tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post720873686192240834..comments2024-03-13T14:21:41.243-05:00Comments on The Retirement Project: 6 Month Equipment ReviewTJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459069175481821975noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-70019857537880279972016-08-21T11:02:14.784-05:002016-08-21T11:02:14.784-05:00Hi Julia and Gayle - thanks for the great suggesti...Hi Julia and Gayle - thanks for the great suggestions. We have done a lot of things differently since I wrote this post and I guess it's about time to do a 3-year equipment review. Thanks also for the kind words about the book. We do hope to run into you this winter somewhere in the Bahamas. We'll be ready for a break after this long 8 months of working!Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01093436662653044390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-87900420832456573622016-08-20T12:19:25.936-05:002016-08-20T12:19:25.936-05:00Great List. A few recommendations. First, FYI Exp...Great List. A few recommendations. First, FYI Explore Charts are now available for the iPhone/ipad in iNavx. We use Navionics/MacEnc with 3+ difference charts pkgs (e.g. Navionics, Explore Charts, NV, etc), plus Garmin, Simrad, and paper chart (especially Explorer Chart, a "must have" for the Bahamas). <br /><br />And second, have you looked at the Keen “Venice" sandals which have less vertical straps which I think makes them cooler in the Bahama heat. Keen discontinued the Men’s Venice style, so they are harder to find but they still have the women’s Venice style.<br /><br />We built an aluminum arch for our solar panels and I’ve seen others do this over their canvas or at least raise the panels over the canvas. If using semi-flexible, may I suggest researching heat dissipation factors. Also, there are a number of good DC wire sizing apps in the App store (e.g. "Wire Sizer" and “DC Wirer Sizer”). The latter app is ours, which we wrote during our first trip to the Bahamas. When we installed our solar panels, we decided to tie the two 200w/36v panels together (72v) so that we could make the long run with a less thick/less expensive cable. <br /><br />Love your web site and your 5-star rated book "How Not to Buy a Cruising Boat“. <br />We hope to catch up with you somewhere, <br />Julia (Captain, Nav, Chief Bottle Washer, Chief of Provisions, and Chief Sanitation Engineer, love flying, and avid diver)<br />Gayle (Chief of Engineers, Rigger, Chief Cook, and avid diver)<br />(We both do the electrical, plumbing, epoxying, and engine repairs)<br /> s/v EspritEsprithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673093920879416640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-77465600416133289192014-04-19T21:27:54.820-05:002014-04-19T21:27:54.820-05:00Deb you are right about the charging. Maybe one d...Deb you are right about the charging. Maybe one day batteries will match up to our need for use. Glad to see you like the iPads we were hoping to do the same. Read your "Newly Salted." Great! <br />We hope to see you out there soon.<br />Pat and JoanPat and Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03553611756185327998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-82290381357348213542014-04-19T10:58:51.887-05:002014-04-19T10:58:51.887-05:00After doing the Newly Salted post (see the blog fo...After doing the Newly Salted post (see the blog for 4-19-14), it occurred to me that I totally forgot one of the most important things we bought that's without a doubt one of the most useful - the Honda Generator! I've added it and edited the post.Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01093436662653044390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-86360954214046206332014-04-19T07:17:16.523-05:002014-04-19T07:17:16.523-05:00@Pat and Joan, that's good to know about the e...@Pat and Joan, that's good to know about the elf GPS. We've never had any difficulty with satellites or refresh rates though so its not an issue for us. The disadvantage in using one would be that you couldn't leave it on the charger while using it if I'm not mistaken?Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01093436662653044390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-28988835002174166632014-04-18T23:43:55.575-05:002014-04-18T23:43:55.575-05:00Hi:
Great list and recommendations. Having bought...Hi:<br />Great list and recommendations. Having bought our boat just a couple of months ago we are still sorting through what stays and goes and this will be a big help. For the WiFi extender we know a couple of people who are using the systems from Islandtime PC with success. I like their options and set up. You can buy stand alone GPS receivers that plugs into the iPad/iPhone so you don't have to buy the cellular models. The one advantage of the stand alone is that they lock onto the sats quicker and you get a faster refresh rate. Look at Bad Elf.<br />Pat and JoanPat and Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03553611756185327998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-68344711774734370702014-04-18T02:02:53.263-05:002014-04-18T02:02:53.263-05:00Wow - this is a fantastic post and a great resourc...Wow - this is a fantastic post and a great resource! We didn't really buy much for our current boat as we knew we would be selling her, but we'll probably need to purchase a few things when we get our next boat so some really good tips for us to keep in mind. Cheers - Ellen<br /><br />The Cynical Sailorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11047491682363507834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-88356241379449806042014-04-17T19:12:09.444-05:002014-04-17T19:12:09.444-05:00@Alex - the teakettle works very well to contain t...@Alex - the teakettle works very well to contain the steam. We use it more than any other galley pot. We use it to heat up dish water rather than heat the whole hot water heater for just a little bit of water.<br /><br />@Joel - if we had a stereo already in the boat I'm sure we'd use it, but we really like the sound that the iPads put out. We used a friend's Bluetooth speaker the other night at a sundowner party and it worked great. We're going to buy one this summer.<br /><br />@Bill - only because I had a very good teacher lol :)<br /><br />@Bill and Kat - spend your money as a miser. Seriously the only thing I didn't buy that I regretted not buying was the dinghy bridle. I can remember hundreds of things I looked at and decided to wait on and never regretted waiting. Beer here in the Bahamas is $3.50 a bottle so save your pennies for the important stuff.<br /><br />@Thorsten - a SCHpinnaker would be great if you had more crew than we do. At the moment, with our crowded narrow deck, even reefing the main is dangerous. A spinnaker is out of the question.<br /><br />Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01093436662653044390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-20229112867337556672014-04-17T09:33:23.552-05:002014-04-17T09:33:23.552-05:00dont agree with the SCHpinnaker. otherwise spot on...dont agree with the SCHpinnaker. otherwise spot on ....<br /><br />just need to get a bunch of ( knowing) folks on the boat and than play with it....than use it in very light winds first ...<br />and you gonna love it ...<br /><br />thorAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09451224614231644415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-18707741795745012662014-04-17T08:05:47.453-05:002014-04-17T08:05:47.453-05:00Thanks for this excellent post. We are taking off...Thanks for this excellent post. We are taking off this summer and buying stuff left and right (a.k.a. hemorrhaging $). These types of posts are very helpful!S/V Island Boundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00925074312671891032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-16363628168184127452014-04-16T20:04:00.500-05:002014-04-16T20:04:00.500-05:00The student becomes the teacher. Great list, nice...The student becomes the teacher. Great list, nicely done.S/V Verandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04738948023678971536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-6732450684743065632014-04-16T19:31:01.257-05:002014-04-16T19:31:01.257-05:00Thanks for the list!Helps alot for planning this s...Thanks for the list!Helps alot for planning this summer! I just can't get rid of my stereo though!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552422419133819877.post-28896720996749094002014-04-16T18:58:31.360-05:002014-04-16T18:58:31.360-05:00I boiled coffee in a stainless steel coffe pot. Fo...I boiled coffee in a stainless steel coffe pot. Found the perculator aspect to consume too much time and propane. Since I don't mind a fee dregs in the mix, it has worked fine.<br /><br />Having never hat a tea kettle, tell me how that works so as to have less steam come out.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08463751847427639558noreply@blogger.com