Just signed Paperwork for Boat! We're Officially Sailboat Owners!

[natraps116]

Hi all!

I'm proud to announce my wife and I just returned from ft Lauderdale and have purchased our boat to start cruising in November.

The boat is a Grand Soleil 46.3!

I hate to be boastful but we feel we have been very blessed to have found such a good deal, and after much research and looking at tons of boats, "Soleil Blu" (boats name) called to us.

I thought I would have a huge refit list for our boat but with most of the options checked off we really only need a few things to get going in November.

Here area some of the features she has.

New rigging, and Mack sails 2012.
New peguro 5000kw gen set with 95 hours
New water maker 2012 that has been in moth balls since purchase
New isotherm front opening fridge freezer
New vacuflush freshwater toilets
55hp yanmar diesel with 1,947 hours on it with new tune up (owner was no sailer and would motor between marinas everywhere)
Isotherm ice maker
Granite counters!? (owner was a marina hopper)
Led lights throughout
New samsung 46" LCD TV
Newer raymarine chart plotter full electronics suite including radar
3 AC units for front middle rear
Induction two burner cooktop with convection microwave

I'm. It so sure about the induction cooktop, so if anyone has experiences with them I would appriciate hearing about them, or about how well the peguro gen sets work in the real world.

Here are something's we are going to get done which we feel we need to go around the world.

-Dingy davits on rear to hold our 10' center console dingy
-rear arch for solar panels
-hard fiberglass bimini
-solar panels
-washer dryer installed in rear right cabin
- sun shades to cover boat in tropics
- more anchor chain for two anchors (only has 75' of chain)


Well that's my list so far!!!


Sorry for going on about our boat but this forums has Influenced me for the past 8 months in our journey to become cruisers and I just want to share our good news!

Thanks all for sharing your stories and experiences with me!

[Ex-Calif]

Congratulations on one of the two best days of ownership!

[Dhillen]

Nice looking boat! Congratulations.

Let the fun begin.

Dhillen

[markpierce]

That's a sleek boat.

[StuM]

Congrats!

WRT Induction cooktops - they are by far the most efficient way to use electricity for cooking.

High temperatures when needed - my heavy cast iron fry pan gets smoking hot in seconds ,

Instant response when you adjust the "level",

No waste heat around the cooking container so the galley doesn't turn into an oven
in a hot climate.

Just make sure that you use appropriate iron/steel cookware. Aluminium pots just stay cold

[MarkJ]

Repent now and ye shall be saved!

[natraps116]

Originally Posted by StuM

Congrats!

WRT Induction cooktops - they are by far the most efficient way to use electricity for cooking.

High temperatures when needed - my heavy cast iron fry pan gets smoking hot in seconds ,

Instant response when you adjust the "level",

No waste heat around the cooking container so the galley doesn't turn into an oven
in a hot climate.

Just make sure that you use appropriate iron/steel cookware. Aluminium pots just stay cold

,,,well that's good to know, I was concerned about not having a gimbles stove but I feel like we can manage without, since less time cooking equals less chance of accident thanks for sharing

[colemj]

Congrats, and it is a beautiful boat. Before making the changes you list, you might consider consulting Grand Soliel. A center console dinghy, davits, arch, solar, hardtop and washer/dryer are going to push 1,000lbs (maybe more) added right at the stern of the boat. At the very least, you should do the weight analysis of the gear and place that much weight (sandbags or something) at the stern to see how the hull handles it statically. If possible, you might consider securing that weight and sailing to see how the hull handles it dynamically.

Mark

[Patman]

Congrats that's a beautiful vessel.

[Patman]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Repent now and ye shall be saved!

Mark, thanks for making me laugh today.

[Hudson Force]

natraps......, What a beauty! 'looks like you found a great boat. Take some extra time evaluating the dinghy davit plan and dinghy support. Those center console RIB's are notoriously heavy and might be a risk on standard davits offshore.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by colemj

Congrats, and it is a beautiful boat. Before making the changes you list, you might consider consulting Grand Soliel. A center console dinghy, davits, arch, solar, hardtop and washer/dryer are going to push 1,000lbs (maybe more) added right at the stern of the boat. At the very least, you should do the weight analysis of the gear and place that much weight (sandbags or something) at the stern to see how the hull handles it statically. If possible, you might consider securing that weight and sailing to see how the hull handles it dynamically.

Mark

Some of the weight aft may be offset by putting additional chain in the anchor locker (where ever) close to the bow. But the addition of a washer/dryer in an right rear cabin may negate that. But it is possible the boat may become a little lopsided from that.

I sail a catamaran and it is usually a good idea to put a little more weight aft to mitigate the issue of pitch poling, as long as the stern does not wallow. But I have no idea what monohull guys would say about this.

Bottom line is I always get adult supervision when making mods of this nature.

[jwing]

I've been using an induction cooktop for several years. I love it. I'll pass on some lessons I've learned:

1) As you probably know, induction cooking requires cookware that has enough iron to hold a magnet. I started with cast iron. I love cast iron for its rugged, natural non-stick property. Cast iron might not be suitable for a boat at sea to begin with (too heavy and prone to rust), and there is another downside: it does not distribute heat well, so the pans get hot near the induction coil and not so hot near the edges.

2) I tried ceramic cookware. It's magnetic and will heat up, but it is too lightweight and the pans will scorch.

3) I like cookware that is built in layers. One layer is iron to get heated up and another layer is copper or aluminum for fast and even heat distribution. Lots of multi-ply is clad in stainless steel, some with a non-stick coating. Multi-ply cookware is easy to find, but not usually at Walmart or Sears. Check a good cookware store or even Amazon.

[natraps116]

Thanks for the info guys,

Yeah I am hiring a company that specializes in metal fabrication and boat davit systems in fort lauderdale. For something that is so critical I think its best to leave it to the experts when it comes to a 450lb rib on the back.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[colemj]

Originally Posted by natraps116

Thanks for the info guys,

Yeah I am hiring a company that specializes in metal fabrication and boat davit systems in fort lauderdale. For something that is so critical I think its best to leave it to the experts when it comes to a 450lb rib on the back.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

No, I didn't mean it that way - I assumed you would get someone who knew how to construct an arch and hardtop properly. I meant that the added weight itself could compromise the seaworthiness of the boat, or at least its handling characteristics.

This would be independent of how well the structure can handle the weight.

Your dinghy is 450lbs, your washer is 150lbs, a modest solar array will be 100lbs - so you have 700lbs in gear right on the back of the stern before the arch and hardtop are constructed. I estimate those will add another 400-500lbs.

Many boats are not designed with this much extra concentrated weight in that place in mind.

Mark