Messages

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Projects - Glacier Boats of Alaska boat projects / Re: Kodiak 31' 4"' OAL 9'6" Beam West Coast Boat Works, Bend OR.

« on: August 29, 2021, 04:05:08 PM »

Installing solar on Rosie was a challenge with all of the “toys” on deck that would shade it. I wound up making this mount off of the stern which also functions as a spool holder for stern ties (very popular in this part of the world). The mount has worked well and is out of the way. It integrates with an engine cover/table. An unexpected bonus is it acts like a small sail at anchor and helps keep her into the wind. Since installing it we notice she dances much less when we are on the hook. Go figure.

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General Discussion about the Great Alaskan / Re: Aft buoyancy to avoid a capsize

« on: June 19, 2021, 06:39:32 PM »

Brian- Been out on Rosie for a few days and this is my first chance to say thanks for the thoughtful reply.
Cheers,
Ken

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General Discussion about the Great Alaskan / Re: Aft buoyancy to avoid a capsize

« on: June 15, 2021, 08:47:49 PM »

This is an interesting topic for me. I don’t have a GA but a Outer Banks 26. It has quite a lot of waterline beam (7’ 4.5”) and is very stable in most conditions I have had her in which is almost never more than1-2ft chop. I also know at some point I will encounter more nasty seas. I wonder what the sweet spot is for waterline beam (if there is one)? I know there are many other factors which determine a boats resistance to capsize such as flare and deadrise, metacenter, weight distribution, etc. Will a boat such as mine resist a beam seam to a point and then quickly turn turtle or does the large flare of my Carolina style bow help to prevent that?  I say this in comparison to a boat such as the GA which has less beam at the waterline and a more dory type flare. I see that most stitch and glue hulls are narrower at the waterline than some hulls which are diagonally planked such as the OB26 and wonder if that is totally design choice or partly due to necessity for hull formation with a plywood sheet or both?  Does a boat with a narrower waterline beam yield to a wave but roll back to center more easily even with a similar maximum overall beam? I love discussions like this and would like to hear any of your thoughts.
Ken

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General Discussion about the Great Alaskan / Re: House Battery

« on: March 06, 2021, 11:40:31 AM »

Check out the Victron components. They make some high quality stuff. If you have mixed chemistries like an AGM start and a Lithium house it is wise to isolate them as they have slightly different resting voltages. It doesn’t harm them but one will always want to discharge into the other to equalize voltages. I was using a Blueseas Add a Battery plus when my system was pure AGM and BlueSeas advised against using it in my new application. I still use the charger to top off my start battery at the dock. The Victron dc-dc charger allows the house battery to be charged indirectly from the start battery once the start is fully charged always giving priority to the start battery. The Victron has several pre set charging curves and it also allows for custom settings. My solar panel will be hooked to a Victorn Smart Solar controller which will charge the Lithium house battery. I left the old battery switch in place which allows for paralleling the batteries if I need the house battery to start the motor. Hope that makes sense. Ken

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General Discussion about the Great Alaskan / Re: House Battery

« on: March 04, 2021, 09:01:56 AM »

Which Wallas heater do you have?

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General Discussion about the Great Alaskan / Re: House Battery

« on: March 03, 2021, 05:32:04 PM »

When I did the electrical system on Rosie, I went with a Optima 66AH for a house battery. I don’t have much in the way of electrical demand. LED lights, chart plotter, VHF, radar and a Wallas stove. This set up worked pretty well for 2 seasons. Most of the time we would be out for 2- 3 nights. Towards the end of last season we did a 3 week trip and I felt like I was abusing the battery. With 66Ah the usable “healthy” capacity is only about 33AH. Long story short, I did a lot of research and decided to gift my AGM battery to a friend and go lithium. I bought a Battle Born 100ah. It fits in the same space as the old AGM and since you can run them down to almost 0 without harm, I have nearly 3x the electrical storage. Over the long haul they are cheaper than most other battery chemistries.  They have thousands of cycles in them. I am also in the process of installing a 150watt solar panel. An electric outboard for the dinghy is now part of the picture as well. Should be able to charge that from the new solar panel.  I added a Victron DC-DC charger as well as a Victron 712 battery monitor. We should be able to stay out longer and have plenty of power. I love the Victron 712 as it gives you so much info on how you and your batteries are getting along. The 712, DC-DC charger and Victron Solar all link via bluetooth to a smart phone app if you want to totally nerd out on your electrical system. You could just stay tied to the dock and watch the number change all day .
Ken

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General Discussion about the Great Alaskan / Re: heat in the house

« on: January 09, 2021, 10:28:56 PM »

I have a wallas stove/heater and it is one of the best things I installed on my boat.

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Projects - Glacier Boats of Alaska boat projects / Re: 28 GA in Pagosa Springs colorado

« on: December 27, 2020, 05:55:13 PM »

I have a Garmin 942XS and it works well for the copilot to use the HELM feature on Active Captain to screen mirror the 942XS on an IPAD. The other thing that works even better is to have Navionics running on the IPAD which has slightly different charting than the Garmin unit. Gives you 2 possible opportunities to see obstructions that one chart sometimes misses. My wife loves to have a chart to “check my work” which isn’t a bad thing. I find NAVIONICS auto routing to be much better than Garmins. Ironic since Garmin owns Navionics. I often plan my routes on the IPAD using Navionics and then transfer the route to the plotter. Sounds complicated but is quite easy.

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General Discussion about the Great Alaskan / Re: Okoume core voids

« on: August 08, 2020, 10:30:05 PM »

That is where I bought mine which was not marine grade.  When I spoke to the owner he was totally above board and sincerely wanted to make it right.  I would recommend speaking to him. He is an honorable guy.

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General Discussion about the Great Alaskan / Re: Okoume core voids

« on: August 08, 2020, 09:31:27 AM »

Built my boat from Okume BS1088 and didn’t see a single void. Did buy one batch and when I got it home some sheets were not stamped BS1088 and labeled EXTERIOR GRADE and not Marine. I called the supplier and he said they gave me the wrong sheets. He credited me the cost of the plywood and told me to keep it.

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Projects - Glacier Boats of Alaska boat projects / Re: Outdoor build of GA Kodiak, Orange, CA

« on: May 18, 2020, 02:03:08 PM »

Json- I built a tank coffin on my boat a well. Instead of a drain plug I installed a hose fitting. Attached to it is a clear piece of hose that has the other end fastened to the top of the coffin bulkhead. It acts as a sight glass so that I can see if there is any liquid in the coffin. If I want to drain it I take the top of the hose and point it down to the bilge area. That was part of my “over thinking”. Seems like a good idea.

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Projects - Glacier Boats of Alaska boat projects / Re: GA 28 built by Kachemak Skiffs Wasilla, AK

« on: May 14, 2020, 08:12:13 PM »

The Attwood surge protector doesn’t stop fuel from weeping out of the vent when the tank is very full and the temperature climbs. I will find out soon if it works as I fill the tank. In either case, I want to stop dealing with fuel coming our of the vent and making a mess. I cobbled some things together today and made a cover for the vent that will collect the fuel as it come out. Davis sold a device at one time that mounted over the vent and was secured with suction cups. It had a bottle connected  to it to collect the fuel. I believe it has been discontinued (liability?). What I made today should accomplish the same thing. I need to find a better collection container but this ice cream container should work. I believe it had mint chocolate chip which I think is the best option if you are searching for a similar container .

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Projects - Glacier Boats of Alaska boat projects / Re: GA 28 built by Kachemak Skiffs Wasilla, AK

« on: May 14, 2020, 08:15:14 AM »

I found this article which describes testing different venting/anti spill devices.
https://www.boatus.org/findings/40/

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Projects - Glacier Boats of Alaska boat projects / Re: GA 28 built by Kachemak Skiffs Wasilla, AK

« on: May 14, 2020, 07:53:54 AM »

Kennneee, please report to us how that fuel vent surge protector works out! Racor LG100, for more money, is another option, but so far, the only time fuel comes out my vent is when I'm filling and my tank fills up, then I get just a tiny little dribble and I'm done. Ultimately I'd love to mount the fuel vents higher than the fuel fills to avoid this altogether, but that's a project for a distant day. If this little unit works, it's a fairly simple solution.

I will put Rosie back in the water a a couple of weeks and will know more then. The Racor might be a better option as this one allows fuel to dribble out when the temperature climbs. It may prevent a surge which is half the battle but not a complete solution. I would be interested to know how the Racor compares.

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Projects - Glacier Boats of Alaska boat projects / Re: GA 28 built by Kachemak Skiffs Wasilla, AK

« on: May 09, 2020, 05:39:55 PM »

I have had a problem with fuel coming out of the vent when I fill my tank. The vent is doing it’s job but it happens fast and no way to know when I am close to full. I just installed one of these and hope it works. My tank is very full at the moment and when the temperature goes up I get a weeping out of the vent. I don’t know if anything will prevent that except not filling so high.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/attwood--fuel-vent-line-surge-protector--303851
Ken