Bestevaer 49ST

[Seaworthy Lass]

A year down the track, I thought I would report on how the pilothouse is functioning. This is the heart of the boat. It works successfully both as the navigation area (despite not having a traditional dedicated nav table) and as our primary living space. It is where we eat all our meals. My rope work is also done on my lap here. The dining table tends to only be used when my sewing machine is out, or when we have guests for dinner. It is is real treat being able to watch bad weather rolling through when at anchor, and see the scenery and wildlife, rather than being confined down below.

I have attached a photo of the pilothouse taken a couple of days ago. It looks deceptively calm until you note that the coiled lines are swinging. The second photo does a better job of painting reality.

When I am on watch, I generally sit on the downwind side with my legs stretched out and an iPad on my lap displaying charts, and a phone on hand relaying AIS. A remote control for the autopilot is around my neck. Sitting, I have a clear view over the deck to the horizon. Far better than ever envisaged. Standing, there are 360° views.

The long instrument panel is on the starboard side, and in addition a couple of other iPads on RAM mounts relay B&G Zeus data or display Navionics maps for convenient viewing. Eventually we will have a screen displaying Open CPN also attached via a RAM mount to the bar at the foot of the settee. We are slowing putting systems in place as we live with the boat.

On the port side of the pilothouse, the cavity that runs the length of the 2m long settee allows very easy to reach storage for items such as binoculars, hand bearing compass, camera, log book, cruising guides, Kindle, stationary & pens, specs, sunglasses, sunscreen, hats, RAM mounts, charging cords, torches, knife, remote for the anchor windlass, etc, plus it gives a safe spot to put down drinks and snacks. Eight 5.5 litre Lock & Lock boxes provide compartments for all this gear with one lined with non-skid kept empty for any food and drink. Having fingertip access to these frequently used items has been excellent.

Staying mainly warm and dry on passages is a luxury I had not experienced on previous boats, and I love it. I must be getting soft .

Due to a defective Jefa autopilot drive that failed just five weeks after leaving KM, we needed to be out in the cockpit hand steering for four months last year, including during one North Atlantic ocean passage. The drive unit was frustratingly not covered under Jefa’s warranty and no discount was offered by Jefa for the replacement unit. Jefa’s warranty is not worth the paper it is written on, and putting it mildly, their customer support service is absolutely pathetic, but that’s another story.

In short, after being stuck in the cockpit in all conditions hanging onto the tiller for hours on end last autumn in Scotland, I am particularly appreciating the pilothouse at the moment .

SWL

[Pelagic]

Thanks for the review....you sound delighted!
Such a secure layout.
Its nice after the first year to be able to say to yourself....
..."not much I'd change!" [emoji106]

[Dockhead]

More photos? Very interesting.

[packeteer]

looks good guys. enjoy

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

More photos? Very interesting.

More photos coming up . After a year of living on board, on the surface the interior has changed little from how it looked when professional photos were taken before delivery. It has taken a full year though for the boat to be reasonably set up otherwise. It is still work in progress.

One thing we have tried to ensure is that the boat is permanently organised so we can haul up anchor at any time and set sail with very little notice. The galley and workshop are generally the only areas that need some minor attention. All I usually need to do is move two bowls of fruit onto the guest bed area (or for overnight passages into the vegetable basket) and dump any flowers into the second sink, then lay a few strips of non skid down on the galley benches. For longer passages, the guest bed under the port side of the pilothouse also needs to be made up as a sea berth.

Importantly, avoiding loose objects anywhere also means nothing crashes around when anchorages get a little bouncy. Plus, as an added bonus, I get to enjoy an uncluttered living space .

I snapped a photo of our galley during our last overnight passage (spot the roses peeking out of the sink). It may look bare, but it functions super smoothly.

Baked treats and two insulated spill proof mugs are kept in the deep cavity that runs along the starboard bench. Apple oat muffins were made for this trip. Permanent supplies of nibbles (chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, cookies and crackers) are in the row of glass jars under the oven. Peanut butter, vegemite, jam and nutella are easy to reach in one of the drawers. I generally boil up a dozen eggs beforehand, and these together with slabs of cheese and fresh fruit mean we never go hungry between meals.

Two thermoses are retained in a wooden board with holes drilled in it that slots over the junction between the sinks. This also makes pouring boiling water into them safer, as they don’t need to be held. A smaller wide mouth thermos is used for keeping soup warm or making porridge. A glass permanently sits securely in a deep groove in the wooden board so that we can easily reach for water to stay hydrated without digging into any drawers. A kettle and electric kettle are kept ready for use on the gimballed stove. Coffee, tea, cup-a-soup and cocoa are in one of the top drawers.

The extent I cook depends on conditions. When seas are calm I often even bake bread, as nothing beats the fragrance and taste of a loaf fresh out of the oven. When conditions are rough, I wedge myself in and can manage reasonably well, but I am conscious the risk of injury goes up handling dangerously hot dishes in this situation, so depending on the length of the voyage, I tend to minimise use of the stove apart from reheating pre prepared food or popping some tortillas topped with baked beans and grated cheese into the oven. Even pouring boiling water carries risk at times, this passage included.

The second photo shows the galley back to “anchor mode”. The conversion back is also quick.

Regarding equipment, the GN Espace stove has been excellent. The oven heats fairly evenly (slightly hotter at the back). There is no sign of surface rust. At this time of year our solar panels easily run the electric kettle and an induction hotplate. In winter the top of the Refleks heater has been used for cooking. Although the oven has been used almost nightly, gas consumption has been very low with a 10 kg bottle lasting 8 months. Our three bottles should give us close to two year supply of gas.

By the way, a generator has not been missed in the slightest .

SWL

[Juho]

Thanks for the update. Since you went up north, I can understand that you see a dry and warm pilothouse as a luxury item.

[Eleuthera 2014]

You have a lovely vessel; all the planning and attention to details made it so. Well done to both of you. I wish I had the moolah to have one built for me... I’ll just be green with envy. Our Amel Super Maramu will have to do... :-)

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

More photos coming up . After a year of living on board, on the surface the interior has changed little from how it looked when professional photos were taken before delivery. It has taken a full year though for the boat to be reasonably set up otherwise. It is still work in progress.

One thing we have tried to ensure is that the boat is permanently organised so we can haul up anchor at any time and set sail with very little notice. The galley and workshop are generally the only areas that need some minor attention. All I usually need to do is move two bowls of fruit onto the guest bed area (or for overnight passages into the vegetable basket) and dump any flowers into the second sink, then lay a few strips of non skid down on the galley benches. For longer passages, the guest bed under the port side of the pilothouse also needs to be made up as a sea berth.

Importantly, avoiding loose objects anywhere also means nothing crashes around when anchorages get a little bouncy. Plus, as an added bonus, I get to enjoy an uncluttered living space .

I snapped a photo of our galley during our last overnight passage (spot the roses peeking out of the sink). It may look bare, but it functions super smoothly.

Baked treats and two insulated spill proof mugs are kept in the deep cavity that runs along the starboard bench. Apple oat muffins were made for this trip. Permanent supplies of nibbles (chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, cookies and crackers) are in the row of glass jars under the oven. Peanut butter, vegemite, jam and nutella are easy to reach in one of the drawers. I generally boil up a dozen eggs beforehand, and these together with slabs of cheese and fresh fruit mean we never go hungry between meals.

Two thermoses are retained in a wooden board with holes drilled in it that slots over the junction between the sinks. This also makes pouring boiling water into them safer, as they don’t need to be held. A smaller wide mouth thermos is used for keeping soup warm or making porridge. A glass permanently sits securely in a deep groove in the wooden board so that we can easily reach for water to stay hydrated without digging into any drawers. A kettle and electric kettle are kept ready for use on the gimballed stove. Coffee, tea, cup-a-soup and cocoa are in one of the top drawers.

The extent I cook depends on conditions. When seas are calm I often even bake bread, as nothing beats the fragrance and taste of a loaf fresh out of the oven. When conditions are rough, I wedge myself in and can manage reasonably well, but I am conscious the risk of injury goes up handling dangerously hot dishes in this situation, so depending on the length of the voyage, I tend to minimise use of the stove apart from reheating pre prepared food or popping some tortillas topped with baked beans and grated cheese into the oven. Even pouring boiling water carries risk at times, this passage included.

The second photo shows the galley back to “anchor mode”. The conversion back is also quick.

Regarding equipment, the GN Espace stove has been excellent. The oven heats fairly evenly (slightly hotter at the back). There is no sign of surface rust. At this time of year our solar panels easily run the electric kettle and an induction hotplate. In winter the top of the Refleks heater has been used for cooking. Although the oven has been used almost nightly, gas consumption has been very low with a 10 kg bottle lasting 8 months. Our three bottles should give us close to two year supply of gas.

By the way, a generator has not been missed in the slightest .

SWL

Lovely!


How about more of the pilothouse?

[Alden]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Jefa’s warranty is not worth the paper it is written on, and putting it mildly, their customer support service is absolutely pathetic, but that’s another story.
SWL

This is quite disturbing. I have been talking with Jildou about Zenith and other Bestevaers, discussing options and manufacturing techniques. We haven’t yet discussed warranty issues but it looks like we should!

It seems inconceivable that this fault would not be covered by consumer law, as it would be in Australia. Suppliers cannot avoid these obligations. Is it really the case that Dutch and Danish law allows a supplier off the hook like this?

[olaf hart]

Originally Posted by Alden

This is quite disturbing. I have been talking with Jildou about Zenith and other Bestevaers, discussing options and manufacturing techniques. We haven’t yet discussed warranty issues but it looks like we should!

It seems inconceivable that this fault would not be covered by consumer law, as it would be in Australia. Suppliers cannot avoid these obligations. Is it really the case that Dutch and Danish law allows a supplier off the hook like this?

Thanks for that, they have been taken off the options list for the Valiant...

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Alden

This is quite disturbing. I have been talking with Jildou about Zenith and other Bestevaers, discussing options and manufacturing techniques. We haven’t yet discussed warranty issues but it looks like we should!

It seems inconceivable that this fault would not be covered by consumer law, as it would be in Australia. Suppliers cannot avoid these obligations. Is it really the case that Dutch and Danish law allows a supplier off the hook like this?

Hi Alden
KM were excellent when dealing with warranty issues, one hallmark of a good company. There were no problems with any of their other suppliers.

When we had no joy dealing with Jefa, KM eventually paid for the repair of the Jefa unit, which we thought was unfair, but under the circumstances we certainly were not prepared to do so ourselves. Jefa returned the old unit in April, eight months after receiving it.

SWL

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Alden

It seems inconceivable that this fault would not be covered by consumer law, as it would be in Australia. Suppliers cannot avoid these obligations. Is it really the case that Dutch and Danish law allows a supplier off the hook like this?

It is covered, not just by country but by the EU. However, you are faced with arguing the case in a foreign country in a language you don't speak.

https://europa.eu/youreurope/busines...s/index_en.htm

None the less very disappointing. They make the Garmin ones don't they?

Pete

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Hi Alden
KM were excellent when dealing with warranty issues, one hallmark of a good company. There were no problems with any of their other suppliers.

When we had no joy dealing with Jefa, KM eventually paid for the repair of the Jefa unit, which we thought was unfair, but under the circumstances we certainly were not prepared to do so ourselves. Jefa returned the old unit in April, eight months after receiving it.

SWL

When I visited the yard a few years ago, and saw your boat being built, the KM guy went on and on about how great the Jefa pilots are.


Your experience certainly gives pause.


You might want to carry a spare. I have on board a complete spare pump, bypass valve, computer, set of hoses, and a set of seals for the ram, and I've rebuilt the pilot with my own hands so that I am prepared to do it in a remote place if necessary.


I guess the advantage with the Jefa system is that it's just one piece of equipment, so maybe easier to have that spare?


I think on my next boat I will do the classical remote places solution and have two independent pilots both permanently rigged, and one of them with an independent non-networked control. Perhaps take the ram of one of them off the quadrant to avoid the drag and wear on the ram.

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Hi Alden
KM were excellent when dealing with warranty issues, one hallmark of a good company. There were no problems with any of their other suppliers.

When we had no joy dealing with Jefa, KM eventually paid for the repair of the Jefa unit, which we thought was unfair, but under the circumstances we certainly were not prepared to do so ourselves. Jefa returned the old unit in April, eight months after receiving it.

SWL

Just curious about the drive failure - Did the drive develop a "hard spot" where it would work fine until it turned the rudder to that spots position, and then it would fail? I have two friends that had failed Jefa DD with this problem... one on a Rival 38 the other a Lagoon 38 and neither got support from Jefa.

I do love your pilothouse layout. It's not trying to be a palatial saloon like most PH boats... it is just a comfy place to view all that is going on around the boat. It looks Dijkstra got the seating height right too. I messed this up on ours thinking I needed more head room for taller guest (never happens). Now I can only see the horizon if in the nav seat or if I actually sit bolt upright... I just need two more inches

Matt

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

When I visited the yard a few years ago, and saw your boat being built, the KM guy went on and on about how great the Jefa pilots are.

Your experience certainly gives pause.

Jefa units are well made. They are mostly machined from solid aluminium and have beefy motors. The drive we selected is larger than standard. It is suitable for boats up to 70’ and it weighs 29 kg. It has heaps of powers and performs exceptionally well.

Unfortunately our unit had a simple manufacturing defect, where one of the large wires feeding the brushes was not routed correctly and was trapped under the top cover, preventing the cover sealing well. This caused the unit to fail within a few weeks of leaving KM.

I think the problem is that Jefa just cannot accept the fact that they could possibly make a manufacturing error. They were initially quite helpful in diagnosing what started out as an intermittent problem, but once it became obvious that the unit had a manufacturing fault, they became very difficult to deal with.

Originally Posted by Dockhead

You might want to carry a spare. I have on board a complete spare pump, bypass valve, computer, set of hoses, and a set of seals for the ram, and I've rebuilt the pilot with my own hands so that I am prepared to do it in a remote place if necessary.

I guess the advantage with the Jefa system is that it's just one piece of equipment, so maybe easier to have that spare?

I think on my next boat I will do the classical remote places solution and have two independent pilots both permanently rigged, and one of them with an independent non-networked control. Perhaps take the ram of one of them off the quadrant to avoid the drag and wear on the ram.

We had the lazarette designed to mount two Jefa units (they are a shape unlike others so it would be necessary to modify the space for another brand). Only one unit was specified for the build, as we thought we would see how it perfomed before installing the second.

The repaired drive will serve as a back up, although it is hard to know how reliable it will be after the initial damage. We have just purchased a second course computer and rudder sensor, so we now have a second completely independent system on board.

SWL