Equipment list for Pacific crossing

[thomm225]

With the budget you mentioned earlier, it would probably be best for you to try and find a boat with many of the above items already on it if possible.

For example, my old full keel boat came with:

Ground tackle chain and rode (X2) plus 3 more various size Danforths
autopilot
bilge pump and spare
hand/manual pump
fire extinguishers (X2)
VHF
GPS (2)
Depth
Dinghy
Ice Box
20 gallon water tank (you can buy extra single gallons for your needs)
Compass

Home grown drag device on long line (make do with stuff already on the boat)

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Tidjian

So basically go SSB/pactor with weatherfax?

Two things originally not high up on my list have now caught my attention. First is the windvane system so I can rest and not have to be at the helm all day. Second is a lot of people suggested j invest in a radar system.

No, he is suggesting small battery powered Japanese radio with HF bands for $100 and an audio cable to a laptop to download, Grib files which a PC can then display as a weather fax. Some knowledge of weather needed to interpret the image into what is going on.

This is receive only because an SSB transceiver whilst very nice is likely to be out of your budget.

Pete

[toddster8]

That's not quite right - weatherfax is broadcast on a regular schedule on the shortwave bands. It is analog data, not GRIB, and it does not use PACTOR protocols. You can receive it with your SSB radio, or any shortwave receiver, and decode it with free or cheap software and any phone, tablet, or computer. It's slow - typical broadcast lasts 45 minutes - and unless you have excellent reception, there will be dropouts and distortions. But it's free. (BTW, you can also receive NAVTEX this way, for free, but marine SSB radios don't receive the usual NAVTEX frequencies - supposedly there is limited NAVTEX broadcast on HF, but I've never found one.)

What PACTOR (or satellite phone) gives you is the ability to request digital (GRIB) files on your schedule and receive more information more quickly and with error correction. Plus email and such. There are also subscription fees.

re: Radar - I picked up one of these several years ago on the used market for not much cash. However, it is quite the power hog - one of the major loads in the power budget. It's one of those things that will then drive you to upgrade the power system, unless you use it for only a few minutes a day. And there is an art to learning to use it. I'd put it in the "nice to have" but not essential list. Unless you are going to be operating a lot in coastal fog. Large vessels will show up on the AIS display anyway, and small vessels might not show up on either AIS or radar.

edit: OK, I also said that wrong. weatherfax is actually digitally encoded, but it is raster data, not vector. Low speed transmission.

[Don C L]

As far as what to bring, personally I'd add AIS now, its around $800 and I think the splitter is around $150. VHF radio, that also has GPS is so cheap now I'd get that too. The VHF with AIS receive-only is ok but I'd just skip that option and spend the money on the transceiver.

I think your idea of sonar is not what we have on our boats. Depth sounders, depth finders or fish finders just tell you what is below you and how deep the water is. Sonar does not come with GPS as far as I know.

I know there are folks who sail around the world with just a little GPS, but I'd still bring a good ol' sextant + stuff and know how to work 'em all... just in case, and don't forget the tools that go with the paper charts...

[Tidjian]

Originally Posted by newhaul

it is almost Christmas so give them some time besides your not in that big of a hurry . Are you?

Nah no rush really. It would just be sitting here til April anyways. Was just mentioning. If I come close to buying anything in the next couple months I'm sure it will be on here.

I think I mentioned I found an Aloha 28 in great condition not far from me. She doesn't meet Atoms list but she seems to hit a lot of criteria mentioned in our discussions. I'm not sure if anyone commented as to any foreseeable issues or why she would be a bad selection. Just food for thought.

[Tidjian]

Okay so..

For the VHF/GPS receiver I was going to go with the ICOM m324G only $259.99

Shakespeare 5400-XT $149.99

Sonar/Navigation- SIMRAD Go7XSE $649.99
It says its an all in one combo and shows navigation. Apparently you can also use it to monitor your radar as well as an auto pilot system. I would assume since it has nav it must collect it's own gps data no?

I can afford some things over the next few months and I expect to spend about $5k or more on equipment. Of course any boat that comes with a lot of this stuff will be worth paying more for. But so far I haven't found anything within a distance I can view. Some people have suggested a few boats and I've emailed them so we shall see.

As for radar I wasn't going to get it but I am getting a lot of slack about how I'll be sleeping at the tiller. It's impossible to stay awake for 25 days with only 15 minute naps every few hours. At some point you're going to either have to go sleep for a couple hours or you'll have a hard crash and be out for many hours. I think sleep deprivation is about as dangerous if not more dangerous than the off chance a shipping container will plow into your boat. I did sleep deprivation training with the army when I was younger and I remember quite well the effects of being awake 72 hours. I'll read the singhanded sailing books of course to get a better idea how others manage it. But I just can't see how it's feasible to stay on watch 24/7 for 25+ days.

[Eder]

Heave to have a nap.

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "Heave to have a nap."

This is an excellent suggestion, although if your boat is well balanced under the amount of sail appropriate to the conditions and your vane is trimmed and functioning correctly, there'll be no need to heave to. If you sleep through an entire four hour watch while the vane is steering, you'll only have gone as far as where the horizon was when you turned in! These things have to be seen in light of how far you travel in a given time and how far you can see from your boat.

From the cockpit of the Islander 32 that someone mentioned, which we can use as a datum, you will, from the top of a wave when the seas are moderate and visibility is good, be able to see about 16 miles. That is your "horizon distance". To travel from where you are to where your horizon is at that moment will take you about four hours. For a grown-up ship to travel that distance will take it about 3/4 hours.

In decent visibility you will see "the whole ship" when she is 16 miles distant. If she is further away than that, she will be "below the horizon" and you will only see the taller parts of 'er. If she is a big ship with a tall superstructure or laden high with containers you may be able to see her when she is thirty miles away, BUT she will NEVER see you! Probably not even on her radar even if you are wearing an "approved" radar reflector. At any rate DON'T count on her seing you :-)!

Dockhead gave us an EXCELLENT treatrise some time ago about collision avoidance in light of these things I've just stated. Look it up and get it under your belt :-)!

The times and distances I've given are NOT "gospel". They are reasonable approximations given just to set you thinking for yourself about these things in a structured, quantified way rather than on an "I guess..." basis.

TP

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Quote: "Heave to have a nap."

This is an excellent suggestion, although if your boat is well balanced under the amount of sail appropriate to the conditions and your vane is trimmed and functioning correctly, there'll be no need to heave to. If you sleep through an entire four hour watch while the vane is steering, you'll only have gone as far as where the horizon was when you turned in! These things have to be seen in light of how far you travel in a given time and how far you can see from your boat.

From the cockpit of the Islander 32 that someone mentioned, which we can use as a datum, you will, from the top of a wave when the seas are moderate and visibility is good, be able to see about 16 miles. That is your "horizon distance". To travel from where you are to where your horizon is at that moment will take you about four hours. For a grown-up ship to travel that distance will take it about 3/4 hours.

In decent visibility you will see "the whole ship" when she is 16 miles distant. If she is further away than that, she will be "below the horizon" and you will only see the taller parts of 'er. If she is a big ship with a tall superstructure or laden high with containers you may be able to see her when she is thirty miles away, BUT she will NEVER see you! Probably not even on her radar even if you are wearing an "approved" radar reflector. At any rate DON'T count on her seing you :-)!

Dockhead gave us an EXCELLENT treatrise some time ago about collision avoidance in light of these things I've just stated. Look it up and get it under your belt :-)!

The times and distances I've given are NOT "gospel". They are reasonable approximations given just to set you thinking for yourself about these things in a structured, quantified way rather than on an "I guess..." basis.

TP

hence the recommendation for an AIS transceiver. That ship will see you and take appropriate action before you even see her.

[Don C L]

You are right. Sleep deprivation is to be avoided, period. If sailing and sleeping bothers you, heaving to and sleeping is a tactic some use, but it slows you down quite a bit. AIS has an alarm to wake you if a big ship, or anyone else using an AIS transceiver, is nearby. Radar won't help you much with a half submerged container or submarine... but, the incident off San Diego last month notwithstanding (where a boat hit or was hit by a submarine supposedly), you might have a better chance of winning the lottery than hitting a half submerged metal, inanimate object, and I don't know of any sonar-equipped sailboats that can spot those things either. The "forward scan sonar" is still for looking at the bottom ahead of you. And being awake at night isn't going to help you avoid a floating object and even during the day it can be remarkably hard to spot things until you are within 50 or 100 yards, or less depending on sea state.

VHF I have the Standard Horizon 1700 (no AIS) and I think its great, $201 on Amazon.

Hmm, radar... I don't have it but I probably need it more than you will, since I am close to a coastline, lots of ship and fast fishing boat traffic, possible fog, possibility of having to get into a harbor or anchorage at night... probably many who will say I am crazy not to have it... but I have gotten by without it.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Eder

Heave to have a nap.

If you are in the middle of the ocean and there's no boats within range leave the autopilot set as is and take a nap..............

[Jim Cate]

As far as being run down by a ship, your odds are no different hove to or sailing at a few knots. IMO, if you can stretch the budget somehow, active AIS is the best safety device for a singlehander, bar none. And the prices are coming down, and the advent of the new class b protocol may mean some older models being sold off cheaply in the time between now and your eventual departure.

Jim

[Tidjian]

I just found the best of both worlds. I'll drop the ICOM m VHF

For $100 more I found a SIMRAD RS35

VHF with GPS and built in AIS receiver. They won't see me but at least I'll see them and it sends alerts. Also has some cool features that tie in with the SIMRAD Go7 XSE.

Shouldn't be a problem grabbing that at all and won't hurt the budget.

Also additional side note and I need to research this more but..

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/simra...44?recordNum=8

This is a lot cheaper than a windvane system. It also ties into the same nav display.

[JPA Cate]

Something not on your list, but should be, imho, is a dodger, but perhaps it is so obvious that mentally, it was already included.

Ann

[Tidjian]

Reviews look positive and comparing to more expensive tiller pilots she seems to hold up well. I don't know if I would trust it to hold the tiller in weather though. They look a little flimsy in pictures.