Category Archives: Boat Details

Rebuilding the Windlass

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Our windlass is a vital part of our boat as it controls our anchor and anchor chain.  It allows us to use the motor to raise and lower our 100 meters of 10mm stainless chain and 33 kilo spade anchor.  We replaced the motor, gaskets and a few other small pieces in Costa Rica 2019, but we have not taken the top portion of the windlass apart for some time.

We were having issues with the windlass as it was drawing too much power to operate.  Something was causing friction or issues making the motor work too hard which then overloaded the batteries.  Never a good thing to have the boat shut down as you are trying to bring up the anchor.

Getting Started

In order to work on the windlass we have to disengage the anchor chain.  However, we did not want it to drop into the marina water so we ended up securing the anchor and chain to the bow roller.

We ordered new gaskets, o-rings, a sure clip, and a bearing from Lewmar (which took forever to arrive).  As Matt was taking everything apart he realized that the spacer had rotted.  Well shoot!  For some reason, Lewmar has stainless and aluminum pieces put together which is odd as these two materials don’t like each other.  

End of Year Delay

New problem. This spacer was not available anywhere in NZ, USA, or Europe!  Evidently Lewmar would not be manufacturing more of these pieces until end February (it was December when we discovered the problem).  If we were to wait, the part would not get to us until April or May. That would mean that we could not leave the marina as we would have no means to anchor which was simply unacceptable.  So, we decided to take it to RH Precision Engineering to have a new one fabricated.

Rob at RH Precision was wonderful!  We dropped the sad little spacer off on Friday before Christmas and he called us on Wednesday 28 Dec to tell us it was ready!  And on top of that he only charged us $100NZD and 2 beers!  We would have spent hundreds of dollars more had we ordered it from Lewmar.  And it is beautiful and works perfectly!

We discovered the culprit was a rotted cord deck which held the spacer.  Sea water had seeped into the wood, rotted it out and kept the spacer wet.  So, Matt had to dig out all of the rotted wood, let it dry out, then filled it with epoxy.

We were finally able to complete the windlass project after 3 weeks, mostly waiting on parts.  Now, we should be able to anchor without putting too much stress on our batteries.

Events from this blog occurred in late December and early January 2023.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events. We upgrade Sugar Shack with lithium batteries and Starlink in our last blog.

A New Ticker: Lithium Batteries

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House batteries are the heart of our boat that keep everything running.  Our AGM gel batteries are only 4 years young and probably have another 3-4 more years of life left.  However, we are in NZ and we finally have access to lithium batteries, expertise to install and knowledge of how to re-program C-Zone for the new lithium batteries.

Matt has always known we would switch to lithium batteries; we were just waiting for the right place to purchase them.  I think he started talking about switching to lithium back in 2016, then again considered switching when we replaced all the electronics in Costa Rica after the lightening strike.  But in the end we waited…until now.

We contacted several dealers and settled on Cleagh Limited because Matthew Duckett has a significant amount of experience and expertise with C-Zone and Mastervolt.  We are a Mastervolt boat so for the most part it “should” be a plug and play with the batteries.  However, we have to update C-Zone and all of our electronics which will take a day or two.

Also, the Mastervolt warranty and our insurance both require a licensed electrician to do the install which is where Matthew Duckett comes in.

As a dealer, he was able to secure our Mastervolt MLI 12/6000 at a very reduced price.  We saved hundreds of dollars!!!  So, far loving this guy!

Removal of the AGM Dry Fit Batteries

We currently have (8) Sonnenschein Batteries A512 12V 115A Dryfit 500. They are long-life batteries that are similar to AGM but much better.  They each weigh in at about 42kilos / 93lbs.  Hope to sell these guys to recoup some of our money.

Installing the new Mastervolt 12/6000

The new batteries look like beasts when they arrive, but in actuality they will take up a lot less space and weigh much less than our original batteries.

We are replacing 8 Sonnenschein batteries with 2 Mastervolt lithium batteries.  These are slightly bigger but they weigh considerably less at 49 kilos / 108lbs.  So we are removing 336kilos / 744lbs and adding  98kilos / 216lbs.  This is a weight savings of 238kilos / 524lbs!  That is significant on a boat!  yeah us.

It is an awkward space to be in as you have to work around the “seat holes” upside down.  Both Matt and Matthew were in the hole for the better part of two days.  Matt Mitchell is in red shirt (middle photo) and Matthew is bottom photo.

Testing

 Matthew connects up with Tim who works at Mastervolt and has to review and certify our system.  It took a few tweaks, but after a few hours we were totally configured and up and running.  This is a screen shot of Matthew’s computer as Tim was diagnosing and reviewing our systems.

Completion

Originally Matthew thought it would take 2 weeks to complete the entire job, but then he amended it to 1 week.  As it turned out, it only took 2.5 days because Matt did a lot of prep work in removing the old batteries, reconfiguring the wood slats that hold the new batteries in place and built the strap system that secures the to the floor.

Feeling super excited to see how our power consumption, usage, and recharging improves with these beautiful Mastervolt batteries!

And look how much room we have for storage!

Time to Stay Connected: Starlink

As most of you know, we struggle with internet connectivity especially in the remote places of Fiji and French Polynesia.  Here in New Zealand we have had great access, but we won’t always be in the land of plenty.

Starlink was running a discounted special here in NZ at the end of 2022.  We couldn’t resist since it was almost half the price of what the units were selling for in the U.S.  Matt was like a kid in the candy store when the big gray box arrived.

He ordered the residential unit and will add portability when we leave NZ.  He also ordered the ethernet box which he plans to butcher to make work on 12volt.  

The unit does not draw a huge amount of power, but it is more than we expected.  Luckily our new batteries can handle it!

In an effort to save some money, we downgraded our Iridium Unlimited plan for the next 4 months.  We will most likely reinstate it when we move to Tonga in May just as a back up in case Starlink does not connect while underway.

We have seen really great speeds.  In the first image you can clearly see where we started using Starlink vs the local marina wifi and our Vodafone connection.

Not the prettiest solution for our dish, but it works while we are on the dock.  It has to be free and clear of obstructions and away from our solar panels and radar.  So, for now, here she is.

This could be a game changer for us!  Stay tuned.

Events from this blog occurred in mid-January 2023.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  We enjoyed the Highland Games in our last blog, did you read about it?

New Glasses for Sugar Shack: Windows

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Say what?  Your boat got new glasses?  Well, technically, yes.  Our cabin top windows needed some love.  We have 5 flat windows and 4 large curved windows.  The flat acrylic windows craze (hundreds of very small cracks appear making it very difficult to see out of).  We replaced them in 2010 when we bought the boat but they’ve crazed again.  And several windows are leaking after many years of bending and flexing with the boat as we crossed thousands of miles across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

We engaged Metro Glass to replace 5 windows and re-bed all of the other windows.  It is a huge, messy job.  We wanted to replace three of the windows with acrylic windows and replace the two small hatches (front of the cabin top) with glass (“wanted” being the key word).

Matt had re-glued several of our curved windows to stop the leaking.  However, it was time to do it professionally again, so in comes Metro Glass.  Dave came out and took out the two flat rear windows first.  The goal was to remove them in the morning, use the old windows as a pattern and bring new ones back later that afternoon.  That was the “plan”.

What Went Wrong?

Dave’s co-worker Rob, accidentally painted the wrong side of the window (he painted the inside instead of the outside) so they have to make an entirely new window. They put the old window back in temporarily to keep the elements outside.

The other window was “in” but they drilled the holes by hand and the holes were crooked, so the screws won’t stay in.  Yes, they will have to come back to remake this window as well.  Not a good start.

They took out the center cabin top window next and managed to remake and install it with only a few little issues.  Next, they took out the two small hatches which were to be sent to Auckland to be replaced with glass.   So, we sat with 5 windows covered in plastic and pvc for more than a week waiting for the rain to subside.

All of our cushions have to be removed as the black glue gets everywhere.  This is the Metro Glass team working on the center cabin top window.

Moving on to the Curved Windows

Our two large, curved side windows were schedule to come out next.  These windows would just be re-bedded (come out, cleaned up, and put back in).  We thought these windows would be “fairly easy” to remove as Matt has re-glued these several times (which requires removal of old glue and reapplication).  However, they were stuck on good giving the guys a bit of a challenge. 

The team uses a stainless piece of wire that they saw back and forth (one person inside and one outside) to get the glue to come off.  They applied so much pressure at one point that they “sawed” right into the plexi.  Luckily Matt caught them in time and it was only a small 1/8” dig and won’t show or ruin the integrity of the window.  The other window was a smidge easier to come out, but not by much. 

It is two weeks into our 4-day window project and I am feeling incredibly defeated.  I actually begged them to just finish one window as each window they had touched was in mid-state of repair.  Finally, they finished the sealant on the very first window and the center cabin top window.

The two front cabin top curved windows were the last to be re-bedded.  These are the two that have the smaller hatch windows inside them. The most challenging windows.

Glasses Don’t Want to Come Off

They start working on the starboard window first and worked on it all day.  It was a stubborn one as it has never been taken off in 22 years.  Surprisingly, it had areas that were leaking and yet other areas would not separate.  They again sawed super hard to get the glue to separate and managed to cut the plexi 1.5” which completely sucks as this window is not being replaced.  It is in the corner where it is not visible, but it does create a weak point which could further crack while the boat is under stress.  We will have to keep an eye on it.

A few days later they came back to work on the other curved cabin top window.  This managed to come out a little easier.

In the meantime, the new small glass hatches supposedly came back from Auckland.  Matt asked them if they drilled the large hole for the latch handle and the small hole for the locking mechanism.  They checked and guess what, they did not drill the small hole.  When they inquired about it they discovered that they cannot drill the smaller hole that close to the larger hole because it would compromise the glass.  Seriously, they did not know this before?  So, they had to remake them in acrylic in order to use our latches.  At this point, I have discussed my displeasure many times and they had the intelligence enough to offer to do these small hatches at no charge.  Appeased a little, but we are not getting what we wanted which was glass hatches.

And Yet More Problems

Moving on…they continue to work on the last 4 curved windows in between the rainy days.  As they remove the duct tape from our two forward curved windows, we see marks by the small hatches.  Oh my goodness!!!!  Another $600 discount and over three weeks later, the windows are finally considered “done.”  What a project.

It was rather an unfortunate experience and one that we would not wish on anyone.  Thank goodness we had the time to babysit the workers and watch every step, but even still we had loads of problems.  But they are done, better than before and look much improved.

New Glasses are Done

Glasses are clear and leak free, for now 🙂

The events from this blog occurred in December.  In our last blog post, we enjoy Red Bull Flutag in Auckland.  We witness man-made flying contraptions plummet 6 meters into the water – it was great fun!