Add On Equipment

[garylinger]

I thought I would provoke some thought and discussion, especially among the 9.2 owners. What are the thoughts and preferences as far as adding wind direction/speed instruments. What about converting the OEM icebox to a refrigerator/freezer? I have looked at some of the different wind instruments and am leaning toward the wireless (such as the Tack Tick). I have also looked at some of the "cold plate" conversions available. Anyone have any experience or opinions about either of these project ideas???? Or any other significant equipment conversions/add-ons?

 

[RussB]

The original Signet Marine wind instruments failed on my 1979 9.2A. I am currently getting by with a Kestrel 3500 hand held wind speed. It is quite handy for dry and wet bulb temps also. I will be converting to Tack Tick instruments soon.

 

[Rick19354]

When I dropped the mast on our 9.2A to rewire and paint, I debated putting in an ST40 wind instrument to go along with the ST40 speed and depth already installed. I decided against the installation, mainly because of cost, reliability, as well as lack of integration with my Simrad autopilot (already installed). I guess there are times it would be nice to have, but I really don't see the need as long as a good wind vane is installed.

Regarding the refrigerator, that was an interesting debate. The original icebox would need to be re-insulated to start. I considered the Waeco 50 series (good amp draw, not really big enough for Florida's summer heat) and the 80 series (good for the heat, but the amp draw was just too much without rethinking the battery bank). Dry food storage was also an issue. Even though I installed cabinets above each settee, we were still low on places to store food (we're planning being aboard for 2 months this summer). When considering all of this, I went ahead and purchased a Waeco stand-alone 52 quart coolmatic refrigerator. We custom made the quarter berth cushions to allow the coolmatic to store right behind the port settee or I can mount it below the fold down dining table. Both areas give up a bit of space, but it frees up the galley icebox for dry food storage -- and lots of it. Another trade-off, I guess, but I like the set up as the coolmatic is big enough for our cold items (and can freeze, as well), but is an energy champ (it pulls only 3.75 amps and runs about 15% of the time in summer and less than 10% in winter). One last selling point for us, it automatically switches to 110V when shore power is turned on.

Well, sorry about the long post!

 

[garylinger]

My desire to use the wireless type of wind instrument is to avoid having to run wires down the mast and then figure out how to keep it out of sight as it goes to the cockpit. Cost is a very real factor, though.

As for refrigeration, besides cost, I am concerned about power usage and available space. Summers on the Chesapeake can get very hot. I found this past summer that my OEM icebox kept ice for as many as 3 to 4 days (much longer than I expected). The idea of a separate refrigerator is appealing except for the lack of adequate space...

 

[BobM]

Both items are pretty much off my (non-existent) radar screen. Wind would be nice, but is not a necessity and my boat sits on a mooring and, to date (barring a 3 day move initially) I mostly day sail, so refrigeration has not been a consideration.

However, I will add my 2c in that wiring in a mast invariably seem to have a limited life time and makes noise inside the mast, so wireless seems to be the ticket. Even with the conversion from pounds to dollars, the price for their new entry level wind system seems to be competitive at about $7-800, especially given the easy installation.

At some point I will have to drop my mast to address water intrusion near the mast step. Some moron ran wiring through the deck without a proper fitting...yet another reason to consider the wireless option. Needless to say, there are a lot of things that could/should be done with a mast down. Mine is black and it needs touch up or repainting. Also, the steaming light works intermittently, so it will be need rewiring. I will probably go with one of those combination steaming/deck lights. I will also look into changing over to LED bulbs, but only if I can ensure they are coast guard approved (such as www.doctorled.com bulbs, some of which have been certified).


One trick for ice box aficionados, like me, is to put a layer of bubble wrap on top of your food. I haven't done any head to head comparisons, but it is supposed to help make you ice last longer and it is certainly an inexpensive addition.

 

[Calypso]

I was at my boat yesterday. I'm installing an Origo 6000 stove and oven. I have refrigeration (alder-barbour, I think-old) and the unit is on a shelf right below the sink. It runs all season long and we love it as we stay every weekend. I need to turn the unit to make room for the oven, however. I'm going to drill right through the middle of the base plate to run my sink drain! I considered moving it to under the setee but this should work and not require opening the system up. We are going to loose both drawers for this oven. There may be enough space to squeeze in a SMALL drawer under the oven. I noticed condensation on the front of the galley and will drill some holes to sprayfoam insulate the cooler if I can't figure out how to access it. I have wind direction and speed (old Datamarine) and like them.