New Owners of a Bowman 40

[Enzo]

Hi Blaa, is that 96 Bowman BLÅ from Tønsberg ?

I would not throw out the generator if i was you, i would keep it and mount some solarpanels and drop the windgenny.

[steve.garlick]

Hi Blaa,

PM me if you want to exchange info. I'm in Australia for a few more weeks, won't be on the boat till August.

[Blaa]

This is the 96 Bowman BLÅ from previously Tønsberg
i've been around the Atlantic before and been so happy with an air x. Solar panels make only sense in sunny areas and the diesel tank will only last me a five days overnight on the engine. Did you know the previous owner?

[steve.garlick]

Hi Blaa,

Yes, we know Eugene well, we had a very protracted sales agreement, and he is still care taking the boat for us in Turkey.

Blaa, do you have any pics of your boat? See mine at beginning of thread.

Steve

[NDH]

Hi Steve,

We are currently looking at a Bowman 40 as our next boat, any particular points to look at, anything a surveyor should focus on.

The ones we have seen so far albeit only on the web all seem to have differing engine makes and sizes so would welcome any comments.

[steve.garlick]

We found some small osmosis pits, mainly on the rudder and keelson. All the normal things to check, of course. Our thru hulls need checking, etc. If you PM me an email address, I'll send you the surveyor's report on Pavlov.

Which boat are you looking at. PM me for some price info as well.

Steve

[NDH]

Thanks Steve PM sent

[Enzo]

Originally Posted by Blaa

This is the 96 Bowman BLÅ from previously Tønsberg
i've been around the Atlantic before and been so happy with an air x. Solar panels make only sense in sunny areas and the diesel tank will only last me a five days overnight on the engine. Did you know the previous owner?

Hi
I have talked to the previous owner several times since i have been interested in buying Blå, i was and looked at the boat before he decided to sell and i bought another boat and 2 months later he decided to sell Blå and then it was to late for me

[whiteheat]

We bought a 1994 Bowman 40 this year and are preparing her for a voyage from Poole, on the South Coast of England, to the Med in April 2013. We have upgraded the electronics and fitted a wind generator. The next phase is an arch to accommodate a couple of solar panels, a bimini, and wind vane steering (considering a Hydrovane). We would appreciate any advice fellow cruisers may have on this. We would also appreciate advice on the optimum downwind sail plan. We currently have a mainsail, yankee and staysail, as well as a spinnaker, which is fine in winds under 18 knots or so, but quite a handful above that. As we only have one spinnaker pole, twin poled-out headsails are not a straightforward option.
We would also be interested to know what use other owners have made of the top-loading locker immediately aft of the cooker. Is it worth turning this into a freezer?
We have sailed her a little over 1000 miles so far and are thoroughly impressed. She's a lot more forgiving than our previous boat - a Contessa 28 - but still a joy to sail and easy on the eye!

[steve.garlick]

Hi Whiteheat,

We are currently in orhaniye, turkey having a new Bimini, dodger, cushions and some new stainless fitted to the boat. We're also having the bottom done here in December. There is a little osmosis to deal with.

We're finding dealing with Hasan Yuksel, the boat builder, a great experience and the prices must be the best in the Med.

I'd love to see photo's of your wind generator installation, as I'm considering the same myself. We already have a radio aerial mast, we could add another one for the wind generator and sling some solar panels between them. We already have a generator, but would like to use more renewable energy ( winds in the Med mean a lot of motoring and diesel is expensive)

We have twin poles, spinnaker which we don't use much, and an mult purpose genoa ( Hoods MPG) on a continuous furler which we are still experimenting with

Regards,

steve

[whiteheat]

Hi Steve
Good to hear from you. I'll take some photos of the wind generator over the next week or so and send them to you. It generally provides enough electricity to replenish the batteries from a weekend on board after a couple of days, but not sufficient to keep up with consumption when living aboard. I'm hoping to add 300w of solar panels to compensate for the shortfall and will double up the battery capacity to 4 x 110a AGMs.
I'll be in touch.
Regards
David

[steve.garlick]

HI David,

That would be great. We're currently in Orhaniye, Turkey and the stainless steel guy is currently fabricating a new bimini frame for me. There's a HR next to me with two rear masts with one cross bar. He has a DS400 and two solar panels mounted there. I'm thinking of going with that arrangement, but would really appreciate seeing other idea's.

Where can you fit 4 110aH batteries? We have only 3 which fill the space between the bilge and the port saloon lounge.

We also have a WhisperGen 3500, so we can get by with less storage (except for the high price of diesel here)

Where is your boat based?

Regards,

Steve

[whiteheat]

Hi Steve
We will replace the existing wet cell batteries under the aft saloon bench on the port side, in front of the galley with 2x110ah batteries & hope to fit 2 more in the locker opposite on the portside, in front of the table. It uses valuable space, but we reckon the need for electricity storage is most important. We plan to site 2 x 70w rigid solar panels on a stern gantry and a large flexible panel on top of the bimini. We already have a Rutland 914i wind generator. I hope that will give us enough, but if not, I would consider moving the liferaft from forward of the sprayhood to the pushpit, to add another panel.
Our boat is currently in Poole. We plan to sail down to Spain in April and to winter in the Med. after that, who knows!?
What use do you make of the top-loading locker aft of the cooker? It seems too small for a fridge or freezer and as its not ventillated, it's not much use for fruit and veg.
Regards
David

[steve.garlick]

We fit 3 110 batteries in the port aft saloon under-seat. You might be able to squeeze one more in.

We just store dry goods like rice and beans etc in that locker. Its a bit useless.

We've mounted our liferaft on the pushpit. Its getting very crowded down there, so we're currently thinking of adding solid lifelines between the pushpit and the last staunchion, so we could mount a BBQ there. After all, we are Australians!

I just got a quote for a D400 wind generator, about 1500 GBP with regulator.

Where are you over-wintering?

Steve

[whiteheat]

Originally Posted by steve.garlick

We fit 3 110 batteries in the port aft saloon under-seat. You might be able to squeeze one more in.

We just store dry goods like rice and beans etc in that locker. Its a bit useless.

We've mounted our liferaft on the pushpit. Its getting very crowded down there, so we're currently thinking of adding solid lifelines between the pushpit and the last staunchion, so we could mount a BBQ there. After all, we are Australians!

I just got a quote for a D400 wind generator, about 1500 GBP with regulator.

Where are you over-wintering?

Steve

We're laying her up in Ridge Wharf, a few miles upriver from Poole (the second biggest natural harbour in the world, after Sidney, though most of it's very shallow). It's going to be a long winter - 6 months out of the water, but it will give us the opportunity to get everything as well-sorted as possible before we leave. I took a good photo of a BBQ on the pushpit of a boat, right next to the petrol outboard. I'll look it out. Needless to say, I didn't hang around to watch them light it!