We are building a 38’ sailboat from stump to ship, once complete she will take us around the world. We hope to inspire and educate as many people as possible along the way. Join us on our journey and let us show you that with a bit of dedication, good company and some old school smarts even the wildest of dreams can be made to come true!
For inquiries about collaborating or integrations, please email acorntoarabella@lighthouseagents.com.
You may find that your sleep will improve with custom fitted earplugs for sleeping. Find a medical office that does hearing aids and ask for sleeping earplugs, they'll take an impression of your ear canal and have them made. Total cost ~ $150.
I'm curious whether you have ever attempted to move Arabella by securing Victoria alongside. Not for rough seas or long voyages but maybe enough to get you into a harbor if the diesel acts up.
Can you make a low profile sundial to where the solar panels can follow the Sun and time of the Sun I think you know what I'm getting at I don't know if I'm really saying it the correct way!! Like if you had an octagon with solar panels attached to the octagon every hour day you can click the octagon to the next side and the solar panels will be in direct sunlight!! I think that's what I'm trying to drive at..p.s . And your lady friend wife to be is very very beautiful❤. The both of you looks like you need a little more vitamins where is too much white hair coming from the salt from the water. Not saying this to criticize you or make you feel uncomfortable but the both of you look like you need a little more nourishment or protein. Keep making the videos I will keep watching. Thank you
Dear Sailing Arabella couple. 👍👌👏 You two look just great together and complement each other so incredibly well. I absolutely loved to see and hear how exited Robin got while finding the whelk eggs and casings on the beach. I've never heard of anything like that before and instantly guggled it. Extremely interesting stuff. 3) Robin, you are a very, very well trained beautiful person. Fortunately you nevertheless have a cute/sweet face. Oftentimes humans doing a lot of sports become a "different" face from all the heavy physical efforts. 4) Of course does Steve have a lot of endurance power. How else could he have built a boat in his backyard for years. 5) How much was Akiva able to pull? 😁 ;-) Akiva is such a great calm dog. 💚
Dear Sailing Arabella couple, especially Steve this time. 👍👌👏 Congratulations, Sir! 🎉 Radar and ILS are in and functioning. Quite 2 very important systems onboard. 2) 😱 Oh WOW, definitely a lot of electric spaghetti behind the panel! I'm happy to see that you are able to not only see through it but fixing and modifying the system(s). 3) After all the hard work and effort that was put in this sailboat, It's somehow painful to watch you drilling holes in beautiful Arabella. 🙈 I know it's necessary and me feelings are only subjective anyhow. Nevertheless and to be completely honest: To see cables/wires and gas line etc. open (not under cover) in the living space (in contrast to the beautiful wood) is quite disturbing my eyes. It looks like temporary solutions and I hope they are. Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and especially health to all of you.
Hi Steve and Robin. None of the hardware stores around here have pine tar. The recipe for boat soup is one part turpentine, one part linseed oil and one part pine tar. Do you think the pine tar Amazon sells for use with horses is the same stuff that I would use in mixing up a batch of boat soup?
Robin, the basic idea is that you have two types of power: DC, direct current, and AC, alternating current. Direct current just pushes electrons through a cable in one direction, while alternating current transmits the power by pushing and pulling electrons in a never-ending cycle. Batteries are always DC, and house current, wall outlets, is AC. Any time you convert power from one of those types to the other, there are efficiency losses. So rather than converting the DC of battery power to the AC of a regular house-type wall outlet, and then having the plug convert AC back to DC for the Starlink device, it's potentially more efficient to go directly from DC to DC.
Hey Steve, After all the Diesel tipps a suggestion for your solar. Make sure you don't have shade on parts of the panel. If a single cell or a small number of cells get significantly less light than all the others they start consuming energy rather than delivering. This hurts your your output far mor than a generally dirty or suboptimaley angled panel. Therefore maybe revisit the positioning of your Starlink dish, it seems to always affect at least one of the rigid panels or even both. Hope you figure It or and have an amassing summer up Noth.
There are other attributes to solar panels than just the panel, and on a sailboat with all that small shadowing, working power optimizers into the system my benefit the panels output capacity. Solar panels with microinverters Microinverters are small devices that are attached to each solar panel in an array. They convert the direct current (DC) created by the PV solar panel into alternating current (AC), which is used by most household appliances. By performing this conversion at the panel level, microinverters allow each solar panel to work/operate independently of the others in the array. When one panel is shaded, the other panels can still produce electricity at their maximum capacity. This is in contrast to traditional string inverters, which connect all the panels in an array together, causing the performance of the entire array to be affected by the shading of a single panel. Solar panels attached to power optimizers Power optimizers are another technology that can help improve solar panels' performance in the shade. Like microinverters, power optimizers are attached to each solar panel in an array. However, instead of converting the DC output to AC, power optimizers condition and optimize the DC output of each panel before sending it to a central inverter for conversion to AC. By optimizing the output of each panel, power optimizers can help mitigate the effects of shading and ensure that the solar array operates at its maximum efficiency. This can lead to improved energy production and a faster return on investment for the solar system. source: www.anker.com/blogs/solar/solar-panels-that-work-in-the-shade
Diesel fuel produces soot as a product of combustion which turns the engine oil black. This is normal. The engine oil contains detergents which keep the soot particles in suspension rather than allowing them to build up on the inside of the engine. Your intermittent tach and gauges are possibly related to corrosion or a loose connection in the engine wiring harness. Follow the harness from the engine to the instrument panel and disconnect the harness connectors. Spray both halves with contact cleaner and reassemble. Also check the ground connections from the engine to battery. Your vessel has been in salt water for a year, so it's about time that you should start to see problems. Ongoing maintenance is part of the joy of cruising.
Couldn't the fuel issue be the main problem, with the oil pressure dropping out as the engine falters due to inadequate or inconsistent fuel supply? I know it doesn't explain low oil level, but that could be a totally separate issue and may not recur. Maybe check fuel filter and check the fuel filter seals and gasket for an air leak if the engine stalls again. Use red electrical tape to mark the individual tools you need for bleeding the fuel lines and injectors and laminate a "cheat sheet" for the steps to take...may come in handy in a channel or on a lee shore.
Running it DRY?? How could it be "dry"? There WAS oil in it and it just disappeared? Where did the oil go? Was there a proper "break in" done?? Have you READ AND UNDERSTOOD the entire manual for the motor??? Get the "FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL" and read it!!! If you can't trust the motor you are in trouble....sooner or later...as you have already discovered. There will be NO service tech out at sea....other than YOU and the manuals! So...the technician could give you NO answers as to what went wrong?? That's unacceptable! Was any testing done? Compression testing? Oil pump checking??? Oil pressure testing with a KNOWN ACCURATE gauge? I would be talking to the factory!
Hope those solar panels weren't too heavy !! You walked from the wharf to the boatyard on Route 6 then CARRIED them back?? Did I miss the vehicle that, perhaps, gave you a ride??😉😉😉
Boom shade… swing the boom all the way out. And sw wind aims boat mast shade over panels,. Suggest tilt also. You need to tilt the panels normal to the sun. And shut off the starlink when you don’t need it.
Google blackstone labratories and order an oil sample kit. This will give you a baseline for engine wear of specific elements, contamination from water or coolant. Change the oil, it’s going to be black, that’s normal due to exhaust gas soot. Check the dip stick oil level prior to running every time. Diesels can and will loose oil. Push preheat and count to three before starting. And boat engines are typically at a slight angle, so determine the correct level on the dip stick. Go take a day long diesel repair course for boaters. Have fun,,,
Would’ve wonderful and appropriate if you could stop at the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin, Maine. They would love it as would the folks at Brooklin Boatyard.
steve i would be worried about where the oil went, i have a similar sized engine a Volvo (which is a Perkins with VP heat exchanger) and never has the oil level gone down at all between changes, i get sick of checking it. if there is a bigger problem now is the time under warranty to get to the bottom of it
You did not show, but did you fill the oil filter before putting it on, helps on start up? Oh you did say you did not fill it, that is one suggestion the engine will thank you for, fill the oil filter. Great vid. Thanks for sharing :)
You need to put your panels in direct sun-- NO shade-- and put some reflector doors on the rigid ones to significantly increase the light they're collecting.
new engine's oil should be very very dirty. and that's a good sign. Oil that is black right away between changes is likely due to not getting all of the old oil out and that is something to address.
Haha, thanks. It’s an annual fee, something like $100-200 so the tow was fully covered. Paying hourly for it without the coverage would probably been $1000-$2000.
I live off grid and when it's raining I have a small very quiet generator as a backup. It only cost $350. I plug in a 20 amp battery charger. It would be a little bit annoying on a small boat but it sure does work great in a pinch.
Over 40 yrs. boating here and say to everyone " Keep it Simple " too many gizmos on boats will fail cause saltwater n electric doesn't mix .. Just wait till Leo starts sailing he'll learn fast enough but it's taking him years to build his "New Boat" n loves the YT money coming in ... Steve did a good job n is sailing while Leo still cutting wood for the money .. be well Steve .
Leo is still cutting wood? Not so much my friend. In today's episode Tally Ho raised her mainsail, head sail and forward jib and cut the water, to quote Leo, "like sailing a laser." Leo made his living sailing the oceans and building wooden boats. I doubt he has anything to learn about marine electronics installed in ocean going vessels. Watch today's episode and appreciate what a sailing yacht built by professionals looks like when she is under sail and handled by a pro. Neither Steve nor Leo could have done what they did without the income streams generated by great content posted on YT. Hats off to the both of them.
If you need any decent mahogany or red cedar or oak, there is a great lumber yard about a mile from you Mahoney's. I'm a contractor, and I use them as my primary lumber source. They are a wonderful family outfit and have great quality wood, and hardware of all sorts. If you need any specialty fasteners I also have a great source just over the line in Tiverton RI
As a person who started working on engines over 60 years ago, yes both internal and diesel, one of the easiest way to see the condition of an engine is to run the oil through a coffee filter when changing and then look for the glitter. And yes, I still work on cars in my late 60's just getting ready to turn 70 soon. Yes, I was under 10 when I started to help a cancer patient with his garage and gas station. I did this under his very careful watch for over 3 years until I moved homes. I've taught many people how to change oil and brakes. Also, I taught Missile Maintenance for over 12 years in the Air Force. Most owners manuals do say in high humidity or dusty areas, oil changes every 6 months are the best. With as easy as your system is to change the oil, watch the hours running and time between changes. Do you have an hour meter on the engine? Best way to track changes. What is the manufacture recommendation on hours of running? Keep a log of hours run or not run between changes. Love the videos. I have watched everything from the time of pouring the lead keel to now. Actually learned a lot of woodworking. Thanks, MSgt David R. Smyth, USAF, Ret.
Best way to test old sump old is to put some on your finger and thumb then wipe the finger and thumb together within 20 seconds the blackness will disappear if not you are not changing your oil enough.
