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Our
last post prompted a question about refrigeration from a reader in
France, so here’s a few comments on that subject.

When
we were in the Med meeting
fellow cruisers (the vast majority of whom were aboard sailing
yachts) one of the most common discussion threads was the difficulty
of keeping house battery banks charged. In virtually all these cases the
cruisers with these issues had battery powered refrigeration. Modern
technology has certainly
reduced
refrigeration’s power requirements, but there’s no doubt it’s
still
likely to be your biggest current draw.

Boat
refrigeration is powered in one of the following ways:

1.
An engine driven compressor – this is very efficient, but only
operates when your engine is running. Usually the same compressor powers both a refrigerator and freezer. There can be issues with
controlling temperature as in some installations items in the refrigerator section will freeze if
the system is run too long.

2.
DC power from battery bank – is efficient but results in heavy current draws,

3.
AC power from generator and/or inverter. Very efficient but note
that quite a large inverter is needed due to refrigeration’s high
start up current draw.

4.
A combination of above – is ideal.

I
haven’t included LPG
powered refrigeration as with
a pilot light it’s
regarded as
unsafe for
marine applications.

Whatever
system is used stainless steel lined appliances seem to work better
than plastic lined ones and those with built-in brine plates make
them even more effective. A
big advantage of systems
2 and 3 is
they invariably
allow for continuous operation on shore power using a battery charger
in the case of DC or an inverter generally passing current directly
through to
the appliance in
the case of AC.

On
our last boat we used AC power from our genset or shore power and
found that worked extremely well.
Depending
on the ambient temperature and the number of people aboard (more
people = more “drain” on refrigeration) we
ran the genset for about 60-90
mins morning and evening. During that time we’d also charge the
batteries and often do some washing, heat
the hot water tank
and
use the water maker.

Rapport
has
an Engel
refrigerator (with
a small freezer section) in
the galley powered both by AC and 24V DC plus a combination
refrigerator / freezer powered by an engine driven compressor. The
latter
works fine if you are cruising every day, but if anchored or
staying in a marina for several days we had no freezer without
running an engine for a couple of hours a day, so
we decided to install an AC powered freezer on the flybridge. On
boats we prefer chest to front opening freezers. The latter are more
convenient to use but in our view not as effective. Where possible
and mainly due to price we believe it’s best to use standard
household appliances so we chose a 220V
powered Haier
HCF101 chest
freezer with
101 litres capacity costing
only $439 (about 242
Euros). We
installed a double AC power point in the flybridge and the freezer is protected
from weather by the flybridge’s vinyl screens. When
on shore power our inverter passes incoming AC current directly
through to connected AC appliances. Underway with
the engines charging the batteries
we use the 4.1Kw
inverter to
provide AC power and at anchor we also
use the inverter
while using the genset to periodically boost the batteries. We
find the refrigerator and freezer combined draw less than 5 amps.
Since our
cooking is electric we need to run the genset during the evening in
any case and
can then also heat our hot water and sometimes use our water maker.

This is the compressor driven chest freezer located in the cockpit

The compressor driven refrigerator is in the saloon (the freezer is on the other side of the bulkhead)

A
few tips we’ve found useful:

1.
Pack your
refrigerator and freezer as full as possible to make them operate
more efficiently. Use different sized bottles of water to use up any
spare
space.

2.
Turn them OFF or down during the night to conserve battery power. When not being
opened they lose little temperature overnight.

3. Use your thermostat – when you have charging power available turn the thermostat down (ie colder) so the appliance runs more or less continuously and when you have no power turn it up so it runs less.

4.
Use your freezer to freeze bottles of water. Each day or two put some
in your refrigerator to help keep its temperature down. As the water
bottles thaw use them for cold drinking water and
replace.

5.
If you have more food and drink to keep cool than your refrigeration
capacity allows
use your
freezer to freeze a few bottles of water and freezer pads, then
store additional supplies in an Esky, changing the bottles over every
couple of days. This is particularly good for bulky vegetables and
salads as well as wine and soft drinks (beer needs to be colder!)

6.
Cans of drinks store more easily, are easier to dispose of and seem to
get colder than glass or plastic bottles.

Our last post prompted a question about refrigeration from a reader in France, so here’s a few comments on that subject.

When we were in the Med meetingfellow cruisers (the vast majority of whom were aboard sailing yachts) one of the most common discussion threads was the difficulty of keeping house battery banks charged. In virtually all these cases the cruisers with these issues had battery powered refrigeration. Modern technology has certainly reduced refrigeration’s power requirements, but there’s no doubt it’s stilllikely to be your biggest current draw.

Boat refrigeration is powered in one of the following ways:

1. An engine driven compressor – this is very efficient, but only operates when your engine is running. Usually the same compressor powers both a refrigerator and freezer. There can be issues with controlling temperature as in some installations items in the refrigerator section will freeze if the system is run too long.

2. DC power from battery bank – is efficient but results in heavy current draws,

3. AC power from generator and/or inverter. Very efficient but note that quite a large inverter is needed due to refrigeration’s high start up current draw.

4. A combination of above – is ideal.

I haven’t included LPG powered refrigeration as with a pilot light it’s regarded as unsafe for marine applications.

Whatever system is used stainless steel lined appliances seem to work better than plastic lined ones and those with built-in brine plates make them even more effective. A big advantage of systems 2 and 3 is they invariably allow for continuous operation on shore power using a battery charger in the case of DC or an inverter generally passing current directly through to the appliance in the case of AC.

On our last boat we used AC power from our genset or shore power and found that worked extremely well.Depending on the ambient temperature and the number of people aboard (more people = more “drain” on refrigeration) we ran the genset for about 60-90 mins morning and evening. During that time we’d also charge the batteries and often do some washing, heat the hot water tankanduse the water maker.

Rapport hasan Engelrefrigerator (with a small freezer section) in the galley powered both by AC and 24V DC plus a combination refrigerator / freezer powered by an engine driven compressor. The latterworks fine if you are cruising every day, but if anchored or staying in a marina for several days we had no freezer without running an engine for a couple of hours a day, so we decided to install an AC powered freezer on the flybridge. On boats we prefer chest to front opening freezers. The latter are more convenient to use but in our view not as effective. Where possible and mainly due to price we believe it’s best to use standard household appliances so we chose a 220V powered Haier HCF101 chest freezer with 101 litres capacity costingonly $439 (about 242 Euros). We installed a double AC power point in the flybridge and the freezer is protected from weather by the flybridge’s vinyl screens. When on shore power our inverter passes incoming AC current directly through to connected AC appliances. Underway with the engines charging the batterieswe use the 4.1Kw inverter to provide AC power and at anchor we also use the inverterwhile using the genset to periodically boost the batteries. We find the refrigerator and freezer combined draw less than 5 amps. Since our cooking is electric we need to run the genset during the evening in any case and can then also heat our hot water and sometimes use our water maker.

This is the compressor driven chest freezer located in the cockpit

The compressor driven refrigerator is in the saloon (the freezer is on the other side of the bulkhead)

A few tips we’ve found useful:

1. Pack your refrigerator and freezer as full as possible to make them operate more efficiently. Use different sized bottles of water to use up any spare space.

2. Turn them OFF or down during the night to conserve battery power. When not being opened they lose little temperature overnight.

3. Use your thermostat – when you have charging power available turn the thermostat down (ie colder) so the appliance runs more or less continuously and when you have no power turn it up so it runs less.

4. Use your freezer to freeze bottles of water. Each day or two put some in your refrigerator to help keep its temperature down. As the water bottles thaw use them for cold drinking water and replace.

5. If you have more food and drink to keep cool than your refrigeration capacity allows use your freezer to freeze a few bottles of water and freezer pads, thenstore additional supplies in an Esky, changing the bottles over every couple of days. This is particularly good for bulky vegetables and salads as well as wine and soft drinks (beer needs to be colder!)

6. Cans of drinks store more easily, are easier to dispose of and seem to get colder than glass or plastic bottles.

Our last post spoke too
soon as no
sooner had I mentioned
NZ’s
return to
unrestricted cruising than the Auckland level 3 lockdown commenced on
12 August until
the 30^th.
This time there was no room for confusion as all forms of boating
were clearly identified as not permitted.

Well
Spring is here if you go by 1 Sept, or nearly here if you go by the
Equinox of 23 Sept. Regardless the cruising is going to get better.

Di
and I rarely do cruises under several days and prefer cruises of ten
days or more. With this in mind our next project is to cruise for
about a
month from mid October to re-visit one of our favorite areas, the
eastern side of Coromandel Peninsula including The Mercury Islands
and Mercury Bay. For part of this time we’ve rented a berth at
Whitianga Marina for a very reasonable $40 per night (in the Med we’d
pay three or four times this) making it easier for family and friends
to join us. I
plan to cover that trip extensively in the Blog and
we’ll also be publishing an article in the Pacific Powerboat
magazine about it.

I
want to talk a bit more about our new Salthouse 52, “Rapport”.

When
we bought the boat we definitely knew
she had “good bones” and presented extremely well with extensive
upgrades including engines and gearboxes removed
and rebuilt
900 hours previously, new Furuno electronics, recently added water
maker, new house and start batteries and exterior repaint. The survey
confirmed her good condition, but as they invariably do it
also
identified a few issues needing attention.

Over
the last few months we’ve attended to these issues as well as a
host of other improvements to convert her from a full-on game fishing
boat to a comfortable cruising boat. Much
of this process has
been
making existing equipment work correctly.

Some
of the more major projects have been:

1.
Projects
we expected to do:

-Purchase
of new Aquapro SLR 2.6 rigid alloy hulled inflatable with Honda 2.5hp
4stroke outboard to
replace the poor condition RHIB that came with our purchase

-The
pulpit was poorly mounted and attached only to the teak decking
rather than being through bolted.

It
was removed and tidied up, an access hole made in the fore peak so
the pulpit could be bolted to the alloy deck, the teak deck was
thoroughly dried and the pulpit was properly and rigidly bolted
down in a
bed of sealant

-Paint
blisters under the beltings (where the hull meets the deck) on both
sides were opened, the alloy underneath ground back, treated for
surface oxidation, filled, faired and painted

-Replacing
cutless bearings

–Installing
a high volume sea water wash
down pump in the cockpit

-Sourcing
new spare pumps for fresh water circulation, sewage holding tank
discharge and grey water holding tank discharge. We
always prefer to have critical spares like these on board

–Upgrading
safety equipment including
extinguishers, flares, lifejackets, EPIRB, hand held vhf, binoculars,
smoke detectors and horseshoe buoy

-Installing Venetian blinds in saloon to protect furnishings from sunlight and
provide more night time ambiance

-Installing
a 101L capacity electric freezer on the flybridge so
that we’re not totally reliant on the existing freezer with its
engine driven compressor and
have an
operating
freezer while in marinas

-There
were no tools aboard so we put together a very comprehensive tool kit
including some power tools plus a wide range of chandlery items for
undertaking on board R&M

2
Unexpected projects:

–Installing
new Maxwell 3500 VWC windlass complete with spare electric motor

-Replacing
a non-working alternator

-Replacing
PSS prop shaft seals
with Kiwi seals
including replacement of all bearings. At this time the prop shafts
were also crack tested and straightened by Henleys, then realigned.
The props were checked and found to be in good shape

-Comprehensive
service of genset including installation of primary filter,
recondition of heat exchanger and some electrical work. Supply
of 220V charger for genset battery

-Replacing
all
Teleflex hydraulic steering hoses and many fittings

-New
batteries
for second house battery bank mainly
used for
powering 12V equipment

–There
was a large amount
of electrical work to make existing equipment function correctly,
rewire
breakers that didn’t perform their correct function, instal new
power outlets etc

Apart
from the above PSS shaft seal issue we’ve not encountered any
problems during our ownership except for a leaking fresh water
circulation pump (solved with a new outlet fitting), a loose wire on
our genset’s starting circuit and a failed high voltage shunt which
turned out to be redundant and not needing replacement.

Our last post spoke too soon as no sooner had I mentioned NZ’sreturn tounrestricted cruising than the Auckland level 3 lockdown commenced on 12 August until the 30^th. This time there was no room for confusion as all forms of boating were clearly identified as not permitted.

Well Spring is here if you go by 1 Sept, or nearly here if you go by the Equinox of 23 Sept. Regardless the cruising is going to get better.

Di and I rarely do cruises under several days and prefer cruises of ten days or more. With this in mind our next project is to cruise for about a month from mid October to re-visit one of our favorite areas, the eastern side of Coromandel Peninsula including The Mercury Islands and Mercury Bay. For part of this time we’ve rented a berth at Whitianga Marina for a very reasonable $40 per night (in the Med we’d pay three or four times this) making it easier for family and friends to join us. I plan to cover that trip extensively in the Blog and we’ll also be publishing an article in the Pacific Powerboat magazine about it.

I want to talk a bit more about our new Salthouse 52, “Rapport”.

When we bought the boat we definitely knewshe had “good bones” and presented extremely well with extensive upgrades including engines and gearboxes removed and rebuilt 900 hours previously, new Furuno electronics, recently added water maker, new house and start batteries and exterior repaint. The survey confirmed her good condition, but as they invariably do it also identified a few issues needing attention.

Over the last few months we’ve attended to these issues as well as a host of other improvements to convert her from a full-on game fishing boat to a comfortable cruising boat. Much of this process hasbeenmaking existing equipment work correctly.

Some of the more major projects have been:

1. Projects we expected to do:

-Purchase of new Aquapro SLR 2.6 rigid alloy hulled inflatable with Honda 2.5hp 4stroke outboard to replace the poor condition RHIB that came with our purchase

-The pulpit was poorly mounted and attached only to the teak decking rather than being through bolted.

It was removed and tidied up, an access hole made in the fore peak so the pulpit could be bolted to the alloy deck, the teak deck was thoroughly dried and the pulpit was properly and rigidly bolted down in a bed of sealant

-Paint blisters under the beltings (where the hull meets the deck) on both sides were opened, the alloy underneath ground back, treated for surface oxidation, filled, faired and painted

-Replacingcutless bearings

–Installing a high volume sea water washdown pump in the cockpit

-Sourcing new spare pumps for fresh water circulation, sewage holding tank discharge and grey water holding tank discharge. We always prefer to have critical spares like these on board

–Upgradingsafety equipment including extinguishers, flares, lifejackets, EPIRB, hand held vhf, binoculars, smoke detectors and horseshoe buoy

-Installing Venetian blinds in saloon to protect furnishings from sunlight and provide more night time ambiance

-Installinga 101L capacity electric freezer on the flybridge so that we’re not totally reliant on the existing freezer with its engine driven compressor and have an operatingfreezer while in marinas

-There were no tools aboard so we put together a very comprehensive tool kit including some power tools plus a wide range of chandlery items for undertaking on board R&M

2 Unexpected projects:

–Installing new Maxwell 3500 VWC windlass complete with spare electric motor

-Replacinga non-working alternator

-ReplacingPSS prop shaft sealswith Kiwi sealsincluding replacement of all bearings. At this time the prop shafts were also crack tested and straightened by Henleys, then realigned. The props were checked and found to be in good shape

-Comprehensive service of genset including installation of primary filter, recondition of heat exchanger and some electrical work. Supply of 220V charger for genset battery

-Replacing all Teleflex hydraulic steering hoses and many fittings

-New batteries for second house battery bank mainly used for powering 12V equipment

–There was a large amount of electrical work to make existing equipment function correctly, rewirebreakers that didn’t perform their correct function, instal new power outlets etc

Apart from the above PSS shaft seal issue we’ve not encountered any problems during our ownership except for a leaking fresh water circulation pump (solved with a new outlet fitting), a loose wire on our genset’s starting circuit and a failed high voltage shunt which turned out to be redundant and not needing replacement.