Helia 44: Owners

[Aluna]

Hi Domuzes, Those guys obviously new what they were doing.

FP came back to me and said that it is OK with a lift so long as the supports are under the mast and stern bulkheads. I checked the supports on the trailer which they were going to use and found there was no way they were going to line up. So I have stopped the boat yard from trying.

[SailMonAmi]

Greetings,

I'm somewhat new to the forum, but a proud Helia owner. David (that's me) and Becky are owners of #13, Mon Amie. Her home is temporarily at Annapolis, MD, but I'm taking her to Tortola, her new home in November.

Thanks for all your posts - I read as many as I can. Currently engrossed researching making the BVI trip and am all ears to problems and solutions.

Kind regards,
David

[SailMonAmi]

Oh, I would've PM'd you, but I'm not yet entrusted with that privilege.

[Ajay]

Hello all. I am new to the forum and am the proud owner of hull #3. Ajay & Alice are her owners and we are located in Clifton, Virginia. Serenity is now located in St. Thomas with CYOA. John, Jay and Nancy have done a great job of getting her finalized for charter. Annapolis Cruising Yachts (purchaser of Bay Yachts) did a great job on the commission that happened late last year. We are very pleased with the yacht and can report 8+ knots of speed. We did a copper-coat bottom and after a full season in the Caribbean had no growth. I highly recommend the product. We have done many upgrades and mods. When I get a chance, I will start posting them. One question, on the factory provided code zero, what is the wind speed limitation? Anybody install a spinnaker? I have sailed it with the code zero and jib wing and wing (no main) and that worked well. Just not sure that the code zero will handle strong winds. Thanks for the help.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[SailMonAmi]

Originally Posted by Ajay

We did a copper-coat bottom and after a full season in the Caribbean had no growth. I highly recommend the product.

Where did you have her copper-coated? I asked if they'd do that for me at Pleasure Cove Marina, MD and they said, Copper-coat was nothing but a hassle, and after a year the had it removed it (Chesapeake conditions?). They said they wanted to use Micron Extra. I don't want to have to re-paint every couple of years so was excited to consider the Copper-coat product. Seems like the results are not consistent. I wonder if it has to do with preparations?

[Ajay]

Actually, I did it at pleasure cove. they may be hesitant since they did it for me for the normal fixed price for bottom coat. I did supply the material. They had significant over-runs and may be shy because of this. There are two very critical things for success. The first is temperature and humidity have to be within parameters. The second is when you scuff the surface, you have do it correctly. I was on site for this and made sure the PC did it correctly. They did not on the scuffing the first time. I very much like the product. I will keep all updated as we enter the 2nd season. Having done high school experiments with the deadliness of copper, I am sure that this product will work very well so long as it is applied correctly and also scuffed each year correctly (green scotch brite pad is all you need).

[SailMonAmi]

Originally Posted by Ajay

I did supply the material.

Thanks, Ajay! Interesting...and I'm going to keep looking into it. I'm pretty sure only the original/factory bottom paint is on now (I'm the second owner so not positive). How many Copper-coats do you recommend?

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by Ajay

Actually, I did it at pleasure cove. they may be hesitant since they did it for me for the normal fixed price for bottom coat. I did supply the material. They had significant over-runs and may be shy because of this. There are two very critical things for success. The first is temperature and humidity have to be within parameters. The second is when you scuff the surface, you have do it correctly. I was on site for this and made sure the PC did it correctly. They did not on the scuffing the first time. I very much like the product. I will keep all updated as we enter the 2nd season. Having done high school experiments with the deadliness of copper, I am sure that this product will work very well so long as it is applied correctly and also scuffed each year correctly (green scotch brite pad is all you need).

Can you use the green scotch brite pad (600 grit) and scuff the bottom when it's in the water?

[Ajay]

Very likely yes. I have not done this. The surface stays active so long as you have water contact. Air contact causes oxidation of the copper and the need for the scrub. You are looking for about 70% if the peaks being knocked off. They have a great web page and a picture of what it should look like. It is a must to have with you to show the yard so they get it right.

[SailMonAmi]

Originally Posted by Ajay

It is a must to have with you to show the yard so they get it right.

Agreed, that is an informative demo on the Coppercoat website. I spoke to a PC manager, and he said they wouldn't do it again because of the extensive preparations (must remove ALL existing paint) and apply four Coppercoats in one day requirement. Unfortunately, I'm not able to be there to ensure the procedures are followed, so I'm on the fence about it now.

[StarryHorizons]

Ajay - can you post some pictures of your boat with the copper coat? I'd especially be interested to see how it looks after having been in the water for a while. This is something we're looking into doing on our Helia as well.

[Ajay]

Sure. Here is a link to the video of the launch. Not the best for showing the bottom but you can get the idea. Over time the copper does patina to more of a green. Looks fine. I will see if I have more recent pictures. Link below: Travel Lift Lifting on Vimeo

[StarryHorizons]

Originally Posted by Ajay

Sure. Here is a link to the video of the launch. Not the best for showing the bottom but you can get the idea. Over time the copper does patina to more of a green. Looks fine. I will see if I have more recent pictures. Link below: Travel Lift Lifting on Vimeo

Thanks for the video Ajay. The look of the freshly applied copper coat is good, but I'm still trying to decide if I like the eventual "green" color. Given the advantages, it may be well worth it.

If you do get a chance to post more recent pictures as well, that would be appreciated.

[peteh007]

Originally Posted by Gordon

Hi Nasa, We will be visiting MHS the end of October to finalise our list of options/extras. One thing I would like to see FP embrace is the new technology available with Li-ion batteries. Mastervolt produce 320 Ah / 12v batteries which are 70% efficient and 70% lighter and take up 70% less space than AGM batteries, also last up to 3 times longer. Maybe you could join my voice and they may relent.
Outremer now offer these as an option, Mastervolt have been working on this technology for 6 years now and have over 3 years sales experience backed up with a solid world wide network.
At the moment we have ticked the solar panel / additional AGM battery / wind generator / Eco Cruising monitor.
We are also considering the new Hybrid GXP 5 or GPX 6.5 gen sets.They have a built in inverter and are a variable speed with auto startup once the draw exceeds the inverter output ( 2.5 Kw ) and the gen takes over. The unit weighs 88kgs.

I second that LiPo is a big deal!!!

[NSfooter]

Ajay,

We have an asymmetric on MapleCookie. As she is in charter, we did not fit a bowsprit and instead, have the kite rigged off two lines run back to the bows. You can see it on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qGvyC86T_o

. We hoist in an ATN sleeve - it works really well. We found that you only really need it up in light winds and the sail is rated up to about 12knots apparent>

Pete Williams