Heart Results Are In - Boat Options?

[C420sailor]

I’m a weightlifter and ultra endurance athlete...and I’ll never go back to a manual windlass haha.

Spoil yourself—you won’t regret it.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

I’m a weightlifter and ultra endurance athlete...and I’ll never go back to a manual windlass haha.

Spoil yourself—you won’t regret it.

Ha ha ha ha!!! That was funny.

Point taken.

[Cpt Mark]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Ok!

Somehow, things are feeling a bit back to normal.

After some very long errand days briskly walking all over the place, a sluggishness and dizziness I was feeling had mostly gone away.

Although I know I’m not back to normal and heat makes me dizzy very easily, I’m able to do most of the basic stuff again. Stuff like rushing around on errands, lifting half full 5 gallon containers and hauling them around, etc.

Going to try to do some routine maintenance stuff this morning before it’s hot. Nothing strenuous, but something to keep busy and active.

Soon, it will be time to start a more regular exercise program.

Maybe I’ll be able to deal with the manual windlass again someday after all.

CONGRATULATIONS! This is huge a step in your recovery. I've unfortunately had to do multiple years of recoveries several times in my life. One thing that always amazes me is after PT (Physical therapy) has been going on for a while and I'm doing home exercises I'll do something "normal" that I couldn't do at all maybe in as little as just a few weeks or months before. It's those rays of light that keep me pushing through to regain my health. I just bought a TRX strength device for the boat. Tiny package, weighs nothing and the workouts can be a brutal as you like. My therapist has me using it in his office and he told me he got rid of every exercise machine he had and only uses this one. I live aboard so space, weight etc. all count..

[medevicerep]

I have had two Widow maker heart attacks in the last 10 years. I still sail because it brings joy to my life. Do the rehab prescribed by your physician and give it a good 6 months and then reconsider your fitness. Most people will slowly recover to Thor previous level of fitness. After my second “incident” I used Niitro as prescribed. That helps a lot. Don’t blame yourself, you can’t beat genetics.

[J Clark H356]

I had a widow maker in 1999 at age 52. (My Dad had a widow maker at 50 and didn’t make it). Two bypasses, then in 2001 one bypass collapsed and had 2 stents installed in it to keep it open. A year later, it was full of scar tissue - was burned out using a new radiaTion catheter procedure. After ll that diagnosed with Heart Failure with a lowest EF of 15. I prepared myself and got my affairs in order to leave here. Got a defibrillator installed. My internist suggested CorValen, an over the counter med you take with water - cost $43 a month back then. It goes into your heart through a different method and helps restore your heart muscle. In 90 days on CorValen, (I have no financial interest in the product) I was up to 30-35 EF where I stabilized. My cardiologist says I am an 8 cylinder engine, hitting on 4 cylinders - I just do everything half as fast. Since then have had 1 recalled and replaced defibrillator and another one a few years ago. The stented bypass - blocked 99% in 2010 required new stents inside the originals - this time medicated. In 2016 my second original bypass was done - arteriogram showed enough bypass new arterial growth around it so nothing new done. I take 8 pills in the morning and 7 at night. All the normal cardio stuff including Plavix and 326 MG aspirin. Stopped taking CorValen after a couple of years stabilized EF. I just turned 74 last week. I sailed my Hunter 356 with my almost new North CDI sails at 7.9 Knots in 21 knots of wind at 60 degrees apparent two weeks ago - my hull speed is 7.4.
DO NOT GIVE UP. Your health will improve as you continue to distance yourself. Key is to keep,seeing your Cardiologists and keep getting tuned up. You have been lucky and so was I.
I sail single handed - my wife stays below in our air conditioned saloon most of the time - generator 100% away from dock. I get tired easily but when I am stressed, I stop, get my breath back, and then continue. I don’t use an electric winch - I crank my own winch. Make yourself do stuff - just do it half as fast.
If I were you, I would stay put with your boat for at least a year. Then, if you can’t handle sailing, convert to a motor trawler. Nothing wrong with motoring, but you already have a motor boat when you have your sails furled.
My heart attack was 22 years ago. I am a survivor. Keep your attitude positive, keep seeing your Doctors - me twice a year Cardiologist with an Echo one of the two each year. My Defibrillator is constantly monitored with an annual visit to my Electrophysiology Cardiologist and every 4 months to my Internal Medicine guy.
I bought my H356 new in 2003 - 4 years after my heart attack. I’ve sailed it just 8 miles shy of 10,000 miles. Been from Kentucky Lake to SW Florida in it once - 6 month trip with just me and my wife. I plan on doing it again someday. Just don’t make any rash decisions and DO NOT GUVE UP ON YOURSELF.

[Clivevon]

+1 for the electric windlass - definitely !
Also +1 for this from H356:
"Just don’t make any rash decisions and DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOURSELF."

Every day you wake up - that's a brilliant start.

[requiem]

Originally Posted by Chotu

After some very long errand days briskly walking all over the place, a sluggishness and dizziness I was feeling had mostly gone away.

Good! Keep doing that! Much of your most valuable exercise will be in this category. Not sure if you have a heart rate monitor for zone training, but a convenient proxy is to stay at a level where you can carry on a conversation and not need to pause or mouth-breathe. It may feel too slow, and that's OK.

Originally Posted by medevicerep

Most people will slowly recover to Thor previous level of fitness.

That sounds like a bit more than just a recovery!

As someone still in OK shape (well, perhaps not over the past year) I wouldn't want to do the manual windlass either.

[thataway41]

I will echo what 1 Clark...stated. I am a retired MD, but do not consider this medical advice...my advocation was sailing.

35 years ago:

There is always a "Plan B". Look at life from the long prospective. When you first wrote the information, you were only a short time since a major incident. Time changes many of these perimeters. There is no crystal ball.

My experience: Age 50. Total occlusion of LAD (fortunately in the hospital, right after a stress test.). But before stents, and only one cardiologist doing angioplasties in Long Beach CA. I had massive damage to Left Ventricle. That was 35 years ago. I participated in rehab programs as long as I could. Several years later, I had my first triple bypass. After that we totally rebuilt a Cal 46. During the rebuild we made the boat as cardiac friendly as possible at that time. We cruised for 4 years and about 40,000 miles. Yes, I had limits, we also had a very long range under diesel power. If we could not sail--then powered. I sold the Cal 46 about 12 years after the LAD occlusion, but continued in power boats. I am now 85, had a second bypass 21 years after the first., too many angioplasties to count, about a dozen stents, and had an area re-vascularized when I was almost dead 4 years ago. I have a AV sequential pacemaker, take about 30 pills a day, am on a very strict diet, regular exercise program. I check my pO2 regularly, Carry oxygen to use if necessary, on anticoagulants much of the last 35 years.

I am finally selling my trailerable, cruising power boat this year--but still have an 18' power cat I can trailer behind an RV. Be flexible in your life plans--also be realistic.

My advice: Don't make any drastic decisions until you find out how you are dong over the next year. I feel my life has been extended by being on the leading edge of medical advances for the cardiac issue. Yes, I will die sometime from coronary heart disease. But I will have lived my life fully after a total occlusion of LAD, 35 years ago.

I would rig the boat as a sailing vessel--maybe a shorter rig...go with the diesels, and fuel tankage to give a long range at slow speeds. Get every physical aid possible--electric winches, windlass etc. Make sail handling as easy as possible. There are plenty of vessels using electric drum winches, with synthetic lines, which will allow almost fully automatic sail handling--DIY, and be on the leading edge of this technology.

Don't give up your plans. Finish the boat, with modifications, and go for it. Keep up on the RX, Rehab, medical care. Life life to the fullest you can.

[Norman_E]

I had a tripple bypass after a heart attack that I was fairly lucky to survive at at age 70. I am a bit short of breath and definitely weakened by it but carried on sailing a 45 foot monohull until Covid made it impossible to get to the boat in Turkey, so I have now sold it.



Sailing can be strenuous but my advice is to give yourself some time and see how your health goes before you give up. If sailing is too much a pair of inboard diesels make a cat into a pretty good power boat, and don't have to be very big to drive the slim hulls at a reasonable pace.



Keep the mast and rig but fit a power furler for the headsail and electric winches, and make sure that you can either furl the mainsail under power or drop it into a stackpack if the wind picks up and sailing gets to be too much work. Look at an Amel Super Maramu to see how just about everything can be powered to take the physical labour out of sailing.

[Martkimwat]

Originally Posted by Chotu

It’s not a bad design. I like the idea, but the boat is already done and I don’t want to waste more years of my life redoing it.

Just go now is the mantra. Or at least as now as possible.

This means saving time on going now. The outboards have done just fine for 1500 nautical miles so far. I’ll keep using them in the States until they aren’t working well anymore.

Some key advantages to outboards (assuming I can prop them correctly):

1) modular. As the times change, I can get a fusion powered outboard and slip it in place in 30 minutes.

2) redundancy. At 300lbs for my entire 60hp propulsion system, I can afford to carry a complete spare outboard.

3) They’re sort of disposable. Sort of. Diesels are forever. People replace them because they can’t find parts or they just feel like it’s too old even when it’s running fine. With the outboards, I don’t have to think or have some huge project. If it dies at a level it can’t be fixed, just drop a new one in. I like this approach a lot better than the permanence of diesels.



I love what you’re proposing, but don’t want all the complexities, years of my life wasted on doing it, difficulty replacing engines, through hulls, heat exchangers, raw water pumps, etc etc. Selling my generators, outboards, all the fiberglass work that has to be done in epoxy.. I just prefer the simplicity of leaving it as it is.

Have you considered diesel outboards? a lot of the small fishermen (7~10 metre boats) are using them here in UK. A friend of mine who is a commercial fisherman has a 7.5M Cheetah fishing catamaran with two 120Hp diesel outboards on the back, incredibly economical.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Martkimwat

Have you considered diesel outboards? a lot of the small fishermen (7~10 metre boats) are using them here in UK. A friend of mine who is a commercial fisherman has a 7.5M Cheetah fishing catamaran with two 120Hp diesel outboards on the back, incredibly economical.

Always dreamed of them. Sure. We don’t have any in the States.

[Chotu]

Thank you for all the encouraging posts!! I can’t believe so many people are experts on this. It’s unfortunate, but also nice to gain the knowledge.

I’m taking all the posts to heart and going to hold off on decisions until I’m back to semi normal

I certainly hope I can come back at Thor levels of power. That was the best typo I’ve ever seen!

[thataway41]

Outboards on any large boat: issues. There are a number of issues with outboards (as well as the obvious advantages). One is the propensity to ventilate when the stern goes up, and the prop is out of the water, during the even moderate seas. There are some outboards with large pops, and long shafts--that is what you need to be utalizing.

Also if in heavy seas, there is a possibility of the outboards being buried in water. Size of prop is always a problem--but if keeping to 5 knots--then it can be deep, with an extra long shaft--and work out.

Bob Austin

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by thataway41

Outboards on any large boat: issues. There are a number of issues with outboards (as well as the obvious advantages). One is the propensity to ventilate when the stern goes up, and the prop is out of the water, during the even moderate seas. There are some outboards with large pops, and long shafts--that is what you need to be utalizing.

Also if in heavy seas, there is a possibility of the outboards being buried in water. Size of prop is always a problem--but if keeping to 5 knots--then it can be deep, with an extra long shaft--and work out.

Bob Austin

I solved all the issues you are imagining out. They are in the identical place as the sail drives would be. So it’s exactly the same as having sail drives. This isn’t a little John boat with an outboard hanging off the transom. Minus my prop issue, there is no difference between these and having saildrives.

[Bazz]

At sea or on land,
where would you rather
die ?