Evaluation of our equipment, after 2 years.

Exactly two entire years have past, and over 8000nM under the keels, since we started our journey on ‘O2’. So I thought this is the right time to post some reflections on our equipment. What we like, what we have added or changed since, and what we would do differently.

In general, we are still very happy with almost everything. I was lucky enough to have a lot of time to prepare and to do the research during the long waiting time, and that certainly paid off.

Electricity

Every day we enjoy our conversion to electric cooking, lithium batteries etc.. We wouldn’t change much, but there are some important thoughts, though:

Integrel:

The Integrel works great. At 1500 rpm it generates around 6,5-7,2 kW (in bulk). We motor-sail more often than we did before with our monohull, because it is a nice way to go faster, to drift less while close hauled, and to get the batteries charged in the meantime. As far as I see it, the ‘Lite’ is really very light compared to the 9kW. But on a catamaran, having one on every engine would be enough for our use (airco, washing machine, dishwasher, oven and cooktop, compressor, …). The advantage to have one on both engines would keep the hours more equal: We have the inconvenience that one engine is used 10 – 20% more than the other one, especially during long periods at anchor. During cruising, we try to compensate this again.

I haven’t updated my calculations. But I hoped to be independent during 4-5 sunny days, and that is rather 3-5 days when at anchor, depending on the weather and our use. One washing machine takes about 10%, dishwasher 5%, dive compressor 20%. So generally, we start the engine now when filling our scuba tanks.

Torqeedo batteries perform great, without them overheating. In the beginning, I was wondering if we needed to ventilate the space where we installed them. But even in the tropics, their temperature is not really higher than the surrounding temperature. Also happy we have 6 of them, 4 wouldn’t have been enough to profit to the maximum of the charging possibilities.

Our Victron 10kW charger/inverter is working fine, but up till now, we never saw a discharge of more than 5kW at a time. So, if I would start all over, I would go for the cheaper 8kW model. Even, with some consequences, I am convinced that less could still satisfy.

Our O2 is on 230V 50Hz DC, as most European installations. And this has an inconvenience once you go to countries based on 110V 60Hz. Wiring the American 50Amp plug gives you about 240V, not a problem. But it is 60Hz, and we burned our microwave and dehumidifier in Shelter Bay Marina, Panama. It was our first stop with 60Hz shore power and apparently also a too high voltage. Since then, we disconnect our shore power every time we want to use 230V DC, like our air conditioner, cook top, oven, washing machine, … , using them directly on the inverter. And that is a pity, because such solution is not idiot proof, nor convenient especially at moments much power is needed. Already for that reason, we consider replacing our 230V DC Dometic air conditioner by a 48V AC module, that we could use directly from our LFP battery bank, even when on shore power. Also, it will be more energy efficient. These units are reversible too, and it is available at 16000 BTU, which is more than the 12000 BTU we have installed now. So yes, this is definitely on our wishlist for next summer.

Very quickly, I considered adding more solar. It is a great way to get free power into the batteries, and it feels like you can never get solar enough. But it took us till last month to add a (difficult to buy) Sunpower 470Wp panel. The main motivation came from the sudden failure of 2 of the Wattstunde semi-flexible panels, making this group of four almost useless to us. Indeed, after 21 months, 2 of the 4 panels stopped giving any real output, and to charge our 48V bank, we need around 60V or more. I contacted Wattstunde (German company), but because I ordered the panels more than 2 years ago, they didn’t accept any warranty. A real shame, if you ask me, and very expensive watts after such a short live time (272kW in total). So, for the moment, we have 2,2kWp solar again, thanks to our new Sunpower 470Wp panel, and this one performs incredibly well. In the coming months, we will replace all 4 Wattstunde 110Wp, probably, with walkable Solbian panels, coming with a 5 year warranty. But I wait a bit, because apparently, Sunpower announced a new generation of semi-flexible panels for the coming months. To be followed ! Anyhow, I still would like to add about 0,5 or 0,6 kWp of solar, to a total of around 2,8 kWp.

Watt & Sea 600W hydrogenerator: It is perfect during multiday passages, keeping up the power needs especially during the nights. It does exactly what has been promised, not less, not more. For all day cruising, we keep it in the locker.

Communication: Hoping that Starlink will offer soon a good alternative to the very expensive Iridium. We are waiting impatiently, Elon !

Sails: Our Parasailor is great for longer downwind passages. Let’s say from 140 degrees AWD. Between 120 and 145 degrees AWD, we prefer our asymmetrical spinnaker, which we still have from our previous boat. But it fits well enough on O2, and I will only replace it when needed by a code 0 on a furler. But for now, we are more than happy with these two additional sails.

Watermaker: Due to an error in the order, we ended up with a 60L Aqua-Base, instead of a 105L model. But 95% of the time, there is only the 2 of us on board, and we consider the smaller unit not really an inconvenience. The maintenance is easy, and water quality is very good. If we fill the tank with shore water, we always use a pre-filter. And if we have any doubts about the quality, we prefer to use our own watermaker. As a result, our Seagull IV filter has not been changed in the 24 months of intensive use. On our previous boat, we had to change it at least every 6 months.

Diesel filters: After the initial problems and elimination of some filters, our system is working fine. Although we use a 2 micron filter in the Racor, we never had to switch because of a clogged filter up till now. I must add, that we use a Funnel AF15CB water separator diesel filter when we fill our tanks. It is a bit of a hassle, because it is slow and there is always a bit diesel left in the end, but it sure helped to keep our tank clean. And we always add a good additive against bacteria growth.

Mooring: Our Ultra anchor is just great. It digs in very easily, resets fast, doesn’t rust, and cleans itself. We have 90m of Cromox G6 with 30m of nylon, and although it was a difficult decision because it is really expensive, we are very happy we agreed to go for it. The chain always comes up clean, doesn’t pile in the locker, and it is much stronger than G4 chain. We feel much more confident at anchor than ever before.

General safety: Luckily for us, we never had to use any of the safety equipment. But the intruder alarm never functioned as intended: We had a few false alarms, and because we never felt insecure, we don’t activate it. I spent a lot of time in wiring the beam sensors, but for some reason I couldn’t get it working correctly. I still hope to figure it out one of these days, because I truly believe in the idea of scaring away potential intruders by just activating the very bright spots. Of course, this only works when it is dark, but even if it is false alarm, at least it doesn’t keep others from sleeping.

Dinghy: We are happy with our Highfield and 4-stroke Yamaha outboard. But the inconvenience of a 20hp engine is its weight. We have dinghy wheels but they can’t cope with the weight, and just sink into mud, sand or gravel. I’ll try to buy DaNard Marine Dinghy Wheels DW-3, which could help us out. But I am afraid that will have to wait till we are in the US or Canada. Presently, beaching our dinghy in tidal waters is a problem.

Swimming platform: We love our swimming platform. We use it daily, to lift our dinghy, but also when we go diving, kiting or snorkeling from the boat. For some reason, it works now without starting the engine, and because we have more than enough power, we are very happy it does… 🙂

MacGlide antifouling: According to me, good antifouling will stay a point of discussion, because there is still no perfect solution. One major thing is, that you can’t compare apples with pears: Some people are happy when the antifouling is very efficient but most of these products are very toxic for our environment. So the first thing to agree on is, if you want a durable and non-toxic solution.

The weakest point of MacGlide are the joints between the adhesive sheets. But I know that they developed a two-component product recently. So that should be working better now.

MacGlide works on the principal of being too slippery to attach on it. In the end, it is a system that works on the speed of water brushing everything off. Which means it will work fine if you move frequently above 6kn through the water. In the warm and rich waters of the Caribbean, moving only short distances during a long period, the hulls needed to be cleaned every 2-3 weeks. But whatever tries to attach itself on our hull, it is washed off easily with a sponge. If we wait longer, 4-6 weeks, it becomes a bit more difficult, but still nothing compared to standard antifouling. We always do it ourselves while snorkeling.

So what is my opinion after two years? Well, we see a lot of small damages, and at some places the sheets don’t stick well anymore. But in general, it is still doing what you expect it to do. I plan to haul out in the coming year, and treat the bigger damages with the two component repair, and then I hope it will be good for another couple of years. Would I do it again ? Today, my answer is still yes.

Chart table seat: Our chart table seat is everyone’s preferred seat on the boat. It involved some creativity and work, but it was worth it.

Handy items we use a lot:

Most of the time, it are small things that we enjoy a lot, like:
– Handrails outside all around the roof, and inside at the steps.
– Mooring lines with heavy Forsheda n°4 (5000N) dempers.
– Goiot on steering wheel brake
– Dyson ventilators, we use them daily
– Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner
– Pressure cookers
– Sodastream
– Vacuum sealer
– Bauer Junior II dive compressor
– Kärcher pressure washer
– Plastimo depth sounder
– Kite stabilized binocular
– Eartec marine intercom head set
…

What we have added or changed during these two years:

Steering system: After our Atlantic passage, we saw an important degradation of the connection points of the rudders. FP agreed to modify it. In Laos, Portugal they made a new connecting bolt, and in Martinique they fabricated a custom-made teflon connection. Both are still in perfect condition.

Teak table: We started oiling it, but it turned ugly very fast. Following an advice, a few months ago, I cleaned it thoroughly, and treated it with 2 layers of epoxy, followed bij 3 layers of satin varnish. What a delight ! Even red wine or salt water is no issue anymore.

Sunscreens: Yes we spent almost all this time in the tropics. So sunscreens are a must. We have added them on all hatches, windows and recently in the cockpit. We also have 6 triangular screens (360cm) for overall cover when anchored or in marinas.

Temperature induced 12V AC ventilator at the back of the freezer: Our freezer is working much better since we installed this ventilation right behind the compressor.

Handles at the stern.

Anti chafe on bows for mooring lines

Extra jammers and blocks for better sail handling.

All important lines have been replaced and upgraded: Halyard, sheets, etc. The standard lines are not good at all, and by improving the quality with dyneema lines, some lines are smaller and stronger now, making it much easier to handle them. We have also added two extra cars on the mast track, for a better fold of the mainsail. Also, all three reefs can be changed without going to the mast.

What we don’t use (enough) or wouldn’t buy/install anymore:

Wattstunde semi-flexible Solar panels, as explained above, I consider them as money lost. Unfortunately, at some places, you necessarily need walkable panels. But I wouldn’t buy any flexible panels anymore if they don’t come with a 5-year warranty.

Iridium (Pilot): My hopes are on the new generation. The Iridium Pilot is much faster than a Go or handset connection, but it has a price ! So we only pay for the connection on long passages.

Maglite torches: Although considered as the toughest, we bought two of them and they both lasted less than 2 years.

Garmin marine camera: This small camera works fine, but we don’t need it after all. You learn to know the dimensions of your boat very quickly, making this rather a gadget than a necessity.

Garmin forward scan Panoptix PS51-TH: The Garmin forward scan stopped working properly in Panama, after a bit more than one year. No growth on it, so I don’t know why. Sometimes, changing the settings, I manage to have a correct image again, but a bit later the image is worthless again. And that is a real pity, because I miss it ! When it worked fine, it was really helpful.

Garmin remote control autopilot: When sitting in the front seats (in front of the mast), we lose often the connection. And it is then that it could be useful. So we end up using it rarely.