Well I ordered 300′ of 5/16 bbb chain and it’s being delivered to me on Splendid on Monday. I didn’t have enough to order my new anchor ($785.00) and have to wait until I get my next paycheck. I checked eBay and craigs list…, no Supremes at all! There are plenty of CQR’s, Bruces, and so on for much less. I even found a brand new 80lb CQR for $500.00 but passed on it. I quite serious about the Supreme.
Well I decided to contact Manson anchors in New Zealand ( http://www.manson-marine.co.nz/SitePages/Supreme.htm ) to see if I could get a discount. They got back to me ASAP and we struck a cross-promotional deal and my new anchor is being delivered on Monday. I’ll be advertising for them and getting underwater video of the Supreme digging in in various seabeds, WOOT! Check out their video too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVoYc0dL124
Now I’m looking for an Engel refrigerator. Our refrigerator died months ago and I’m not going to pay a guy $80.00/hr ($1,400.00 total) to screw up my system again. I’ll have the big system fixed in Panama for a reasonable cost. I think we will end up using the Engel full time though because of its efficiency, it can easily run off of our solar panels and we want to live 90% + on green power. I want the Engel MT17 ( http://www.engel-usa.com/mt17.htm ).
Sam and I met with Kerri the canvas girl yesterday and came up with our colors and a game plan. Our enclosure, bimini, and dodger will be a nice brass/tan color finished with black & black zippers. The sail covers and jib cover will be black to match the “not yet painted” black boot stripe and black netting between the deck and life lines. It really is amazing how much work I’ve done in the last 14 months. Splendid will truly be “Splendid”, and a wonderful home and charter boat.
Hey…, does anyone have a bunch of empty Grolsch bottles they want to sell? I’ve decided after my port wine is done cooking I want to knock out some beer for the bilge. I want to buy/find/drink about 5 cases of the Grolsch bottles.
Hope everyone is well. I’m starting to feel like my old self again.
Peace, Love, and Manson anchors!
– Alex
Published in Alex Dorsey
Alex,
Thats great to hear about all the new gear and things coming together. I can’t wait to see video updates and read log entries once you are underway again. I just got done watching the two DVD’s again the other night. I didn’t catch the first time that you spent a year in the San Blas and a year in Panama. That’s AWESOME!!!
-Grant
Hey Alex
On your refrigerator it seems really scary to do it yourself but really they are very simple and there is no reason that you would need to pay someone to do it for you. The only new tools you would really need are a manifold gauge set, a vacuum pump and a torch to brass with. Which if you get it on eBay or a pawn shop it would be under a 100 $. If you have both of those you could fix it yourself and do a much better job. Just take your time and do it right. And if your system uses 134a Freon “there will be a tag on the compressor saying what kind it uses” they have a new one that is much colder and you will use a lot less power. I used it on my refrigerator and it worked great. I would think about it, do a little research and look through a book. It’s a handy skill to know and it has saved me a lot of time and money. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
Worth some thought
Thanks Eric
Eric,Yes I need a gauge, vacuum pump, and torch, but one also needs a license to buy the gas. I have it on my list of things to buy but just don’t have the time if I’m going to get out of here by June 1. When I type in “Vacume pump” on ebay, I dont really know what I’m looking for? I would also like to know how to fix refrigeration so I can make a few extra bucks along the way :)Cheers.- Alex
Ok I played on eBay for a little bit and if you search “ac vacuum pump” you will get what you are looking for. Item number: 120416917310 is a set of what you need” vacuum pump and Manifold gauge. Seemed like an ok deal, and it will give you an Idea of what you need. Also when I did that search I also got manifold gauges to come up by using the same key words. On the manifold gauges there are two types. The old ones for R 12 and r 22 gas, and the new one for R134a gas. I would get the manifold for 134a you can buy and adaptor to make it work on the older gas. And 134a you do not need a license for. You can go to an auto parts store for this. If you are using r 12 or r 22 then you will need to get the license. But what I do is just pump down the system to see if it will hold a vacuum then you know you have a tight system and have someone fill it up. But getting the license is a great idea.
GET THE ENGEL! You will love it and they are just about Marine(USMC) proof and thats saying something. It may be the one really smart thing I’ve done for the boat in a while. I have a 35 which is the same size as a 40qt ice chest and holds about 2x because no ice. It runs off the solar and wind without the slightest problem and will freeze a gallon jug hard as a brick overnight if thats what you need. I usually keep beer in mine and it will keep it at 29* even when the cabin is closed and the boat interior gets to 90*+ in our Texas summer.
Turtle is still on the hard as money is very short. Business is in the tank just now but I hope it will pick up again soon. I guess it gives me a chance to do all the piddly little jobs I’ve been putting off for so long. I rebuilt the Yanmar, first rebuild in 31yrs, and it’s like a new motor. It starts and runs like I knew what I was doing.
Take care and keep up the good “work”……….martin