Saba 50: Improvements to the Saba 50

[Helia 44]

The problem with getting spoiled, is it becomes your new standard...

Here are a couple of things I just would not do without!!

The first picture is of a galvanized tread plate step/seat... And wow, is it lovely.. I think this is not a F.P. thing, it might have been done by the first Owner, and my hat is off to him. Job well done... You step down onto it, and then you can sit on it with legs down on any size to do maintenance. I mean when you have had this one, you are never going to be without it again!!!

This is the Strbd side, and you can see the 11 kva Cummins Onan on the left.. It is perfect to service everything.

Now the next set of pictures is the "Aqua Base" YK3 water maker. I am going to emphasize something, this is the BEST water maker I have ever experienced. YK3 is (3) - 60 litre per hour membranes, maybe 900?mm long. Anyway the Company is French, and has been around for over 25 years. They supply the French Nuclear Submarine Fleet, and the Russian fishing fleet, and I have not seen better. The Representative and Aussie Expert on them actually drove up from the Gold Coast and showed me all the tricks and tips. According to him, the high pressure pump shown will do 8000 hours "standing on its head"... (this one is at 111 hours). He showed me how to bypass and deal with all the automated controls if anything were to go wrong, like Low pressure switch, high pressure switch, salination sensor, and so on. They can all be dealt with manually if anything fails and he gave me a 16 page flow chart trouble shooting guide to keep it running manually if anything fails. I am VERY impressed.

For those of you watching this, if you are ordering a Saba or Saona, I would get this YK3 installed in this modular form. It usually comes in a great big housing, but broken down it fits really nicely is pieces in the port engine room. Modular pieces all hooked up, very good access and blends right in.. 180 litres per hour!!! Also, as a point, you need to load up the 11 kva Cummins Onan, so get an EXTRA Victron charger put in. You make water (lots of it) when charging, and put on an air conditioner or two to load up the Cummins Onan at least every third run of it.. (Good maintenance tip).. The pictures below are of the various components, in modular form, built into the port engine room. The white pump is down low along the engine, the supply pump for seawater. The blue pump is obviously the main high pressure pump with its own oil bath in sight gauge. The rest are all the controls and electrical system.

I wanted spares, and he laughed at me and tried to talk me out of it except for filters... The system has a beautiful maintenance feature of flushing everything with the push of a button, out of the yachts own drinking water.. All good, except you cannot have dock water in the tanks full of residual chloro-amines. The YK3 does have a carbon filter on it, but I have invented one stage better. I have high pressure carbon filter, two heavy 10" ones in canisters in series, and filter ALL the water being added into the boat through those high pressure carbon charcoal filters. Now not only does ALL the water taste good, but it is safe for the water maker flush maintenance. When done with dock side water, open the canisters and dry out the filters before storage. You can safely figure on about 10,000 litres and they say 20,000, which is sort of 15-30 dockside fill ups. The heavy good carbon charcoal filters are about $16 by the 20 to a case and are plastic wrapped for storage. I will make 90% of my water out in the clear water of the Whitsunday type islands, so this twin set of filters is probably good for a year at a time..

Also, you can get an inexpensive ppm meter to test your water...!!
My dockside water (tested by me with an inexpensive $20 ppm tester and I have two of them) is 149 ppm. Water is safe even with high blood pressure at about 350 ppm, and some say 500 ppm. My YK3 water maker delivers 144 ppm water... !! You just cannot ask for more at huge volumes..

He convinced me this water maker is near bullet proof. But I ordered his view of the most likely maintenance parts that could fail, and that is a new delivery pump, high and low pressure switches, and salinity testing assembly, and the main control card. All the spares and filters are about $3000 and good value in my book. I now have GREAT FAITH in that water maker, as it can all be run manually off the high pressure pump, with the trouble shooting guide showing you how to by pass all the automated systems on it to run it just plain manually off the pressures. This is HUGE...

Kind regards, Helia 44 now on a Saba 50

[Helia 44]

Hello F.P. Gourmet Yacht Lovers

Here is the latest, getting down to the four-five week countdown to heading back up the to the Whitsundays and all the Islands in between... I am getting things done on the priority basis.

This is a fairly large dead area, between the anchor locker and the forward heads and showers. Behind your holding tank is this dead space, of about 4 feet deep!! The first picture is of that dead space. The light part is the side of the foot well up front. I am going to glass on marine ply to that vertical side, then about 8 inches on the flat to that, then a glassed in bulkhead. The net effect will be 8 inches more storage area, accessed by the Lemar hatches in the foot well OK?

I bought matching Lewmar 50 hatches to match the existing, and installed them in light with the opening port light on each side, in the foot well of the front. First pictures are of the installation, and then the finished project. Next we will glass in a bulkhead for the completed storage locker. They are about a meter deep on the outside, guessing about a half a cubic meter of good storage on each side.. Added lockers !!! Installation, about 3 hours to clean up, hatches beded in Matrix, (fast cure polyurethane) and stainless screwed down.. Now I have two more great lockers, dive gear, tanks, extra spinnaker sheets, extra dock lines, they will be great extra catch all lockers.!!

And you thought I was just another pretty face...

I hope you are enjoying these upgrade ideas. This is the bulk of the demolition for the functional bit. Then comes more gear, SSB HF and more. Then after this 3-4 month trip up into the GBR beach combing and snorkeling and all the rest, I will start the pretty dress up part for next year...!!

Helia 44, at it again big time on a Saba 50 "Serenity"

[Helia 44]

Here is the picture of the internal bulkhead....
On top you can see the blocks glassed in place. Then there is a full width 8" piece of 1/2" marine plywood screwed to those blocks, then with cardboard templates is the whole bulkhead, all glassed in place...

The edges are sealed with polyurethane caulk, and glassed in place from the blocks down to the horizontal bit, then over the bulkhead itself with overlapping 4" fibreglass and resin. There is a drain hole at the bottom into the bilge. Without doing this, the area behind the holding tanks would be a dead waste, and now I have two more lockers of about a half a cubic meter each..

[Helia 44]

HELLO FOUNTAINE PAJOT ! IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SABA 50...
I am told you watch this, so here is a word of advice:

In not putting engine temperature gauges on, YOU LOOK JUST SILLY!! I mean relying on the audible buzzer alarm, but the time it goes off there is potential damage. These engines run 90 C normally !!!

Come on, you look just unprofessional not to put the protective engine temperature gauges on. For what? $300? Less to you??? It is easy, they are plug and play, you just plug the extension lead into the main RPM gauge. Really, Fountaine Pajot WAKE UP, this is just silly not to put them on when it is the main engine insurance. You need to monitor the gauges to watch if the temperature starts to creep up with filter problems or coolant problems. For example in real time: Somehow the tank cap vibrated loose, or was left loose, on one engine and loss of Volvo coolants started to creep up the temperature, without the gauges this could have been a disaster... Brine shrimp, seaweed, F.P. WE NEED THE GAUGES... ESPECIALLY ON THE TURBO MODELS!

For the rest of you F.P. Gourmet Yacht lovers, the first few pictures is where I had to put them. It is not ideal, but it was not planned and is the only place they fit.. Then I show you pictures of the boxes, same for the Volvos in the Helia 44 D2-55's as the D2-75Fs.. And you need the install kit with the matching bezel, and the small wiring extension kit. Mind you the "small" one wiring kit with plug and play, is a meter long!!

Anyway, I hope you are enjoying this, I am getting into the nicer type of improvements that look good now... Helia 44, now Blessed to be on a Saba 50...

[Helia 44]

Here is another one Fountaine Pajot...

For the top gourmet yacht in THE WORLD, there are just a few improvements you should make...

This is the Skippers access hatch, and pictures of the locks I installed. You need to be able to lock and unlock with a satisfactory lock, from the outside..

F.P. These locks are 1/4 turn, and then about a 19 mm pull in to make it tight. It is all fully adjustable, and easy to use.

For you owners, if you drill a large whole in thick polycarbonate like hatches, you do not drill it!! That risks cracking. Use a small pilot hole drill, and gently, then go up a few sizes for a larger hole. Then for a big hole like this, use a diamond tip hole saw, gently and retracting to clear it, and the bored hole is virtually risk free...

The first four pictures are of this, hatch open, locks and working, final hatch closed and locked tight..

The next two pictures are of "pretty up" cleat guards. This Yacht went through a Cyclone (Hurricane) a Class 4 that hit the Whitsundays two years ago. One cleat was folded up. Anyway, dock lines wear grooves into the fibreglass and these "cleat guards" are my answer to it. They are done in mirror stainless and Sika-Flexed on. IMO looks good, and stops the wear. I have them anywhere the lines drag, rigging, cockpit, anywhere..

Kind regards, Helia 44 now on a Saba 50

[Helia 44]

Hello Gourmet Yacht appreciation Friends....

Here is what the typical linen/meds lockers will look like in each head.. Since the Saba 50 was ordered without toilets, there is no holding tank in behind each of those acrylic sheet covers. There has been 400 litre centralized holding tanks added in a dead area in each hull. And the toilets are upgraded to Planus odorless silent Super yacht stuff... Anyway, besides the upgrade to the toilets, and no odors from dead micro-organisms in the sea water, that sulpher smell when the boat has been locked up, you can have these flush with salt water and then fresh on the way back into port.. It is a big step, to battle to order an F.P. like this without toilets, but the Planus toilets are superior, and then look at the lockers you get in each head...

Not finished, first picture is the locker, door open, second picture I am holding the waterproof door closed but the push button latches have not been installed yet..

Third picture is of a starboard mid-ships small cabin I am turning into a Laundry Room. It will also have a flush mounted Isotherm ice maker, stainless, and stainless trim .... 18 kg of ice per day, means fast ice when running the Gen-set.. You need to sort of load up these gen-sets, so make water, charge batteries, couple of ac units, and run ice maker and in this case package the ice in zip-locks in the fridge. You want to run your generators loaded up to be at least half capacity every other run time for best maintenance. Why? so cylinders walls don't glaze up, they need to be worked to last the longest.. Sort of like our human bodies. The Isotherm ice maker is on the left and will install flush further to the left out of the picture. Thought you might benefit from seeing the demolition and set up in progress.. ?????

All of this effort is not a brag, but I hope interesting to you and a help for some to solve problems and upgrade the yacht.. Giving you ideas of what is possible OK?

Kind regards from Australia, on my way back up to the Whitsundays in about 4 weeks for a few months. There are about 150-200 islands inside the Great Barrier Reef over 1000 NM. The Whitsundays are the center of it, and probably one of the greatest cruising areas on Earth. Snorkeling, fishing, sailing, beach combing, all flat water cruising!!

Then, when we come back to home port in about Nov, we will continue to finish out, polish up, and make her more artistic on the inside with better trims and cabinetry access and artsy upgrades..

Helia 44 now Blessed to have a Saba 50

[Tornadosailing]

Even though most of the things you post won't apply directly to my Salina, I always enjoy seeing the innovative improvements you make to your boats. Keep up the good work.

[Helia 44]

Thank you Tornado, for your kind words, it keeps me going. I have some more coming that may benefit you, on rigging and brightwork and more.. You have a nice boat there in the Salina 48...

There is one here in Hamilton Island I have seen around, they named it "SABA" Maybe coincidence, or they were trying to pass it off as a Saba 50, I don't know. Maybe they knew the new model was coming and liked the lines and name... Anyway, you have a nice boat there.

Here is a treat, my Thank You for the kind words... What I do down here in the GBR, first picture is my best fish, maybe a record off a sailing vessel... These protected waters inside the Great Barrier Reef some of the top fish to see snorkeling, but also fishing, and fantastic shells, and great beach combing for floats and such.

The other five are of my primary hobby, beach combing. There are so many islands in the GBR that a lot of them do not get visited that often. Fish floats and hanks of line, some HUGE, all colours and all types of floats from stainless radio beacon one to netted buoys. You may enjoy these pictures of some of my collection.. I have found all sorts of gear, hand bearing compass, winch remotes, all sorts of things.. As well as fun fish floats and buoys all around my house. It might look junky to some straight sidewalk soldiers in my neighborhood, but to me IT IS TREASURE!!

I Hope you can enjoy the vicarious travels from these pictures..

[Helia 44]

Hello again Gourmet Yacht Lovers...

Fountaine Pajot further improvements:

The first pictures are of an overhead hatch upgrade. It is called OCEANAIR, and the new frame allows blinds one side to pull out, screen from the other, you can leave them connected and you can go from blinds to screen and back. I prefer to pull the one I want, for easy access to opening the hatch handles... Or closing the hatch in the rain.

Next picture is of my little dinghy ("little") with 50 horse Honda. It is a bit overkill but it came with the Saba 50.. OK.. Now the problem is, you cannot drag it off the beach.. Not even two of you.. Soooo, you have to watch the tides. Tide coming up, the tilt the motor and beach it, and walk the anchor up. But tide going out You have to anchor out and swim or wade in, and make no boo-boo or you are stuck there for a full tide change...

So the final two pictures are of a set of clocks, the time has a Tide Clock on board. It is a reasonable set, Plastimo the French Company that I think re-badged the German ones.. Anyway, I have made mistakes looking at tide books, I will re-set this Tide Clock to each region so I know whether to anchor out or beach this big dinghy... !!!

[Helia 44]

Hello Gourmet Yacht Lovers,

Here is one of my Mods that many of you might be able to use, an improvement to the rig... First picture is of that rig: This is a BIG Rig on the Saba 50, strong but BIG.. Look, with my experience I like the versatility of the Cat with double furling head sails, and with a bit of room in between the furlers. One a heavy working jib, and the forward one a bigger lighter sail, and you have many options then. I made up a stainless fitting, and while it is probably not needed, I also have 1/4 wire support down to the Bridle eyes on each bow. Makes me feel good if I want to run a monster sail..

The next pictures are of the old roller furler hook up, which is now a down haul for Aso spinnaker, Parasail, or a giant flat cut upwind like 160 Genoa or Screecher. I am Blessed to have all three, as Serenity was raced in the Hamilton Island Yacht Race series. So the question begs: Where do you get the third Halyard???

I am attempting to do it the same way I generated the third Halyard on the Helia 44, this might help you, and how you go about it. The next picture is of the Topping Lift. The French feed them back to the cockpit, and I think this is ridiculous for how little you would use it once it is set. So, I propose to feed it forward, out the front of the mast to make it my third halyard. Hopefully the easy way and hook it out of an empty Sheeve in the front of the masthead. That will be my third Halyard.

Then what to do for an adjustable topping lift?? I have a 17.5 Meter fixed stainless eye to eye Topping Lift made up from calculations, that will be put on a shackle up on the masthead, down to a turning block a couple of meters above the end of the boom. On the Helia, I ran a line from a shackle on the boom up through the block, and back down to a flat turning block bolted on the boom, and then forward to the front of the main boom to a cleat. On this Saba, I might just use the third reef in the main for the adjustment, because that reef leads back to the cockpit already. I will just reroute it same way up through the new fixed topping lift block and back down to the boom. (Cannot see ever using the third reef in the main. If it gets that bad I will drop and tie off the main and run on the working jib, even partially furled as it is on a heavy foil)..

Anyway, I hope this is a help to some of you. I can assure you, two roller furlers is the way to go.. But then I like the ability to play with cruising style spinnakes, and I have always wanted about a 160-180 Genoa, flat cut, for upwind work running the Cat Rig like a mono-hull with a slot for the main. Everyone use to say it would not work that way. I have been saying it will, raced with it that way, and now a lot of the big racing cats are doing just that.

For versatility, the last to pictures are of Harken 100 heavy spring loaded racing blocks on each bow, for the Para-sail or Asymmetrical Spinnaker.. The Aso is fine to fly, but I am scared of the Para-sail as it is just toooo big, even in a sock and hood sleeve it is scary without experienced Crew.. It is off the boat an in my house right now.. I am leaving in about three weeks for the norther islands for the "Good Life", and will take the big Aso, and the big flatter cut Genoa/Screecher to hank on..

Hope to share to be of a help.. Helia 44, now Blessed to be on a Saba 50, wow, like my Helia 44 now all grown up and on steroids..

[Helia 44]

Hello Gourmet Yacht Lovers, that appreciate the finer things in life!!

Right OH, the first picture is of a Dyneema turning block, that splits to change lines so a form of lightweight snatch block. I admit, I am not Techno, and this looks great for something like a down haul on a spinnaker sheet or something, but I am old fashioned when it comes to walking over a line with a ton of pressure on it.. So, here is my "dinosaur technique" I ordered a pair of the large Nicro Fico proper Snatch Blocks, something like 8 tons of unbreakable for my peace of mind. It will be sitting on a backing plate Wichard 8 ton flexible padeye.. Anyway, because I am a dinosaur, I will argue that these big Nicro Snatch Blocks are unbreakable, easy to use, and the way to go.... still....! They will be on the pad eyes, and a bit of shock cord to the lifeline to hold them off the gunnel...

Next picture is of a smaller cabin turned into a laundry room, opening for machines to remain open and trimmed out in Penninsula Ash, close to the French Ash. The next picture is of the same cabin with an ice maker installed. Now this is the big one for 18 kg of ice a day. Who needs that much ice, but what it means in practical terms is FAST. You turn it on and the first tray dumps in about 20-30 minutes, then a tray every 10-15 minutes, a small party cannot drink enough to keep up.. Size of volume= speed of delivery.

The next two pictures are of LED lighting. When I am anchored in a busy channel area or anchorage, I am always paranoid a bit about being hit. This is a great and fun answer. The blue is great in the tropics on a hot night, psychologically it drops the temperature a bit. Anyway, not much power draw and you stand out in an anchorage. This is particularly valuable in an inter coastal waterway situation where there is a bit of traffic. Me likey!!

I hope to be out of here and on my way north to the Whitsundays in about a week. I hope you have enjoyed these basic improvements to Lifestyle, and it gives you some ideas..

Kind regards, Helia 44, now Blessed to be on a Saba 50 "SERENITY"

[Helia 44]

Hello Gourmet Yacht Lovers!

"SERENITY" is underway, leaving Lady Musgrave Island and Atoll on the southern tip of the GBR. I am heading up the Capricorn Group to the top end to go through an interesting channel in the reef to go to the top end of the Heron Island resort to anchor...

Here are some updates for you on the Improvements..

First picture is of the BEST Crew I could get. I mean quiet, doesn't talk back, always there to listen, He may be permanent... !

Second picture is of the 100 litre 5" walls thick Freezer unit. I will be up in the Marinas and Islands of the Whitsundays and further north until October. I hope to catch some Mahi-Mahi and Swordfish to fill the freezer as the warm water and Pelagic Game Fish move south Oct-Nov with the Whales... I have improved it since it was on the Helia 44, now with a table for BBQ work, and that is white cutting board material that is glued and screwed down..

Other pictures are of stainless spice rack my Shop made up, works well, one along the aft kitchen window, and one to the right of the stove Port side...

The Rig, double head sails as show before, working out magic!! Should have been there all along !!! I will get the third halyard rigged when next in port, to run some of my exotic sails. I have a big blue spinnaker on board and an upwind 3oz about 160% Gennaker/Screecher I am going to try...

The final picture is an important tip for all F.P. Owners. That is your shower pump out box, and the sensor in it can go out any time... I have several in the hulls, so it is important to carry a spare. One went out, so I bought two. They can last a month, or ten-fifteen years, but easy to replace..

Kind regards to all from "Serenity" heading north to warmer weather in the Great Barrier Reef Islands...

[Helia 44]

Hello Gourmet Catamaran Lovers....
Fountaine Pajot is still the best luxury Cruising Cat from the hundreds I see up here cruising inside the Great Barrier Reef. Hundreds are migrating to warmer waters for the season until about the end of October. I actually got a late start due to all the modifications and additions to my Saba 50, and am just now back up here...

Beach Combing has already been great. The first picture is of my early finds, two really cute net or longline buoys... The next few pictures are of a 48 kg Mantus, as I had a minor tragedy and lost my 45 kg Ultra. This is a first in forty years! I wrecked the roller, bent one side of rack and roller, damaged the windlass, I was refusing to give up (stupidly)... The Ultra is about the most expensive anchor in the world, polished stainless, smooth and not cast, beautiful, and I lost it coming up anchored off the outer GBR!! I did all I could and finally had to cut the chain off and leave it.

My plan is to sharpen up my Diving Skills up here over the next few months, and go back for it. I know exactly where it is, but a bit murky, 13 meters down, a current, tides were wrong, I hopefully will retrieve it on the way home.. Now why I am showing you pictures, is this 48 kg Mantus has a huge advantage. Besides that it is strong, and large, and sets immediately, it breaks down to stow flat!! I am hoping to find the Ultra, and have this Mantus 48 as a spare "Storm Hook"..

The other pictures are of added hand rails and I am going to extend the coach roof ones with another set forward. Fishing rod holders for trolling, and how the big Snatch Blocks work (very well)....

The biggest new addition is going to be an Icom 801E, there is a very good article and information on all the Marine SSB and Ham pros and cons, in the Electronics Section on Comms. I will have both and an Icom AT-141 auto antennae tuner. DSC can be important, and to you in other places in the world you have the option of the Icom 802,
but it is not legal in Australia. I have elected to go World Wide Comms with the more waterproof (and expensive) 801E with all the bells and whistles, and I have a Kenwood TS 50-S at home that will hopefully interface as well. I like the weather, computer hook up, Email interface, BBC world news, and all the features of the 801E so it is going in by Technicians scheduled for the 8th...

Kind regards to all, from SV "Serenity" up in the Great Barrier Reef for a few months... Diving, snorkeling, fishing, beach combing, and all the rest..

[Ikigai]

Hi

I have ordered a SABA and taking delivery early 2019 and looking into a suitable tender and am considering a Williams 395 Sport jet tender, it being 3.9m (including engine, as it is built in) and weight being 370kg dry or 450kg wet. The tender will sit on the new hydraulic platform offered on the SABA

In the specs, FP mentions maximum length of tender to be 3.8m and weight to be 200kg
In your helpful thread it is mentioned you have a 4.2m tender (and you would still have an engine increasing this length), and the davits can handle 500kg
What is the max width between sugar scoops on the SABA ? Do you think a 3.9m jet tender will fit easily and what is your thoughts on the hydraulic platform

[Ikigai]

HI. Great suggestion on the Plans toilets. What is your experience of them so far. If you were ordering on a new build would you spec them, or stay with the FP standard fresh water.
Where are the 400L holding tanks located. Have they given you any problems
All feedback welcomed