I've had my boat about a half a season now (end of last + begining of this) and I think im finally ready to start going on longer voyages. Currently ive got a decent compass mounted on the boat, an electric compass/ barometer, handheld BW GPs that doesnt have a lot of detail but is very accurate for navigation from points i set in it (Garmin GPSMAP 76), a boat mounted VHS radio. 1: anything more that I should have? 2: where can i get better data for my GPA? 3: where can i get good paper charts (located in braddocks bay, about 5 mi west of rochester below lake ontario)
Navigation
- Thread starter Brian M H23
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Ok Brian I'll try again
but if this doesn't work go to the " online chartviewer" web page and start with the great lakes catalog. http://205.156.4.52/cgi-bin/EyeSpy.dll?launchpad&D:EyeSpyimagesuploaderGreatLakes_chartside.axs&wsx=600&wsy=400&bgcolor=ffffff&aligX=1&aligY=1
but if this doesn't work go to the " online chartviewer" web page and start with the great lakes catalog. http://205.156.4.52/cgi-bin/EyeSpy.dll?launchpad&D:EyeSpyimagesuploaderGreatLakes_chartside.axs&wsx=600&wsy=400&bgcolor=ffffff&aligX=1&aligY=1
Thanks
Thansk ross - I already found that though. Unless you / anyone else knows how i can get it into my GPS??? My little bay doesnt have any depth soundings, but the marked rocks are definitly there. interesting that the channel isnt marked on there though....oh well.
Thansk ross - I already found that though. Unless you / anyone else knows how i can get it into my GPS??? My little bay doesnt have any depth soundings, but the marked rocks are definitly there. interesting that the channel isnt marked on there though....oh well.
a lot more stuff...
for some long distance travel it's nice to have some of the following: Larger house battery capacity, larger fuel, and water capacity. A well insulated ice chest, a auto pilot, accurate detailed charts, a shower, a good bimini top, storage for food clothing and foul weather gear. A first aid kit, spares for the boat and motor (spark plugs, belts, impellers, cotter pins, rigging tape, etc. Sometimes you may even require a dingy, oars or a small motor. Just a few things to get you thinking.
for some long distance travel it's nice to have some of the following: Larger house battery capacity, larger fuel, and water capacity. A well insulated ice chest, a auto pilot, accurate detailed charts, a shower, a good bimini top, storage for food clothing and foul weather gear. A first aid kit, spares for the boat and motor (spark plugs, belts, impellers, cotter pins, rigging tape, etc. Sometimes you may even require a dingy, oars or a small motor. Just a few things to get you thinking.
I use an old Garmin GPS III for point to point
nav using the gps positions for nav aids at the harbor mouth, the mapping capability is not adequate for use entering harbors. Even on boats with great mapping GPS units I still prefer a paper chart when entering an unknown place and find those in the Maptech waterproof chartbooks generally good enough in our area. That being said navigation out here is pretty simple 99% of the time, you are either too close to shore or not, we don't have to navigate tricky channels, rivers, or bays much with a couple notable exceptions (SF & SD bays).
nav using the gps positions for nav aids at the harbor mouth, the mapping capability is not adequate for use entering harbors. Even on boats with great mapping GPS units I still prefer a paper chart when entering an unknown place and find those in the Maptech waterproof chartbooks generally good enough in our area. That being said navigation out here is pretty simple 99% of the time, you are either too close to shore or not, we don't have to navigate tricky channels, rivers, or bays much with a couple notable exceptions (SF & SD bays).
how about a motor in the first place
Ok so i have one, but i'd be hard pressed to call it reliable. It's too much motor for the boat anyway, hanging way out there on the bracket. does having the motor 12" behind the boat help anything anyway, besides getting the prop in the air through choppy water. Funny i totally forgot to mention it - but I dont ever use it! reaching under the railing to start and control and shift is such a PITA, plus i have to look backwards to do it. I feel in much more control just running in under a bit of roller furled jib or if upwind, reefed main. The bigger battery and ice chest are definitly going on the list though. auto pilot sounds like a big project to tackle.
Ok so i have one, but i'd be hard pressed to call it reliable. It's too much motor for the boat anyway, hanging way out there on the bracket. does having the motor 12" behind the boat help anything anyway, besides getting the prop in the air through choppy water. Funny i totally forgot to mention it - but I dont ever use it! reaching under the railing to start and control and shift is such a PITA, plus i have to look backwards to do it. I feel in much more control just running in under a bit of roller furled jib or if upwind, reefed main. The bigger battery and ice chest are definitly going on the list though. auto pilot sounds like a big project to tackle.
Shower on an H23
Buy one of those sunshowers and lay it on the cabin top while you're under way. In the evening, hang it from the boom and you can have a nice warm sit-down shower in the cockpit. In warmer climates, one-gallon bleach bottles will do the same without the need for warming. They stow easily under the seats in the cabin. A simple rack will keep them from moving about too much while you're sailing. As far as navigation is concerned, my suggestion would be a fishfinder right after the compass, charts and GPS. Fishfinders are very inexpensive and unlike "marine store" depthsounders (which only show the depth readout) fishfinders show the bottom profile (so you can see changes in depth more clearly). Some also show the bottom type (hard vs soft). You can install the transducer inside the hull or on the transom. There are many posts on that subject in the archives. Good luck and happyy sailing. Peter H23 "Raven"
Buy one of those sunshowers and lay it on the cabin top while you're under way. In the evening, hang it from the boom and you can have a nice warm sit-down shower in the cockpit. In warmer climates, one-gallon bleach bottles will do the same without the need for warming. They stow easily under the seats in the cabin. A simple rack will keep them from moving about too much while you're sailing. As far as navigation is concerned, my suggestion would be a fishfinder right after the compass, charts and GPS. Fishfinders are very inexpensive and unlike "marine store" depthsounders (which only show the depth readout) fishfinders show the bottom profile (so you can see changes in depth more clearly). Some also show the bottom type (hard vs soft). You can install the transducer inside the hull or on the transom. There are many posts on that subject in the archives. Good luck and happyy sailing. Peter H23 "Raven"
BrianM
A reliable motor is essential !!!!! The wind may not take you where you want to go, or more often than not.....NOT ENOUGH WIND. Also, a channel is a very dangerous place to not have control. One more thing, many marinas will not want you to enter and leave without a motor. It's other peoples boats that are at risk also if you screw up. Anyway, enough about that. Showers....Get a 2 Gallon bug sprayer, the kind you pump up with the handle. Heat the water if you need to, put one gallon in there with a drop or two of Ivory Liquid dish detergent. Pump up and have a pressurized shower. Then repeat again, but this time with a gallon of fresh water for a rinse. Its a good way to meter your water usage. If you use sea water for the first wash cycle, use Joy Dish Detergent, it works pretty good with salt water and then use the fresh water for the rinse. I had taken quite a few 2 week trips on my Macgregor 25 which is probably smaller inside than your Hunter 23 My girlfriend had collected several boxes from work that the Xerox paper comes in. We packed everything in the boxes, clothes, food, you name it. All the boxes are the same size and stack easily and we just moved them out of the way when we went from the eating mode to the drop the table down to the sleeping mode. Dont let the smaller size stop you. I'm at work now so I dont have certain things available to me. Check to see if they make a CHART KIT for your area. Best investment you could make. Tony B
A reliable motor is essential !!!!! The wind may not take you where you want to go, or more often than not.....NOT ENOUGH WIND. Also, a channel is a very dangerous place to not have control. One more thing, many marinas will not want you to enter and leave without a motor. It's other peoples boats that are at risk also if you screw up. Anyway, enough about that. Showers....Get a 2 Gallon bug sprayer, the kind you pump up with the handle. Heat the water if you need to, put one gallon in there with a drop or two of Ivory Liquid dish detergent. Pump up and have a pressurized shower. Then repeat again, but this time with a gallon of fresh water for a rinse. Its a good way to meter your water usage. If you use sea water for the first wash cycle, use Joy Dish Detergent, it works pretty good with salt water and then use the fresh water for the rinse. I had taken quite a few 2 week trips on my Macgregor 25 which is probably smaller inside than your Hunter 23 My girlfriend had collected several boxes from work that the Xerox paper comes in. We packed everything in the boxes, clothes, food, you name it. All the boxes are the same size and stack easily and we just moved them out of the way when we went from the eating mode to the drop the table down to the sleeping mode. Dont let the smaller size stop you. I'm at work now so I dont have certain things available to me. Check to see if they make a CHART KIT for your area. Best investment you could make. Tony B
Lands end
He has a 23 ft sailboat, not a 23 ft barge. Tony B Oh Brian.....one more thing......My first chart (ever) for my first trip - ever- was pretty detailed for the area we intended to cruise in for a 2 week vacation. I had gone to a print shop and had it laminated in plastic for $15 so it was waterproof. The nice thing about that is that you can write on it as you go, with dry erase markers. If the weater kicks up only a little bit, your chart will get wet and be useless if not waterproofed. IMHO Tony B
He has a 23 ft sailboat, not a 23 ft barge. Tony B Oh Brian.....one more thing......My first chart (ever) for my first trip - ever- was pretty detailed for the area we intended to cruise in for a 2 week vacation. I had gone to a print shop and had it laminated in plastic for $15 so it was waterproof. The nice thing about that is that you can write on it as you go, with dry erase markers. If the weater kicks up only a little bit, your chart will get wet and be useless if not waterproofed. IMHO Tony B
Just to clarify about Maptech
Their chart books now come with a CD-ROM included. This means you get the chart book plus the electronic maps, where you can point at a spot and the software will give you the GPS coordinates. Pre-plan your trip on your home computer. That should answer your question about using a data-only GPS -- you do NOT need one with all the mapping capabilities, and yours should do just fine.
Their chart books now come with a CD-ROM included. This means you get the chart book plus the electronic maps, where you can point at a spot and the software will give you the GPS coordinates. Pre-plan your trip on your home computer. That should answer your question about using a data-only GPS -- you do NOT need one with all the mapping capabilities, and yours should do just fine.
The motor
Sounds like you might have a short shaft, if the props spend a lot of time out of the water. The outboard on my h23 has an extension on the tiller and a dowel rod loosely bolted to the shifter. Both reach over the transom a little bit, so there's no stretching through the sternrail while underway. Mac
Sounds like you might have a short shaft, if the props spend a lot of time out of the water. The outboard on my h23 has an extension on the tiller and a dowel rod loosely bolted to the shifter. Both reach over the transom a little bit, so there's no stretching through the sternrail while underway. Mac
What Area Do You Want Charts
Brian; Maptech chart kits do not seem to be available for the Great Lakes. To add charts to your GPS (if it is a GPSMap 76) you will need to purchase the CD from a local dealer or from Garmin. You will need a PC to install them into the GPS. The Garmin CD requires a code from Garmin to "unlock" a region on the CD which covers all of "The Americas" North and South.
Brian; Maptech chart kits do not seem to be available for the Great Lakes. To add charts to your GPS (if it is a GPSMap 76) you will need to purchase the CD from a local dealer or from Garmin. You will need a PC to install them into the GPS. The Garmin CD requires a code from Garmin to "unlock" a region on the CD which covers all of "The Americas" North and South.
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