We are a couple of dreamers who love coffee, running and bots. Join us on our journey to getting our boat, MV Providence, ready for adventure and full time cruising where new places, new coffee shops, and places to get some exercise. The first crazy step was deciding to buy a boat. We were always told the boat for us would find us rather than us finding the boat and that was certainly the case with Providence. The work begins now of a little refurbishment, some systems replacement, making sure everything is mechanically sound, and freshening up everything and making her our home. We are hoping you come along. Please like and subscribe.
The rec review just ensures all the elements of the application are correct and complete and the documentation and course work are aligned with what ever license you are trying to get
SUNY Maritime grad and tug captain, a couple of minor corrections. GRT means Gross Registered Tons is a measure of volume not weight. For boats that are not documented the USCG will use a rule of thumb to determine the tonnage of you license. If you spend one day on a vessel of the next tonnage you will receive a license for that tonnage. You do not need to take any kind of class to get a license. What you need to do is pass the relevant exams, you can study on your own and take the exam at a regional examination center. However it is usually easier to take an approved class, which will include an approved exam at the end. On the medical certificate, you just need a medical professional to administer a physical exam and fill out the 719-K. You receive an actual medical certificate from the USCG. Pro tip places that do DOT physicals for truckers will usually do it inexpensively. bring the form with you, do NOT ask for a USCG physical, just say physical and I have my own form. On the drug test, if you plan on using your license for income than I suggest you use a consortium like Captains Consortium or drug free vessel.com they are cheap and provide an appropriate letter for the USCG. They also provide a pocket card that you can show an employer. If you are subject to random urinalysis at your present job a letter from you employer stating such will suffice. With all that said I do not recommend that everyone go out and get a license, unless it's required, or unless you intend to make money with it. It's a significant investment in time and money. I do recommend a reputable safety class that includes rules of the road for all boaters.
Thanks for this review. I have questioned if this is what I need for my boat on the Chesapeake Bay. Since you r an experienced Paramedic, and boat on the Chesapeake I now know this is worth the investment. Thank you!
Hi! Do you happen to have the electrical schematics for your boat? Our 43' is a 1985 and it didn't come with them unfortunately. If, yes, would you be willing to share them? Happy to pay you for the trouble. Thx for your consideration.
I wish i did, i have scoured the internet looking for them with no luck as my boat didnt have them either, the system is pretty simple but lots of combo ac/dc fixtures makes things confusing, I am rewiring everything and making the boat as much dc as possible and limiting the ac circuits to maximize battery bank use when on anchor
Cool boat, and cool project. 700 hours on a lower unit is really not that much - I’m not super familiar with evinrude but I have had Yamahas with 2000+ hours on the original unit. 700 seems like a premature failure!
Yep, I agree, it looks like a bearing went bad in it, you never know how it was used before i bought them, makes Me wonder if water got in it through a bad seal and it wasnt picked up on till a seasonal change.
@@sandpaperandseashells Have you had any trouble maintaining the engines since Evinrude called it quits? The only reason I ask is I'm looking to purchase a boat in the next 6 months or so and I've seen quite a few boats with the etec's but I'm a bit leery of them because I'm concerned about the potential difficulties in getting parts in the future. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Bill, I have not had any issues, there are tons of new old stock on the shelves for the basics, sensors, water pumps, seals etc, they are strong reliable motors, i would not hesitate to buy a boat with them on there, love the etecs and was disappointed when they right sized their business, the new etecs or the last generation are fantastic motors
@@sandpaperandseashells Thanks for the feedback. I've always heard really good things about the motors, but like I said I was just concerned that parts would be an issue after the parent company Bombardier shut down Evinrude.
Steve, the panels are approximately 20 feet of wire run to the charge controllers and the charge controllers, distribution components and batteries are all within 3 feet of one another
@@sandpaperandseashells thanks. I’m trying to figure out how to get a decent house battery bank in my engine room of my 45 Jefferson. Thanks for the videos. Have fun.
Its tough for sure with realestate in there being premium, we ended up creating a different space all together but it also takes away from something else. Good luck!
Steve, sorry it took me a couple days we repurposed a super small shower into an electrical closet that sits next to the kitchen, kept it as a day head but repurposed the shower, and under the kitchen floor is a storage platform above the forward bilge that stays at a pretty constant temp and thats where the batteries are
Nice review. I got my 100ton master online during covid. It was quite a task to organize and get it all right. I highly recommend US Captains Training. The U tube videos are great. U actually started just watching his videos before taking the class and it was invaluable.
I used US Captains Training as well and passed all the exams on the first try. Neil was very responsive and even called me on my phone to answer questions.
I can also recommend US Captains Training. I felt very prepared after completing the class/book work and passed every exam on the first attempt. I’ll also echo the previous statement about Neil being accessible and responsive.
Johann, thanks and here in central virginia, with the two panels i have installed right now at full sun on a clean panel i get anywhere from 300 to 320 watts which i am pretty happy with given our latitude
Does it matter what order I send everything in? I have my sea service filled out and ready to go along with my CPR cert but don’t have a TWIC (I currently awaiting approval). Am I good to go ahead and send in what I have?
Livin’ the Life, no you have to send it all in at once, anything thats missing will just delay the approval process, if you have documentation of the twic card approval processing, there is a provision to allow that paperwork to suffice and the license will be held till its approved but atleast everything is in que
I think its a personal preference for safety more than anything, dogs are like people some swim better than others, but mainly if you fall out of a boat and hit the water depending on where you are and the water conditions your in something could happen to keep the dog from swimming like they are able and the life jacket is all they have. Same reason you male kids wear life jackets for their safety just in case.
Tom I agree it is alot of pieces but they all work together as a system making it pretty simple in the end, do get me wrong you have to know what your doing but its not beyond the DYI with due diligence. Cost for the victron parts and cabling were around $5000.00
Chad McAdams, it works very good, it took me from not being able to send and receive text messages in the boat to being able to send and receive messages and get phone calls. I am happy with it, you just have a signal that can be boosted! I recommend it
@@audiovision1463 the range all depends on the signal from shore, it has a 50db gain on any existing signal. So as long as the signal exists it will boost it up to 50db which in most cases is enough for phone and text if your on the edges, the most we have been out is 25nm and it worked great
Thank you very much for this priceless information. It’s been very challenging to take the proper steps to attain a captains license. I’m starting from scratch with no boat in Florida residing from Minneapolis, MN. This information has been an eye opener for me based on the proper steps to get your captains license. As for RU-vid content explaining the steps to attain your captains license is very minimal if not nothing that is credible, so thank for the information. 🛥🛥👍
Thank you and good luck to you, with out a boat you can get hours for sea time by working-crewing on a boat or by operating a friends boat as long as they have a license they can validate your hours
Thank u Sir i Just Join your Channel & Been Back watch a few of your Old Videos, I will look at more tomorrow, Late here in Australia now and Steve was Right sir It's good to Have if your Not in a Wifi area No Net i Mean, still can see what going on, Please Take Care and Besafe
Alex, its on don pedro island just across the intercoastal waterway from placida in south florida gulf coast. Don pedro/palm island is connected by a state park to little gasparilla island. Sand roads and a whole lot of peace and quiet.
Absolutely, right now i have about $4000.00all in including all victron components, fuses and ve connection cables. All the blue sea panels, batteries, solar panels and all the marine wire will add another $5500 or so and thats me doing all the design and install
Thank you, its really a great piece to add, and has so much function. That combined with the vrm network really brings it all together. I love that i can watch the boats electrical loading from home. I am gonna explore adding some of the inputs to the cerbo like temp sensors and bilge pump monitors so i can truely see whats going on when we are at home
Malcolm, each one of the fused sections of the distributer is for a load out, you could certainly use one of them as a fused terminal block to supply power else where you just have to keep in mind the voltage drop of the wire runs and gauge the wire appropriately to the load, you can also add another distributer box and just extend it off the buss bar ends with heavy gauge wire.
You could have bought the color control GX instead , Then you would have had complete control to make any changes to the system you wanted without the use of a computer ! That's what I did with my system and I'm so glad I did ! Its so much more intuitive .
Steve, thanks i think i am going to get one, the computer has proven frustrating, i have to put boat projects on hold here for a little bit, the heat here has been so oppressive, now that its cooling off I hope to get back at it more regularly and the color control is one of them. i definitely agree that interface is a much better option. thanks
Christopher, it depends on if its applicable to the license you are trying to get. The rules say for applicable time 60% of the time is creditable as well as requires certain percentages of the time to be within the last 3 years depending on the type of license
@@tomhamilton9140 is that comment really necessary, everyone has to start somewhere and there is always room for improvement, being rude is more a poor reflection of you than of them
Hey, I was hoping you can help me. I have the same Isolation Transformer but one of the pcb mounted transformers inside (the 2 blue components in between the white wires that says bingzi) has dislodged and inconveniently specs on the side have rubbed of. I am trying to find the specs of it (writing on the side) and i was hoping you cloud look and let me know. The one of the left says T10-F80 230v 50hz 24v 10va. Need to know what the one on the right/middle says on the side. Thanks in advance. BTW don’t worry about the people complaining about it he music, you will always have people that love to hate.
Tom, i am not sure how far back their status issues go, i guess it would depend on what the offense was first and do u have the ability to say you have been good since, i know on the declaration there is a place to explain, i cant imagine if it was that long ago it would hold you back if you can explain what happened
Hey man, just wondering if you tried and got denied due to having felonies or what your circumstances were if your open! I am in the process myself, and wondering what responses you received due to law run ins
I had no issues with any restrictions from interactions with law enforcement so I cannot comment or have any experience with how to navigate around any issues in the criminal justice system, I know that felonies are disqualifies though, good luck through your process
B1LB0 B, we used 2/0 for both, since we set up the system to be a 24 volt system and the run from the batteries to the lynx power in was only 48 inches and the cable from the distributer to the inverter was 24 inches , 2/0 was more than sufficient at 24 volts, based on abyc voltage drop it was still overkill for my system
Nice one!! Enjoying your channel! You should look into using PromoSM. It’s a very powerful tool, you can promote all of your social media profiles, RU-vid videos etc.
Jeff, Thanks we are sad to be leaving, but excited for our new home on the water, we have a working and DIY yard real close with a 50ton travel lift that will be very convenient for haul outs, plus there is a west marine close by for any unplanned supply needs that pop up
S Lange, no we live in central virginia, its a heck of trip down to the gulf, but its worth it, we love it down there and cant wait to take our big boat down the ICW on the gulf side as we head to the keys
I own a 24 ft cuddly, 16ft aluminum boat and a pwc. Would they all qualify for on water time? I spend a lot of time on the smaller vessels but not nearly as much in my bigger boat.
2saltydicks fishing, great name by the way, yes your time on any vessel 1-16 gross registered tons counts toward your 360 days of sea service time, that would be for a 25 ton master inland waters, on the sea service form you just have to document how much time on each of the vessels and if you own the boats just provide proof of ownership so you can sign off on your time as the master/owner of the vessel
@@sandpaperandseashells thanks, my father and I are both named Richard. I’m in va also and we fish the bay as often as possible living an hour or more away
Doug, thank you for watching i really love the connectivity of the victron components, been a little frustrated with the victron networking for the cerbo gx though it is not as intuitive as i had hoped and they forget to mention you need good internet or wifi to really make it work and unfortunately where my boat is both internet and wifi are scarce, so i ended up buying the bluetooth dongles to be able to see the system easily on my phone
Another great video. Certainly is nice to see you out enjoying yourselves rather than just constantly working on the boat. Hard to find that balance sometimes.
Jeff, Thanks, it was great to get out, just refills the fuel tank if you will to make you appreciate what all the work is for. We lamented as we headed back for the end of the trip on how nice it will be when we can just keep going. All to come in time. The work is relentless though as I knew it would be, #boat life, I do feel fortunate that we have not uncovered anything that we did not know was an issue that needed to be addressed, shows the value of a thorough survey and a realistic assessment of the work that is need.
Nice to find your channel. We are close to finding a Tollycraft 48 and then move aboard here in the PNW. We are looking forward to following your adventures!
Karina, glad you found us. We feel very lucky we found providence here on the east coast. Not many Tollycrafts found there way to the Atlantic. We truly love their design and classic look and they are built solid. The 48 is a great boat and i am sure you guys will love it. we hope to make it to the pacific north west at some point in our travels on down the road. Emily and I would love to spend a couple years cruising around up there. If you havent found "Searching for C-Shels" yet check them out, they turned us onto the tollycraft origionally. We look forward to having you guys along for the ride, we are going to be exploring the chesapeake bay are soon, so stay tuned and good luck on your boat search!
Jeff, welcome aboard and we are glad to have you follow along. It is gonna be alot of work but the end result and the adventures we will have is all worth it! We try to put something out every week depending on our work schedules and when we can get up to the boat. So stay tuned!
Congratulations on finding your new Tolly!! We are really excited for you. We own a Tolly 34 (Ed’s designs of course😉) here in the PNW. She is berthed in Newport Oregon. Fell in love with here the first time I stepped aboard. Very solid boat, and spacious layout for any vessel in a 34 foot class. I quickly learned how solid she is when reinstalling a through the hull transducer, 3 5/8 inch thick fiberglass hull!!! She haas been outfitted as a sporting guide boat with class. I can tell you from good experience the Tolly’s are in a class of their own when it comes to big water handling. Guiding on the open pacific here in the PNW I have been caught in some pretty rough conditions. 15 to 18 foot steep swells topped with 4 to 6 foot wind waves. Let me tell you, Tolly’s have shoulder’s like linebackers!!! I would come of the backside of a steep swell bow dropping at a belly butterfly rate thinking this is going to hurt! To my surprise after a little jolt she punched the bow right through the next wave and hardly even dropped in rpms. Where she shines the best is handling our notorious “bar crossings”, getting broached coming back in from sea is a huge and constant danger. With the similar displacement hull and keel design Ed Monk came up with all I can say is the man was a genius!!!! Our boat tracks straight and true. When a peaking swell rolls up under the stern and getting pushed “surfing” it’s almost effortless to turn her down swell and ad power to the “uphill” engine. She points her bow up channel and uses her big shoulders to push us into safety. Without a doubt I can personally tell you folks you will be safe in a Tolly. My neighbor boat is a bayliner 3888. You will be amused to know the owner purchased a Tolly 43 that spent her life on lake Powell. He paid $12,500 to have her trucked to Winchester bay Oregon where she now in dry dock waiting to have her flybridge reattached and a few mechanical things to be done. Within a couple months we will have a 43 as a neighbor😊😊
