The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat – Reviewed

Book the Captain has snoozed upon:  
The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat, by John Vigor   

Just up – The Can Opener has just finished another great book by John Vigor. Here is my First Mate’s book review which he has just handed in to me (slightly tardily we note) for approval. But… approved!

Topics Covered

• defining seaworthiness
• fitting out: spars, rigging, tackle, engine, nav gear etc
• heavy weather
• anchoring
• gastro-navigation and galleys

The Best Part
There were two best parts in this book for us. The number 1 best part was the excellent definition of seaworthiness. 

We have heard the term ‘seaworthy’ used so many times – bandied about really. To have it nailed down and specifically and practically defined was extremely helpful – just what we needed to hone our yacht design research criteria.

The number 2 best part of this book was: its attention to detail. At the end of each section, John Vigor repeatedly asks the question: ‘What would you do if your boat were inverted?’ He exhorts you to plan today for the scenario you hope will never happen. Then he takes you through solutions and explains how solving these problems before they happen is so critical. Brilliant.

Wishes

Okay, for once Captain Cat is stumped. All right. I wish that this book were longer. Or that it had a sequel.

Conclusion
This one’s got pride of place on our book shelf. Loved it. We’ll read any book that this guy has written.

Ever read The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat, by John Vigor ? How did you find it? Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

In the US
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Book Reviews

Previously: RYA VHF Radio text – Reviewed!

Also by the same author: 
20 Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere – Book Review

Batteries on Boats

photo by: Joanna Poe

Last weekend, we attended a lecture at the Cruising Association on ‘Power Systems on Boats’, by Matt Boney. 

We’ve attended a lecture on electrics on boats there before, but it’s always good to hear more on this topic again. Confirms that this is definitely something we need to master. Loads of studying ahead for the Can Opener…

Here are the key highlights from the notes I required the Can Opener take down (Hey Furrball, I’m self-motivated! I do not need you camped on my shoulder, waggling my ears like horse reigns to make me write faster…):

Battery Capacity

• Most cruisers do not have enough
• 150amps/day is a small amount
• You probably need a minimum of 300amp hours at 50% of DoD (depth of discharge)
• and batteries only top up to 80% of their capacity
• so you need to actually have more like 420 amp hours to be able to use 300 amp hours/day… and still would have to charge every day
• AND you don’t want to run your battery to 0… only want to run it down to about 25% of battery capacity
• therefore you need even more capacity!

Which battery to use?

• You can mix battery sizes to increase capacity (lifeline tested this) as long as batteries are
• the same age and
• the same make

• With batteries you ‘get what you pay for’… quality costs..

 Types of batteries

• Sealed leisure or marine batteries 
• are ‘maintenance-free’, 
• but can’t be topped up so they won’t last long. 
• They are also affected by temperature.
• Gels 
• are useful, 
• slow discharge
• old technology
• expensive
• hard to find

• AGMs
• are the best (?)
• becoming more popular
• make sure you get the right AGM for the right purpose! (There are many potential uses for these…)

Monitoring your batteries
You should 

• charge your batteries to 100% every month to anti-sulfate them – otherwise they will become permanently sulfated
• should estimate when you hit 50% DoD by measuring battery voltage
• must have a panel mounted digital volt meter
• must have a small digital multi-meter
• all batteries must have multi-stage regulators
• test your batteries 2x/year
• use your alarms!
• monitor regularly!

Ways to generate electricity?

• shore power charger
• solar – recommended 600Watts+ or you won’t be able to replace daily usage
• wind or towing generators – expensive, but easy and convenient
• AC or DC diesel generator – DC is the quieter of the two
• Honda petrol generator – don’t get this one. There are no petrol stations at sea. And you are not really saving a lot on size.

What type of batteries are you using? What kind of generator(s) are you using? Are you getting the voltage you need out of them?

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Corrosion & Metal Fatigue On Boats

Hold the oysters! 

We’ve just been to a blue water seminar this past weekend at the Cruising Association – and it was awesome. 7 lectures on how to cruise that were of riveting and relevant interest. Couldn’t get more near and dear to our heart than that.

Vyv Cox, a mechanical engineer who has written quite a few articles for Yachting World, etc*, led off with a talk on ‘mid-ocean things that could spoil your day’. 

Well, yes. And most of them involved metal fatigue and corrosion. The kind of thing that causes masts to come down and boats to sink. Sure made for some edge of the seat listening. 

But good news – although you cannot eliminate all risk and there are no guarantees, you can take steps to minimise the chances of quite a few scary situations. 

Most of them involve sealants, choosing the right materials and check, check, checking your equipment. Good stuff.

Here’s what we learned…

Corrosion

Galvanic corrosion

• 2 metals in salt water generate electricity… and causes one of the metals to corrode preferentially
• common example: stainless steel and aluminum
• antidote: 
• isolate different metals
• avoid using different metals close together if possible
• exclude water – use sealants to protect eg. Duralac paste, tefgel
  

Crevice corrosion

• if water covers the top of a crevice – then air is excluded and corrosion can occur
• thread roots are crevices – eg lower swaged ends of shrouds are suspectible
• so keep water out – fill it with sealant, lanolin, Waxoyl
• Waxoyl is available in an aerosol – warm up the shrouds with a hot air gun, then spray the Waxoyl on
  

General corrosion

• is materials related
• is unlikely with 300 series stainless steels
• carbon steel is suspectible but generally not used except in engines, engine components, mountings, chain etc
• NOTE: Jeanneau only uses 400 series which is not very anti-corrosive
  

Seacocks & Fittings

How to avoid corrosion… choose your materials well

• EU regulations only require fittings to be good for 5 years (Huh? Yep, the wrong seacocks can sink your boat…)
• brass suffers from dezincification – the loss of zinc from brass
• the fitting will show the pinkish colour of copper on it
• it may only affect the surface but severly reduces strength
• thread roots are particularly susceptible
• if the fittings are chrome-plated – then they are brass

Where to find these short-life brass skin fittings?

• Tonval, Guidi products – all brass
• Manganese bronze… is brass (and some other metals mixed in) – often found in propellers
• Naval brass = brass

Who uses brass skin fittings?

• Beneteau
• Dufour
• Hallberg-Rassy
• Malo
• Maxi
• Najad
• X Yachts
• …

Yeah. Surprised us too.

So what materials should your seacocks and skin fittings be made of?

If you discover you do have brass fittings, then it’s time to replace them with the good stuff… And yes, it costs a lot.

• DZR is the good stuff – it includes arsenic which slows corrosion (cZ132Cu62Zn35.2Sn0.7Pb2As0.1)
• NOTE: no DZR is chrome-plated 
• The symbol ‘CR’ (corrosion resistant) means it is DZR – but only if you see this symbol on valves!!
• Mysteriously Guidi’s brand symbol on skin fittings looks a lot like ‘CR’… but Guidi = brass. Be careful!
• ASAP brand made with DZR
• Blakes seacocks also made with DZR (at least for the last 25 years)
• Bronze – very good… and expensive

What else should you do to protect your boat from corrosion?

For mountings on hull use:

• Sikaflex 291
• 3M 5400
• Pu40
• Boatlife Lifecaulk

For threads use:

• Liquid PTFE
• Sikaflex 291
• PTFE tape

re: Bonding

• If you have bronze or DZR you don’t need to seal because your fittings will not corrode.
• (If you do bond, then you will create a galvanic situation.)
• Bonding is done in North America, not in the EU/UK.

re: Anodes

• Be careful where you place your anodes – they work only on ‘line of sight’. If you place them on the other side of an obstacle (say, a hull…) then they won’t work and can even make matters worse.

Fatigue

• Fractures occur due to cyclic stress.
• eg shrouds and stays, fittings, masts, shafts
• eg if you let off the back stay every time you are at the dock, then you incresae fatigue in mast which could lead to failure (hmmm, the boat we train on does this…)
• Therefore eliminate stress raisers and allow freedom of movement. 
• (So, does this mean never put the backstay on? Or leave it on all the time?…)
• Failure of bolts are always due to not being tightened enough, which allows play, leading to fatigue and failure.
• Make sure that swaged fittings are in line (no ‘banana’ swags or cracks) and that toggles are on all ends.
• Inspect all of the mast and mast fittings for cracks
• Low profile T-ball fittings are best.

Have you ever been caught on the wrong side of corrosion? What did you find the last time you inspected your mast?

We will certainly be going over Un Tigre Beau‘s mast with a giant magnifying glass this winter I can tell you…

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

* coxengineering.sharepoint.com

Sail Away! – Reviewed

Book the Captain just finished snoozing on:  
Sail Away! *, by Paul and Sheryl Shard

How do you provision and collect inventory to prepare a yacht to cruise – and what’s the cruising life really like? 

Topics Covered

• secrets of successful cruises
• the cost of cruising
• outfitting
• provisioning
• maintaining inventory
• cooking at sea
• personal comfort

Best Part
This book is not set up as an inflexible ‘to do’ list, but rather as an ‘adapt it to you’ list. The Shard’s realise (for ex.) that everyone eats differently and simply using someone else’s shopping list is unlikely to leave you happy. 

So they describe in very useful detail how they tracked their own preferences ashore, and how they created systems to adapt those preferences to life on a boat. 

Then they teach methods to create your own systems that are geared to suit you best. 

Makes sense. We like it!

Wishes
While reading this, we wished we could have copies of the Shard’s lists anyways as a good point to start from. Then we would adapt those lists for ourselves.

And lo! They made that possible. There’s info in the Appendix on how to order disks with their lists on it/them… 

…but booo! They meant floppy disks. 

It seems this book has not been updated since 1998. A quick check at the publisher’s website does not list this book. So it doesn’t look like you can still buy these disks, floppy or otherwise.

The book itself, however, is still available on Amazon, and it’s info is timeless.

Conclusion
This was the first cruising ‘text’ the Can Opener ever bought. It’s still one of his favourites.

Ever read Sail Away! by Paul and Sheryl Shard? How did you find it? Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

* (not to be confused with Sail Away – no exclamation point – by Nicole Rodriguez…)

Book Reviews

Next: Celestial Navigation For Yachtsmen
Previously: Sell Up & Sail – Reviewed 

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Sell Up & Sail – Reviewed

Links at bottom below post

Book the Captain just finished snoozing on: 
Sell Up & Sail: Taking the Ulysses Option, by Bill and Laurel Cooper  

How do you move from dreaming about cruising to actually doing it – and what’s it really like to live aboard a yacht?

Best Part
The authors’ dry delivery style is quite engaging. You get a strong impression of what having drinks at the taverna with them would be like – a lot of fun!

Though it does discuss repairs and some technical topics, really the focus of the book is on the stuff of ‘life aboard’. With a palatable ratio of info-to-anecdotes that makes it an enjoyable read.

Wishes
The book we borrowed is copyright 2001. It looks like there is a 2005 edition on Amazon. Still, we wish there was a more recent edition.  

A more up to date and comprehensive tome to invest in (a real biceps builder) would be The Voyager’s Handbook, by Beth Leonard.  It’s got the soft stuff as well as a ton of technical detail too.

Conclusion
Sell Up & Sail gives a feel for what cruising was like 10 and 20 years ago – and how things have changed.

Apparently it’s a lot more crowded and harder to find isolated spots in the Med these days. Since we won’t know what we’re missing, I guess we won’t be too devastated.

But things have changed and up to date info is pretty crucial to get – for instance the Gulf of Aden is listed in this book as a perfectly fine route to sail. Of course, this just ain’t currently so. Don’t leave home without getting up to date info on crucial safety topics like this!

And the sections on communications equipment and electronics really speak of a bygone age. Technology and brand names have moved on, everything’s changed.

So while it was a fun historical romp and we’re glad we borrowed it to read, it’s probably not the first investment to choose for an up to date cruising library. We’d look forward to looking at an updated edition of this in the future, however. 

Ever read Sell Up & Sail? How did you find it? Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Book Reviews
Next: Sail Away! – Reviewed

Previously: World Cruising Survey – Reviewed

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World Cruising Survey – Reviewed

Links at bottom below post

Book the Captain just finished snoozing on: World Cruising Survey, by Jimmy Cornell


Who goes cruising and where do they go? What do they sail?
What’s it like to participate in the Atlantic Cruising Rally?

Best Part
It’s always good to hear from experience and this book is a survey of the experiences of hundreds of cruisers surveyed on just about everything you could possibly want to know about. 

It’s got surveys on cruising routes, engines, communication and the tech to do it, first aid, personal prep, safety gear… all laid out – charted, graphed and analysed. And loads of illustrative examples/anecdotes.

Wishes
This book is copyright 2002. We wish there was an up to date version.  

You can find more recent objective surveys on equipment and safety gear put out by the Seven Seas Cruising Association though. And apparently, Practical Boat Owner magazine is good for this too. 

Conclusion
An interesting read. The theory of course is timeless. 

But a lot of the surveys deals with tech and equipment – engines, communications equipment, electronics, safety equipment – and the technology and brand names have moved on, everything’s changed.

So while it was a fun historical read and we’ll keep it on the shelf, it’s probably not the first investment to choose for an up to date cruising library. We’d look forward to seeing an updated edition of this in the future, however.

Ever read World Cruising Survey, by Jimmy Cornell? How did you find it? Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Book Reviews
Next: Sell Up & Sail – Reviewed

Previously: Bryan Willis, The Rules in Practice – Reviewed

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Free Ticket to the Boat Show!

Free Ticket!

We got free entry to the London Boat Show next week!  

This was with the help of the wonderful Red Tabby Yacht Club who wanted support at their stand. We’re happy to help out any way we can!

And after that, think of all the boats we’re gonna see! Watching match racing in Illusions in a pool they’re setting up. Lectures and info. Meeting and greeting old and new friends. And potential for great deals!

We can hardly wait!

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

The Wrong Seacocks Can Sink Your Boat

 

Cruising Association Lecture Notes:  

The Wrong Seacocks Can Sink Your Boat 

Another great lecture at the Cruising Association earlier this week, this time on Surveying Yachts and Small Craft with Paul Stevens, yacht surveyor, lecturer and author. Paul currently teaches at the International Boat Building Training College in Lowestoft, UK. 

Did we like him? Yup. He was passionate about his topic and it’s clear he knows his stuff. He cares about getting it right and keeping people alive on yachts that are safe. 

The first half* of Paul’s lecture covered a serious issue he has helped to build awareness for recently: the use of brass skin fittings below the waterline… in salt water-sailed yachts! 

What’s wrong with that? Apparently everything. 

So What’s Wrong With Brass Fittings? 
Brass seacocks in saltwater can corrode to failure in 5 years… or less! 

Dezincification

Brass fittings in fresh water – okay. But in salt water, brass (an alloy of copper and zinc) corrodes to failure. It’s called dezincification. If there is any current in the water (as often happens in a marina) this can happen in less than a year. 

What drives this? 
Well, it costs about a quarter of the price to make a fitting out of brass...

Is this new knowledge? 
Nope. Apparently the downside of using brass in this way has been known for about 90 years or more. 

Why did this happen? 
The new (since 1998) European Community’s Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) ISO Standard 9093-1 was rewritten to require only that fittings should be corrosion resistant for 5 years. (Though who knows why they were rewritten this way??…) 

Huh? Not required to last the life of the boat, you say? 
Nope. Not under the current EU regs. 

And if they corrode through and fail beneath the waterline my whole boat will sink?? 
Uh-huh. Pretty fast too. 

Is there a disaster waiting to happen under my waterline? 
Yacht owners need to prove to themselves that their fittings are NOT brass. 

There is currently no requirement in the EU to mark on packaging what components are made of. And the packaging of valves with and without brass are nearly identical. Even many chandleries are unaware of the difference between them due to this lack of clarity. Big problem. 

How to check 
Got written documentation of what your fittings are made of? Old packages? Documentation from the manufacturer of your boat? Can you write the manufacturer and get this in writing?  If you are buying a new boat, the builder should definitely be willing to write this down… 

You can also hammer-tap test every fitting that pierces the hull below the waterline. Even if the fittings were all put in at the same time and some of those other fittings have tested okay. Fittings may have been subsequently replaced with brass. Or some brass fittings may have gotten mixed in when the boat was first built due the unclear and very similar packaging. 

Brass corrosion shows as a grey pinkish putty colour. It showed up as splodges on the outside of valves and especially in the threads of valves that Paul had to show us. Does the fitting collapse when you hammer-tap it (not a guaranteed test) or break off? Not a good sign. 

If you can’t prove to yourself that all your fittings are not brass, then be safe. Replace them all. 

Prevention is far cheaper than calamity. 

The Right Stuff: Bronze and DZR 
We should be using bronze! Or products that are clearly labelled/confirmed as dezincified resistant brass (DZR). Plastic is a possible alternative, but shouldn’t be installed around heat sources – say in or near the engine box. 

How to be sure you’re getting bronze or DZR 
If you don’t have documented proof that it’s not brass – better to be safe and replace them all. 

How do you ensure this? Here are some ways: 

• If the package states clearly that the product is bronze or DZR, then okay. If it does not mention what material it’s made of… then it’s brass.
• If the valve shows the ‘CR’ symbol on it when you turn it over, then it’s DZR. That’s good. But you can’t necessarily see this when it’s in the package.
• Another clue – bronze fittings cost 3 to 4 times more than brass ones.
• Blake seacocks now use DZR only.
• ISIS make a range of DZR ball valves.
• New Zealand make the True Plastic Range by Lee Sanitation. Also okay.
• ASAP Supplies will supply a list of what things they sell are made of.

Here’s a link to Paul’s site and articles on seacock safety and technical metals info. Here’s info on Essential Seacock Checks. 

After Paul’s talk it looked like the vast majority of attendees would be down at their boat this weekend, checking for documentation and hammer-tap testing away to ensure the integrity of their fittings and the safety of their yachts. 

Do you know what your seacocks are made of? 
Does this situation exist in the US too? 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

* The second half of Paul’s lecture covered general surveying – tips on things to watch for and check before you buy a new boat (new to you) or during your yearly review of your current boat.  Lecture notes on this coming soon in my upcoming post Cruising Association Lecture Notes: Tips on Yacht Surveying. 

Cruising Lectures 
Next: Why Yacht Surveys Save Money
Previously: Going to a Lecture On: How To Survey A Boat

Going to a Lecture On: How To Survey A Boat

Not getting a good yacht survey can cost you a bundle

 We’re off (Where’s my sceptre and cape? The wiley Can Opener has hidden them!)  to a lecture tonight on how to survey a boat before you buy it. 

It’s at the Cruising Association down at Limehouse Marina. 

We’ll learn how to conduct a thorough inspection of a yacht or small craft. Or at least whatever we can learn in a two hour lecture. (Then we’ll come home and keep reading/snoozing on Don Casey’s Sailboat Maintenance Manual!)

We need to know what to look for when we are narrowing down options to the last one or two picks.

And since small boat surveying is entirely unregulated, it’s a fine idea to know about as much as about it as we possibly can and not rely totally on the surveyor we bring in for the final pre-buy inspection of the yacht-of-our-dreams. 

We might actually find the best surveyor ever. We might not. If you don’t know much about surveying yourself, it’s hard to tell.

Even if we do find the best surveyor on earth, they’re only human and could miss something. It’s our pocketbook on the line and us that will be living with any flaws that get missed. We need to know about surveying too.

I’m packing the Can Opener’s rucksack full of notebooks, highlighters, pens and smoked oysters. He’ll be taking copious notes for me at the lecture… and directing a constant stream of mollusks toward me to ensure the delicate balance of my electrolytes.

All in all he’s a good First Mate. His recent performance has been quite satisfactory. (If he just relinquishes my cape,) I’ll consider giving him a gold star. 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Cruising Lecture Notes

Next: The Wrong Seacocks Can Sink Your Boat
Previously: Cruising in Greece: Pluses, Minuses & Quirks

Don Casey’s Sailboat Maintenance Manual – Arrived!

links below at bottom of post

I just got Don Casey’s Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual in the mail to add to the library. ‘Six books in one’ is anyone’s idea of good value. 

I’ve assigned it to my First mate by day for some light reading (ha!). He needs to cover this giant reference book cover to cover. In particular, I want him to focus on its overview of how to survey boats. The book weighs in at about 3 lbs, so it’ll take him a while.

By night, however, the book is mine! A few good snoozes stretched over this tome should allow all the info contained therein to leech upwards into my sizable and osmotically inclined brain. I’ll be done absorbing its info long before the Can Opener. 

Then I can move on to selecting the right shade of organic catnip slip covers for the berths in the saloon. 

A captain’s work is never done.

 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

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