General Info: Astrea 42: Owners?

[MAE]

Hi Vp & the Fox,
Great idea the Weber, we have one at home here, where would you put it.. on the rail?Are you using it on the move?

Yes we did change the sexy plancha with the ceramic hotplate due to we were told Australian Gas regulations but sailing along with the lid closed not recommended , so we considered the Weber looks great good price.However we went with the Marine Sovereign, on wind design & lid height for fish & roasts.... just keep cleaning it lol and it started worst scenario second time every time on our recent 1500 NM to the Barrier Reef in winds above 35kts. Still have passenger safety concerns on it's position though.

[VP and the Fox]

Thanks Mae. Yes, Nod from MHS told us the same about he gas regulations. I was just going to put in the same place as where the plancha would go, and get the gas plumbed in as normal. Easy to take off and store, or replace (cheaply) if the need arose. I would think that 95% of the time we use it we will be at anchor or in a pen so maybe I need to find out more about its use in strong winds. The one I had at home was in windy place and I never had an issue with it but on a boat would introduce a whole new set of variables. I thought that Let's Dance (Lucia 40) originally installed one but on their latest video, they have what looks like a Sovereign. Hopefully someone else can add some further info though this isn't really the right thread to post it in. Fox

[VP and the Fox]

Funny what you find when you actually go and look for it ....

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...at-173684.html

[VP and the Fox]

Hi Mae. Now that I have read the thread above I've got to ask the question, why would you have an oven in the galley when you can just use the Weber on the back deck? The Weber Q (the bigger one than the Baby Q with the flip out sides) is about AUD $450. The oven that we have been quoted by MHS is about AUD $3000. I have cooked everything on my Weber - meat, veggies, pizza, bread and birthday cakes. Plus the bench space it would create by not having an oven would be considerable. Something to ponder while I wait until May 2020 rolls around ....

[Gordon]

Just my input from personal observation, the Weber with its aluminium fat collection tray underneath and exposed does not go well with any wind. Fat everywhere. We have found the Sovereign BBQ was able to cook our leg of lamb as we sailed around Sydney Harbour, to then anchor with the perfect roast ready, no problems coping with the wind.

[Luc bulterys]

For those owners interested, I just want to mention that I started a thread:
Customizing our FP Astréa 42
General Info Customizing our FP Astréa 42 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums
I think it could be of interest for potential liveaboards, and I would appreciate more opinions on our planned modifications ...

[BKC]

Paid the final bill and our Astrea will be ex-factory this coming week. The wait went relatively fast in the end.

Some crew will spend Xmas on a trans-Atlantic crossing on her.

[MAE]

Well done Brian such patience lol!

[Luc bulterys]

Hi Brian,
Must be an exciting time for you !
Can you recall what is the actual delay between the initial delivery date and the final one ?

[BKC]

Thanks Alan. I'm not renowned for my patience, so I'll take that@!
Luc - exactly 2 months delay assuming they haul this baby to the water this coming week. Will be hard to judge what that will mean further down the road though i.e. will it be cumulative or will they stay on track. Having enough labor in the factory is the issue.
Perhaps some of the protestors in Paris right now (Les Gilets Jaunes) might later apply their energies to boat building skill courses to help solve their cost of living problem.
FYI, our final net cost in US dollars was almost $40k cheaper than when we ordered due to Euro dropping V's USD. That pays for a LOT of the options we were debating. In fact, I believe the bowsprit package wasnt even in that original price, so it was also 'paid for'.
If there is any silver lining to the madness of Brexit, it's on our boat thanks to currency impacts.

[Luc bulterys]

Lucky you, Brian. We are living in Brazil, and our income is devaluating almost every month. Luckily our boat-budget is blocked in euro on the bank...

QUESTION: If you or anybody else who has his Astrea (or will visit the Paris boat show), could do me a favor and measure the maximum length and width available for solar between the rear navigation light and the main traveller, that would be great. Somebody said there is 42" width: If that is correct, I could have much more solar power there then I assumed. My preferred panels are 105cm wide (41,34"). Thanks in advance. Luc

[BKC]

Hi Luc.
I completely understand on the currency front. We have recently opened a business in Brazil so I'm aware of how tough you guys have it right now.

Will happily oblige with measurements if I make it to Paris next Sunday or on our own boat - waiting for confirmation from FP that the boat will be ready to check out in the early part of the week in La Rochelle. I do agree that there looks to be plenty of room for bigger/better solar panels back there - or allow a rear overhang with the right support? I've been looking at the latest panels for our home in New Hampshire and those extra panels and outputs would make a huge difference for a live aboard.
Anyone here got access to these measurements for Luc right now?

[sailingben]

Hi All,

Any of these lovely Astea 42s going to be in the Caribbean between 14th and 27th of April 2019? We are two married couples, with 3 very well behaved daughters in total (7, 8 and 9 years old), and we'd pay good/fair money to join you (and help where we can - two of us have sailed regularly before, and are considering buying an Astea ourselves). Please let me know if you'd like to discuss further..

Kind regards

Ben

[MAE]

Good point VP....what would you use that space for? buying off the plan so to speak with#2 I originally wanting the combined convection oven/ microwave.....always that question after delivery " What would I do differently now you can touch it?"
Gotta say it's exciting to see more folks take delivery and the nice stuff people say about the Astrea!

[GRcatlover]

QUESTION: If you or anybody else who has his Astrea (or will visit the Paris boat show), could do me a favor and measure the maximum length and width available for solar between the rear navigation light and the main traveller, that would be great. Somebody said there is 42" width: If that is correct, I could have much more solar power there then I assumed. My preferred panels are 105cm wide (41,34"). Thanks in advance. Luc[/QUOTE]


Hi Luc.
The measurements from the traveller to the back edge of the cabin top is 42" (106cm) and the width from edge to edge is 168"(426cm). The steaming light protrudes into that space by only a few inches. See the attached photo for reference. Cheers! Greig