What Would you Consider an Essential bit of Kit?

[Takamoana]

Shade, preferably sturdy enough to stay up all the time. On our Tiki 30, we started out with a temporary tarpaulin sunshade over the cockpit which was fine when anchored but really needed something that could provide shade under sail. Having endured a less than ideal situation all the way from Tonga to Port Moresby, our first improvement was to build a permanent sun shade over the cockpit. As an added bonus, it was a great location for our solar panels and provided effective rain collection to supplement our water supply.

[Tashtego]

Your solar cells will provide around 55 amp hours per day. To effectively use the batteries you need to discharge them to no less than 50% of capacity and recharge them to around 90%. Deeper discharges will drastically shorten the life of your battery and could kill it. So to accept 55 Ah of charge you will need a battery bank of around 140 amp hour capacity. One battery won't do the job, you will need two. In addition, 55 amp hours per day is pretty small and you will need to do an energy audit to make sure you can keep inside 55 Ah per day. You should also consider what you will do on days when the solar cells are not producing much - you have no reserve capacity and are depending on good sunshine every day. To have a two day capacity you need another pair of batteries and another pair of solar cells to recharge them both in one sunny day. That's if you only use 55 Ah/day and it never rains for three days in a row. You don't mention an engine. If you have an engine and a reasonably sized alternator and regulator you can survive three days of rain by firing up and charging you battery bank. If you intend to use an outboard you have another problem. The alternators/generators on outboards are usually pretty small and you would have to run them for several hours to recharge 55 Ah. Now, how much gas can you carry safely? Of course you can cut your energy consumption down to a much lower level. This means no lighting at night except for navigation lights, a battery powered hand held VHF, a short wave receiver which can receive SSB and runs on AA batteries and no depth sounder. After all Joshua Slocum sailed around the world with no electricity and no engine, just a couple of gallons of kerosene for the lights and a hatchet to get fire wood at port calls.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by salticrak

With the near completion of my Wharram tiki 26 and the launch not too far away i got to thinking about what i need for longer voyages. Other than a hope and a prayer I aim to keep her as light as possible...

I left these in port when I took off in my Hinemoa with wife and bicycles, etc, and it was a Big Mistake. I wished I had a hope and prayer every time I tried to tack. 1200 miles of "Wharraming ship."

Now that you've "over-engineered" things, I doubt you can get minimalist enough to sail the boat as designed. I suspect you've made a water buffalo out of your gazelle, tho I'll grant your boat is way more than my 24'.

Still, it is what it is. I think you need to face up, right now, to take a much tougher look at your version of minimalist. My look at your situation does not include an engine, however small. No engine and gas, no weight. Time to learn to scull Cap, and sail in the puffs near shore. The engine is just excess baggage at sea and likely won't start when you really need it anyway. Better to learn not to need it.

Autopilot? Gimme a break. Time to learn the old ways with an easy and fun boat. Bimini? Come on. Sunshade sure but it better be rigged as a raincatcher too and fold up quick as a flash and stowed below. You can't afford any windage beyond the obvious with your ambitious plans.

Pantalones? Satfone? Ha ha. Take up space that could be used for food and water across the Indian Ocean? Not me.

If you can keep the boat feather light you've got a shot at sailing everywhere which is the point after all, for minimalists.

No calling for helpsies either, please. Make it work. I wanna hear about it! I still think about building a 31.

Hey seriously, while I always lean toward the lighter side of boats as well as discussions, were I you, I'd launch a bareboat and spend as long as it takes, and as many mods as required, and weight shifting, and sail recutting and all of that til you can tack dead upwind in a narrow channel. Then see what the boat can take weightwise. You're going to need a gazelle. Leave the buffaloes to the big boys with twin diesels.

And you're a young guy I think. The love of yer life can walk in the Tiki Bar tonight and plans change.

[salticrak]

Sandcrab, I like what you are saying re the motor etc. After all Rory Mcdougal circumnavigated on a an engineless tiki 21. But then again the man is a helluva sailor.
One of the over engineered parts of my boat is a stainless steel strip connected to an extra hardwood keel on each hull.
Another is an extra beam at the back of the boat to mount solar panels and support the netting.
The cockpit is a heavy bastard, if i decide to leave the motor,I would definitely redesign this for a slatted deck arrangement.I am looking at making a shade top for sure. When i built the mast I extended it by another 1 ft to allow for more clearance to fit some sort of bimini.

Tashtego thanks for the energy budget,I may have to consider my options here regarding weight.

I can foresee many more alterations before the boat is how i want it. One thing for sure is I will be exploring Asia/Micronesia and let the thoughts of Africa sit further in the back of my mind for now.

Again, from merely posting my query here,I have learned so much more and am extremely grateful guys.Ps EX Calif, I write younger than I am

[Snowpetrel]

Wouldnt stress to much about power unless your going to have a fridge aboard. As long as you are sensible and dont waste the juice on crap like wind intruments and MFDs left running 24/7, autopilots and computers you'll be fine for starters. I lived aboard for years with just one 40 watt panel. And sailed home from Antarctica with only one 40 watt after my second one died. You can easily retro fit electrics latter down the track if you need to. One point to consider is that two smaller batteries rather than one big one gives some redundancy in case a cell goes, but keeping everything light and simple is the go.

If you need to buy a smartphone, as opposed to having a few old ones kicking about like I have, consider a cheap andriod tablet as the second one, bigger screen and very cheap. Most wifi andriod have a built in gps wheras the wifi ipads dont.

Have you read Thomas firth Jones books? Well worth a look at regarding simple multihull voyaging.

For weight a proper seabrake style drogue or long warp with a few lightweight cones might be better than a tyre, they are pretty heavy.

[salticrak]

yes mate I have T.F.J's book it probably is the most fitting book for people who sail smaller cats. i find myself returning to it all the time.
i am with you on the drogue and android, good tips

[boatman61]

What have you got for your keel protection.. I screwed 2x1/2" aluminium bar from 6" above the water line to 3/4s back along the hull for protection when beaching etc.. faired in the slight overlap with epoxy filler.. a lot better than the silly half round copper in the plans.. unless he's modified.. this was back in the 90's..

[salticrak]

Boatmeister I used 25mmx4mm stainless strip.This is screwed into a thin strip of hardwood that is glued and glassed over the primary keel. My theory is that if the keel gets waterlogged,it is isolated from the hull and the primary keel and will not allow rot to set in.That's the theory...