I'm going to have to build a custom ice chest for the new boat and am happy to know about the technology. The panels seem affordable for a custom chest.

 

[Elegua]

Fat girls like to have fun, too….

Now in a calmer location.

Season is coming to an end. There was the first twitch of a potential tropical depression. Tourist locations are starting on reduced hours, days are longer and rains are harder.

Today is a friend’s wedding anniversary and they are headed ashore to a hotel and spa so we’ll be boat sitting

 

[LewSipfher]

Fat girls like to have fun, too….
View attachment 592853

Now in a calmer location.
View attachment 592872

Season is coming to an end. There was the first twitch of a potential tropical depression. Tourist locations are starting on reduced hours, days are longer and rains are harder.

oh, but the diving season is just beginning, with the relaxation of the trades… and the anchorages empty out. Summer is good.

 

[Elegua]

I bet it is. The crowding is the biggest bummer.

The white cedar here are getting ready to bloom and I bet it is quite nice when it does. That said, I’m not ready to spend a season in the box even if I could get insurance. And, this might sound like blasphemy, I think one season in the Eastern Caribbean is enough for us. I’m looking forward to Trinidad and the Western Caribbean.

 

[Israel Hands]

I bet it is. The crowding is the biggest bummer.

The white cedar here are getting ready to bloom and I bet it is quite nice when it does. That said, I’m not ready to spend a season in the box even if I could get insurance. And, this might sound like blasphemy, I think one season in the Eastern Caribbean is enough for us. I’m looking forward to Trinidad and the Western Caribbean.

When do you head there? (sorry if I missed it earlier) Eventually transiting the Canal, right?

 

[Elegua]

When do you head there? (sorry if I missed it earlier) Eventually transiting the Canal, right?

This coming December should plans hold together

 

[accnick]

This coming December should plans hold together

December may be a little early for the Canal. Look at the timing for the Pacific trades. Not sure how long you can stay in the Galapagos now, but it was two weeks for "free" when we were there. You were limited in where you could anchor without special permits.

We spent the summer in Grenada and S to Trinidad, then Venezuela--I would not go there now-- and on to the ABCs for Christmas--great diving-- and the San Blas in January before transiting the canal in February.

Much has changed in that part of the world compared when we did that trip in 1998-1999.

 

[Elegua]

December may be a little early for the Canal. Look at the timing for the Pacific trades. Not sure how long you can stay in the Galapagos now, but it was two weeks for "free" when we were there. You were limited in where you could anchor without special permits.

We spent the summer in Grenada and S to Trinidad, then Venezuela--I would not go there now-- and on to the ABCs for Christmas--great diving-- and the San Blas in January before transiting the canal in February.

Much has changed in that part of the world compared when we did that trip in 1998-1999.

Thanks. that's helpful.

We are thinking of going back to Grenada before heading West to give us some distance off of Venezuela. I say December but it'd be towards the end of the month and the timing of the crossing depends upon whether we can get a long term visa for French Polynesia or not. We are also still thinking about the Galapagos, but It's expensive and a challenge with preparing the boat / bureaucracy and once you are there it's better to use a guide/tour. We are also told it's a not to miss opportunity regardless of the hurdles. In general we were told that early season has less swell and avoids competing with the locusts rallys. Insurance may not like us moving out of Trinidad before November, even though the destinations, Colombia and San Blas, are out of the box. Lot's to think about.

 

[TheDragon]

Your plan sounds fine, keep it a little flexible. I strongly endorse working on the extended visa for FP. I had only the standard 3 months, which was okay for me as I am old and don't have time to hang around too long, but I could easily have stayed a lot longer, visiting just Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas and only four atolls in the Tuamotus, and then speeding through the Societies. As for Panama, there are lots of resources of information for how to handle things there, but happy to offer thoughts on things that worked for me last year.

 

[Elegua]

Your plan sounds fine, keep it a little flexible. I strongly endorse working on the extended visa for FP. I had only the standard 3 months, which was okay for me as I am old and don't have time to hang around too long, but I could easily have stayed a lot longer, visiting just Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas and only four atolls in the Tuamotus, and then speeding through the Societies. As for Panama, there are lots of resources of information for how to handle things there, but happy to offer thoughts on things that worked for me last year.

Thank you. As I get closer, I will pick your brane.

 

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

400+. At anchor I can go until I get a cloudy day. My biggest draw is an old 80’s era refrigerator. Yesterday I got the batteries to 100% without running the engine despite using the inverter to run a sander.

Underway my amps used is modestly higher - running lights, radio and laptop 24/7 - and under sail the angles are often wrong for the panels or things are getting shaded. I run the engine once a day and get the batteries to 100% daily. This also helps make sure the engine is operating normally.

I am going to replace one 100w panel on the arch with a 200w panel since this panel is the least shaded. ( I’m width constrained on panel size) I think this plus a newer refrigerator will get me closer to independence.

Hey Jamie - Another follow up qn. on your onboard energy storage and use. (Follow up to here, asking you how many solar watts you have on board. Have also been picking SV Zora’s brain a bit, here, trying to understand this stuff a bit better.)

When you say that, under way (as opposed to at anchor), with running lights, radio and laptop basically 24/7, you “run the engine once a day and get the batteries to 100% daily”, is that your general goal/aim living on batteries? I.e., to basically try to get them to 100% daily/regularly? What kind of batteries do you have?

 

[Elegua]

Hey Jamie - Another follow up qn. on your onboard energy storage and use. (Follow up to here, asking you how many solar watts you have on board. Have also been picking SV Zora’s brain a bit, here, trying to understand this stuff a bit better.)

When you say that, under way (as opposed to at anchor), with running lights, radio and laptop basically 24/7, you “run the engine once a day and get the batteries to 100% daily”, is that your general goal/aim living on batteries? I.e., to basically try to get them to 100% daily/regularly? What kind of batteries do you have?

Many people have better set-ups than I……So caveat emptor.

I have Firefly batteries. At anchor I aim to follow the manual and hit 100% at least once a week and never get below 50-60% out of a 400+ ah bank. I only have a 100A alternator, so I can give myself a headache if I draw the batteries down too much and then run into cloudy weather.

Offshore I assume that I don’t know when the engine will crap out, so I try to keep the batteries as full as I can. Also, It’s nice to know the engine is running.

If need be, I can cut my electrical usage to below what solar can provide by turning off the fridge, the laptop, the electric AP (usually on standby) and idevices. These are my big draws.

The remainder: RPi, led lights, AIS, instruments and windvane means our draw is de minimus. I can cut a good chunk out of that draw as well in extremis if required.

 

[Russell Brown]

The 70/48 race starts in 8 minutes. Two PT 11's are entered, these are the same boats as Elegua's dinghy. https://seventy48-2023.maprogress.com/.
The teams are "team Valhalla", our friend Inger Rankins who's done it 3 times before in the same boat, the other is "team Tally Row", Leo Goolden, doing the race for the first time.
If you like trackers, it could be fun.

 

[Russell Brown]

It seems there is a major tracker issue. 62 boats aren't showing. Tally row shows up, but not Valhalla.

 

[Russell Brown]

Well, Valhalla never showed on the tracker because her tracker didn't work. We went halfway to Seattle in the motorboat looking for her. We found Leo, who thought she was ahead of him and finally found Inger (Valhalla) a few miles from the finish. She finished 43rd out of 125 teams in 18hrs 40 mins. Leo had to duke it out with a gale-force headwind for the last 5 miles and finished in just over 24 hours.