Tech Report

By Rebecca Childress

IT’S BEEN OVER 14 YEARS NOW THAT I HAVE been sailing around the world, and there are a few things we put on Brick House that are still working well after all this time. We have also over this time added a few components that we should have gone with on the first round, and not waited so long to install. First, all of our Raymarine products...from our oversized autopilot, to our Axiom Pro Chartplotter to our Flir night vision to our instruments in the cockpit are all still going strong! We have a new Raymarine Evolution autopilot with a new P70 display sitting in a box with all the right wires to hook it up should our Raymarine SG3 course computer pack it up. But it never packs up and after 14 years is still going strong. I am all but 1000 miles from completing my 15-year circumnavigation…and the original one is still working fine. I guess I got my money’s worth with Raymarine. We did purchase and install a new drive unit for the Raymarine autopilot last year, but our old drive unit remains onboard as a spare because it’s still 100-percent good. Even our old Raymarine AIS transponder just keeps faithfully transmitting and receiving! Raymarine has served us very well on Brick House. The Navionics charts for both our chartplotter and my iPad, have been fantastic throughout our circumnavigation, and despite buying other brands to try, Navionics exceeded all others. Easy updates, accurate information and features that are expanded each and every year... I credit them with getting us around safely without any catastrophes, as well as helping us to explore places few

cruisers had ever been. They made me look like a great navigator! Patrick did break a tiny chart chip once trying to pull it out a little too roughly from the reader in the chartplotter (hint, don’t use pliers) but that’s not Navionics’ fault. For much of the world I carried Jeppesen C-Map charts too, and they offered an excellent backup opinion on depths, shoals and reefs. Sometimes they were the most accurate, but most typically, Navionics was the best. I highly recommend having both, especially if cruising less travelled areas. I always take the most conservative rendition until I get to know the area better. Monitor Windvane by Scanmar: Patrick had some welding done on our Monitor Windvane in year 13, to strengthen what he felt were some weaknesses that had developed over the years, on the water paddle. I’m about to replace the lines on the pendulum for the second time in a 14 year circumnavigation. I’m tempted to not replace them because the second set will likely last the final 1,000 miles. But like everything else, a little too soon is better than a little too late! The tension wheel has some cracks in it from sun degradation, so I have ordered a new one, but besides that, it has sailed a lot of miles with us as MVP. I’d never sail oceans without one! can honestly say we have been very happy with our Seafrost systems and their service. Lofrans Tigres Windlass: We didn’t realize that the oil had to be changed every few years in these units until about year 9 or 10. Still after such challenging and hard use, and lack of this maintenance, this thing just keeps going. We have never replaced anything in it, knock on wood, except the gypsy to accommodate metric sized chain. That’s it. It works and it works hard.

Avon Dinghy: Our Rover 9-foot RIB has taken a lot of abuse though we always have had chaps on it and cover it when not in use upside down on the deck. We drag it over reefs, and it still runs with the gallons of water that has gotten into the double floor. We toss heavy things in and overload it all the time. It now has a slow leak in one tube requiring us to pump it up a bit every three or four

Seafrost Refrigeration (BD80): There have been times it’s needed to be topped up with refrigerant and we have had to screw in a new fan in the compressor about 6 or 7 times, but besides that, both our fridge and freezer units are still going strong. When anything went wrong, Seafrost was right there to talk us through the troubleshooting, often thousands of miles from internet. Once, we needed a new control unit shipped out to us as these things fail on Danfoss compressors, and customer service got us one in record time. I

days which makes me consider replacement. I may have to watch Patrick’s ‘How to Pick a Dinghy’ video when I get ready to buy a new one this year or next! Profurl Roller Furling Units for the staysail and headsail. We did have to replace these when we dismasted, but went with Profurl again as they had worked so well for decades before the dismasting. We have used these hard the whole time and never any maintenance. Never a stumble. Patrick made a video a few years ago about what happened to both the staysail and headsail furlers when we had our stays too loose. Wichard/Profurl stood by their products and helped us both with parts and labor even though it wasn’t really their fault. Excellent warranty and customer service which we have utilized twice. No maintenance, and they still always roll up every time.

Tides Marine Sailtrack: We replaced our first one after 10 years only because it’s plastic, and plastic always gives way eventually in the sun. Ours looked fine after 10 years and gave no problems, but we replaced it well before it became a problem. It most likely would have gone all the way around the world if we had just left it, but replacing things like is prudent. Our sail still has the original hardware and sail slides from Tides Marine and they are in perfect condition.

ACR EPIRBS: We have gotten a few EPIRBs, PLBs and now two personal AIS MOBLinks over the years, all from ACR, yet we still carry the original ACR on our stern pulpit. We have replaced batteries and had regular servicing. Such great quality to last all these years. For 13 years, our 12 volt Hella Fans have worked well enough. But last year we replaced one with a 12 volt Sirocco fan by Caframo. BIG difference. Low speed uses less than 0.1 amps, middle speed is under 0.2 amps, and high speed isn’t quite o.3 amps. The only problem is that it is so quiet compared to the Hella, that we end up leaving it on sometimes when we leave. When the Hella shuts off, it’s like the world goes quiet. With the Caframo fan, it is a quiet world even with it running in full speed. We will slowly replace the Hella fans with Caframo fans in the years ahead. Our old Trojan T 105 lead acid batteries wore out every 3-to-5 years with our hardcore, ev-

ery day use. I don’t know why I kept spending the money on them. Possibly they failed so often because I did not keep good enough track of their charge status… But now I have upgraded to Freedom Won Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4) batteries. They have been brilliant, never a hiccup, and IF I had started with them 14 years ago, I’m

quite certain I’d still be on the same battery bank. They come with a 10-year warranty or 10,000 cycles, compared to Trojans 500 cycle warranty. Everything onboard operates more efficiently using their full voltage availability. One major upgrade that we made when installing the batteries, that I wish we had sooner, is the installation of a Victron Color Control Unit that monitors the batteries. Now we have a very accurate and prominent display of their health, so that we can consciously monitor them at all times, even away from the boat. It is far more accurate than previous battery monitors we have had, which I am quite sure detracted from the original batteries lives. I will continue to NOT spend money on boat insurance but will keep my boat in tip-top condition with the money saved. I will put the insurance premiums into high quality, reliable equipment instead, as we have done since the beginning. BWS

Editor’s Note:

Rebecca Childress aboard her Valiant 40 Brick House is in the Caribbean after a safe passage from South Africa. Sadly, she and we lost Patrick, her husband and our friend, to Covid-19 in South Africa. As she noted above, she is only 1,000 miles from completing a 15 year circumnavigation.