- This topic has 9 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 5 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
Lee,
I have had a similar fantasy about almost every boat I’ve owned, especially the older ones. Why not ask the factory if they’d consider reviving some of those molds enough to make you a hull & deck? Anything is possible if you’re willing to throw enough money at it.
As for the academic exercise, I’ll be in a better position to chip in a few months from now, after I’ve sailed my boat for a while. Certainly I’ve already made dozens of changes large and small in the course of my refit. My web page, http://www.silverheels.us/refit-list_done.htm, lists many small jobs, updates mostly, along with a dozen or more genuine re-designs scattered throughout. Perhaps my biggest single “improvement” was cutting out Pearson’s shallow anchor well & foredeck hatch arrangement and building a proper, divided, self-draining chain locker topped with a solid foredeck (& electric windlass). Adding a staysail to the rig (with corresponding deck reinforcement) might qualify as another worthwhile change. Larger, non-ferrous fuel tankage obviously belongs on the list (although I have not personally had the pleasure of making that conversion… so far). Gee, when you start thinking about it, the list does kind of grow & grow, doesn’t it?
Tor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
-
U 238?
Will our boats and pax glow in the dark?
<.. snip>
Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
-
-
-
Paul,
Attached is the correct photo #6b, which gives a better view of the 2-part, removable chain locker divider in place. I can remove it through the forepeak bulkhead “doorway” now, opening up the locker space and allowing me to squeeze my upper torso in there enough reach most of the stuff inside. Building in a fixed, permanent divider, my original intention, would’ve been big mistake.
Tor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Quote:
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
-
U 238 emits Alpha particles, which have extremely low penetration powers, in fact a single piece of paper will stop Alpha particles.
<.. snip>
Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
-
Tor
I’m still tying up the final touches of my windlass install and I saw your wiring of the battery. What size wire are you using for you charging circuit? Did you fuse both end of that circuit? I used conduit for part of the run in spots that were hard to support. I have a 100 amp alternator and I plan to use 80 amp maxi fuses at both ends of the boat. I already have these and if they don’t hold the amps I can easily switch them out with a larger breaker but I think that it would be unlikely that there would be that much current flow in that circuit.
Linus
<.. snip>
Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
-
Hi Linus,
I used 2-ply 6 AWG cable to carry the charge forward from the battery switch aft of the nav station to the windlass’ dedicated battery mounted just aft of the forward water tank (offset to port). I employed two 100-amp breakers in the system, one at the after end of the charging cable next to the battery switch, and one at the battery end of the 1 AWG battery-to-windlass cable, which you can see in that photo you referenced:
battery switch__breaker____________(6 AWG cable)_____________windlass battery__breaker______(1 AWG cable)_______windlass
I ran the charging cable beneath the floorboards, high and to starboard, along with a bunch of other wires traveling forward, bundled in a flexible rubber-foam tubing stuff from Home Depot (for chafe protection), the whole suspended from the floorboard frames by tie wraps along the way. The “other wires” run to the mast/bow distribution panel (under the starboard aft vanity seat in the forepeak), the deckwash pump (in the upper forward chain locker), and one or two other items along the way. Conduit would’ve been preferable, both for support and protection, but I installed the various wires in that bundle at different times, so I needed a split tubing to slip over them all after the last wire was in place.
Tor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Quote:
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
-
Tor and Linus,
Below are resistance values for various wire sizes.AWG ohm/kft
00 0.0779
0 0.0983
2 0.1563
4 0.2485
6 0.3951If you assume a 40 foot run and a 50A nominal load with 6AWG wire, you would have about a 0.8 volt drop in both the positive and negative wires if all current is supplied by your alternator. If you are running your engine when you use your windlass, your alternator will try to supply 13.8v. To make this short, I would expect your bow battery to supply about 10A at 12.2v and your alternator will supply about 40A at 13.4v. This all depends on the type and condition of the forward battery at the time you operate the windlass. Your mileage may vary. An AGM battery in good condition would be the best case.
Make sure that you don’t connect any part of the negative power leads to your bow battery or windlass to the bonding system in your boat or you will experience electrolysis of your forward fittings. Things are worse when you start a cold engine with a weak battery assuming that the bow battery connects to the same circuit as your starter.
If you don’t run your engine when operating your windlass, the windlass will get less power.
I don’t favor a forward battery and recommend 2/0 wire instead. This wire will lose only about 1/10v in each direction. Heavy wire such as this is difficult to run and expensive to purchase so many folks opt for the forward battery instead.
Regards
Rich
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
-
Thanks, Rich. As always, your depth of knowledge leaves me gasping. Being much more the layman myself, I just followed manufacturer’s specs and the advice of a professional marine electrician who happened to be docked nearby. Having used a nearly identical set-up with excellent results on my last boat for 6 years and 30k miles of liveaboard cruising – a system designed and installed by an electrical engineer and marine electronics guru – I have hopes that what I have installed this time will once again prove to be adequate. However, this 424, its windlass and ground tackle are bigger, so the true test will be in my upcoming shakedown cruise. (That’s precisely why I’m starting my cruise with an East Coast shakedown this summer.)
My understanding is that the forward battery can operate the windlass all by itself for the 30 seconds or less that it must and I can isolate it to do that if I choose to, allowing it to recharge gradually later. Here the charging voltage comes from the house bank, a 525 amp, 5-battery set of AGM’s under the foot of the aft bunk, which in turn is fed by the alternator, wind generator, battery charger and (soon) solar panels. I often sail off anchor engineless just for fun, so I would not want to rely on the alternator to reinforce the power in the windlass battery when in use.
I do appreciate your feedback on this system. Had I been smart enough to consult you 2 years ago I might have done it differently, although I personally prefer locating the windlass’ battery forward both to shorten the distance between power source and end user and, as you say, to avoid the weight and expense of running 2/0 wire so far.
Tor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Quote:
Original Message
<.. snip>Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.