Saba 50: 2019 Saba Ordered!

[CalmSeasQuest]

We had it made by Canopee out of France

https://www.facebook.com/pg/canopeem...=page_internal

I don't recall Canopee providing a wind "rating." We leave it deployed to ~15Kt, but we've been caught a few times above 20Kt. It installs very "taut" limiting flogging but it's a bear to get it down and stowed in higher winds.

[CalmSeasQuest]

Originally Posted by Lady Roslyn

Spectacular pictures. Very happy you are safe and settling in to the Saba. Cheers Nic

Thanks Nic - No where near the quality of your photo's but getting better. I finally gained the courage to try flying the drone (Mavic Pro) while underway. We just barely managed the recovery as it was easy to underestimate vertical motion even in relatively calm seas.

[CalmSeasQuest]

Ghost is back in Ft. Lauderdale, out of the "box" for hurricane season and completing an extensive list of electric and solar upgrades.

In researching LiFePO4 designs I was troubled to learn that an entire battery bank can be shut down by the BMS due to problems with a single cell. If a single battery bank were used, this could result in the vessel going dark. This was not an acceptable outcome.

Instead we came up with a design that provides redundancy and fault tolerance with automated failovers should a battery bank shut down for any reason. To accomplish this, we split the AC and DC systems.

AC Systems
The AC side consists of 1000AH @ 24V Victron LFP driving 2 X 24V, 3Kw-230V and 2 X 24V, 3Kw-115V MultiPlus charger inverters. The bank is maintained by shore power or a 13.5Kw Genset through a 100 Amp Victron Autotransformer (to prevent leg imbalance) and 1850W of Solar. Plans exist for the addition of a 180AH 24V alternator should; based on real world use and performance it be needed. This bank is responsible for the following loads,

• 6 AirCon Units – 60K BTU (3 @ 12KBTU, 3 @ 8KBTU fitted with SoftStarts)
• A theoretical maximum of 12Kw of combined 115/230V inverting
• 280 Amps of 24v battery charging (6720W)
• 12V House Bank Charging - DC/DC 24V/12V @ 60 Amps
• Watermaker - Aquabase YK3 180 L/H (Alternate power source – Genset Primary ~2000W)

24V Fault tolerance and failover rationale
Should the 24V bank encounter a low voltage/SOC condition, the GenSet is configured to auto-start and auto-stop based on pre-programmed values.
Should the BMS shut down the 24V bank for any reason, all critical systems, (Navigation, windless, lighting…) continue to operate off the 600AH 12V bank.

DC Systems
The DC system consists of 600AH of 12V Victron LFP. The bank is maintained by 60 Amps of 24V/12V DC/DC charging and the 2 engine alternators fitted with Wakespeed WS500 external regulators. This bank drives,

• All critical vessel DC systems including navigation, communication, autopilot, windless and lighting

12V Fault tolerance and failover rationale
Should the 12V bank suffer a BMS shutdown or low SOC, a relay switches all 12V loads to the Starboard 200AH AGM start battery. This can also be paralleled with the Port side 200AH start/failover battery if needed.

European Power (230V/50Hz) Solution
For shore power use when in locations using 230V/50Hz power, a manually activated system diverts 50Hz shore power only to the pair of 24V/230V MultiPlus charger inverters which charges all battery banks and provides pass-through to the AirCons. The 24V-115V MultiPlus’s operate in inverter-only mode supplying 115V service to the vessel.

[Pardonama]

Awesome saba 50 , absolutely perfect
I am planning to buy a cat between 45 and 50 ft.

I am looking nautitiech fly46 , lagoon 46 or 50 and Saba 50.
But about helm station at mid height , what are your experiences about saba mid height helm.

Thank you.

[CalmSeasQuest]

Originally Posted by Pardonama

Awesome saba 50 , absolutely perfect
I am planning to buy a cat between 45 and 50 ft.

I am looking nautitiech fly46 , lagoon 46 or 50 and Saba 50.
But about helm station at mid height , what are your experiences about saba mid height helm.

Thank you.

We spent 5 years looking at and sailing Cats prior to deciding on our Saba. The mid helm (Sport Top) ended up being an absolute requirement.

• The position allows you to be included in cockpit and galley happenings, rather than exiled to the flybridge when underway.
  
• Visibility is great, I can see all corners.
  
• The separated winch pit provides more room especially for 2 persons.
  
• Access is easy (and from inside) in big seas.

Our Sun Lounge provides all the benefits of a flybridge without any of the downsides.

[Pardonama]

Thank you very much for the info.

[Dauntless66]

Love everything you’ve done with your Saba.

Couple questions:

Who made the LED pendants and are they built with internal batteries or does the tether provide power? If so did you install plugs around the deck?

Who are you having do the electrical upgrades? They’re extensive and impressive and sounds like you’re using a very competent installer.

If you don’t mind me asking, what did the wrap cost? I’ve asked if FP has ever done coloured gel coat but don’t hold out much hope they will.

I know what FP advises for the Davit rating but have you figured out what they really can hold?

When I take delivery of my cat in early 2023 I want to do some similar upgrades.

[CalmSeasQuest]

Originally Posted by FP51

Love everything you’ve done with your Saba.

Couple questions:

Who made the LED pendants and are they built with internal batteries or does the tether provide power? If so did you install plugs around the deck?

Who are you having do the electrical upgrades? They’re extensive and impressive and sounds like you’re using a very competent installer.

If you don’t mind me asking, what did the wrap cost? I’ve asked if FP has ever done coloured gel coat but don’t hold out much hope they will.

I know what FP advises for the Davit rating but have you figured out what they really can hold?

When I take delivery of my cat in early 2023 I want to do some similar upgrades.

Thanks!

Pendants were custom made by Green Blob Lighting in Texas. They are dual power (110V/12VDC) I installed 110V plugs throughout Ghost that can be used for the underwater lighting. I also installed a 12V plug in our tender so we can use the lighting for night dives.

I've worked exclusively with Maz Ocean in Dania Beach FL. They have handled all my outfitting including the design and installation of 1850W of solar and 31.2Kw of LFP.

The wrap was installed by Boat Wraps in Ft. Lauderdale. The total cost was ~$10K but also included some additional work beyond just the hull wrap (name, custom double water line...)

There is conjecture about the davit weight ratings. Ghost has the Hydraulic davits which I "think" are rated @ 175Kg ea. Our tender total weight (wet) is 523# I specifically built a tender well below the weight limits and would not want any additional weight aft.

[CalmSeasQuest]

A quick Update...

We're back in STT after a great 7 day crossing from Ft. Lauderdale which included some EPIC fishing. The new gear and terminal tackle delivered tons of Pelagics including White Marlin, Wahoo, Skipjack Tuna, Mahi and a HUGE #250 Blue Marlin. We also hooked up an estimated ~#500 Blue Marlin who quickly proceeded to almost spool a fully loaded Tiagra 50 before snapping the 80# Mono line and departing the area with our terminal tackle firmly in his possession.

We're working out the last kinks in our new Victron system. It has honestly changed the way we live aboard. We function much like we do at home and let the boat manage the power. The Genset Autostart engages when the 24V house bank reaches 21% SOC and takes about 3.25 hours to add the ~790AH needed to top off the batteries. The Multiplus's handle up to 4 AirCons, WaterMaker, Washer/Dryer and Dishwasher all while also maintaining the 12V DC bank.

Depending on solar and ambient temps we average 2-3 hours of Genset a day to provide enough power 24/7. As the Genset start/stop process is automatic; we really don't have to think about it.

As expected, we'd like to have more solar but even if doubled our solar still would not completely eliminate Genset usage. We're also still tweaking the active cooling system in the Port engine well (all those blue boxes make a ton of heat.)

All in all we're very happy. We've had a couple of experiences already where the system redundancy came into play.