Hello from Ontario

[SailorDani]

Good morning all!

Today being my birthday (early 50s), I get to make a wish: To get back cruising, specially this coming winter . I love the cruising life and miss it terribly.

Currently considering a Moody 33 CC which I hope can take me anywhere. Goal is Central America and Roatan. I have singlehanded before but since I am not very mechanically inclined I am concerned about being capable of keeping all systems in good working order. I know that if I keep all systems simple life is easier.

Comments and suggestions are welcome!

[Pblais]

I have singlehanded before but since I am not very mechanically inclined I am concerned about being capable of keeping all systems in good working order. I know that if I keep all systems simple life is easier.

Keeping things simple is a better sounding idea than practical. There really isn't much that is not simple when you understand it. The more you know the less complicated it will be. Simple is when you understand everything and complicated is when you don't.

Being mechanically inclined is mostly becoming familiar with your systems and adding some experience you can gain using your boat before taking off to far away places. For the most part the basics will let you understand how things work and do the required checks and maintenance. Examination will help you know what you are looking at and prevent small problems from getting out of hand because you will discover it sooner before it falls apart. Most things break slow and have warning signs if you learn to look for them.

I think you will find lots of discussions here on almost every aspect of the systems on your boat. We make complicated into simple everyday. Welcome to the Cruisers Forum.

[wind rose ll]

Returning to home port yesterday we entered into a Fog bank that in short time became very thick, l went on the radio to announce my position and advise any traffic of my coarse (security call) l switched to instrument navigation and my wife went below to lite up the radar,at the same time l spotted converging traffic cross from starboard across my bow(could only see the top 10 ft of his mast) my wife only recently having watched a video on the radars functionality ranged in on the vessel and announced she had a "contact" about the same time as l spotted the traffic.
Upon docking she said she wants to review the video and become a little more aquainted with its capabilities.
I commended her and thanked her for also bringing the airhorn to the cockpit incase it was required(l forgot to).
Every bit of equipment you have on board has a useful purpose but you must be familiar with it.
"Simplicity" would have had me staying offshore waiting for the fog to lift or ignorantly diving into the fog and hoping no one else was as stupid.
BTW the other sailboat never acknowledged my radio call and probably never saw me...hopefully he made it to port.
Dave

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Pblais

Keeping things simple is a better sounding idea than practical. There really isn't much that is not simple when you understand it. The more you know the less complicated it will be. Simple is when you understand everything and complicated is when you don't.

"Anyone who has the answer, doesn't understand the question."

Often, I find that the more I learn about a subject, the more complicated it appears (to me).

[wind rose ll]

I always found the functions and features of an old VCR after l came across the manual, months after l replaced the defective unit.
The problem, as l see it, is that we don't understand the "new" technology when we first install the new piece of equipment.
dave

[Pblais]

Returning to home port yesterday we entered into a Fog bank that in short time became very thick,

A great way to learn radar is to use it when the weather is nice. Being able to see what you saw as it were helps you learn what things are supposed to look like with the radar on.

[wind rose ll]

it's also interesting in a rain shower, you learn how to adjust the gain control finely.
Dave

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Danielle,
Welcome aboard!! Hope you find this forum as helpful as I have. I used to think my Jabsco impeller pump was a simple piece of machinery until I decided to replace the bearings and seals. Next time I might just keep replacing the impellers until the pump completely fails and then buy a new pump.
I too am into extremely simple boats and cruising equipment. For instance, I don't want a genset (too noisy and a lot more complications), same for refrigeration (a well insulated and designed ice box will keep cold for nearly 14 days). Too me, AC is just plain silly. However I have decided that a watermaker would be something I might want to include. Fresh water is necessary and a nice luxury. If you go into foggy areas then radar is very nice and if you go into very cold areas then some sort of heater is nice. I chose a gravity fed diesel heater. A VHF radio is pretty much necessary. I'll never understand the internal workings of the VHF but they are rather inexpensive to replace if they break. Reading the instruction booklets solved most my problems with them.
Sorry to be so longwinded.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Lancerbye]

Owning any kind of boat is a learning experience and the more you learn the better the experience. I am a Techno junky so I like all the bells and whistles. Because of my background the repairs are not to difficult. I now teach trades people and when I first meet some of them I sometimes think that they should not be in the trade due to lack of mechanical apptitude. By the end of their apprenticeship they are competent in the field. The common thread I have found in people learning technical stuff is the willingness to try. Don't let anything scare you away. Every problem is a learning oppertunity. You will have times that you don't have the right equipment or experience to do the repairs yourself but don't let it scare you. Good luck.

[mgg]

Danielle,

I'm planning to head south next spring on my Niagara 35 and have some of the same concerns. I've singled on the lake but not on blue water, never that far from shore. You can pretty much count on equipment failing; it's just a question of how soon, not whether or not; so, for the really important capabilities, you need an alternative or a quick and reliable repair.

But, when you're cruising and the winds are right, there's nothing that compares, nothing.

good luck
Michael