Outfitting My Cheoy Lee 25 for Passage to Tahiti

[BlueWaterSail]

Originally Posted by sandy daugherty

Make a couple warmup trips around the Islands without touching land. If you are going to sleep in transit do so well clear of shipping lanes. A bigger boat could support a radar with a proximity alarm. There may be some kind of detector to alert you otherwise.

That's exactly what I will do as soon as Splendor's rigging checks and deck maintenance are completed.

I would like to install a radar (+alarm), on the passage I will need to keep going and require some form of sentinel in duty when I take naps.

Thanks,
BWS

[BlueWaterSail]

Originally Posted by JohnWms

You'll be safest if you study the way the "old guys" did it 30 to 50 years ago. Be able to carry on without electricity. Be able to carry on without an engine. Buy big bags of rice and beans and generate very little trash.

This means sailing all the time with windvane steering. Plan on using oil lamps. The Pardey's use oil navigation lamps but you might want to think twice about that. Plan on simple meals. Plan on catching rain. Plan on using a sextant, if the GPS works, great. Don't plan on having a radio, if it works, great. Plan on reading a lot.

Try to imagine how you could happily and (somewhat) comfortably carry on if lots of things have broken and everything in the boat is soaking wet. Just don't have much stuff that can break.

With a really small boat it's hard to guarantee that any sort of modern or luxury items are going to be reliable. Get comfort from safety and self-reliance on very simple processes.

Very well said, thanks for the reminder on the essentials.

The crucial component in my electrical system will no doubt be the wind generator. If that goes out, my 12V stuff will not last very long.

portable battery powered GPS will survive through that. I'm thniking of applying the same idea to the nav lights, the LED ones draw surprisingly little power for the brightness they generate. The VHF would be supplemented by a set of signal flags anyway.

Thanks,
BWS

[Tim88]

BWS,

Have a look at the AIS reciever, far less power than radar. I doubt that you would have enough power to have radar doing its sweep every now and then.

Invest in a few good clip on kitchen timers, I normally do 20 min off (Max) when out of any trouble areas, and 10 min off when in busyier areas. You would be amazed how much rest you can achieve with this sleep period, I'll admit its not easy to start off with but once in the routine you will find it ok.

If solo sailing make up a few golden rules, you will need them. I had 10 rules which I always followed, including have a good look around every time the kitchen timer went off.

Another favourite of mine is to use a bean bag for sleeping, I had it located at the bottom of the companion way. From there I could get on deck easily as I remained hooked on (safety harness) at all times, no good getting up in the middle of the night and running on deck half asleep without a harness on. The bean bag moulds to any shape so no matter what tack you can wedge yourself in, but the main thing is that if you jump into your pilot berth you sleep too well, its too damn comfortable.

Hope this helps.

Tim

[BlueWaterSail]

Originally Posted by Amgine

I don't have oil navigation lights, but the rules only require nav lights be visible for 1 mile for a boat my size. A single LED is visible at that distance, so any of the oil nav lights I've seen would clearly and easily beat that requirement. A marina mate has oil nav lamps, and I've seen him come in at night, and I couldn't see a difference between his lights and other boats until he got in close.

The bow nsv lights on Splendor are pretty pathetic and I'm going to change them for LED's. As a backup some kind of battery powered LED would be my preference.

I have one of those high-intensity 3xLED lamps on my bike and that little sucker is amazing. Could be seen for miles on the open ocean, I'm quite sure. I use it for one hour 6 times a week, and changed the battteries only once since I got it a year ago. So about 150+ hours continuous use on 2 AA's. Remarkable.

I also need a solution for the spreader mounted decklights. They're halogen units at the moment, which means lots of drain on the battery.

BWS

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by BlueWaterSail

..........

I also need a solution for the spreader mounted decklights. They're halogen units at the moment, which means lots of drain on the battery.

BWS

BWS,
I am enjoying reading this thread as small boat single handling is of great interest to me - thanks.

As to spreader lights, although I had them, I rarely used them once I was in-tune with the boat. When I really did need light, I found the LED headlamp to be more useful. Even then, it was only on for a few minutes during a night.

[BlueWaterSail]

Originally Posted by Tim88

BWS,
Have a look at the AIS reciever, far less power than radar. I doubt that you would have enough power to have radar doing its sweep every now and then.
...
Another favourite of mine is to use a bean bag for sleeping, I had it located at the bottom of the companion way. From there I could get on deck easily as I remained hooked on (safety harness) at all times, no good getting up in the middle of the night and running on deck half asleep without a harness on. The bean bag moulds to any shape so no matter what tack you can wedge yourself in, but the main thing is that if you jump into your pilot berth you sleep too well, its too damn comfortable.

Hope this helps.

Tim

Yes it does - thank you.

At under $200 for an AIS receiver from what I can see, it represents cheap insurance.

I'm going to have to do some more research on what Nav system. PC-based sounds the most versatile (Nav, mail, maybe a DVD), and I love the stable Mac platform, but with everything intergrated this way, I almost feel too vulnerable.

Maybe a dual power, portable GPS unit can provide the same Nav benefits, with the advantage of optional battery operation.

I'm going to try your bean bag idea when I go around the island.

BWS

[BlueWaterSail]

Originally Posted by Wotname

BWS,
As to spreader lights, although I had them, I rarely used them once I was in-tune with the boat. When I really did need light, I found the LED headlamp to be more useful. Even then, it was only on for a few minutes during a night.

Problem solved - thank you.

BWS

[Ex-Calif]

We have a single burner Iwatani on our boat. It is very compact but it would not be good for cooking underway, especially on a small boat as it doesn't gimbal and the pots sit right on top rather than "nested" in a shroud. It works great at anchor and flat seas and has plenty of heat at 10,000 btus. I would say that it is not holding up well as it is only a year old and is showing pretty good signs of rusting. It was about a $50 solution however.

Portable Butane Stoves From Iwatani

I saw this type of stove on a thread around here recently. I googled and found it online. It looks like the hot (pun intended) ticket for a small boat and looks like it could be mounted on any vertical surface.

Seacook Stoves

I am also looking for LED spreader lights and would love a hot tip...

[Amgine]

I used to have a Seaswing, and currently have a Seacook in addition to the alcohol 2-burner hob.

The Seacook has the great benefit of being able to quickly and easily be removed from its fitting and thrown into the quarterberth, so I mounted it in the passageway just forward of the companionway, near where I can wedge myself into place on either tack. I haven't actually had the opportunity to use it in rough weather since the install, so I can't report on how well it works.

The Seaswing was a nearly identical design, just far over-engineered and it allowed almost any pressure camp stove to be fitted. Mine was a fabulous kerosene primus in brass which I sincerely miss (though it did blacken the overhead.) The bulkhead fitting was humungous and attached out of the way, so the only place to cook on that boat was sitting on the companionway steps, which wasn't a good option on port tack.

[haulback]

Looking at the lists of necassary eguipment here I think you may have to end up by either filling the boat with stuff and sending her off alone (because there will be no room for you) or throwing you hands up in despair.

My first 6000 miles offshore trip was in a boat about the same size. I did not know if would like ocean sailing , so did not want to get too carried away, so went the simple route. It worked just fine!!

All you REALLY need is reliable self steering, (try picking up a used Navik, or maybe a Fleming 401)a couple handheld GPS's to give you a position a couple times a day, charts for where you are going (try Bellingham Charts for photocopies) some food and water. Everything else is optional......

On a 'simple' boat your masthead tri-colour will be the biggest power hog, so change it out the regular bulb for an LED. Then, instead of adding more batteries and solar/wind generator/bigger alternator (all $$$$) Just don't use electricity onboard. No problem.....

If the idea is to go sailing.....don't wait 'til you can get all the goodies in the Marine Catalogs...... 30 + 25 gallons of water is waaaay lots for that trip - as long as you don't want to be silly and wash with the stuff.

W-fax will be of little use apart from entertainment for a trip from Hawaii to Tahiti.

[Liberty28]

Hey Haulback...

Wonderful words of wisdom!!! It seems like the majority of the discussions in these forums is about fixing stuff you don't need, providing sufficient power to things you don't need, and generating power for the batteries to drive the things you don't need. I like your style!

Cheers!
Steve

[roverhi]

Get a selfsteering vane, NOW. It's the most valuable piece of equipment you will ever have on your boat. They don't require any electricity, are relatively easy to fix if anything should go wrong which probably is a non starter since good ones are so reliable, and they free you from the dreaded TT (tiller tyranny). The Aries on our boat steered 95%+ of the more than 10,000 miles we cruised. The Aries would be too heavy for your boat but there are a lot of others out there, the Monitor is among the lightest. Since they are the most numerous, often available on Ebay or Craig's List. I've got one I'm thinking of selling. There is a lightweight Vane designed for small boats but I can't remember the name. Think it's made if France.

An Awning is the next thing after the self steering. It keeps the sun off you and the decks. Your boat will remain livable even in the super hot Tahiti Summer. Without an awning, the cabin will be unbearable from 1000 to 1800 and you'll fry on deck. It also makes it possible to catch water from passing showers, a really important plus.

I'd get as big a solar panel as you can fit. Your electrical needs will probably be minimal so a single solar panel could handle all your charging needs. Most anchorages in French Polynesia are sheltered or don't have a lot of wind so a windmill will be worthless unless you are out sailing.

Unless you are a shower freak, you won't need a water maker. Rains are relatively common so you can fill your tanks by catching water from your awning. Water is abundantly available ashore in the Marquesas and FP so you can lug water if you should need to. Tuamotus are all catchment so don't expect to get water from the locals there, however. We kept our tanks full with water from passing showers off the awning for the year we were down there. I'd still take at least 10 gallons of deck storage of water for emergencies and to tote water if you needed to. A salt water pump in the galley will drastically reduce your fresh water usage, btw. Put in a salt and freshwater foot pump. The hand operated pumps are worthless.

A couple of handheld GPS units are a must. The Garmin b&w 76 are dirt cheap these days. Using them to get a fix in conjuction with charts will get you everywhere. Most navigation is visual around the Islands so charts aren't that big a deal other than identifying passes. If you have the bucks, the bigger GPS units are nice if you want a chart display. Last years units are going under $500 though you'll have to buy a chart chip for almost as much as the GPS.

An HF radio is nice to talk with other yachties, the various MM nets and get weather. I'm partial to the Ham units which can be had used for less than $500 all up with tuner, etc. If you are feeling really rich, you can buy a Pactor Modem and get email from anywhere. We managed most of our cruise without one, though.
You also might consider a taffrail log. No electrickery involved, they are a necessity for DR navigation and comforting to watch reeling off the miles.

There is a lot more but on 26' boat, you're going to have to keep the number of toys down. I'm on the Big Island so if you get this way, look me up.

Aloha
Peter O.

[BlueWaterSail]

Originally Posted by haulback

All you REALLY need is reliable self steering, (try picking up a used Navik, or maybe a Fleming 401)a couple handheld GPS's to give you a position a couple times a day, charts for where you are going (try Bellingham Charts for photocopies) some food and water. Everything else is optional......

W-fax will be of little use apart from entertainment for a trip from Hawaii to Tahiti.

Yes, I'm coming to that conclusion too. So far, the windvane steering is on the list, I've already mentioned getting LED nav lights, and the more I research nav systems the less I really want one. Whatever one I end up with is going to have to be a portable battery powered unit, with as much flexibility as possible. On the 12V grid, I want a standalone AIS unit, and SSB transceiver.

The Imac will stay at home, in favor of a few good books.

Why would the w-fax not be useful - would like to hear more on this.

Thanks

BWS

[BlueWaterSail]

Originally Posted by roverhi

An Awning is the next thing after the self steering. It keeps the sun off you and the decks. Your boat will remain livable even in the super hot Tahiti Summer. Without an awning, the cabin will be unbearable from 1000 to 1800 and you'll fry on deck. It also makes it possible to catch water from passing showers, a really important plus.

I'd get as big a solar panel as you can fit. ...

... A salt water pump in the galley will drastically reduce your fresh water usage, btw. Put in a salt and freshwater foot pump. The hand operated pumps are worthless.

An HF radio is nice to talk with other yachties, the various MM nets and get weather. I'm partial to the Ham units which can be had used for less than $500 all up with tuner, etc. If you are feeling really rich, you can buy a Pactor Modem and get email from anywhere. We managed most of our cruise without one, though.

You also might consider a taffrail log. No electrickery involved, they are a necessity for DR navigation and comforting to watch reeling off the miles.

There is a lot more but on 26' boat, you're going to have to keep the number of toys down. I'm on the Big Island so if you get this way, look me up.

Aloha
Peter O.

Points well taken.

I'm researching a dodger/bimini combo at the moment, though rapidly finding out that it's most likely going to be a custom fabrication.

Check on the solar panel, though I.m going to have to figure out where to mount it since I want to be able to fold down the dodger/bimini in inclement conditions.

I'm not looking to make any major changes in the plumbing - it's very basic, consisting of a 20gal tank and a hand pump at the sink (it works fine, put in recently by the PO). I'm thinking of using on deck containers for additional fresh water storage, and get what saltwater I need for dishwashing etc by pumping it onboard as required. I picked up one of those battery powered general purpose pumps the other day, threw it overboard (tethered of course), and it filled my improvised diswashing pan quite readily.

Check on the GPS. and SSB. No need e-mail, computer already tossed from the "essentials" list - sorry guys, no blogs about this trip.

Thanks, Peter, BTW how's Kilauea doing right now. Every now and again we get the vog here on Oahu and I can't really make a fuss about it since you guys got it worse!

BWS

[BlueWaterSail]

Here's an update on preparations:

A deck recaulking job is underway, I'm convinced I am walking on the original, 43 year old teak deck by the borderline thickness of the wood, the fact that there's no more room to reseat the plugs, and the lifting planks. Spent three days preparing for the lifecaulk to go in, had to cut new 1/8 channels in many spots due to swelling/shifting, and then as I began to caulk, the rain came. OK, postpone this job for a few days.

Splendor is having all six of her chainplates replaced.

I need to figure out a way to protect the doghouse windows from wave action in rough weather. Researching this one, though figure on making a lexan storm cover attached by some quick-mount system.

I need to decide on what to do about my hand-operated bilge pump. It's a gusher model, unable to test because the discharge seacock is frozen shut. Replace or repair the pump, the thru-hull will be fixed as part of the next haul out.

Need to weatherstrip the engine cover on the floor of the cockpit, as well as all the cockpit seat hatches, plus find a way to secure them so they won't fly open during a knockdown.

That's it for now - nothing like getting rained out of a caulking job.

BWS