Shango is a Pacific Seacraft 40, hull #2 built in 1996. We
are the third owners and purchased her in July 2005.
After returning from our first Bahamas cruise in 2002, we went
in search of a more suitable boat for extended short handed
cruising. The highest priorities in our search were:
a more rugged boat with sufficient displacement
to stand up to prolonged abuse from seas and wind
cutter rig
shallow draft
a powerful and
dependable engine
sufficient below deck
space for my 6"4" frame and all our junk
respectable sailing
characteristics
a size and design that
we felt comfortable handling in both demanding
at sea conditions as well as in tight docking
situations with wind and
current
the intangible ability
to reach out to both of us with her design, fit
and finish.
within our budget
Although Amy had a double ender prior to our meeting, this was not
necessarily a high priority in our search. After many boat shows and
web research we kept coming back to the Pacific Seacraft 40 as the boat that
seemed right for us. The Pacific Seacraft 40 certainly has compromises
like all boats but so far she seems to be working pretty well for us. We've only
had a couple two week cruises and a bunch of daysails, so the Bahamas
trip will be our first prolonged experience with her. Stay tuned!
The previous two owners were from the west coast and although we live in
Newburyport, MA we actually bought the boat in Seattle from Tom
Cooper at Seacraft Yacht Sales. Buying the boat in Seattle gave us a great
excuse to sail to the Gulf and San Juan Islands, see friends in Oregon and
Washington, and get married in Victoria, B.C.
The boat's first owners had done a very good job with her initial outfitting and her ongoing maintenance. The second owners had her for only a short time before their sailing plans changed. Although Shango is now 11 years old we think that she has aged well.
Pre and Post-Trip Projects ( for those few of you that may be interested)
Wind Generator
One of our biggest frustrations during our last trip was the constant
use of the engine
for power generation. We always envied others who could sit at anchor for
days
and power their house banks with either solar panels or a wind generator.
Friends
on Yaquina from Portland Oregon had an array of solar panels on their bimini
which
worked great for them. We are still thinking of this option but I was reluctant
to
tackle the engineering task of bimini penetrations and support. We already had a
stout 2.5" diameter wind generator mast on the stern so wind became our first
choice. Shango came with an Aerogen 6 wind generator which we found to be
nearly useless. At 15-20 knots we barely made 2-3 amps. At survey I was very
suspicious of its performance and had the local Seattle dealer check it out. He
returned the verdict that it was fine. Although I knew something was fishy I did
not
pursue it at that time
As far as I could tell, the English company that made the unit no longer exists and the support email addresses all went to dead ends. After tracking down the unit's actual designer, we still could not get the unit to perform as expected. It became time to pursue other options Other friends on Eleanor M. from Newburyport, MA have had a Ferris 200 rig mounted unit for years which they are very satisfied with. Other friends had Kiss and Four Winds units with which they were also satisfied. Although all three units appear to be excellent options, I went with Ferris given the fact that they were based in Massachusetts and would be more accessible for support.
The unit is now installed and although I've had to track down some initial installation bugs related to wiring and also with the regulator it is really able to generate the amps as advertised. I'm still gaining experience with the unit but so far it does start generating power at 5-7 knots of wind, 1 amp at most, and at 12-15 knots it consistently puts out 5-7 amps. At 15 and above the output really ramps up. We see 10 -18amps between 15-20 knots. In Cape May as a cold front passed through one afternoon we had gusts up to 28 and the unit's amp meter maxed out its recording scale at 25 amps......That's the power side....noise and vibration is another story. Needless to say the Aerogen never put much stress on its mounting mast and supporting struts.The Ferris does. I've started to investigate solutions with some luck to date. First, after initial settling in, I had to further tighten down the set screws securing the unit to the mast. That helped ease the vibration greatly. Secondly I am finding that as usual my height is causing problems. I had four inches added to the base of the mast given the increased radius of the Ferris's blades. This increase in height as well as the height of the mast in general in causing strong forces on the mast especially during wind changes. During the strong Cape May winds, I added kayak tie downs straps to supplement the two supporting struts and that also seems to work. I'll continue oogling solutions and look at other people's ideas as the trip continues. My first thought is that a radar arch for electronics and solar panels might also be a better solution for mounting the generator.More stiffness as well as a much shorter mast.
Helm Instrumentation
Amy and I both prefer having as much of our instrumentation duplicated at the
helm as
possible. Shango previously had some at the helm and some at the nav station.
Especially
bothersome to us was the use of a removable aluminum bracket for the radar
repeater
which when in use was so high that Amy's 5"2" view was obstructed. Additionally
there
was no remote radio MIC for VHF communication while at the helm. So, I looked
around
for a helm unit which could both hold all our displays but also be low enough in
profile so
that Amy could see over the unit while seated on the helmsman bench. The Navpod
Grand Prix on the right just about fits the bill. We did not have room for all
six of our
displays so we had to add an Edson display head at the lower left for our
autopilot. Buying
the unit was the easy part. Installation was a bear. I terminated all the wiring
under the
helm in three terminal boxes, made new connections for runs up the pedestal
guards, and
then fished all the new wire runs down the pedestals to the terminal boxes for
connection.
After numerous false steps, faulty soldering, impossible places to access, and
overloaded pedestal guards I finally completed the job.
For amateurs among us like me, I have a new found admiration for the clean,
efficient
and professional work provided by qualified marine electronics technicians. I
also have a new found appreciation
for the benefits of both wireless instruments as well as integrated display
platforms cutting down on the need for
separate displays for each device. Despite the installation headaches, the
Navpod has been great for us data freaks.
Bimini and Stack Pak
When we purchased Shango/Kiva her bimini and dodger were in pretty
bad shape and additionally they did not have side and back enclosures.
Another big lesson from the last trip was that Fall sailing down the East
Coast especially at night is COLD. Full enclosures were a must for us.
At right is a shot of the new bimini and enclosures. We are really happy
with this addition. Not only do we stay warm but as happened during
the 4th of July celebrations in Ptown, we can stay in the cockpit when
it rains.
The Doyle Stack Pack has eased the burden of sail covering. The
PSC 40 has a good sized full battened main and I wanted to make it
as easy as possible to cover and uncover. I'm still working out the best
system especially in wind and rolling seas. The bimini requires that the
boom be moved outboard in order to reach the zipper to close the
Stack Pak. In calm seas it's easy to just move the traveller or loosen
the mainsheet for access to the zipper. When it is rocking and rolling
that would be a good way to be knocked in the drink by the flying boom.
I've now found the right combination of deployed preventer, vang,
traveller, and mainsheet to pin the boom can to an
outboard position enabling me to stand on the toerail and reach up to the aft
end of the boom and start the zipper pull to enclose the sail. After I get the
zipper just aft of the dodger my circus act maneuver is over. In a rolling sea
this is definitely not as easy as 1,2,3 but on balance I think the Stack
Pak is a great addition.
New Battery Banks
The cranking battery was identified as being suspect at survey and I confirmed this during our first summer's cruising. The house bank was only 420 amps and I wanted at least 700 amps so I replaced both banks. I replaced the cranking battery with a Group 27 AGM. For the house bank I was able to fit 3 8D AGM totalling 735 amps. In addition I fabricated aluminum tie down bars and fiberglass angle irons to hold all four batteries securely in place. The picture below shows the cranking battery to the right and one of the three 8Ds to the left. The other two 8ds are perpendicular to the 8d and run under the cockpit sole under the galley sinks. These two also have aluminum tie downs and fiberglass angle irons securing them in place. Hopefully Shango will always be facing the sky but in the event she decides to turn turtle I think we have a good chance of avoiding being bombarded by flying batteries in addition to everything else that would be going haywire. At the top of the picture you can also see newly installed wind generator regulator and diode.
Dedicated Alternators for House Bank and Cranking Battery
Every resource that I consulted recommended dedicated alternators for both the house bank and the cranking battery. Shango came with the original and unused internally regulated Hitachi 80 amp alternator. In its place was a high output externally regulated alternator. At survey the external regulator was found to be misbehaving and I replaced it as soon as I got the boat back East. The new regulator in conjunction with the existing high output alternator have worked fine. The magicians at Merri-Mar custom made a second bracket ( shown below at left) for the Hitachi allowing me to install the unused Hitachi. We now have dedicated alternators for both the battery banks with each alternator specifically designed for its bank's needs. So far the system has worked like a charm with absolutely no intervention required. I've been monitoring voltages and amp hours for both banks religiously and so far everything is working as it should with no effort on my part. Best of all I can keep the battery switches isolated and avoid any unwanted run down of either battery bank.
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Holding Tank Diverter Valve
Another issue discovered at survey was a very finicky and nearly inaccessible diverter valve for the holding tank. Every time we wanted to change the direction of head discharge, a nearly impossible contortion was first required under the head vanity to access the diverter valve handle and then as the handle was in reach, a super human effort was required to actually turn the handle. The valve and the handle were plastic so I of course was just waiting for it to break. During our trip, the handle did freeze in place so I was forced to jury rig our system so that all discharge was redirected directly overboard. Amy was outraged by this necessity but gave in to the compromise so as to avoid using a bucket. So, upon our return and having Shango safely hauled ashore, I decided to rebuild the holding tank plumbing system in a fashion more similar to the way it should have been in the first place. It is interesting to note that most PS 40 owners talk about this refit as the one they most dread as well as the one they most envy when when they see someone who has taken it on with success. Here's the finished product:
The above picture shows the space under the head sink with the casework all removed. The upper left corner of the picture shows just the edge of the holding tank, behind which is the old mounting plate for the now removed diverter valve. The new diverter valve, the bronze 3 way ball valve, is shown in the middle of the picture. The white sanitation hose coming into the top of the valve is from the head. The two hoses leading out horizontally are the lines going either to the holding tank or directly overboard. The new valve is up to its task unlike the previous one. Most importantly, with the casework in place the valve is still very accessible.
Am I glad that this project is done.
What works and doesn't work
Sitting here in the Bight of Acklins on day three of 20-25 knot east winds, I'm going to start a little project that I've been meaning to do for a while. I have always enjoyed reading cruiser's personal experiences with and assessments of assorted boat stuff. I thought I would do the same for those who might be interested. So, in no particular order, here is my in progress list of stuff that works and doesn't work and even some that is in between. There is no uniform standard for getting on the list other than the fact that I, or in a couple cases Amy, felt like putting it on the list.
5 doesn't get any better
4 very good product
3 I guess it does what it is supposed to do
2 what a disappointment
1 doesn't get any worse
Sea Gull Water Filter Grade: 5
Shango came with a Sea Gull Water Filter sans paper filter cartridge. When I called the company and found out that the replacement would cost $65, I rudely exclaimed "$65 dollars!!!" to the innocent customer service rep and promptly said good day. For the first two years the water filter canister sat empty and unused. Amy refused to drink water from our tanks and stood stubbornly to this position as we continued to load bottled water on the boat. Shortly before our departure and after I had read a positive review on the Pacific Seacraft email list, our marina's store had a fire sale of unsold merchandise. One item was a Sea Gull water filter complete with a paper filter cartridge for only $25. I decided to use this opportunity to get a cartridge at a more reasonable price. All I can say is it is a godsend. Water from our tanks which was previously very metallic to me and undrinkable to Amy is now just great. Few items on the boat get better reviews than this item. Watermaker water which never tastes truly good tastes like spring water. We like the device so much we bought two replacement filters at the Annapolis Boat Show just in case we needed spares on our trip. After 8 months of living aboard the original filter bought at the fire sale is still doing its job. The rep at the boat show said to just keep on using a cartridge until either it loses its effectiveness or it gets too plugged up with impurities. Neither has yet happened.
SGC Powertalk HF SSB and Antennae Tuner Grade: 4
Again the SGC was an original installation with Shango. When I say that I have an SGC many folks have the reaction that it is too complicated and far more difficult to use than the ICOM models. Our previous SSB was a Yachtboy receiver so we are definitely not experienced with other SSB options. The SGC does have a lot of functionality to tune out unwanted noise and the functionality does require reading the documentation but it is well written and for us pretty easy to follow. The results have been excellent and we have yet to experience a situation where somebody else has gotten reception and we have not. Transmission has likewise been as good as anybody else. So, having little comparative SSB experience especially in terms of cost, we would say that the SGC has performed very well for us and would recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and effective unit.
To be continued.