Considering simplicity on sailing boats

[Bowdrie]

An older, (at the time,) retired Navy officer I knew answered me thusly, (tongue-in-cheek,) when I remarked that so many powerboats had two radar sets.
"That's so they only get in half as many collisions".
A true salt he was.

[OldManMirage]

When my wife and I lived aboard our 1972 Catalina 27, from '89-92', it was a super simple boat. The only "electronics " we had was an old style "spinner" depth sounder, and we had a Raytheon tiller pilot. That was it. The only other electrical stuff were cabin lights and running lights. No refrigeration of course, just ice. We didn't have cabin fans. We didn't even have an electric bilge pump ! Crazy huh ?

Now I have an Endeavour 32 with plenty of solar and lithium. I don't have shore power but I don't need it with my inverter. I have fans, I even have an air conditioner if I want to bring it along. Of course I have refrigeration and cold beer ! I have a CPT autopilot, I have speed, depth, temp, I have a plotter and a Vesper Watchmate. I can charge phones and tools and my electric razor. I can run a real vacuum cleaner.

And my boat is still pretty simple stuff really. Especially compared to some. Hardly any maintenance needed. And it really raises the level of comfort AND safety.

Do you have to have these things ? Of course not. But why in the world wouldn't you ?

I can only think of a couple of instances where you wouldn't.

1) You're a racer and your boat is strictly a racing machine.

2) You're boat is your zen getaway, and you seek only peace and quiet and space to meditate. Or something like that.

But if you are a liveaboard or seasonal cruise you will most likely have whatever level of comfort and convenience you can achieve.

And that level will MOST LIKELY be based on your affluence - or lack thereof.

[Don C L]

Somewhere in the memory banks I recall reading a native American's assessment of inventions they valued the most; and it wasn't the gun or the metal knife or anything mechanical, it was the match. Now how many of us could start a fire in the woods without a match?
I gotta admit as much as I loved the old days, I'd REALLY miss GPS if I lost it. So far it is pretty reliable but if a good solar storm takes out the satellites there are no radio towers for RDF or LORAN to fall back on, just the sextant and chronometer, and those, along with the skills, have gotten pretty moldy. AIS and radar are pretty useful too especially in foggy areas, but what happens if they stop working... in the fog. It reminds me of what a friend said once about getting a 4-wheel drive truck. "Now I can get REALLY stuck somewhere." What we grow dependent on makes us (potentially) more vulnerable too. The sense of security for me doesn't come from getting more tools, as useful as they are, but from keeping in the back of my mind what I will do if they all stop working.

[Foswick]

My take on GPS is that I use it in two ways. First, it is just a convenient tool for quick info. For example, a few days ago I had to go from an unfamiliar port to another unfamiliar port just 8 NM away. Not a difficult navigation challenge, but using the GPS, I could just very quickly look up and say, "OK, that's where we're going - right there."

But, when navigation really matters, I do not rely on it. At most, I will use it to get a fix, then plot my location, time, and heading on a paper chart. That way, if GPS fails, I can resume with traditional navigation. But, more often I will calculate my position using traditional methods, then verify with GPS. This keeps me sharp, I love doing it, and it keeps me from being dependent on GPS.

I was doing quite a bit of flying (as a pilot) when GPS started to become more ubiquitous. We still did not have it in most planes (of the kind I flew), but I happened to own an early Garmin handheld unit. While I could have used it in lieu of using VORTAC and other more "conventional" methods, I did not. While GPS is easy, that is precisely the problem with GPS. Other methods require practice - use it or lose it.

It is, to my thinking, better to navigate without GPS, then fall back to GPS when necessary. It is hard to go the other way. That is, I don't need to do anything to keep my GPS skills sharp.

[Foswick]

... and I should add, I am a serious technophile. I have made a living in technology and always look for the high-tech solution, even where it isn't appropriate. But, sailing brings out something different in me.

[Kettlewell]

Obviously, if you've been hanging around CF for awhile, you will note endless discussions of charging systems, batteries, controllers, chargers, alternators, regulators, belts, pulleys, panels, parallel or series, wiring, fuses, bluetooth, etc. There's a lot of complication being introduced to boating via our electrical systems. Just as food for thought, I lived aboard and cruised widely for 12 years on a 32-foot cat with only a couple of 12-volt gel batteries, a few small solar panels for charging, and nothing but a voltmeter and a couple of switches for charging equipment. I basically monitored the voltage and connected or disconnected solar panels as needed. When I left the boat I had one tiny panel that kept everything topped up. The gel batteries were the absolute longest lived batteries I've ever had onboard--all 12 years and still going strong when we sold the boat. Yes, our electrical needs were modest, but they did include a small portable fridge we used as far south as the Caribbean. Some will argue that their complex system is simple in use, but there sure is a lot of discussion on these systems, indicating to me that they aren't simple to purchase, install, or maintain.

[rslifkin]

Particularly with big electrical systems they can be complex to design, install, etc. But if that part of the process is done well, the system should be low maintenance, reliable, and simple to use.

[wingssail]

There is room for compromise in this.

I want my boat to be low maintenance and I want to totally retain the sailing ability for which I bought the boat, but I want it to be comfortable and easy for me to sail.

I avoid extra weight and equipment which is meant to make sailing less work but always adds complexity and often does not actually save work. (roller furling jibs, for example. It's not really easier to roll up your 130% jib than it is to drop mine on deck, and it really compromises sailing ability).

I've kept my important stuff simple. Sail handling: no furling systems, spinnaker: no sock, steering: tiller, self steering: wind vane. No arch, no davits, no outboard on the railing, no RIB, no bimini, no electric toilet, No genset. I strive to get stuff off of my boat, not add stuff.

But my toys? I don't mind complex. I have complex electronics for example. If they fail I can live without them.

But one principle I've stuck by: I don't want to be camping out. I want my boat to be just as comfortable and convenient at anchor as it is at the dock. I have full time inverter and always on outlets, instant propane hot water, and a good shower. TV computer, printer, nice lighting, good workshop, etc.

But none of that has compromised the sailing ability which I also insist on maintaining.

This approach has worked for me. I do more sailing and less motoring. I do spend lots of time on repairs and maintenance and I wonder how people with more complex systems do it?

So, keep it simple, keep it comfortable, and keep it fast (and don't be afraid of a little work).

[Don C L]

Yeah the furler debate can be spirited, but I too, for my own boat, prefer hank-on and a down haul. But back in the days when I was chartering boats for the scout trips, I valued the convenience and safety of the furler, and was less concerned about loss of performance. There’s no one size fits all.

[Cpt Mark]

Interesting. I'm going to put myself somewhere past the middle.

I bought my current boat, 35' catamaran because my physical limitations make a cat much safer for me to be on. 35' because I don't need a ton of room and expense. I fit into a standard slip and can be hauled out on a travel lift anywhere.

As far as "convivences" go. Yep, I have put on alot. Do I have to have them? no. But this is my home and why rough it when I can be comfortable, especially at anchor where you spend 90% or more of your cruising time? I added a hardtop bimini to offer sun/weather protection over a canvas one because I wanted solar and the abiility to service the main while not trying to stand on a corner of te helm station on 1 foot, holding onto the boom and trying to do anything with my 1 free hand. Bimini=safety. Hardtop= zero maintainence.

Boat came with an electric winch. Proven reliable. Never heard of 1 failing and it makes my life much easier. All lines can reach it as needed.

Tube rail for upper lifeline. Came with. Would have added it anyway.

Refer/freezer. Came with a system that died. Replaced it with2 separate thin plates. Either box can be used for either thing and although very reliable, if one does break down, I still have the other.

Replaced electric autopilot when I bought the boat. I singlehand. AP is a must. I also boat a really dumb whell pilot for emergency back up and put on a Hydrovane wind AP with and external rudder. 3 systems to completly back up each other.

Radar. Running the coast in fog IMHO you are stupid to be without.

AIS TX/Receive. Huge safety improvement and a great companion to Radar.

I hate propane, always have. Lifepo4 has allowed me to eliminate that from my boat. No fumes, no excess heat, no filling tanks, no explosive risks. I spent a year working with an electrical engineer buddy to design the system for max safety, redundancy, servicability. When ABYC finally released their recommendations I'd already had all of them in place except for a bms that would shut off an alternator before shutting off the battery. My workaround is simple. My engine batteries (each eng has it's own agm) are not connected to the house bank Lifepo4 system. BTW- I built the batteries myself by ordering cells from China. No big deal if you do your research and in comparison to a "drop" in battery, so much cheaper I have 840AH of usable battery.

AEK galley. Nothing to maintain.

I had an inverter. 2000 watts, that I bought and it fried itself. Well, started to anyway. The stench came on fast and I shut it down before the flames started. I am in the process of replacing my inverter with a Victron charger/inverter that will actually control the battery charge properly unlike the 1st charger I bought which was supposed to do it but doesn't. Mfr finally admitted that it doesn't do it.

I could be more of a purist but at 68 I'm more into comfort and enjoyment. I paid a lot less for my boat than was being sold for. Have gone through/replaced/repaired every single system on board.

Last thing I'm adding is starlink. Not to watch movies as much as get weather info, cruisng info and stay in touch with people. I could go old school and send letters in the mail but really? Would that even work anymore?

Since I do all the work myself, shop smart the boat as outfitted was affordable. I'm leaving to go cruising on a budget many will say is impossible...except that it is. Others are doing it you just don't hear about them.

[Kettlewell]

It's funny to hear how many people say they "don't want to be camping." I have camped a lot, mostly backpacking, and I was rarely uncomfortable. In fact, I love sleeping outdoors with fresh air, the sounds of nature, the non-light-polluted sky. I never sleep better than in a tent or on the boat. In fact for many, many years I slept under nothing but a tarp, sometimes with a bug net when needed. To me it is real "comfort" to be outdoors and connected with nature. So, on the boat I love just opening the hatches for ventilation, going to bed at sunset and rising at dawn, reading, quiet contemplation. I would just as soon take a swim and a quick rinse off with a sunshower or cockpit hose. I don't want to be totally connected just like at home with TV, computers, and all the distractions of a world disconnected from nature. But of course there are compromises. I really enjoy having my phone for the news, email, maps, info on places we cruise to, calls to family, weather, charts, planning. Very useful and simple, and totally not necessary, but nice to have. Also, those who complain about propane, my experience has been 100% the opposite. Our boat carries enough propane to go 6-9 months when living aboard fulltime and cooking for four people. With two of us we might go a year or two without having to fill up. You can find propane everywhere in the world, and certainly within a 6-month period. I installed my system almost 20 years ago, and the only thing I have done since is tested it and replaced the regulator. Otherwise it has been perfectly maintenance free. The oven is used by us a lot for baking bread, muffins, and meals. We have a propane grill too for evening cooking that doesn't heat the boat up.

[MicHughV]

Me and a buddy used to camp a lot...in a tent...sleeping bags, an odd assortment of pots and pans, one or two flashlights...and a cooler filled with beer, that was it...we went everywhere like that and had a grand 'ole time...bathroom calls were anywhere that was behind a tree.
Off course, we were young then and it was all acceptable.

Not so in recent years...tent was replaced by a camper....with a/c and all the other goodies.

Would I go back to a tent...nah...I don't think so. I can say I did it and that is good enuff for me.

[2020]

A fair while ago I heard on a sailors radio show in sydney an interview asking some 'old salts' what they considered the best modern sailing invention.
The answers seemed to cluster into the age groups.
GPS and winches featured most frequently as did autopilot, and almost always as #2 or #3, however the oldest salt said "cam cleats".
I guess everything is relative eh.

[Kettlewell]

A fair while ago I heard on a sailors radio show in sydney an interview asking some 'old salts' what they considered the best modern sailing invention.

I'd say GPS by a mile. Some of us can remember what it was like taking sextant sights, and often ending up with a dubious position we weren't sure of while trying to make landfall. And then when it was cloudy you had nothing except dead reckoning. Coastwise we were often groping through the fog with maybe one line of position off of some radio tower. Though of course it made voyaging much more exciting not knowing where you were exactly!

[MicHughV]

gotta go with GPS....what a tool...almost everything on the planet is controlled by GPS....every phone has it, most modern cars have it, etc, etc.

Mind you the modern day phone is a marvel in of itself, like having a computer at your finger tips...

On the downside is the addictive nature of these devices....sailors have their eyes glued to a 9" screen....every teen on the planet has their nose glued to their phone's....

I think that on the whole people need to wean off their dependency on these devices.
One day the electric power will shut off, and an entire nation will go into mourning.