Help! Too Cold, Condensation, Sick, Need Info

[Kevin84]

On that boat, the depth sounder is buried under the V-berth. To replace it, you would have to cut a hole about 3-4 inches in diameter below the waterline. That will sink your boat if done in the water. Best bet would be to replace it at the same time you paint the bottom. It hasn't been painted in 4 years. That is ridiculously long to go in an area like Charleston.

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[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

If you have the Airmar type which has been pretty universal (Raymarine, Garmin, Furuno) for the last couple of decades, this is a piece of cake.

Buy a new transducer which has the same insert size as what you've got. Get a wooden plug of appropriate size ready, tools, etc. Remove the safety clip and pull out the pin. Pull out the insert and immediately stick in the new one. There will be a little geyser, but nothing to sink your boat. If you have any trouble getting the new insert in, use the wooden plug while you figure it out.

If you have to replace the through-hull, this is much harder. You can't do it without a diver because you have to insert it from the outside of the hull. Even with a diver it's very tricky -- possible, but better and safer to haul out.

The boat is equipped with Standard Horizon depth and speed instruments. I think they may be original equipment.

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[a64pilot]

Mount the X-ducer externally on the transom, or for a temp solution put it on a broom stick or something and mount stick on aft railing or similar. It's work until you haul her out for a bottom job etc.

[liveaboardL]

That's golden, thanks. A working depth sounder makes all the difference. Will look into this more. Maybe bring the boat in shallower water at near high-tide. I'm so glad I don't have to haul out for that. Sounds like a challenge though. Ever done it?

[Atiyeh12]

One piece of advice. Charleston harbor has horrible tidal shifts. If you take the chance to go into shallow water you may end up like dozens of others in Charleston and roll on to your side. Angel was my boat. Please take it to a slip. I had the boat looked at many times. She's NOT seaworthy! Just FYI the reasons we didn't do the repairs is because she wasn't the boat we wanted long term.

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by liveaboardL

Now I have to figure out how to replace my depth transducer w/out an expensive haulout with a full keel!

don't do any of those things suggested above.

mount the transducer INSIDE the hull. your boat has a solid glass hull (no core) so there is no reason not to mount it internally. no need to haul out and no worries about the transducer getting fouled or banged up. did mine that way ten years ago. just left the old transducer in place.

most new transducers come with instructions on how to mount internally or just google around or search this forum.

[AD 2]

Living aboard on cold cold Lake Ontario - been down to minus 35C this winter. Condensation has not been a problem, couple of nicro solar vents keep the air moving.

We have two oil filled rads for heat, and turn them down at night. Then it's three hot water bottles - which are the best things ever - a mountain of fluffy blankets and some hard core snuggling.

[lonesoldier0408]

Originally Posted by liveaboardL

I didn't know most of this stuff! For starters, I'll keep the hatches open when heating up the pressure cooker (cooking food) & then turn off the stove & seal the hatches & let the super-heated pressure cooker act as a heat-sink to slowly help w/ the cold. Lots of great info I had no idea of. Ill see how it goes. One of my favorite suggestions so far was making a big pot of sweet tea!!! You don't know how cool it is to read that. I had just made some & drank some b4 writing & it may have had everything to do w/ my feeling better. It's a very powerful healing drink.

My battery is getting low. Gotta save juice for the anchor alarm. BTW: I'll do a quick search for this next, but how do you keep/get the nice off the wind-generator blades? I'll try a broom. It's a few feet above my reach.

Change your wind-generator configuration. Stand the generator so generator shaft is vertical. Change blades for vertical Squirrel Cage Fan Assembly. Wind direction becomes irrelevant.

[liveaboardL]

Is a propane catalytic heater much different from a propane catalytic stove?
We know the stove's catalytic device creates a lot of moisture in the air, which is a big problem for using it for heat in the winter.

But, don't those little Mr Buddy propane heaters have the exact same sort of catalytic element mechanism? Do catalytic propane heater elements put out as much moisture as those propane stove elements, or does it use a different catalyst & create a dry-heat?

[JPA Cate]

LL,

As winter approaches, you may want to add some insulation, underneath the deck areas, alongside the hull, and also for the hatches and ports. It will will make it dark and cavey, but it will help a lot with the condensation. Dress warmly. Any heater you use that is not vented to the outside will put moisture into the cabin and of course your breath is also a source of moisture. Hope you can manage this winter, since apparently, you have not installed a safe heater.

Ann

[liveaboardL]

Thanks Anne,
Looks like those "flameless" propane catalytic elements put out moisture after all. What a gimmick.
Waterbottles are a safe heater & affordable. Nothing wrong w/ water-bottles, but it's good to know that without a chimney, there will be moisture. Except for electric which is not very reasonable w/out shore power.
Strange that man hasn't solved this issue by now w/ all the technology we have. Whenever you light up a heater using a fossil fuel, most of the heat goes out the window w/ a chimney or creates too much moisture & fumes w/out one.

[FamilyVan]

All these posts and it's only mentioned a couple of times and not really given too much weight. An economical, fairly simple and easy to install way to keep a boat warm is a small wood stove. It needs to be vented to the outside, so requires a hole in your deck, but, if you plan to live aboard year round a 5 inch hole is probably a worth while investment. I recently paid a guy 50 bucks for a (well used) Dickinson Solid Fuel heater off an abandoned derelict. The stove pipe will likely cost you more than the stove, but scrounging might get you good results. Another good way to keep the boat warmer is shrink wrap, you lose a ton of heat when cold winds blow across uninsulated decks. Shrink wrap (or some more cost effective equivalent) will also keep drafts away from your companionway and hatches). Having said this, sometimes boats are just cold and wet and nothing (at least in the short term) seems to help.

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

LL,

As winter approaches, you may want to add some insulation, underneath the deck areas, alongside the hull, and also for the hatches and ports. It will will make it dark and cavey, but it will help a lot with the condensation. Dress warmly. Any heater you use that is not vented to the outside will put moisture into the cabin and of course your breath is also a source of moisture. Hope you can manage this winter, since apparently, you have not installed a safe heater.

Ann

Ann, he has one. His boat has a 12,000 BTU Mermaid Reverse Cycle HVAC system installed. I know, I used to own that boat. But I don't think he's planning on keeping it in a slip this winter (at least from what one of his previous posts implied) and the unit requires 120 Volt/30 Amp service to function.

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[JPA Cate]

Hi, Kevin,

I get what you're saying, in essence, he *should* live somewhere he could plug it in! But for whatever reason, he's going to repeat his problems from last year if he doesn't do something affordable-to-him, and insulation can be pretty easy to do. I hope he doesn't do something silly and mess up what used to be your boat, too. It's a crappy feeling when you watch someone not take good care of it, or let it take good care of him!

Ann

[Kevin84]

Yeah. And I will readily admit insulation is something that boat definitely needs. That would help out tremendously. With the wind generator on board and the engine, he could maybe use a small electric space heater. Best option (other than a slip) would be to install a bulkhead mounted diesel fired heater. After that, maybe an old school kerosene heater would work if it was properly secured and a port or two left open to vent the fumes.

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