General Info: We Are In La Rochelle

[StarryHorizons]

It's hard to believe but my wife and I are finally in La Rochelle to prepare for the launch of our new Helia. She's scheduled to be transported from the factory on the 29th with final handover on Nov 6th. We can't wait!

We've met with Pierre at Uchimata who will handle the install of some additional equipment for us and dropped off some of the boat gear that we brought. Now we're going to go travel for a while.

Anyone else picking up their FP at the moment or have one under construction?. We'd love to meet up with anyone who is here and are also working on organizing a factory tour so we may be able to snap a few pics if your boat is currently being built.

David

[captainjay]

Congrats on the new boat. The guys at Uchimata do a good job.
Jay

[Helia 44]

Yes,
Congratulations on your new Baby. I studied long and hard to pick my Helia. It is a lot of boat for the money, and they sail even better than they look.... Just trying to help: While you are still there, here are some things that maybe F.P. could attend to for you..

As a crazy marine engineering sort the only fault I really have is for the Tropical regions: F.P. should offer a "Tropicalized package" of upper vents to match the lower vents for fridge freezer units, with natural convection the heat going out the top vents will pull cooler air in the bottom and make the unit operate more efficiently in the tropics.. AND there are no hatches you can leave open, without risk of rain damage if you are not there, so this is what I have designed to suit Tropical climes: Up under the front eyebrow over the two opening hatches either side of the mast, you really could use a matching Lewmar hatch about 200 high and 400 wide, one each side.. I forget the exact measurements but they match the width and style of existing.. I ordered them to match colour and width with screen than can stay open even in hard rain if you are not there... (Covered by the Helia eyebrow in the front).. Then: A third one over the galley, cut into the fixed Lexan window panel up very high on the right hand side of the sink on that fixed window, same matching, and the whole bridge deck main salon will have good ventilation even when closed up. This will save the main power drain of the refrigeration.. as closed up it gets about 5-8 degrees warmer in there if you are not there. I have order all three, matching style and size to the existing, in black framed Lewmar. (special order). F.P. might be able to help you with this while you are still there??

I am adding some finishing touches to mine as we speak. Spectra "Cape Horn Extreme" DC water maker. That and I shifted my Kobra2 and 30 metres of chain/ 100 M 18mm nylon over to a secondary. I loaded my primary today, 80 Metres of chain on my 33 kg Rocna, a big job. In three Clubs, since I am not familiar with the high windage of a Cat, about a dozen experienced Charter Skippers and some that had the done the Whitsunday dozens of times over 20 years, convinced me that 60 meters was coastal cruising length, and they suggested 100 meters of chain for the Pacific. It tipped me to a middle ground of 80 meters on my main hook. 11 major monohulls, but I sought their counsel on my first biiig Cat the Helia.. Loaded and rigged just today..

I have been playing with the latest technology in solar. I have not come to a decisive plan yet, but stay tuned,, heh he. For instance right now I have added some five way fold out portable panels, 120 watts each, in addition to the 4 - 80 watt panels installed by FP. Right now on my Dodge Ram, the back as a white fibreglass Leer canopy, and I am playing with a 240 watt flexible thin panel sika-flexed down on the white fibreglass. It is applicable to our needs, in that has a waffle core, about the same heat sink as the decks of the Helia on foam core. I am feeding a set of Lithiums in the bed on a bed slide out of the Dodge Cummins Diesel Ram, running a South African stainless fridge-freezer. First check at about 10:30 on Friday I tested the output for the first time, at 10 amps. That was not at peak time of the day, nor peak time of the season, so I estimate about 12 amps. Next I will play with the ability to walk on the flexible panel, and think about deck space..? Maybe... I push the applicable science as a hobby.. Anyway, extra solar is an advantage in my experience..

Anyway, you have a GREAT BOAT there!! Let me know if I can help, I explore possibilities a little more than most. For instance: There are some hidden access points I can help with, and some fairly large dead space areas. I have explored with a fibre-optic unit, and I have some interesting routing ideas..

On rigging, I have designed a way to get another internal halyard for an aso or spinnaker, without cutting a new slot. That and a few other interesting mods I have been playing with. Let me know if I can help in any way. I have done a bit of study and playing with it all. FYI Mine has full Garmin Nav and Radar, two Garmin stations up and down, full instruments interfaced. I replaced the fridge in the galley with a freezer, the Isotherm full freezer is EXACTLY the same size, just get the door swing right...

Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS THERE.. You have the pick of the litter. I am happy to help if you want a sounding board.. Kind regards, Helia 44

[monte]

Enjoy La Rochelle and surrounds. A trip to chenonceau chateau is worthwhile for sure. Say g'day to Pierre and Thierry at AD from us. Enjoy the shopping spree!

[Helia 44]

I forgot to add the one major thing in my above post I thought you should have... Woke up at 3 am and thought Oh **** that was why I started the Post.. heh he.. Having stumbled on your Blog about this greatest Life adventure under the stars, this was the KEY F.P. omission that is easily attended to:

From an Engineering standpoint one of the key omissions from experience, is that in my Helia there were no engine temperature gauges.. Now this may seem trivial, as there is a (quiet) alarm buzzer for overheating, but I can assure you this is of tantamount importance!!!!

Brine shrimp, kelp, a plastic bag, clogging up your engine heat exchange water inlet filter and with the wind howling, you are in trouble... IMO by the time your engine high temp alarm has gone off you could be in deep $hit... Really! In Australia those Volvo engines (never mind what brand) are aroung $20-25,000, and the grief of tearing it out.. Even a blown head gasket is un-needed pain.. Been there, done that... What you want is a temperature gauge that will show you the gradual temperature increase BEFORE THE PROBLEM OCCURS, so with the problem so you know to shut down and attend to it BEFORE there is engine damage..

Now, assuming you also have Volvos, here is the easy fix. The F.P. engine controls have a digital hour meter, WHO BLOODY CARES, the engine hour meter could be somewhere else, what a waste of the digital display, should be engine water temperature.. Anyway, the fix? Volvo has a proper analogue engine temperature gauge, that uses the original wiring harness. It is basically plug and play... Now, I ordered mine straight from Volvo, no problem, just ask for the extra wiring harness with the kit and you plug into the existing engine controls right in the helm... It is cheap, I mean from memory about $250, and it lights up, red needle, analogue read out, near PERFECT...

Mine was done by myself, some months ago. Get the hole cut out size from Volvo, from memory it was 52mm. The hardest part is getting the right hole saw and arbour. Now, also get a big grind out bit to widen the hole a little if you cut too small, further have the gauge in hand to measure before you get the hole saw. When in, the wiring kit extension (You have to order with the gauges) is easy. Once the gauge is in place (two of) at the helm by your engine controls, you simply plug in a three pin plug and wiring harness from the engine controls to the temperature gauge...

MAJOR INSURANCE ! The reason to attend to this now, is F.P. would no doubt have the proper hole saw and arbour. This is an Easy Peasy major upgrade once you have the hole cut in the right place... Then you just have to educate whomever is on the helm, to have a look at the temperature gauges every half hour or so as a matter of course...

Now, Volvo claims I am right, and subsequent engine controls were going to have the temperature gauge built in... If yours has this, then great, but this is a wake up call for any that buy second hand Helias of the first two years 2013 and 2014!! Trust me, nice bit to have and very comforting.

Kind regards from a fellow Helia Owner... You have made probably the best choice in value for money of all yachts out there !! CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN...

Hope I have been a help, Helia 44 in Oz...

[phiga]

HI from La Rochelle from a French guy who can speak english
I saw your boat #80 yesterday while cycling along the "bassin des chalutiers".
No name yet?
All the best with her.
Philippe

[StarryHorizons]

Thanks everyone! I'll be sure to pass along your hellos.

As we perhaps should have expected, there was some miscommunication with our dealer about when our boat would actually go in the water so right now we're still waiting. We have hull # 77 and when we do take possession (hopefully November 7th after she goes in the water Oct 29th) we will christen her "Starry Horizons". In the meantime, we've decided to travel up to Paris and Amsterdam so life is not too terrible!

As for additional work done by FP on the boat... I have begged, pleaded, and cajoled during this build process to get some custom things done for our boat and my success rate has been quite small. At this point, if we want anything custom done to the boat, we're just going to do it ourselves. I appreciate the suggestions though, we'll likely add some of those to our list of things to do!


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[Helia 44]

No worries, if you want to compare notes on how to do some of the bits and pieces, please feel free to contact me..

I have followed your Blog on dreams and plans, since I first started to search the internet on the Helia.. Nice to see us both finally get there.

Any notes you want to compare, sounding board on me, feel free.. I have some cute little accoutrements, for example like the bright blue LED courtesy lights around the cockpit and steps in the hulls. On the next haulout I have a list as well like some serious floods for viewing at night when anchored in deep water over a reef... Things like that.. Anyway if you want to compare notes on necessities like the Volvo Engine Temperature gauges, feel free. Otherwise, happy days and God Bless..

Helia 44

[Cotemar]

[QUOTE=Helia 44 if you want to compare notes on necessities like the Volvo Engine Temperature gauges
Helia 44[/QUOTE]

Here some more info on upgrading the VP instruments

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f136/instruments-38768-7.html#post1018693

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f136/instruments-38768-7.html#post1027205

[Jeffrey Oc]

Congratulations again on the new boat, hope the pick up goes well.
In regards to extras Helia 44 I think FP now have the two vents on the Island freezer and ours has worked well albeit only mid 30 thirties in the Med !!

[StarryHorizons]

After doing some traveling, we are back in La Rochelle and went to do a factory tour today. Great to finally see our boat and how they're made. I can confirm that there are now two vents standard for the salon fridge, as well as a change from mechanical linear drive steering to a hydraulic system. I believe this change was made around hull #77.

I've got a couple pics of the vents/hydraulic system that I'll attach in this post, and will do another for a few pics of our tour. I took a fair amount of video and am going to try and edit a video as well.

Boat goes on the truck tomorrow, so lots of video of that will be coming as well!

[phiga]

Hi,
I saw you today afternoon inspecting your toy! I did not want to interrupt...
Exciting days to come!

Philippe

[StarryHorizons]

Originally Posted by phiga

Hi,

I saw you today afternoon inspecting your toy! I did not want to interrupt...

Exciting days to come!



Philippe

Philippe, you definitely should have stopped by to say hello! Over the next few days, we will be around the boat as much as we can without annoying the FP workers, so if you see us again don't be shy.

David


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[phiga]

I will, with pleasure!

[CatBrazil]

Our Helia 44 will be ready by February next year. I will be visiting La Rochelle, the factory and the shops around after November 27th, and paying my visit to Starry Horizons.

Helia 44, can you send your lists of modifications? I still have time to introduce some of them...