What are your tricks for cruising?

[HeaveToo]

A lot of us will spend a night or two on a boat each season.  Some of us like to spend extended times aboard.

What do you do on extended cruising to make life better? 

How do you keep your batteries charged up?

How big of a house bank do you have?

Do you have a battery monitor?

What do you do for showers?

How do you keep food cold?

How long can you run on the motor without having to get fuel?

How do you get to shore?  Do you tow a dingy or have an inflatable?

What other cruising tips can you share?

Stepping down from a 30 foot boat will give me some trade offs.  I currently keep 75 gallons of fresh water aboard, I have a marine head with a shower, hot water, and I have 20 gallons of diesel that will give me 40 hours of motoring.  I am use to an icebox so a cooler is no big deal.  I have a 230 amp hour house bank and a reserve battery.  The batteries charge off of the diesel alternator and it is monitored by a link 10.  I also am use to having tons of space for storage (I carry two folding bikes when cruising).  I also tow an 8 foot fiberglass dingy that I plan to hold onto (I also have a 2.5 hp outboard with it that is an older 2 cycle that I kept off of the stern).

Has anyone tried a 12 volt refrigerator?  There are some versions out there that are like actual refrigerators.  Still, I wonder if you would be a slave to a power.

What other tricks do you use to save space?

[skip1930]

On my CP-19...
How do you keep your batteries charged up? One battery, with a worthless 300ma solar cell. Good for three days.

How big of a house bank do you have? One 75 amp deep cell battery. EVERY lamp/or consumable is LED, and used sparingly. Oil lamp in house.

Do you have a battery monitor? No. what for...can't do nothing about it.

What do you do for showers? Swim. Ivory Soap floats.

How do you keep food cold? Ice chest between the two quarter births. And ice and adult beverages in the bilge below potty.

How long can you run on the motor without having to get fuel? About 12 hours. 3-1/2 gallons main tank plus a 5 gallon under the settee.

How do you get to shore?  Do you tow a dingy or have an inflatable? Swim or run aground and jump off the bow.

What other cruising tips can you share? Travel light! A nice boom tent to keep the dew off. Spaghetti keeps with out refrigeration, starts with ice but not really necessary. A single butane stove in the cock pit to heat up food or cook an egg or a steak. One steel/frit bowel, fork, knife, spoon, plastic glass, one steel/frit flat plate, can put those right into the flame.  Bananas, the t- bone or New York steak was frozen when it came on board.  Hard boiled eggs, about 3 gallons of water, V-8 tomato juice with pepper, anchor out, never, never tie to a rented dock in a harbor unless that's where the group is staying on club trips. Do not plug in. Keep a well stocked emergency medical kit. A good flashlight, Turn off the damn radio. Your not there to waste a lot of energy talking on the squawk box. Your there to sail and be by yourself. Read your barometer. Plan for heavy weather, Keep plenty of line on board and extra ground tackle. Have a lot of 'short stuff' line to tie things down. And a cutting knife.
Denude your boat of all the stuff you don't need. Question ... how long since the last time you used what ever? Not used in a couple of cruses??? Get rid of it. Bring some books and glasses to read with.

skip.

[Shawn]

"Has anyone tried a 12 volt refrigerator?  There are some versions out there that are like actual refrigerators.  Still, I wonder if you would be a slave to a power."

Engel makes some true fridge/freezers that require pretty low power. A decent solar panel could keep you going for quite awhile as long as you had sunny days. They pull about 2.5-3 amps during cool down and then around .5 to 1 amp to hold it. Expensive though. I freeze 2 liter bottles of water and use that as 'block' ice in my cooler. As far as power I have a 90 amp/hour group 27 battery, a 40 watt solar panel and can switch in the alternator from my Tohatsu Sailpro if needed. All navigation and interior lights (I have 8 inside) are LEDs. I also run the GPS, pressure water pump, wind meter, and autopilot. The solar system keeps it all charged up with a Morning Star controller.

Shawn

[crazycarl]

compac 19, not as much room as the 23, but enough if your frugal

2 - 125/amp hour group 27 batteries, switched and metered.
1 - 10 amp on board dual battery charger.
4hp o/b with charger (trickle at best) 3 1/2 gallons of fuel
1- 8 gallon water tank for the sink
1- cooler for weekend trips
several quart bottles of drinking water
solar/crank lanterns for night reading in the cockpit

95% of our trips are overnight for the weekend.  2 batteries are more than enough. as of right now all our lights are original, but i second skip when it comes to LEDs.

i don't care to spend my time preparing meals, so we precook everything, vacuum seal and freeze it for a good week.  drop them in a pot of boiling water for 5-8 minutes, and burgers, brats, and steaks taste as though they are fresh off the grill.  works great for rice, potatoes, corn, spaghetti, or what have you.

showers?  here is alink to a great product.  we love this!  http://www.duckworksbbs.com/gear/shower/

on trips longer than a week, i don't bother with ice.  water tastes just as good to me warm as it does cold.  food is all dry or canned.  eggs can be stored for 3 weeks without refrigeration by 1st dunking them in boiling water for 10 seconds.  this causes the whites (protein) to seal the shell.  onions stored with vegetables and fruits will help them keep longer. also, store your fruit and vegetables in a hammock net.

3 years ago i spent 30 days in a 19' boat.  i had enough food and water for 40 days, and still had room to move around the cabin.  i only used the house bank for the gps, depth meter, vhf and anchor light.  cabin light was solar/crank lanterns, and i mainly used the handheld vhf.

you are only limited to what you can accomplish in a "small" boat by your imagination. (and comfort level)

carl

[Pete H]

Hi Heave Too,

My wife, son and I have cruised extensively in our previous TS, a Hartley 18, before we stepped down in size to a Legacy.

We regularly did family trips of two or three weeks, sleeping and cooking on board. I don't know what size ComPac you will be using, but if it's at the lower end of the size range you are going to notice the difference from your last yacht. However, long term cruising can be done even on the 16's. There was an article in Small Craft Advisor called I think "55 days on a Compac 16". Could be worth a look.

Personally we:-    Keep meat etc cool in a good quality ice box (we Aussies call them Eskies). Loaded with pre frozen meat and pre    frozen precooked meals the ice can last four or five days.  When the ice runs out we go onto pasta, rice or canned food.

   The Legacy was supplied from the factory fitted with a 30 amp hour battery. I use this to run the nav lights for night sailing only, which we don't do a lot of. I figure the battery should last for at least one  before needing recharging. All other electrickery is run on batteries. For cabin lighting I use a LED lantern which runs for about sixty hours on its internal batteries. Radio, GPS, hand held VHF etc all run on their own  batteries.
  I run a 6hp 4stroke, with ten litre tank, that would give about ten hours of motoring.   

Showers, yes well - at least every third day we make sure we are somewhere that showers are available. In my favourite cruising area there are public showers available adjacent to many of the public jetties. In other   places they are often available at campgrounds, marinas or pubs. (Generally for a small fee, $2 is typical) 

 Storage - on a Legacy or a 16 you probably won't be taking your bikes, for us trips ashore involve that earlier,   technology,  walking. You won't be taking much else either. Safety gear, sailing gear, suitable clothing, food and  water take up most of the space. We make room for some books to read, camera gear, musical instruments (harmonica, tin whistle - no room for the guitar, I have been thinking of buying a mandolin though and that would possibly fit), sketch books and a basic watercolour kit. We also have two fishing outfits
   I used to tow a 9 foot fibreglass dinghy behind the Hartley but I haven't tried that with the Legacy though, 9foot  Dinghy, 16 foot Legacy, Hm!   The main reason though is that I changed tow vehicles a while ago and I can't put the dinghy on the roof of a soft top Jeep! So getting ashore relies on jetties or shallow water or a soft  river bank.
   
  We carry water in two ten litre plastic Jerry cans. Almost every public landing spot has drinking water  available. If it is tank water it may need to treated or boiled before you drink it.

  We cook on board using the ubiquitous butane single burner stove. Use in the cockpit only.
 
Get a Bimini. (nice to have).  Get a boom tent! (essential!! On a really small cruiser).                            

So, cruising on a small yacht is possible and fun, you just have get out there and enjoy it. We choose to do it in a minimal way, no battery chargers, no solar panels, no stereo sound system, lots of torches, carry spare batteries.  Try to touch land every third day for showers, water, to top up ice and fresh supplies and have a walk around and eat an ice cream.

Go for it!

Pete H
                             

                             

[brackish]

On my 23:

Two group 27 batteries, one deep cycle, one dual purpose.  Charge at dockside with a Guest 5/5 dual battery charger, stay plugged into shore power all the time.  Also have an alternator on the outboard hooked in for charging.  I've done four day cruises and never run out of power.  My panel has a battery monitor.

I installed pressure water with a line to the sink and another to a hose bib in the starboard cockpit locker with a coiling hose and a multi pattern nozzle that has a shower setting.  I have an eleven gallon poly water tank.  In the summer the water stays a comfortable temp for showering.  In colder weather I have several bag solar showers, however, I think I'm going to get one of those pump pressure solar showers.

For cruises, I use a YETI Sherpa 50 that will fit under the companionway to keep food cold, and a polar bear soft cooler for quick access stuff. The YETI is supposed to be a 5 day, I can get three with block ice.  The places I cruise I can get ice every day if needed.  I have, on the drawing board plans to build a pull out drawer with a built in cooler for this area, next winters project. I don't drink the water from the house tank, usually bring several gallons of water for drinking and making coffee.  I have a container with a spigot that I'm making a platform for that holds two gallons.

I made a table that can be used either in the cabin or in the cockpit.

Normally I keep a 3.2 gallon fuel tank on the boat.  However, for longer cruises I have a six gallon.  I think I could probably run it for 15-20 hours before refueling but I've never had to.

I use one of three options for cooking, depending on the cruise menu.  I have a charcoal magma grill, and a propane magma grill.  Before I leave, I decide which one is more appropriate for the cruise.  These are both clamp on the rail types.  I also have a slide out butane stove on the port side, and use it for coffee, tea, hot chocolate.

On my home lake, there are plenty of coves that have the depth and slope to allow me to nose into the bank and tie off to a tree, so no dink required to get off the boat.  When I tow to the Gulf, I try to anchor in water that, weather permitting, I can wade to shore.  I have a mid grade inflatable that fits in the forward most compartment under the v-berth, behind the anchor locker that I use in deeper water.  I made a motor mount for it to use a trolling motor, but have never used it, easier just to row the short distance to shore.  Once I inflate it, I don't tow it on a cruise, it will fit on the foredeck.

I have a bimini, which I consider to be an essential piece of cruising gear in the southern heat.  I can sail with it deployed.  I'm considering an above the boom awning with standing headroom for use at anchor.  I had one on my Columbia 8.7 and really liked it.  

I use gear nets on both sides of the forward v-berth compartment for storage.  There is plenty of cabinet storage in the main cabin.  I have a rule that nothing will be stored on the cabin seats or berths, so I have found a place for everything stored out of the way.

There are many modifications that ComPac owners have done to make their boats cruise friendly.  Mine and others are outlined in various posts and can be found with a forum search if you need any details.

[Craig]

Great ideas all! I use a Sunshower for a quick warm shower. A poly pump up sprayer works too but is a little harder to stow. Freeze everything I can! Box wine bladders can be filled with water and frozen. Drained they can be easily stowed for re-use after you use the water. Pete, suggest a ukelele. Cheap, small and fun to play.

[brackish]

Box wine bladders can be filled with water and frozen

Ok, now there is a great idea, so have you done a survey to determine which box wine has the most durable bladders and spigots?

[crazycarl]

Box wine bladders can be filled with water and frozen

Ok, now there is a great idea, so have you done a survey to determine which box wine has the most durable bladders and spigots?

more importantly, which wine is the best to rapidly dispense so one can use the bladder? 

sounds like this would be a good experiment during CLR!

carl

[HeaveToo]

Great tips so far!

One of my thoughts is that when I get into a Compac 23 I will want to do a battery bank upgrade.  I did this on the Cat 30 and it was a big return in a small investment.  If I ran 2 group 27 batteries I could get about 230 amp hours.  That was plenty in my Catalina 30.

I would then run a battery monitor:  http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/battery_monitor (by the way that page has some good info on boat upgrades).

Solar seems like a good option down the road to assist in charging.  Where do you all place your panels?

[Shawn]

I have my solar panel mounted on the companionway hatch.



It is mostly out of the way there and allows for a 40w panel to fit without hanging off the stern. I'm currently sewing channels into the boom tent so tent poles will give it a more defined shape. The folding wood floor for my Achilles LT4 dinghy will then be used to fill in the cockpit well and an air mattress will be used in the cockpit to offer much more sleeping room.

Shawn

[Bob23]

Box wine? Please, child.
The last time I had box wine it was the after-the-show party with the Good Old Boat crew in Annapolis a few years ago. What a blast! Karen and Jerry are real folks, not snotty yachties. It was a highlight of the show.
Back to the thread: My panel is mounted on the forward hatch. I use 5 gallon water jugs from WallyWorld for my water. Grilling is done outside on the stern rail mounted grill. Coffee...ah fresh coffee is a must so I keep a french press on board at all times. Some things cannot be sacrificed.
I've eliminated the sink on my 23- way too small to be useful. Built a chart table in it's place instead. Showers are by pouring water on my head in the cockpit but I really like that shower that Carl turned us on to from Duckworks. For a tender I use a Walker Bay 8. No motor...oars only.
Bob23

[Shawn]

Bob,

To make the sink more useful (and keep your chart table) swap out to a single burner Origo and put in a deeper rectangular sink next to the stove.


I think the sink is 13x15 and it is dramatically more useable than the original circular sink. I copied Brackish with the pressure water and hose bib and added an accumulator tank to reduce pump cycling and to be able to run misters hanging from the bimini on hot lazy days at anchor. My hose nozzle has a mist setting which is nice for a spritz on really hot days while sailing. I have a 13 gallon poly water tank feeding that system.

I left out any sort of table on the other side as it left a lot of room for sail storage over there.

Shawn

[Koinonia]

What kind of boat are you looking to downsize to? Im thinking of going to a larger boat again myself.  

Were currently on our month long cruise in south Fl on Koinonia and everything is well.  They say cruising is working on you boat in remote and exotic locations, but so far the only thing I had to work on was a bad one way valve for the bilge pump.

I dont remember my amp hours but i just have two optima blue top batteries for my house bank.  They are charged with a 135 watt kyocera panel on the back of my bimini and its handles by a genasun charge controller.  The battery bank monitor is a victron energy controller that tells you all you could ever want.  

Keeping my beer, steak and freshly caught seafood is dont with a dometic 33qt refrigerated cooler.  It has a digital temp setting and you can use it as a freezer if you like as I did make a huge wine box of ice once just to see if I could do it.   I had thought about an adler barbour system but there is alot more to the installation.  With my refrigerated cooler if something goes wrong I just take it out and off to west marine for a new one which I did this year.  It doesnt draw alot of power and it cycles as it should so its only drawing power when running.   The sailing club where we keep the boat at home doesnt have shore power and i always have cold beer and drinks on board!

I also have a 20 gallon tank which I used to replace the old 11 gallon and I can get about 30 hours of run time.  My engine is a universal M25XP and were were running 6.5 knots through the water while motoring, with the current leaving Key West we were making over 8 knots!  

Our dingy is a 9ft west marine with the high presure inflatable floor.  I kept it deflated and rolled on the bow of Koinonia for the drive down to FL and for the crossing to the tortugas as well.  Once in the Tortugas I unclipped one side of the lifelines, plugged in the high flow air pump and inflated in minutes, the high presure floor needs a special pump to get to 11psi then she was slid into the water.  I use a 9.9 mercury and it got us to and from the south tip of Loggerhead key each day for snorkeling which is 4 miles one way in open ocean.  I was comfortable with speeds around 13 to 15 mph, I was overpowered but I already have the engine though a 6hp would probably be perfect for this dingy as its VERY light.  Its only around 70lbs and when the motor isnt on it I just flip it over to bail any water that may have gotten in.  When towing the dingy I have to remove the motor and put it back on the stern rail.  The dingy is so light if the motor is left on it just wants to dig its stern in causing alot of drag.   Also when towing a dingy I see alot of people dont adjust their tow line to have the dingy ride the second stern wave, this helps the dingy sort of surf and greatly reduced the pull against the boat.

Some things we have done for comfort are,

memory foam topper for the V berth, sleeping well while cruising is very important!
The windscoop is a must, if you dont know what this is, its like a mini upside down spinnaker for your hatch and forces breeze down in the boat while at anchor.
We have a 12v box fan that is great, it can be put anywhere so sleeping or cooking you can have air movement, especially if its downpouring outside and you still want air movement inside the boat!
The V berth also has a smaller mounted ultra quiet and efficient fan.
The rest is personal preference I think on comfort.  At night in south fl we sleep with the fans running, anchor light on, maybe watch a movie on our flat panel 12v TV, charge our cell phones which are great for weather radar down here when were close to the civilized areas.  Overnight we will usually use 35 to 40 amp hours, this will usually be recharged by lunch the following day by the solar panel.  Also we will often keep the fans running in the afternoons  since we have the extra power to burn.  The power excess is enough that if we were to do cruising in remote places long enough Id get a smaller 3.5gph watermaker and run it about 5 hours in the afternoons.  In conservation mode we dont use even 7 gallons a day but the longer fresh water showers would add to the comfort level!
Speaking of showers we have a shower fitting in the back or our cockpit and one in the head.  On smaller boats Id highly recommend a sunshower to get the salt off!     Shawns shade cover is good to have onhand, I have something similar and its great to keep the sun off the deck of the boat, while in the Tortugas it was always comphy down below having that and the windscoop funneling air through the boat.
   Im really going to sound spoiled now but when we ran low on fuel and had to tack our way up the channel into Key West during the Night I loved my chartplotter!!  Using that and the depth finder I was able to make use of all the space I could being the NW channel isnt very wide and one side is our of the water at low tide!

Comfort is all a state of mind though!  We are docked at the moment at a very nice resort, plugged in with the AC running for under 80 a night so we could visit some family in the area.  The other boats here are New Prout catamarans, Grand Banks trawlers, Hinckley jet drive power yachts, ect and are wowed when they find out I dont have a generator on board to run my ac when not tied to a dock.  On the other hand I see people cruising in 20ft boats with nothing more than a handheld GPS and the bare essentials and they grin from ear to ear more than these guys on the big yachts!   We have been very comfortable and its great when people on a dock say that were living their dream of cruising.  If you have any questions on my solar setup I think I have a write up somewhere on here as well as other stuff I have done to the boat with pictures.

Shawn, do you have any pictures of your diesel heater install?  your chimney looks slick!  What model are you using?  I had one in a larger boat briefly but it would get soot on the boat so I went with propane.  Maybe you could do a write up on a new thread so we dont jack this one!

[Shawn]

"do you have any pictures of your diesel heater install?  your chimney looks slick!  What model are you using?"

It is actually a wood stove, not a diesel heater.






I wrote it up in this thread though the picture links are broken...

http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=4291.0

Shawn