Packing for a longer cruise

[HeaveToo]

Been there and done that with marine holding tank systems.  Where I cruise it is very easy to get a pump out.  I have done the permanent head and the porta potty and found either one to be an okay option.  They hybrid, an MSD porta potty, seems like a nice compromise for the space.

Cruising a sailboat is all about what works for you.  What works for you may not work for me and vice versa.  Regions have different facilities also.  Everywhere I cruise there is a marina and 95% have pump out stations.  Of those, 90% of the pumpout stations are free, especially if you are getting fuel, etc. 

My current marina has a pumpout that is available 24/7 during the season.  You have to turn it on and use it, but it is there when you need it.

[atrometer]

When your wife wants nothing but a true marine head, you get a true marine head!

[HeaveToo]

"When your wife wants nothing but a true marine head, you get a true marine head!"

Never have truer words been spoken!

[Bob23]

Or a different wife.  Better stick with the true marine head. Cheaper than a new wife! My wife, on the other hand wouldn't care if I used a Herreshoff cedar bucket- she just doesn't sail!

[Shawn]

"6.  Cooler.  I have a good cooler for the trip.  I am a slave to the ice man but that is nothing new.  I put a guide in the storage area under the stairway to keep the cooler from moving around.  This now gives me more space to put water bottles and drinks as well.  It opened up a lot of storage."

With your 100w solar panel you could go with a Dometic portable fridge and get rid of the ice man.

Shawn

[Shawn]

"If you just had a flat bottom wider and slightly longer sink it could help.  The bowl shaped sink makes it a pain because you loose a lot of space."

That makes a huge difference in usability.



That sink still drained out the thruhull OK. With the pressurized water I tended to flush the tank using the sink and it drained at least as fast as the pump could fill it.

Shawn

[HeaveToo]

My concern with the domestic fridge is power consumption.  If I ever did that I would want to add a second solar panel. 

Getting ice is just part of the chores.  It really isn't that bad and I have to get gas every so often.  I also have to dump the porta potty from time to time so that helps as well.  I also use ice in some drinks.

I like that set-up with the stove and sink on the same side.  What stove do you have there?

Oh well, it is sailing season and not modification season.  I do most of my work and blow my maintenance budget when the boat is out of the water.  When I am in the water it is time to sail!

I am leaving in a few days for a 12 day trip.  We will see where the wind takes me!

[brackish]

Everywhere I cruise there is a marina and 95% have pump out stations.

You are fortunate with that.  In my case, Bay Springs Marina has a monopoly being the only marina on the lake or in the region.  To get to one to the north, it is a 10 hour, very boring, motor up divide cut to Pickwick Lake.  To get to one to the South requires a lock through at Jamie Whitten Lock and then a 5 hour motor to Fulton.

On the other hand, because the lake is largely undeveloped, for nine months after Labor Day and before Memorial Day, during the week I pretty much have the entire lake to myself.  You have to take the good with the bad.  And since the Wag Bags are soooooooo much easier there is no sacrifice for me using them instead of an installed head or a Porta-Potty.

I think pump out is free for boats in the covered slips at the Marina and for major fuel buying transients.  But the covered slip boats pay a much higher monthly fee and have metered power they pay for separately.  And filling up my three gallon gas tank does not impress the Marina owner.  It is often considered a hassle if he has to pull off a tech he is billing out at $50/hour to go unlock the pump and fill my tank.  He prefers that I buy my gas on the way at the ethanol free station a mile from my house.

When your cruise is over I hope you write up a synopsis.  I've never done a cruise that long on my 23, generally 3-4 days max.

[HeaveToo]

I will work on a synopsis.  I will try to make a few updates along the way. 

The advantage of being in a well traveled area is that there are more pumpouts.  The Chesapeake is part of the ICW and I think that there are regulations in place about pump-outs. 

Lake sailing has to be hard.  The lakes in my area of subject to a lot of powerboat waves and light and flukey winds.  There is also something about the fact that the Chesapeake Bay flows into the ocean.  For some reason knowing that I could literately access the world from my home port always seemed pretty cool.

[brackish]

Lake sailing has to be hard.

All of my early sailing career was on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida Panhandle.  It was so much easier down there sailing with steady predictable winds.  Much of this lake sailing is dealing with winds that change in velocity and direction every time you pass a finger.  My sailing season is almost over, I don't even try to sail in the summer when the winds are light to nonexistent and the lake is chopped up with power boats and jet skis.  Trying to get back to the gulf permanently.

I know the Chesapeake.  I lived in Bainbridge, Eastport and Severna Park MD, at various times.

[Shawn]

I think the Dometic fridge is about 20 amps per day with higher consumption on initial cool down. A 100w panel should support that with amps to spare. I will be testing that this summer. I have a 100w panel and a dometic cf25. If needed I could add another 100w panel but would likely need to expand my house bank first to prevent to quickly recharging the battery.

Shawn

[HeaveToo]

If you are messing with your house bank I highly recommend going to 2 GC2 batteries in 6V.  They are supposed to be the best bang for the buck because they last longer.  They have heavier plates, etc.  I researched this a lot before buying mine. 

[Shawn]

"I like that set-up with the stove and sink on the same side.  What stove do you have there?"

That is an Origo 2000 non-pressurized alcohol stove. Putting both the sink and stove on the same side was a very handy modification. It made it easier to use both (you sit on the other side). If you leave the port side empty it also gave a bunch more storage in the port settee. I kept extra sails down there very easily and it also opened up more height for the feet/legs of someone sleeping in that settee. My feet would hit the enclosure of the factory setup on the port side.

Another option for the port side would be to build a slide out table. That would be a lot more convenient than the factory setup.

I'll look into the GC2 batteries. I kinda don't think they would fit in my factory location though as I think they are taller than the space I have available. Right now I just have 2 group 24 batteries. One as house, one as reserve.

Shawn

[HeaveToo]

The GC 2 batteries take a slight modification.  I bought two plastic battery boxes, cheap, and then added a bigger platform.  I made one out of plywood and 2x4.  The platform screws to the factory platform. 

They are taller.  They fit well though. 

[Shawn]

I don't have a Compac anymore, I'm sailing a Sabre 28. The batterys are under the quarterberth and are fairly restricted in height.

Shawn