Cruising In a Down Economy

My wife Susan and I made the decision almost twenty years ago to buy a boat and go cruising while we were still young and healthy enough to enjoy the lifestyle. Watching friends plan and work for years, then have their dreams smashed on the rocks due to health or family issues was a driving factor in this decision. The one major stumbling block in our plan was the financial aspects. We are neither wealthy, retired with a pension, or on the list of a family member to inherit a lot of cash. So how in the world would we accomplish this with no income once the dock lines were untied and we left our home waters? Those are tough and scary decisions but they needed to be overcome if our plan would work. The solution would be to buy the boat with the sale of our property and business, outfit it for extended cruising, put enough money in the bank to carry us through our cruise, and then get us to a place where we could settle in and find jobs to build the cruising kitty so we could start again. For the plan to work, we also needed to keep our expenses to a minimum without making our cruising lifestyle a bit more than a survival existence. It was important to us that we enjoy the ride and have a great time or it did not make sense to do this at all. After 17 years aboard our Mariner 40 ketch, Sea Trek, and with tens of thousands of miles under the keel, we are now switching gears and have recently purchased a Marine Trader 34 trawler so that we might enjoy some new cruising grounds that are just not practical on a deep draft sailboat.



But even that decision had to be part of the overall plan. The “new to us” trawler has a single diesel engine that is very economical and burns only about 1.2 gallons of fuel per hour. Fuel is a major expense for us while cruising, even on a sail boat, since quite often the wind is coming from the wrong direction or there is no wind at all. We are currently doing a complete refit and renovation to make the new boat both comfortable and self sufficient for cruising. Even the choice of equipment and method of installation helps in saving us money, even though the initial outlay may not make it seem so. Installing a $3,000.00 watermaker might seem like an extravagance, but if it keeps us at anchor rather than having to pay for dockage, and not having to pay for water to fill our tanks, then it does not take long to pay for itself. Once that threshold is reached, the unit begins to save money every time it is used. Likewise the expense of building a good charging system using wind generators and solar panels to keep up with our power demands, keep us out of the expensive marinas and limits the number of hours we would need to run the engine and burn expensive fuel.

One of the best kept secrets in the cruising community is the number of free docks along the waterways on the east coast of the US. Once you have made some solid friendships along the way, these secrets will be revealed to you, but they are not publicized for obvious reasons. We thoroughly enjoy being at anchor for the peace and privacy as well as the savings. Finding a free dinghy dock in US waters is getting harder as waterfront access becomes more expensive and areas are developed. But we always seem to find them, be it at a friendly restaurant that will let us tie up if we buy lunch, dinner or have a drink or two, or a shopping center that has a dinghy dock for boaters to come in and shop. We do enjoy the occasional dinner or lunch ashore and find that the eateries frequented by the locals usually have the best food, lowest prices and special offers while the big expensive places are targeted more toward tourists and expensive meals.

When we are outside of the US we love to explore the country, meet the local population and experience the culture. This can be accomplished for much less than one might expect. Quite often we have gathered a group of cruisers and all chipped in to hire a van and driver for a day or two and dividing the cost over two, three or even four couples makes this very affordable. Since the van is ours for the time hired, we can get to the larger supermarkets, wholesale houses, or shopping malls for re-provisioning or finding needed parts. While out shopping we can include stops along the way to visit local museums and historic sites. All give us a good dose of history and flavor and most are also free. We often see parts of the countryside most boaters will never see sitting in the harbor and hanging out at the marinas. There are also many occasions when we take the local transit to get from place to place. Many find this disconcerting, but we find it part of the experience. We have ridden the “chicken bus”, named because many of the riders are carrying their chickens in their laps, across Belize to visit Mayan Ruins and back again and cost us only a couple of dollars. This is probably not for everyone, since the busses can be hot and crowded with no air conditioning, but what a way to meet the natives. Air conditioned busses with movies are available for a bit more money, but still not all that expensive. We try and stay away from the well publicized tourist areas and find places off the beaten path which are sometimes even more interesting. We also cover a lot of miles walking. It is a healthy, enjoyable form of transportation and in many countries what starts out as a good walk, finishes with a pleasant ride with one of the local folks that will pick you up along the way.

This also brings up a subject that many ask when they find out about our lifestyle. How do we cover ourselves for health problems? We have opted to not carry health insurance while cruising since most coverage is not available outside the US, where we travel the most, and if it were, it would be prohibitively expensive and wipe out our entire cruising budget. The cruising lifestyle in and of itself seems to keep us much more healthy than when we are sitting somewhere working toward the next cruise. We have also found that excellent health care at a fraction of the cost in the United States is available almost everywhere we travel. Each person has to make their own decisions with this and consider existing needs and conditions, but we have found this to not be a problem for us in all of these years.

Each decision needs to be made based on how it impacts the cruising kitty. Careful preparation of the boat means less chance of breakdowns and expensive repairs. Being able to affect most repairs by the skipper rather than hiring it out will help in a big way to keep the funds in the bank. Even shopping becomes an adventure to find the local markets where vegetables, fruits, and fresh meats can be bought at a fraction of the cost of the local supermarket. While in the US, we clip coupons from the local Sunday paper to help save $10.00 or more on a weekly basis for groceries. We look for the fuel docks that offer the best prices, even if it means buying fuel before we actually need it. With the new trawler holding 300 gallons of fuel, we can seek out the docks that offer a discount for volume, something we could not do before with the sailboat and a much smaller fuel tank.

A trip to the nearest beach or an excellent snorkeling spot is only a dinghy ride away and other than the cost for fuel for the dinghy is totally free. The dinghy becomes your family car and can get you to the beach or down a beautiful river or stream that probably looks like it did a thousand years ago. Our outboard is kept in top condition to get us there and back and to use as little fuel as possible. Potlucks on shore thrown by cruisers will bring you a banquet for no more than the cost of a single dish you make yourself on board, and bring to share. Local cruiser hangouts can bring impromptu concerts and entertainment that you could never find at Madison Square Gardens. These social interactions and the lifelong friends you make can never have a price put on them. And better yet, every cruiser you meet will have another tip for you to live and enjoy this wonderful lifestyle while maintaining the bank account for a long as possible. Our cruising budget usually averages around $1500.00 per month. We have met cruisers with budgets of $500.00 per month while others could spend $5,000.00 per month.

Don’t let the present state of the economy keep you from pursuing your dreams. Remember the old days when we all lived within our means and tried to have fun in more simple ways. That is the essence of our cruising philosophy.

Installing An Electric Anchor Windlass

Once again, it is hard for us to believe that after 28 years and an unknown numbers of owners this boat has never had an anchor windlass. We have to think that it did not get much anchoring done over its lifetime but someone somehow managed to bend the shank on the 35 pound CQR that came with the boat. Our cruising style is more anchoring and less marina stays so getting the anchoring system right is very important and with a new storm season less than a month away we felt is was past time to get it done and get it right. An anchor windlass is an important part us our system.

Once the anchoring and bow platforms were refurbished, see our post here, the next step was to find a windlass that would fit in the space behind the anchor roller and in front of the Sampson post. This is not a large area so a windlass small enough to fit but powerful enough to handle the anchor and rode did not leave us with a lot of choices. Additional weight at the bow is another concern for us. The one we finally decided on that would fit our needs is the Powerwinch. We usually take any manufacturers specs with a grain of salt and any time they are marginal based on their numbers, we go with the next larger size. We sized the windlass, rode, and anchor for a 40 boat. This meant the Class 41 windlass from the Powerwinch line. It fit our space, did not add a lot of additional weight on the bow and seemed to be more than powerful enough for Beach House. The one down side was it does not have the capabilities to manually raise the anchor if power or the windlass quits, but we can live with that since the large anchors and all chain rode we used on our sailboat are a thing of the past.



Using the template provided with the installation instructions which was taped in place to keep it from moving, holes were drilled into the anchor platform for the rode and power cables to pass through, and for the bolts to secure the whole thing. It is important to get these holes aligned properly so once the windlass is mounted, everything lines up accordingly. The windlass also needs to be mounted with the gypsy in a straight line with the fall of the anchor and rode to the bow roller. It does take some pre-planning but in the end it worked out just as we expected it too. The holes drilled into the platform were all sealed with penetrating epoxy to keep as much water intrusion out of the platform as we could considering the amount of moisture this area is exposed to. The placement was also planned to allow the anchor and rode to drop straight down into the deepest portion of the anchor locker as it passed through the windlass. For us this meant moving the anchor hawse pipe since it was originally positioned off to one side. We made a template of the original hawse pipe hole and cut the new one to match as much as possible. The section of the deck that was cut out for the new hole would be used as a plug for the old hole. The sides of the hole were buttered with thickened epoxy and the plug slid into the hole. A layer of fiberglass bi-axial was applied on the top and the bottom of the deck to fully cover the old hole and to keep the deck from cracking around the plug. Once the epoxy had set off, the top and underside were sanded smooth in preparation for coating.

We chose to have a set of foot switches at the bow, and a smaller manual switch at both the lower and upper helm station. The foot switches can be used on the foredeck when raising and lowering the anchor and the helm switches can be used in foul weather or if the person on the bow is otherwise occupied. It also gives us a redundancy should one or the other switch fail. Positioning of the foot switch should be done with consideration for ease of access when raising and lowering the anchor and in keeping it just out of the way so that it will not be constantly stepped on and set off or damaged. Once the location was determined, we drilled a pair of holes in the deck to accommodate the up and down switch. Again, the deck was sealed with epoxy before the switches were installed. We do this any time we drill holes in the deck in order to keep water intrusion out of the core of the deck should a leak ever develop. With the holes drilled, the deck sealed, and comfortable everything was correct, the switches and covers were installed with a heavy dose of bedding compound. For the foredeck area where water will be a common occurrence, we like to use 3M 4200 for bedding. The switches are installed, bedded and allowed to dry, then the area is hosed down well with a water hose to be sure nothing is leaking.

The next decision is the placement of the reversing solenoid switch that allows the windlass to reverse directions to either raise or lower the anchor. From past experience I know that this solenoid is a common point of failure and that failure is usually caused by corrosion. So a protected, dry location is the best option. For this, under the v-berth in the forward cabin is the best spot, out of the way of items that might be stored in the same space. Once the solenoid is mounted, the switch at the helm and the circuit breaker between the solenoid and the battery connections need to be mounted. It is necessary to use a DC circuit that is sized correctly. The windlass manufacturer will generally supply the proper breaker. The helm switch is accessible to the helmsman and the circuit breaker, in our case was mounted below the helm and just inside the entrance door. This was done for convenience and ease of access should the breaker trip while the helmsman is at the upper station. The person working the foredeck need only to reach just inside the door, a few steps off the foredeck, to reset the breaker.

With the windlass and various switches mounted it was time to begin running the wiring. The windlass itself has two wires coming off the motor. Cables need to be run from the motor to the proper poles on the reversing solenoid. A word of caution is needed at this point. The correct wire size is critical for making any of these connections. A good explanation of this and the correct wire size to use can be found at http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/05.htm and should be determined well before beginning this stage of the installation. The proper connectors and crimping tools will be necessary to complete the install. All of our cable ends are done with eye connectors using ratchet crimpers or large commercial crimpers and putting heat shrink tubes over the connectors at the cables and wires. Be sure the eye connectors are the proper size for the studs they will be attached to. For smaller wire connections we use only heat shrink connectors. This makes a clean, professional installation and helps to eliminate corrosion at the crimp on the connector. All wiring and cables are also wrapped in plastic wire wrap and secured with wire ties. Once the cables are run from the windlass to the reversing solenoid, the cables are run from the reversing solenoid to the circuit breaker to the batteries. For a heavy load like a windlass this is the best option for connecting the electrical. Running the wires through any other switches or circuits will only cause additional voltage loss between the battery and the windlass motor. Once again the proper size wiring for the distance run and the amps the cable must carry needs to be carefully calculated for no less than a 3% voltage drop. In calculating the distance the "round trip" distance must be used. That is to say the distance from the windlass to the battery that the wire or cable must run, and then the return distance from the battery to the windlass. This can result in very large and expensive cables if the distance is long. Some installations might benefit from a separate battery system for the windlass mounted close to the bow. But of course this set up will mean a method of charging this battery or batteries will also be needed so all of these costs need to be factored in. Once the wiring from the windlass to the batteries is completed, it is time to wire in all of the switches. DO NOT CONNECT TO THE BATTERIES AT THIS POINT.

The foot switch is next to be connected, because the foot switch and helm switches only carry enough amperage to activate the reversing solenoid, heavy cables are not required. As a matter of fact the wiring for these switches can be rather small. But each case needs to be determined based on the installation. In our case we were able to use a 12 gauge wire for the helm switches and a 10 gauge wire for the foot switch. A common power wire is run to both foot switches and each switch will have an individual wire run to one side of the reversing solenoid to signal the windlass to either raise or lower. The foot switch will usually have an arrow that can be placed to indicate which direction it will cause the windlass to run. The helm switches will take both positive and negative input from the 12 volt system and then be connected to the reversing solenoid to activate the up or down function. The 12 volt source for this does not need to come directly from the batteries, although it can. The circuit breaker for the windlass, which needs to be sized appropriately for the windlass motor, will be in the positive cable between the reversing solenoid and the batteries. It will usually have an LED in the switch to indicate that the breaker is in the closed position. It is our practice to coat all wiring connection with waterproof grease AFTER the connections are made to eliminate corrosion.

Once all of the wiring connections have been made they should all be checked thoroughly. We give each wire a good yank to be sure the connection is sound. Don't be afraid to pull hard. If the connection comes apart, it was not done properly and needs to be redone now rather than when the equipment is in use. With the circuit breaker off it is now time to connect the cables to the batteries. Once they are tight and coated with grease, the circuit breaker is switched on. The foot switch and helm switches are tested to be sure that if you push up, the windlass does indeed raise the anchor. This is done with no chain or rode attached yet. If a switch is backwards, it is not a big deal, the appropriate wires just need to be reversed and the switch tested again. At the same time, check that none of the wires or cables feel warm or hot to the touch. This would mean the wire is too small. Once satisfied that all is as it should be, the anchor rode and chain are fed through the windlass using one of the up switches and allowed to drop into the anchor locker. Sizing the rode and chain to the windlass gypsy is critical to proper operation of the windlass. Either someone should be in the locker checking the rode to see that it falls as it should or the person feeding it needs to stop on occasion and check. Our choice is a combination of rode and chain so the gypsy on the windlass is set up for both. Another subject of great debate is the type of anchor to use. We did a great deal of research on the various types of anchors for the areas we plan to cruise and after decades of using our faithful CQR, we decided on one of the newer style anchors with the roll bars. We have received a great deal of real world feedback from other cruisers as opposed to manufacturers hype and we believe our choice will be a good one. We have sized the anchor for a 40 foot boat, even though ours is only 34 feet. But discussion of anchors is for another time. The installation went smoothly and with minimum difficulty. An owner of average ability should easily be able to accomplish this task in a weekend. We look forward to using our new toy as soon as the cruising begins.

Sliding Door Repair For Exterior Door

The repair of the side entrance door has finally come to the top of the to-do list. It has been something that has needed to be done since we bought the boat and every time we come and go it reminds us that we need to get it done. I can't take credit for the idea, it was suggested to me by another member of the Marine Trawler Owners Association. I had ask the members for a source to find the rollers on the bottom of the doors that had worn out some time ago. This made sliding the door difficult and it was noisy when it rattled around when opening and closing it, plus the latches to lock the door open and shut would not line up and was a pain to lock. Another MTOA member suggested that the track and rollers be replaced with UHMW plastic instead of trying to replace or rebuild the rollers. This type of plastic is very durable, easy to cut to shape and most importantly will slide very easily against itself with very little friction. We found the plastic here, and ordered it on line. The product was very inexpensive and arrived only a few days after we ordered it.

The original track is a brass strip screwed into the frame at the bottom of the door and there are two recess holes cut into the groove in the bottom of the door itself with brass rollers screwed in place. The brass strip was fine but the rollers were not .









 Once the door was removed I used some blue masking tape to mark the edges of the brass track to act as a guide for the new plastic strips which are not as rigid. Using the brass track as a pattern, the new plastic track was cut and fashioned on a table saw. Once it was cut to size the original brass track was taped on top of the plastic track and the holes were drilled into the plastic using the brass as a guide. With the holes drilled the two tracks are separated and the plastic track needs to have all of the screw holes countersunk so the screw heads won't hit and chip the new inserts in the bottom of the door. Once it is fashioned a dry fit will confirm that it works and fits the same as the original brass.
 

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Next the damaged rollers need to be removed from the slots in the bottom of the door. These slots were pretty much hand cut by the manufacturer so the depth of each slot is not the same. Two small blocks are cut from the plastic and each must be cut to size the slot it will go in. This is important since it determines if the door will ride level on the new track so careful measurements are important. Once the blocks are cut and placed in the slots, they should be secured so they don't move around or fall out. This also helps to make a final adjustment to the height and serves to keep everything level. For our purposes we chose to drill two screws from the inside of the bottom of the door, through the new blocks, to hold them in place. The placement of the screws put them low enough on the door so that they won't be seen once the door is installed since the frame around the inside of the door opening is high enough to cover the screws. If they had been exposed we would have countersunk them and inserted teak bungs to finish them.



With these two steps completed the actual fitting and re-installation was next. Using the blue masking tape we left down alongside the position of the old track, the new plastic was screwed in place. Once it was down we found the flexibility of the plastic compared to the brass required twice the number of screws to keep everything aligned. With the door in place and the new track screwed down we are delighted as to how well the door now slides and we really have to be careful not to push as hard or as fast as we did with the old worn set up. The entire process only took a few hours and works better than our expectations. Only time will tell how well and for how long the new system will hold up but we have faith it will last quite a while. This is not the only repair process for these sliding doors but it is one that is working well for us now and can be used to make repairs to interior or exterior doors.



The teak, as usual is still ongoing and this week we spent a good deal of time rebuilding and repairing the hatch at the exterior entrance to the aft cabin. we are confident that it will no longer leak and a couple of rain storms the last few days have given us hope that this project too is completed. But then there is all of the other projects on the list. Now a new one comes to the top.