Chart Plotter failed

Chart Plotter failed - time to upgrade

Before the Failure :( 

Our 12 year old Garmin 741XS Chartplotter failed, at the dock, it would not turn on after we shut it down. This has happened three times now, once on the ICW, once when heading in from the Ocean and now at the dock while testing it.

Circuit Breaker - On √ 

Fuse √

Power at the connector to the Chartplotter √

It just will not boot up! Grrrrr.

Time to upgrade.

This is our 3rd Garmin Chartplotter, two on a previous sailboat and this one which came with the boat when we purchased it in 2015. 

We have a full NEMA 2000 system plus a Garmin HR 18 Radar. Our helm station is nicely setup with the Chartplotter, GMI instrument to show wind and pretty much any other data from the system, and our Raymarine Evo 100 Autopilot.  So ideally, the new Chartplotter will fit in the same footprint as the old one.

Down to West Marine with the old Chartplotter in hand we browse the available units.

Garmin GPSMap 943xsv

Multifunction Display with US and Canada Navionics+ Charts

Closest in size is the Garmin GPSMap 943 xsv. We spend a while discussing it with the WM rep and were able to confirm with Garmin Tech Support that our older Garmin HR 18 Radar would work with the new unit and that it would physically fit on our helm station. The power connection was also the same and the only other connection we were concerned about was the NEMA 2000 and that is standard.

Thirty minutes later we were walking out of the store with our new Chartplotter. WM confirmed that if it did not work on our boat we could take it back.

That night we both plowed through the install manual and the user manual. We also watched several YouTube videos on how to connect the GPSMap 943xsv to Active Captain and how to get the latest charts.

The new Chartplotter came with a 1 Year Navionics + subscription which means we can get the high res charts and the Auto Guidance feature - very cool!

After registering our new Chartplotter using Garmin Express on my laptop, we were able to log into Active Captain on my Tablet and download chunks of the Navionics + Charts for our area.

So far so good. Now time to install the new Chartplotter on the boat.

Step 1 - Physical mount it to the helm station. Our old Chartplotter mount is almost identical to the new, maybe a couple of millimeters narrower.  So 4 bolts removed, new mounting bolted down, ready to install.   --- 1st issue!

The mount has slots which hold the Chartplotter in place with a couple of large turn screws, but the diameter of the threaded part of those two turn screws are just a tiny bit too large, it's really difficult to get the screws into those slots.  Once I figured that out, it was not a big deal, but installing / removing the new Chartplotter is a pain. Doable but - maybe it will ease with use.   I did have to turn the mounting 180º so that the Chartplotter is mounted from the forward edge of the mounting rather than from the aft edge so that the turn screws would not be obstructed by the instruments on either side of the mounting.

Ok, That's done.

Step 2. - Make the Electrical Connections. This was a none issue! The power connector fit, so did the NEMA 2000 and finally so did the Radar RJ45 connector. Woohoo!

Ok, time for the 1st light test.

Peggy was at the helm and I was down in the cabin. Nav System Power √, the Auto pilot instrument woke up, so too did the GMI and the Echo Depth sounder.  Next was the GPS power - √

Now the GPSMap 943xsv woke up, it took a while for it to boot and first offered Demo Mode, we skipped that.

Next it offered the main setup options. We quickly went through that process, setting the boat dimensions and type.  Finally we got to the home screen.

We saw the new unit on display at the West Marine center so we had an idea of the screen layout.  But we got to see so much more with the unit on the boat where it was connected to our Radar, AIS, Compass, Depth Speed, Temperature, Wind data. There is so much to see!  Peggy asked if Garmin had an online Demo system? I cannot find one ( so if any of you know different let me know too 😊  ) 

Ok, let's keep going on the progress here.    We turned on AIS and that works as expected, probably a bit clearer than the 741xs. Next - Radar - We powered up the Radar then on the GPS Map home screen selected Radar and Single view which just shows the Radar view. On the left is a menu to complete the Radar Setup from the current 'Trxm Off', touch that and the Radar starts to spin up and in a few seconds we had full Radar Display.

Back to the home screen - Click on Vessel and then 'Wind' and wow! Much more info on the screen than on the 741, running data as well as clear current wind displays - shows more than on the GMI but all on a single screen

Sof ar we have Charts, Radar AIS and all of the other NEMA 2000 data. We did not test the Autopilot yet, but that's on the list.

And there's more! Active Captain! We had downloaded a couple of segments of the Charts from Navionics via the Active Captain app. Then with the Tablet set to use the same WiFi network as the 943xsv the system transferred the chart data to the Chartplotter.  Now we have the latest Hi Res chart data on the new Chartplotter. 

We did try the Auto Guidance and that is totally sweet! To try it out we setup a waypoint up the ICW and then hit the Auto Guidance, selected go to the waypoint, then selected Auto Guidance, the route down the North Fork of the New River, past all of the bridges, down to the ICW then North up past Los Olas Blvd Bridge, Sunrise Bridge, Oakland Park Bridge and Commercial Bridge and then to the Waypoint. Wow!   Now we'll have to see how that works with the Auto pilot although, there is no way that I'll leave the navigation to the system, it's challenging enough without the Auto Pilot let alone trust Auto Guidance to the job.  But it's really nice to see the route plotted out for us. Of course, I'm pretty sure that it does not consider the Wind for sailing a route, but having the route plotted out easily is a major plus.

Next time we're at the boat we'll check out the Autopilot access - do we have to still control the Autopilot via the Raymarine Control Instrument or can we manage it from the Chartplotter.  Also, we'll setup the Garmin DST 810 Depth,Speed  & Temperature transducer ( we extract it each time we dock ) and see how that data is displayed.

Mainsail is still at the cleaners, so no sailing this week but next week is looking good.

See you on the water. 

Refinishing the Non-Skid deck - actually doing it.

Actually refinishing the Non-Skid decking

This is a project that I started in 2021 and have allowed life and other more important boat repairs to take precedence. The good news is that the materials that I purchased from Jamestown Distributors has not suffered on the shelves of my garage here in South Florida - ok, one Can did leak a little, probably because the cap was not seals ( shake the can after screwing down the lid ), that was the Awlgrip Awlcat #3 Topcoat Brush Converter ( 1 pint ), so I ordered another pint.

Ok onto the work, it was surprisingly easy!

• Clean the deck ( I'm just doing the Port Side Non-Skid for now )
• Sand the deck using 3M Scotch-Brite Ultra Fine Hand Pad 7448
• Mask off the Non-skid areas using 1" Blue Painters Masking tape
• Mask off the surrounding areas using 2" Blue Painters tape overlapping the 1"
• Clean the deck again using Awlgrip Awl-Prep Surface Cleaner
• Apply Primer with a 4" Roller & 2" Nylon brush
• Mix the Primer as follows:-
• 1 Part Awlgrip 545 Epoxy Primer Base
• 1 Part Awlgrip D3001 545 Epoxy Primer Converter
• 0.2 Parts Awlgrip Topcoat Brushing Reducer ( yep, same reducer as the topcoat )
• Allow 12-14 hours between coats. ( Apply a total of two coats)

This was pretty straight forward except for the 12-14 hours between coats! We keep the boat 35 minutes from our house, in South Florida, it's Rainy season ( isn't it always ? ).  So If I apply the 1st coat at 9am, then the second has to be applied by 9pm, that's not going to happen. So I applied the first coat a 8pm and the 2nd at 7am the next day - yep, a very light breakfast.  I did speak to a rep at Jamestown and they advised that if the first coat had been applied 24 hours then the surface would need to be sanded again. I still kept it to withing 14 hours.

Next, the TopCoat, again easy:-

• Blow the deck clear of the bio dropping from the Palm Trees that overhand the dock, dry off the water from the rain. All of this in socked feet.
• Mix the 1st topcoat as follows:-
• 1 Part Awlgrip Polyester Urethane Topcoat Base Paint
• 1 Part Awlgrip Awlcat #3 Topcoat Brush Converter
• 1 Part Awlgrip Additive Flattening Agent G3013
• 1 Part Awlgrip Topcoat Brushing Reducer ( my understanding from reading the datasheets is that this can be less than 1 part of Reducer, I used 0.5 parts )
• Apply the 1st coat of Topcoat and follow with a 2nd coat at least 16 hours after the first coat is applied. ( This is much easier to achieve, I simply put the 1st coat on a 6pm and the 2nd at 9am the next day. )

Mixing the paint

This was all done when the Humidity was around 74%, definitely not ideal, but as I was applying the paints with a Brush and Roller I figured the humidity was not such a big factor, whereas had I been spraying it, then that would not work out well.

Down the Cabin I had a paint mixing station, several cloths covered the galley countertop.

•  A large snap lock container corralled all of the paint cans.  
• Several 1 liter mixing cups
• Several Wooden stirrers
• Paint can opener
• Pair of Channel Lock pliers ( to open the cans that screwtop lids )
• Blue Masking tape ( to apply to the sides of the mixing cups )
• Red Felt Tip pen ( to mark the cups)

I put the Blue masking tape vertically onto the sides of the mixing cups so that I could mark them with each of the paint component levels. I found that putting the horizontal markings at:

• 120ml ( fill point for the Base Paint )
• 240ml ( fill for the Flattening agent - it's non reactive with the Base so I added this before the reducer.)
• 360ml ( fill for the Activator - start the clock ! )
• 450ml ( fill for the Reducer ) I varied this from 10% to 50% didn't seem to make much difference, they all rolled really well and it did not affect the color.

This way I felt confident that I would get consistent color finishes for each segment of the deck.

I also taped down a plastic sheet on the cockpit storage locker so that I would not worry too much about getting paint onto the white of the cockpit. I also put some dry cloths ontop of that plastic so that I would not step out onto the deck to be painted with damp or dirty socks.

I used a 4" roller on the end of a 6' pole for the major areas of the deck and a 2" nylon brush to get close to the bases of the Stanchions, Deck Fills and the Chain Plates for the shrouds.

Oh! After painfully sanding the deck before getting to the actual painting, I figured out it would be better to wear Knee pads instead of using a Throwable Cushion to protect my knees ( really awkward and it didn't fit where the deck narrows aft of the cabin top.

Of course I wore Nytril Gloves, I'm on my 2nd box already. I applied Baby Powder inside them to make it easier to don the gloves AND I wore long sleeved shirt just to capture the sweat dripping from inside the gloves. I also had a dry rag in each of 4 pockets so that if I needed one to quickly mop up a painting booboo or to dry up the dripping sweat, I didn't have to stop everything and go back to the cockpit.

It took about an hour to clean and dry off the non-skid immediately before applying a coat of paint until I was ready to walk away from the boat. So the actual painting took 4 hours plus the cure times between coats.

Next task is the Stbd side of the non-skid deck, I expect it will be much quicker as I have the mixing down and also feel very practiced at applying the masking tape.  Oh, I did shimmy the Dink that is on the deck in front of the mast, over to the other side of the boat so that it was not in the way of working. It'll probably have to be moved onto the dock before I start to work on the cabin top non-skid decking.

So, progress is good, weather is really wet, I hope I can get the masking tape off easily but am prepared to have to peel it very carefully, perhaps with the aid of a razor knife, we'll see, I should be doing that in the morning.

I broke the deck into manageable areas.

I'll probably do the Port & Stbd Quarters at the same time as the Stbd Side Deck and the Companionway Hatch & Cabin top in one go too.

I had ordered Quart cans of each paint component but only a Pint of the Top Coat Converter, right now I'm confident that is sufficient to complete the project along with the 2nd pint of Top Coat Converter.

It took 450ml for each coat on the Port Side Deck, the Anchor locker lids and the Companionway Hatch Cover, I have about half of the materials left over. Pretty sure I'll get it all done. But .... Jamestown has been really good at shipping orders promptly.

Having completed the Port Side Deck, I'm really pleased with the result. It cleans up easy so the Lizard Poop rinses off really quickly and walking on the deck is at least as grippy as the pre-refinish deck surface.

We had a couple of bad weather spells, so there was a delay in continuing the project but today I finished doing the Stbd Side Deck, now we have to wait 72 hours for it to totally cure and we can walk on it again. Then we'll remove the blue masking tape and reinstall the shroud chain plate covers & bolts, finally re-tension the Rigging.

Here's a review of the progress so far - Blue is done!

Left to do:- 

• Coach Roof Non-skid
• Companionway Hatch Non-skid
• Cockpit Deck - Non-skid
• Port &Stbd Quarters - Non-skid

Next painting project - White Work ;-

• Toe rail 
• Coach Roof 
• Cockpit

Mystery Ding!

We did turn the boat at the dock this week and noticed a small chunk gouged out of the corner of the transom on the Port Side, very odd! It's too low to have occurred out our dock even during the recent King Tides and the last time we went to a foreign dock was several months ago in Fort Lauderdale. We have scrubbed the Transom down several times since then and never noticed it.

We are super careful when turning the boat at the dock and it absolutely did not happen when we turned the boat on Tuesday, could not as the damage is about 18" below dock level at high tide.  It's a mystery.

We'll go back to the boat in the morning, grind the area and apply some resin. Then add it to the list of touch up work we have to do. Our plan is to work on the 'white work' in November. ( Toe Rail, Coach Roof, Cockpit Combings etc. ) 

Meanwhile we're looking forward to taking the boat out next week for at least one overnight.

So, we'll see you on the water! 

Upgrading Deck Fill Caps

Upgrading the Deck Fill Caps on our Catalina 34

The Plastic Deck Fill / Waste pump out caps on Eximius were replaced years ago 2015 - yes, we can say 'years ago' now that have owned the boat for 9 years - where did the time go?  Well it was 2018. We replaced the Fuel Fill Cap and Neck when repairing our Fuel tank in 2018, the Plastic fill cap was replaced by a Stainless cap and is still as good as new.

So, time to replace the Plastic caps again but this time we'll go for the Stainless Steel type - should last longer than we'll own the boat.

Step 1 was to search the internet and it was not easy to find replacements that would fit and those that might fit, were outrageously expensive.

Finally I tried Catalina Direct, they normally have pretty well everything for our boat but, understandably, they are a bit more expensive.

Well, that's not the case for the Fill Caps.

I purchased 3 caps, 1 of Waste Water Pump Out Cap and 2 of Water Fill Caps.

CD's site does point out that the Water Fill caps may not fit our Fill points with the security chain installed but they do state that others have found that simply removing the security chain allows them to fit without issue.

The Three Caps came to $142.05 @$43.70 each plus shipping etc.

The Waste Pump Out Cap does not have a security chain, that is simply because the Cap has to be fully removed in order to screw in the Pump Out Adaptor into the fitting.

So replacement of these caps should simply be remove the old cracked plastic caps and screw in the replacement Stainless Steel Caps.

I have just finished refinishing the Non-Skid decking on the Port Side Deck, I only have to remove the Blue Masking tape to finish that job, then I can install the new Port Side Waste Water Pump out cap. It should look real pretty.

I'll be curious to find out if I have to use a winch handle to unscrew the new Stainless Cap rather than the current method of simply putting my foot on top of the plastic cap and doing a twirl. 

Installed the new Caps today.

The Waste Pumpout Deck Cap fit without any issues. 

It's so nice to have a decent bit of Boat Bling on the deck. Feels well made and fits perfectly.

Note. The 'Waste' cap does not have a Chain retainer secured to the undersdie, simply because the Pumpout adapter would not fit unless the cap is completely removed.

Excuse the bit of blue tape that have not yet been removed after refinishing the Port Side Non-Skid Deck.  There's a few bits left over and it just takes time to scrape them off. They were in place for over a week and it rained nearly every day.

The Catalina website advises that some boats have a 'neck' for the water fill points that will not fit the Deck Fill Caps. 

The issue is that the retainer chain is secured to a stud on the underside of the cap and that cap touches the inside of the water fill neck before the deck fill cap is fully down.

The solution is easy. Remove the stud from the underside.

I used my Dremel with a cut off wheel to completely remove the stud.

After removing the stud, I cleaned up the underside of the cap just to remove any burrs.

Now the caps screw down to seal the water fill neck with the rubber O ring on the underside of the cap.

I timed it from when I took the caps out of the package on the boat thru to when all three caps were in place, including grinding off the chain retainer studs. It only took 15 minutes.

Refinishing the deck is coming along. Today I cleaned up the deck around the chain plates on the Stbd side. Next dry day is expected on Tuesday next week. I'll go down on Monday if there is a break in the weather and start the deck sanding on the stbd side and turn the boat so that it's Port Side to the Dock - I don't want to get any paint spits on the dock!

For now, the Deck Fill Cap project is complete.  I'll have to be careful anytime we're filling the water tanks or Pumping out the waste tanks as the new caps definitely will not float!

See you on the water.

Time to find a new Dock for Eximius

Looking for a new Dock for Eximius

Our Dock-lord is selling their home, so we need to find a new dock for our boat.

We live in Margate Florida and hoping to find a dock closer to the Ocean than our current 1.5 hour motor from the dock to the Ocean along with 5 bridges including one Brightline Railroad Crossing  bridge on the New River of Fort Lauderdale.

SV Eximius is a 1987 Catalina 34.

34' LOA very well maintained with all of the latest Electronics and Safety Equipment - Our Insurance is with Boat US = Geico

11'7" Beam

5'8" Draft

52' Air Draft

We have owned Eximius since May of 2015 and have kept her at the dock in Fort Lauderdale since that date. The Owner is selling his property, hence our need to find a new dock.

We are active members of the Hillsboro Inlet Sailing Club, I am a Past Commodore and am currently the Staff Commodore.

We have lived in Margate since I arrived in the USA after serving 25 years in the Royal Navy, retiring in 1989 with the rank of Chief Petty Officer. Retiring again in 2016 as owner of an Internet Software Developer for Retail Businesses and Orgnaizations.

My wife, Peggy, a retired Cardiac Care Nurse, originally from Ohio has lived here, in Margate, for the past 40 years.

So if anyone knows of an available dock for rent, we are not liveaboards! And we do not leave the Shore power or Dock Water, attached to the boat, then please reach out to us. If you leave a comment with a phone number or call me at Nine Five Four, Seven Three Six, Seven One One Four.

Thanks.

Paul

Tweaking our Solar Power

Changing our Solar Setup from Parallel to Serial Panels

After I updated our Solar Panels in 2020, In July 2023 I found one of the older panels was damaged and the other two were not putting out the expected power. So I decided to update the system.

I built a new Solar Panel Mounting Frame on top of the Bimini and replaced the old panels with 3 new 200W panels. They were connected in Parallel. I also changed out the MPPT Controller with a Victron MPPT 100| 50 Smart Solar Charger. 

The system has been running fine for the past year and they charge my 3 x 100Ah Chins LiFePo4 batteries by noon most days, but then I rarely took them down below 80%.

I'm working on a couple of other projects, one of them being to replace our Propane Cooking equipment with an Induction Cooktop and a Combo Air Fryer / Toaster Oven. From the tests I have done so far the Electrical System will be able to handle that, but it does mean that the SOC will probably drop below 50% more often.

Another project on the drawing board ( ok, Google Drawings ) is adding Davits to the Stern and that means I'll have room for another 200W panel.

With the existing Panels in Parallel the panels combined Voltage is the same as a single panel ( them all being the same size.) but a higher current.  The higher current means a higher voltage drop at the Controller and that's a loss of power.

Ok, where am I going with this?

Should I change the Panel connection to Series?

My conclusion is 'Yes' and here's why.

In Series the panels Voltages are combined but the Current ( ampage ) is not. So the Voltage drop is much less.

If I change to a Series layout, then I could add panels without exceeding the current capacity of the Mppt Controller.

Now, this is an easy process. I simply Turn off the Solar Power inlet to the MPPT Controller, Shade the panels so that they are not producing any power, disconnect the Panels from the Parallel connectors. Re connect them in Series and then turn the power back on.  That took me all of 15 minutes.

No changes needed on the MPPT Controller and, as shown by the graph below the system is fully functional.

The Graph shows the MPPT Controller Input Voltage and Current for the month of August ( 2024) to date ( 18th ) 

It clearly shows that the voltage peaked around 20v and the current at 57amps prior to the system change and then the Voltage peaked to 49v and the current peaked to around 25amps.

Note. On the 16th of August, I ran the Air Conditioning on battery power from around 10am until 11:40am and the Battery SOC dropped to 66.5% and a some of that was with Solar Disconnected.

Back to the Why do this?

• We're going to replace the Propane System with an Induction Cooker & Air Fryer.
• We have learned that we can run our AC on Batteries for about 4 hours, more if we're prepared to expend a Battery Cycle and take them down to 20 or 30%

If we do add Davits and can add another panel, then we'll have 800Watts of and that should improve our Battery Charging time.

Oh, we have a 100Amp Alternator on the Engine but have it detuned to only 75Amps. If we needed to, then we could retune it and run the Engine at high RPM at Anchor ( or on the Move ) to charge the batteries in times of poor solar production.

I'll monitor the system over the next few weeks. We're making progress on refinishing the non-skid areas of the deck and so we'll have the chance to drop the battery SOC when we keep the cabin cooler while we do the work.  Should get some good date.  I'm hoping to see the Solar Production ramp, up in good weather, to over 400 Watts.

Stay tuned.

Want to see the current data? It's shown on Victron World just click here to view Eximius

Upgrading from Propane Cooking on Eximius

Should we switch from a Propane to Electric Cooker?

Eximius has a Propane Gas Double Burner Stovetop and a Small Oven. In the 9 years that we have owned the boat, I have only used the Oven 3 times, twice to Bake Bread and once to Cook Shrimp for a 'Bring Something to Share'.  Now it's not that I don't want to use the oven, it's simply that we live and sail in South Florida and the Bahamas - it's HOT and using the Oven makes it worse!  

The two burner cooktop is not really suitable for 2 pans, so I mostly use a single pan - a 10" Skillet to cook a full English breakfast. We also make a pot of coffee every morning using a 'kettle' to boil the water and a Pour Over Filter system. It doesn't matter what we cook on the 'stove' it dramatically increases the temperature in the cabin.

Recently for our home kitchen, we purchased an 8qt Instant Pot and love it! I mean, we really love to cook with it. At least twice a week we cook using the Instant Pot ( it's not 'InstaPot', it's 'Instant Pot' ). I looked up the power draw of the 3qt Instant Pot and it's only 700Watts. So I bought one for the boat - it gets a lot better! When we pressure cook with the InstantPot, it only draws the max of 700Watts for a few minutes. As soon as it gets up to pressure, that drops to almost zero watts! In fact it barely switches back up to 700W for less than a minute every few to five minutes - WOW This is very doable, especially as we have 300Ah at 12v = 3,600Watts of power or 3600Watt Hours. If we ran the InstantPot for a full hour and it never switched down to 0Watts, then it would only consume 700Watt Hours our of 3,600Watt Hours. Ok, due to inefficiencies of the conversion of battery power to AC 110v it's a bit more, but still in the order of just 20% of our available battery power - and we'll never have it running like that for a whole hour.

Of course, the question arises " Could we switch our Propane System for Electric"? 

From research ( OK, YouTube ) we found a lot of cruisers were switching over to Induction Cooking. So we looked into cooking on Eximius using an Induction Cooktop.

Typical Double Induction Cooktop

Most of the Induction Cooktops we found take a max power of 1,800 Watts and the 'power' setting allows for selecting from 200Watts to 1800Watts with as many as 10 steps between them. A lot of cruisers have advised that they typically use between 30% to 50% of Max power and because Induction Cookers cause the pan to get hot rather than heat a surface which is then conducted to the pan, it's a lot more efficient.

Things to consider when deciding if we should do this? Let's break it down:

• How do we use our cooker and How would we use an Induction Cooktop?
• How much power would the Induction cooker use and could we recharge the batteries reasonably quickly?
• How much would the new cooktop cost
• What size cooktop would fit where our current cooktop is located.
• How would we gimbal the new cooktop - just in case we ever needed to cook under sail.
• How would we provide power to the cooktop?

So let's start - how do we use our existing cooker and how would we use an Induction Cooktop ( ICT ) 

Coffee: no change, we would boil a kettle of water just as we do now.

Breakfast: no change, we would cook using the same skillet we use now, it's an Induction suitable skillet.

Lunch: no change,

Dinner: no change, but if we wanted to use the Instant Pot and the ICT at the same time, that might be an issue - so just set a rule - one cooker at a time.

If we installed a Double Induction Cooktop, then we might be able to use two pans at the same time, still no more than the 1800Watt maximum, it's just split between the two cooking surfaces. Right now, we cannot put two pans on the Propane stove top because the second pan would not fit on the 2nd gas ring. That's why we only use one pan on the propane cook top.

Ok, so the Induction cooker would not be any issue when cooking  - but what if we ran our of battery power to low? The same question should be asked ' What if we ran out of Gas' Well, we can recharge the batteries with the engine and Solar - but no gas would be an issue until we got back to a port and then hope that they had Propane and that the Cannisters had suitable adapters - we have two 9lb Propane tanks on the boat.

Moving on. How much power would the Induction cooker use and could we recharge the batteries reasonably quickly?

• We have 600Watts of Solar panels and we have seen over 300 Watts of power from them but that is normally when the batteries are nearly fully charged - It should be much higher when the batteries are at a much lower charge status.
• The Engine has a 100A Alternator which could produce 1200watts but we have it detuned to 75% so 800Watts That charges the battery in just a few hours. ( We never have the engine idling unless we are in Neutral waiting for a bridge to open ) 
• Shore power does not come into the equation - so we'll ignore that.

 How much would the new cooktop cost?

• The good news is that a double Induction Cooktop typically costs less than $300, some less than $200 and Single Induction cooktops can cost less than $100
• I would prefer that the 110v outlet for an Induction Cooktop would have it's own outlet and controlled by a breaker on our 110v AC Panel ( We have heard of cookers turning on when something, like a window covering, was laid over it and subsequently burning. The manufactures recommend turning off the power for the cooktop when not use. So we might have to spend about $50 to add a new outlet and run wires to it from the control panel.
• We would have to modify our existing cooking location too. But that should not cost more than say $50 to do that. I'm handy ;) 
• All told, it should cost less than $400 easily.

What size cooktop would fit where our current cooktop is located?

• There's not a lot of difference between the various brands of Induction Cooktops, they mostly come in a round Rectangular shape with the controls on the front edge of the unit, but I have seen one brand that has the controls on a remote component that has about a 24" wire between the Control unit and the Cooktop.
• The round models are somewhere between 10" and 12" wide and perhaps 14" to 16" deep ( front to back ) 
• The Double cooktop models are mostly between 16" wide and 22+" wide and 14" to 16" deep.
• Our existing Propane cooktop has the following dimensions ( inside edges pot holders ) a Depth of 13.75" and a Width of 19.68". So we have quite a range ( no pun intended ) of models to chose from.
• For future info, the Oven internal size is:- Depth of 10.23", Width of 15.50" and Height of 13.2" - Noted because we're also considering an Electric Convection / Air Fryer oven. 
• Note:- It would take a huge amount of work to widen the space where our Propane cooker is installed, so the max width of the Induction cooker would be 22"  and there are very few that fit that size. So it might mean we have to go with a single burner Induction cooktop, but I'm still looking.

How would we gimbal the new cooktop - just in case we ever needed to cook under sail.

• We have watched dozens of conversion done by cruisers. Some have made a wooden gimbaled shelf and added lead weights to the underside to create a stable cooktop holder. Others have cannibalized their propane stove and built the new Induction Cooktop into the top of the old stove - big advantage is that the old stovetop has Pot Holders to keep the pans in place when the stove does gimbal due to the boat heeling.
• One boat, a Catamaran, simply added a butcher block bread cutting board where the old propane stove was located and did not gimble the cooker - not an option for us.
• So, if we did convert, we would cannibalize the existing cooker. It already has the gimbles that work and would be easiest method of installing an Induction Cooktop

How would we provide power to the cooktop?

• We have a spare breaker on our 110V AC Control Panel - it was used for our old Inverter but is not used with our new Victron Inverter/Charger.
• I would run a new piece of conduit from the control panel around the boat above the water line to a new outlet at the galley.
• The power would come from our Victron Inverter powered by 300Ah LiFePo4 batteries ( and I might even expand that with a 2nd 300Ah battery bank. But dpn't get me started on that concept ---- yet!)

Other factors to consider.

• We would not need to carry the two 9lb Propane tanks which are mounted on the stern rail of Eximius - In fact, they are worth about $200 each and the tank holders are probably worth another $200 each - the whole propane tank system, including the pressure gauge and the solenoid are definitely worth around $500 - certainly makes the conversion more appealing.
• Moving the Propane tanks off of the stern rail also makes it easier to install Davits on the stern - that's another project I hope to complete this year.
• I could remove the CO detector - replace it with just a smoke detector.
• One more hole in the stern combing that I could close off ( less stuff to leak ) 
• We have two new skillets that are Induction Cookware, but our Magma Stovetop Nesting cookware is not compatible. But see the rest of this article for an update.
• We could run our fans in the galley without fear that they would blow the cooktop flames out. 
• Wouldn't need to carry a barbeque lighter - Induction cooktops can be used as a grill with suitable cookware.

Lastly, if we removed the Propane tanks from the boat that would change the C of G slightly, they probably weigh about 30lb to 40lb. Additionally, removing them would significantly improve the safety ( no explosive gas on the boat ).

I think I have made the decision - Let's do it!

The plan

Purchase a portable, single Induction Cooktop that fits the top of our existing stove. Power it from the existing Galley outlet and try it out on the boat to see how the real world power consumption plays out.

If the power is ok, then find a suitable Double Burner top mounted Induction cooktop ( see update below). Then remove the Propane tanks. Disconnect the Propane hose from the existing cooker and remove the cooker - bring it home and do the conversion for the cooktop ( that includes removing the oven - we'll use that space something even is just storage for now.

On the boat, run the new power cables and conduit, install the new outlet, clean up everything and install the cooker - with Induction cooktop - onto the boat.

Cleanup the Gas cylinder holders and sell them.

Go sailing in the Bahamas - and "cookup" a storm.

After receiving an email from one of the Induction cooktop vendors on Amazon, I purchased this cooktop. It's a 1200Watt cooktop and only cost - Wait for it - $38.87 plus tax. I ordered at 10:45pm June 10th, it was waiting on our doorstep at 7:30am this morning! 

We tested it after lunch, boiling a kettle of water for making coffee. It boiled a full pot in 10mins on Max - Not bad for a 1200W cooktop, the Coffee was good too!

This evening I cooked a couple of slices of garlic Rye Bread with Cheese & Tomatoes, it took about 8 minutes on power level 5. 

I do not have the ability to measure the power consumption of the cooktop at home but we will do that in the next few days on the boat.

Update to the plan, we're going to hold off replacing the propane cooker until after I complete the more urgent task of refinishing the non-skid deck. Of course, it's rainy season, so that might be few weeks.

Meanwhile I have ordered some metal hooks to make some hold down straps for our Instant Pot on top of the Boos Board sitting snuggly on our cooktop.

More testing

We had a 4 day 3 night cruise for the July 4th Celebration and only used the Induction cooktop. WOW!

The power consumption was well inside our battery capacity even using the cooker for Coffee, Breakfast, and 2 Dinners. We also ran the AC for a couple of hours due to our Generator failing ( already fixed that.) 

Max power consumption was 750Watts and I kept the Cooktop power setting to less than #6, mostly on #3. So I'm totally sold on the idea and am making more plans to change out from Propane.

Knowing that our Magma Cooking pans do not work on Induction cooktops meant finding replacements. 

I found this set on Amazon ( yep, I buy a lot from Amazon ) 

Tested them on the boat and they work great on the Induction Cooktop. The single handle fits each pan the lid only fits on the Saucepan. But they do fit nicely in the net bag and they fit beneath our cooker ( there's even enough room if we do replcae the cooker. 

So making progress even if only one pan at a time.

What about the Oven?

Well, if we remove the Propane we won't be able to use the gas oven as mentioned, we don't use it a lot. However, talking with some boat buddies that have electric ovens and have replaced them with Combo Air Fryer - Toaster ovens, that looks like it will work for us - I might even be able to bake bread on the boat ( Oh how I dream of taking the boat to places where, if I need fresh bread, I can bake bread instead of keeping store bought ( ugh! ) bread in the freezer.

Looking around for a suitable cooker I found several and, as usual, I made a list of the pros and cons of the genre that might work for us.

Power: - No more than 1800 Watts

Outside Dimensions: Fit within the existing cooker stainless walls - else would need a custom case to hold the Air Fryer Combo.

Inside Dimensions: Big enough to bake a loaf of bread ( and at least 360ºF )

Controls: The 'printed' controls on our Propane cooker have virtually disappeared, so no printed controls. Preferably Digital controls and Engraved glass 'buttons'

Here's a cooktop I found on Amazon. it fits within the area of the top of the propane cooker as explained previously in this post.

Another thing to consider is the Storage of the pieces. ie. This Induction Cooktop has a Skillet that fits the entire surface and a cover that goes on top of the skillet. Where would we store those.

Perhaps use them as a backsplash to the cooker. Hmm, that might work.

If I end up making a complete cooker mounting cabinet then I could leave a storage space beneath the cooktop ( above the Air Fryer/Combo Toaster Oven ) 

I like that idea!

Back to work.

Refinishing the Non-Skid surface of the deck

 Part II of Refinishing the Non-Skid on Eximius' Deck

I originally ordered the materials for refinishing the Non-Skid decking on Eximius back in 2021 but life got in the way to get the job done. In 2023 I got started by removing the Anchor Locker Lids, bringing them home and refinishing them in my garage so that I could get comfortable with the process.

Here's a link to the original post

This year I'm determined to get the job done and started this week - July 31st 2024.

Step one was to put the boat shade covers over the deck hoping to reduce the temperature of the surface, then it was time to prep the Turtle Hatch cover ( the cover that goes over the Companionway Hatch ) as I did when I worked on the Anchor Locker Lids ( try saying that quickly ).

After cleaning it I taped it off trying my best to make the rounded corners neat. I applied the tape so that it was just outside the edge of the Non-Skid gray finish. A final clean after using the 3m sanding pad to prep the surface I was ready to apply the first coat of Primer.

I mixed just a little less primer than needed but was able to cover the entire surface of the Turtle cover. It was a bit awkward getting the roller beneath the traveler track in the center as the Turtle cover is curved upwards in the middle from side to side. 

Next day, I cleaned down the surface with just a blower, not even any bugs on the primer. This time I mixed a little more primer and was easily able to cover the entire surface.

Onto day 3. Same process, clean the surface with a blower, no bugs, and mix up the Awlgrip Polyester Urethane Topcoat Base Paint. Ok, screwed up again, this time I mixed too much but basically because the mixture is 1:1:1:0.1 of the Base, Converter, Flattening agent and the Reducer. I mixed 200% of what was needed. 

With the first coat of Top coat applied, I did a few other jobs around the boat including figuring out how I'm going to install the new Curtain Rails but that's another post.

Before leaving the boat, I tossed all of the spoiled cleaning rags, rollers, mixing cups into a bucket and brought them home. Later in the evening I emptied the bucket into the trash can - the Roller for the Top Coat was hard! Awesome.

Tomorrow is Saturday and I plan to go and apply the 2nd Top Coat but the weather may hinder that, we have a storm coming over Cuba, it's expected to head up the West Coast of Florida so we might be ok and I'll be able to paint. I have reached out to Jamestown Distributors ( they supplied the paints ) for advice on what I should do if I cannot apply the 2nd top coat soon enough. I'm guessing there might be a bit of extra prep.

I also ordered another pint of the converter for the top coat as the can I have has only a few ounces left.  There's enough for doing the Turtle cover.

( The Pic is a 1 Gallon can, I ordered a 1Pint can = $100.08 )

So we'll see how it goes in the morning.

Of course, Jamestown got back to me just after I published this post. They simply say that I should sand the surface ( I'll use the 3m Sanding Pads ) and wipe it down. I'm guessing with Awlgrip Awl-Prep Surface Cleaner AWL-T0008 but I've asked for confirmation on that.

I'll update this as soon as I get a reply.

That didn't take long. Jamestown replied. Wipe down is with the Reducer, not the cleaner.