C'mon folks and give this crazy guy a thumbs up! 👍🏽 After all his efforts making and sharing interesting videos, from remote places, he's are worth a 👍🏽 don't ya think?
Thank you so much for watching and even leaving a very nice comment. Im really glad you gave my channel a chance. Yes I’m a Singlehander and in fact sailed solo several years before even uploading to UA-cam. Welcome aboard and hope you will enjoy future content as well. All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas thankyou for the reply I live on the Chesapeake bay on my boat i work on boats for a living I'm trying to save and get a boat for some serious cruising i been mostly getting boats for free fixing them up and flipping them iam now living on a 93 hunter 28 will be flipping her soon hope to buy a boat to cross oceans I wish I could do UA-cam but it's so out of my comfort zone
Thank you for sharing my friend! I can assure you that your concept is great and better invested time than UA-cam. I’m not really comfortable in front at the camera and don’t really need to expose my face. Probably why I enjoy making technical videos the most. Also the running cost of a UA-cam channel is ridiculous. As you know by living on and fixing boats the environment we live in is not the best for cameras and laptops. So for me this is a quite expensive hobby. If I used my scuba equipment and offered neighbors a scrub on their hull at anchor I probably would made more money in one month than next five years here on UA-cam. So my friend your doing it all right in my ears and eyes! Keep going and I hope to see you out the big blue one day. Ohw and as a side note, don’t believe everything you see online. Lots of channels I met last year don’t even own their boats but only leasing it. So in three years you probably own a better boat with higher value than many of the glossy posers you see online. Keep up your good work and success! All the best and cheers 🍻
IMHO sailboats with everything hanging off of them remind me of a vacation trailer park. They are borderline trashy looking. Your sailboat is neat as a pin and less of a theft target. You did a great job explaining the pros and cons of the swim platform. I wouldn't have thought of many of the cons without your explanation. Just like at home, I prefer my vehicle in the garage as outside where it is exposed to the elements and possible theft or damage. Great episode, Thomas. Thank you for sharing. 🍻
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. I’m totally agree with you some boats looks just unbelievable... I sometimes wonder how could they possibly be sailing. But we are all different and I prefer to always be ready to sail in less than 30 minutes. It’s a good rule to me. Thank you for being here and all the best 🍻
You gave me some ideas. I am a professional engineer with a lot of experience. I am going to design a swim platform that can rotate upwards when underway and then rotate down when at anchor. I want to store the dingy vertically on the forward side of the dingy so that it is jammed between the hull and the swim platform without the engine on it. I can load the dingy before rotating vertically and strap it down. That will keep it from taking on water in rough conditions. I really like the idea of the extra boarding protection while underway, particularly for yachts which are quite open at the rear with easy access.
Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your ideas. A closed transom even at anchor is worth it all to me. It’s really not easy to access my boat quietly at night when I’m sleeping. Had a few attempts and they all failed. All the best and and good luck with your projects. Cheers 🍻
You make some great points here. It's a pain to lift a mid-sized dinghy and motor to the fore deck for a single sailor or an older couple. An arch and lift has it's own problems as it places that weight up high and the dinghy could still swing back and forth and it's still possible for it to be stolen. Storing a dinghy is always a challenge on a monohull. Cats seem to have an advantage here and between the hulls is the perfect space to lift a dinghy. But they also have their own issues. Everything is a tradeoff.
Totally agree with you you as catamarans not only are better rigged for dinghies but can even carry bigger ones if wanted. I found the solution I have to be just as perfect as it’s not... But for me it works. Thank you so much for watching and for being here! All the best and cheers 🍻
You are totally correct, everybody will have different priorities and it's best not to become critical about someone else's choices. I also hate people who race around moorings and anchored boats. What's more, I'm also a Stones fan :)
Thank you so much for watching and your great comment. Also for being the first to take the Stones reference. Buying a boat is like ordering a nice bottle of wine. Some years are better than others, and some even don’t like it no matter if it’s red white ore rose. Some just want a diet beer. Luckily there is so many options and the variety is what’s makes it interesting. Thank you for being here! All the best and cheers 🍻
Thank you so much my friend. I hope sharing some real experience can contribute to help others deciding wich compromise they might need accept or not. All the best and and thank you for watching🍻
When I was looking for my boat, I thought the garage was the way to go. How cool would that be to tuck the dinghy and water toys inside and have a platform to play on in the back! However after much research, 3 things stood out: 1) it limited the size of the dinghy, 2) the door would have wave slap possibly causing damage and 3) the rudder quadrant and autopilot drive unit had to be mounted low and just about into the bilge. Because the floor of the garage is almost at waterline, access to the steering quadrant beneath the floor of the garage would have to be through a watertight door. I noted that many models just glue the floor down to make it watertight and that would need to be lifted to gain access. Not something I'd be able to get at when on the high seas with a steering issue. Thomas, how is it on your Bavaria? Keep up the videos. I always tune in every Monday to see your latest.
Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your thoughts. BE FREE has twin rudders meaning 4 quadrants connected with a metal beam/tube. This metal beam goes above the garage inside the boat, and on each side the quadrants are easily accessible from hatch/doors in the aft cabins on each side. It’s even aluminium tubes laminated going all the way up to almost cockpit floor. Meaning additional safety against water penetration. Pretty clever solution. You can easily drop the rudder with no worries. On top of this sits 1 quadrant. Then connected to the quadrant under the helm. And from this goes the beam inside the boat but above the garage to the other side. The floor and even the grid/super structure on Bavaria is hand laminated with fibreglass and polyester. I would say this brand does a lot of things right and for being a mass production yacht very high quality and well done. My impression is the important stuff is really well done, however they do cut some corners here and there to cut costs. This is something I wanna make a video about how to understand a mass production yacht and where they save money. All the best and cheers 🍻
I had no idea of some of these Tender Garage considerations. I would hope manufacturers could accommodate a larger dinghy garage to handle the larger dimensions on new models. The sacrifices in space are well worth it.
Thank you so much for watching and for being here. I try to share things in an objective way hopefully to add value for my viewers. This solution has its downsides but still worth it to me and my needs. All the best and cheers 🍻
I love your pro vs con videos. You do a good job anticipating what people might throw your way as a con and diplomatically defusing those arguments. I like your potential modification to include an arch to hoist your dinghy for short trips. Would the arch modifications add much weight? I assume that you would use the garage for longer trips. I know you are not looking for a replacement dinghy at the moment, but I am wondering if a Williams mini-jet tender would fit in your garage. I have seen Sailing Aequus on youtube with this tender but I believe their Bavarian is a 57 instead of a 55. I like the idea that motor doesn't have to come off to store this type of dinghy since it is a jet motor built into the hull of the tender. I'm sure there are pros and con's that come with using a jet tender instead of an outboard. One potential obstacle of the Williams jet tender might be the helm placement. Although I believe AB Inflatables company also makes a mini-jet tender too with a different helm placement. Just food for thought I guess. Thanks for the perspective on swim platforms and tender garages! cheers!
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words. The additional arch for lifting the dinghy is only for moving between different anchorages. Your totally correct assuming I still would us the garage. Weight is not much only one tube. Re water jet and thoughts around this. I have quite a lot experience with small jets and even captained twin jets with buckets big enough to swallow this dinghy. From my experience this solution is not optimal for long distance cruising and would not been my choice. It’s more maintenance and also expensive not only buying but also when things breaks. Hence the fact I changed to the most reliable outboard you can buy for money, a 2 stroke Yamaha instead of a 4-stroke due to weight and maintenance. The main challenge with water jets is not ideal to beach, and consumption ratio vs weight power and size. Also quite heavy so to me it’s in pleasure yacht World a fancy toy, and definitely not optimal for a Singlehander. In/out of the garage would be okay but I would struggle pulling it up at the beach alone. In search and rescue however it’s a brilliant tool. And here is also where I have probably 100k nautical miles of experience. But this is only my opinion and also limitations being alone. But a Williams are great fun looks great no questions about that! All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas Thanks for the insight on the use of the Williams Jet tender. :) Not being a sailor, I miss out on a lot that comes with experience so its always enlightening to get the thoughts of someone who's used them and understands the limitations and advantages. :)
Just as a side note, only tried Williams for fun. The smaller and even the bigger with Diesel engine. However my experience is from custom built with rolls Royce system and others within the professional segment. Cheers 🍻
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words. I’m really happy to hear you enjoy the content I upload here. Much appreciated! All the best and cheers 🍻
Note to self. Only park my yacht in Forklift Free zones. In my opinion, you didn't need a bigger dinghy, just a bigger outboard. Power is everthing ! But it reminds me of when I put bigger tyres on my car. The spare wheel would no longer fit in it's place in the boot. A mechanic told me to just deflate the tyre. I almost punched him. Thinking back, I should have. Cheers .
Great video, preparation, ideas and presentation as usual! Funny that i've never run across a good workshop on a sailboat although sailors are mostly DYI kind of people and seem to never have a good place to repair and work on things. For me it is either have a tender garage or have a workshop room with workbench/vise, tool cabinets etc. I value a good workshop more. I'm curious what you think about the transom platform on the Garcia Exploration that would eliminate electronics and other equipment but provide easy access.... but cons would be that it'snot a big platform and can't close up for safety against unwanted "guests".
Thank you so much for watching and sharing your thoughts. I believe in most cases space is the challenge. It’s hard enough to have everything sorted out and cabins nice and tidy. I know some turning one cabin into a workshop but this is rare. There is lots of things better done ashore than inside a boat anyway. But for sure having all the tools nice and tidy organised would been perfect. I have not studied the Garcia however I have made some jokes about my own boat now and then in terms of to much fancy electronics. It’s pros & cons with everything. To me a closed transom is still something I value very high. Thank you for being here and all the best 🍻
Hi Thomas! Great explanations, as usual. I learn a lot with these videos. Thank you for that! When are you going to the Pacific? And more important, why is your "own beach club" always full of beautiful girls?? Well, you don't need to answer the second question 😉. Cheers man!
Hey Manuel! Thank you so much for watching! Hopefully I cross the canal between 1-15 November. So in not to long time. Waiting for my shipment from the US with a new anchor and some other things. Don’t bother about the girls it’s just a Viking thing🤣🍻 Cheers 🍻
Not being able to have a windvane steering system is a down side , It can be done BUT one has to dismantle it . 55 ft is the bear minimum size for one & a lot of good thought went into this to make it happen , Thanks for the honest thoughtful view .
Thank you so much for watching and sharing your opinions. Much appreciated. As a comment about windvane from my perspective it’s not really a good solution on my boat. It’s possible to have but first of all it cost ridiculous amount of money for this size boat with twin rudders. In fact you could buy double hydraulic AP systems double AP computers and even add dedicated lithium batteries only for this. Still you would have saved 50% of your money. Secondly windvane is very uncomfortable on a boat sailing as fast as BE FREE. Imagine wobbling your way down at 14-16 knots... Not many guests onboard that would not been quite seasick from this. It takes to much space and to much hassle every time before and after sailing. A windvane is also not very good downwind either, and from broad to close reach a boat like this is so well balanced the wheel lock does the job. I sailed 2000 miles without autopilot on BE FREE so I know first hand. Only time I need autopilot is therefore where windvanes are not that great, and it’s down wind. And through doldrums an autopilot that not only steers the boat but also makes sure you stay on track even by engine is at least for me as solo sailor absolutely mandatory. I know lots of sailors swear to windvane but to me as solo sailor this is just not safe enough. But then again we all look different at things. I did some research before leaving Europe and had this option up for my own evaluation. But safety first then costs and last the estetic and extra hassle made my decision easy. So I’m really happy with my setup full redundancy with hydraulic and redundancy on computers as well. All the best and cheers 🍻
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. I’m not an engineer but had the privilege of playing around with boats and fibreglass from really early age. Chopping off boats and rebuild to se what worked... Imagine someone giving a 10 year old a grinder and free access to polyester nowadays... thank you for being here and all the best 🍻
Very good video Thomas. I have wondered what you thought about the dinghy storage so I found this episode very interesting. Few boats are designed with dinghy storage in mind even though it is essential equipment on almost every sailboat. And critical for every cruising boat. I love your diagrams and pictures showing the size and how it fits. Always a compromise. A remote control too! And more things to need maintenance and repair. I had not considered the problems from wakes and waves when the platform is down. Lot's of excellent information to think about!
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. Yes you are absolutely correct there is very few boats designed perfectly for all the needs of a long distance sailor. Reasons is obviously we are quite tiny group of people spread out on a rich variety of brands models and size. The mass production yachts are designed and built for volume as a one size fits all solution. So unless you are loaded with money and can order a custom or semi custom built yacht a new boat is not even close to ready for a circumnavigation. Solutions working great in charter or island hopping is not always ideal for long distance sailing. I try to focus on mass production yachts as it’s what I’m sailing in good and bad. But this is also what’s available to most people. So I try to create some awareness and sharing my experience as well. Thank you so much for being here. All the best and cheers 🍻
I personally think you have made some good compromises. I have never liked a dingy hanging off the transom. the garage affords greater protection for your dingy on long passages. listening to the last two videos really gives me insight into your reasons for choosing the Bavaria 55. Your experience with so many different boats really says a lot about your choices. great video Thomas. Cheers my friend!!🥂
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here. It’s pros & cons and off course different opinions etc. However this works pretty good for my needs even with the flaws I pointed out. But when sailing I really like having the dinghy tucked in below deck. I try to share valuable and objective information and be able to look someone in the eyes later if they bought same boat as me. As I said in this episode I’m aware of the responsibility I have uploading videos here, and that some might wanna copy. That’s why I wanna be transparent and share my honest opinions. Owned so many boats in my life I know it’s something with any brand or model expensive or cheap. All the best and cheers 🍻
Good video Thomas. I know you have considered this or done this probably on your other boats. If you could have the engine on the aft rails, somehow and hoist it up and down , with your rigging. That way it would be easier to get the dinghy in and out. Looks like a right backbreaker having to store the engine in the dinghy all the time.
Yes it’s something I have had before and also considered here. However it’s nice to have it out of the sun and sight as well. I replaced my 4-stroke 9,9 with a lighter 15hp 2-stroke for this among other reasons. The good thing I have a safe and sturdy platform to work on while lifting the outboard into place before putting it into the ocean. So at least no wobbly feeling stretching muscles unnecessary. But as long I’m “young” and strong this is not really a problem. Thank you so much for watching and for being here. All the best and cheers 🍻
Great intro music and what a lovely boat. I don't think I would choose any other platform if I were to leave the land. Why you ask? Because Thomas is worthy of copying and using his knowledge as a model. A competent sailor for sure.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for watching all to the end. Otherwise you would not had this reference... So well done my friend. All the best and cheers 🍻
Seams like a cable lifting system would be good for the garage door. It would allow the door to float up when impacted by waves or whatever. Robust and easy to repair....
Not really, maybes on a much smaller swimming platform. The weight on this platform is a few hundred kilos, meaning the impact and chock has to go somewhere. Most likely the hinges would not survive that long. Also the fact the “door” when closed is leaning forward. So it’s pretty heavy and lots of power needed to open it enough to have the weight do the rest. Thank you so much for your suggestions though and for being here🙏🏻
Hey Andy, Yes its a quick fix. You can detach the arms in less than a minute and use ropes and winch it up. Thank you for watching and leaving a great question. All the best and cheers 🍻
Thank you so much for watching my friend! I totally understand your opinion and I believe here is one of the really strong points for a catamaran. They can carry more weight aft with perfect space between the hulls. All the best and cheers 🍻
Great discussion. I love the idea of the swim platform. I have the potential of adding one over the sugar scoop on my Southerly, and will do that when I am in a Southern Med port some time. The height problem, though, can be fixed with a compound hinge design that has two hinge positions each selected with a 180 degree flip latch at the top of the platform in the up position. The ultimate is the swim platform in the Galeon 500, but that is another budget altogether. I love the hammock hooks and will copy that into the solar arch I am currently building. One feature I've designed into my arch though, are horizontal slide out davit arms which can be there when needed and not when not. The support tubes are virtually invisible as they are right underneath and the same length as the solar panels. The panels are set so they can adjust angle for better solar energy collection, as well as rain water collection if I choose to. The full system will have 4 solar thermal panels, 1 under each solar panel to give a total 2kw thermal energy capacity delivered diirectly into the hydronic heating system on top of the 1 kw of electrical power for the batteries. So with the hammock my solar arch will perform 5 rolls.
Thank you so much for your time to leave a comment and for watching. Yes I agree with you there is many solutions that could made this way better and more functional. I also have looked at several motor yachts similar size with solutions you mention. Guess it would be to expensive on a mass production yacht in a tougher market price vice. All the best and and thank you for being here. Cheers 🍻
I would change it too a winch system with pullies. Have cables to insure it doesn't go to far down. Then waves would allow it to move up and down a bit. Would last longer. Just my opinion.
Thank you so much for watching and sharing your thoughts. I have thought of different solutions but landed on the fact the original designed solution is the best for several reasons. This platform is ridiculous heavy and also leans forward with an angle when In closed position. Meaning I would also need a mechanism pushing the platform out enough for the gravity to kick in with its assistance. It’s almost to heavy for me to push out, even though I have tried this with ropes and blocks via electric winches. To much Mac Guyver solution would been needed. Imagine the size of this platform and the momentum. A boat weighs 20 tons mowing and the force times arm towards the platform even if big movement was accepted. The hinges would need to be massive and also reinforced both at the platform and one the boat. Then replacing lifting arms with new that have worked flawlessly until a forklift crashed BE FREE at the hard seams like not only a quick fix but also a good solution after all. And original condition/solutions is always best the day it’s up for sale. All the best and cheers 🍻
Always interesting to hear your wise reasoning - BeFree seems like a pocket superyacht with sailracing prestanda! Just add a waterslide for the amusement park&daycare center 🤪🛝cheers!
Ha ha🤣 Again to funny! What a brilliant idea with a water slide!! The BE FREE kindergarten would then be even a bigger hit among neighbour cruisers needing a day off. I’m really happy with my pocket yacht even though she also has her flaws. But mostly a very good boat for its purpose. Thank you so much for watching 🍻
Thank you so much for watching and your question as well. Yes it’s very easy to get the dinghy in and out. Takes only a few minutes. All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas I have no idea where you are, but here's hoping you are out of ant hurricanes path. Love your boat, but I'm still in love with the Oyster 745.
I’m still in San Andres so actually paying close attention to the new system developing outside Grenada. This could potentially become a challenge not only for the windward islands but even here in San Andres even though most likely Jamaica is at bigger risk. I have looked at this before it came on the NOAA warning. The oyster is not only a much bigger but also much more expensive. Beautiful yacht for sure so your taste is really good. Cheers 🍻
I would be interested in how you remove / reinstall your dinghy engine. Just muscle? Or do you use the boom / topping lift? How does this fit in to the pros / cons vs having a lift?
Thanks Thomas - yet again - for a really interesting run-through of the pros and cons of something that I have spent hours thinking about. For example, I think that Oyster yachts are beautiful, but not even their 675 has a garage, so the dingy flops around on the hoists - which I think ruins the over all look of the vessel. I do have a question (and please forgive its 'newbie' nature!); when you're sailing solo, although it would produce some drag, wouldn't it be a good idea to have the dingy (without the motor) trailing behind the yacht on [say] a 200-300 foot floating rope? This way, IF you were to go overboard (and remain conscious), you'd have a good chance of being able to swim behind the boat and pick up the rope, jump on the dingy and pull yourself back towards the yacht. I know that tethers offer a false sense of security in that if you go overboard - even at low speed - you would drown before you were able to pull yourself back onboard, but this dingy idea seems like a good one to me, despite it almost certainly being bad!! I'm sure as you're reading this you can tell that I'm not a sailor, it's probably a terrible idea - I just love watching your channel! :)
Hi Adrian, and thank you so much for watching. And I agree with you a yacht looks better without a dinghy and lots of other things added that not really belong there. It was some of the reasons I worked with my design trying to keep my arch as low as possible. Towing a dinghy is not a very good idea whilst offshore sailing for several reasons. It can easily be flipped around or filled with water from a breaking wave (some of the reasons why a dinghy is not recommended as substitute to a life raft) and if towing line snaps it can be a challenge retrieving the dinghy. Lots of sailors have not only lost their dinghies this way but also due to not reporting started an unnecessary search and rescue operation. Some use a long rope with a fender behind, so your suggestion is not strange at all. However rule number one is stay onboard, use safety lines. For my boat sailing fast trying to get back onboard is a lost case. It’s impossible to work your way against 10-14 kts through the water. Even only holding the line would be a challenge. So in this context a dinghy could be better and if strong enough outboard possible to get back onboard the sailboat. But better stay onboard. All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas Thanks so much for explaining all that Thomas. Makes perfect sense. *note to self - stay on the boat! Thanks again for sharing your journey - and expertise - with us all. :)
Maybe consider OC Tender from NZ. Less external width for same internal space. Lighter and needs less motor power for same performance. Expensive but very nice.
Its definatly my dream tender!! Unfortunately way to expensive for me at the moment, but if I had the money it would be my first choice. Thank you so much for watching and for being here🙏🏻
Have you ever had problems taking water in the garage in rough seas? It does look like a rogue wave to the transom would be better than a sugar scoop where it'd wind up in your cockpit.
Thank you so much for watching and your question as well. The garage is a watertight compartment in the meaning water can not come inside the boat via the garage no matter if “door” is open or not. The platform that closes the garage is however not making the garage entirely waterproof but this is not necessary. Floor inside is having an angle aft if some minor splash should come in draining it out straight away. But never had any issues here not even in breaking waves from aft. It’s definitely a better solution than sugar scoop when sailing. At anchor a sugar scoop gives faster and easier access to the water. All the best and cheers 🍻
It begs the question, is a dinghy on davits are seaman like feature on an ocean crossing. You missed another possible advantage. Would it not be able to be used in a MOB rescue?
Thank you so much for watching🙏🏻 I really don’t like a dinghy in davits for several reasons. It’s really not good for offshore sailing. For MOB situations it’s also useless for most cases. Also remember most offshore sailors are couples. So who’s gonna helm the mothership? Rule number 1, stay onboard. All the best
This is just the info I'm looking for. What I'm reading here that in your opinion the garage and the swim platform is great unless there's big waves expected from other boats. Additional question: Has the been any situations when the sea has been so rolly that you haven't been able to deploy the dinghy from there? I have now started to build my boat and the feature I'm still going to do there is the dinghy garage. Not just sure yet how should I make the door for it. :) Thanks! :Panu
Thank you so much for watching and for your very good question. Rolly anchorage is normally no problem getting dinghy in/out. However it has been situations at anchorages I have had to time it a bit. Like in places with tsunami machines like the ferries in Fort de France Martinique. But in general it’s not that big of a problem. All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas Could some sort of cordage system , with pulleys probably , be used above from the davits and horizontally from within the hull ? Or a sliding , possibly with rollers or small wheels , flat surface the dingy sits on whilst stored with a light weight pulley system to pull it back and fore ( if this could be made to float it could extend the tail deck area as well ) Oh my head hurts already !
I don’t have stern trusters and almost never use the bow thruster either. I have covered this topic in a few different situations and different episodes. The biggest difference with twin rudders compared to single rudder are you have no prop wash on your rudder. So you need momentum to be manuverable. However the precise steering is superior even going backwards. The lack of propeller wash on the rudder also means you have no vibrations on your rudder running on engine. Better direction stability as well. However using prop wash and rudder with a spring line ashore does not work the same way as with one rudder. So it’s pro&cons but mostly only positive things. The biggest benefit in Windy docking situations is the deep keel and weight of the boat. So if you have momentum it’s like going on rails until your docked. Thrusters mostly mess up things. Better to learn how your boat drifts, play on team with the elements as current and wind, and focus on steering your boat and boat speed instead. When people focus on all the thrusters they have is when things goes wrong All the best
Yes as Jason here helped me out I made something about it at my early face of uploading here. Thank you so much for watching and Jason for sharing. All the best and cheers 🍻
Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your thoughts. Not so sure this would been a good solution though. Imagine the momentum as an extension from a 17 meter boat weighing in at 20 tons... (Force Times arm) Both the pin and the hinges would most likely be destroyed, or even ripped out of the fibreglass. I believe it’s something I just have to live with, and that a solution where it could be higher above the sea level is the only way to go. All the best and cheers 🍻
Hei Thomas, Noen korte spørsmål som trenger kunn korte svar: Kjøpskost: 2,5 NOK +/- 0,5 mil., Ingen dingy garasje, min. 45'. 2 voksne 50+, mulighet for jorden rundt tur. Hvilken sailbåt ville du ha sett på hvis du skulle ha kjøpt båt i dag? Ville du ha hat furling hovedsail? Takk Thomas, hold det gående! Erik
I seen off the coast of Spain and Portugal that orca's have been attacking sailboats. couldn't you turn the engine on and get the propeller spinning to where they couldn't see the propeller. By creating a bubble effect in the water. That would deter the vision of the orcas. They will not be able to attack. Just a thought.🍺🍺👍
Yes it’s a major problem there with orcas at the moment. No really good answer for this behaviour and why they attack the rudders. Apparently they are more aggressive towards spade rudders on mono hulls. But again this is also the majority of designs boats have that cross the Atlantic. Some claim take down sails and start engine going reverse is a good strategy. But not so sure if this pays off. All the best and cheers 🍻
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words! Could be fun to try out days with different crews one day, that wants to learn and enjoy cruising. Who knows wat the future brings. All the best and cheers 🍻
I use a Takacat. The Takacat deflates and inflates very easily. The floor inflates like a paddle board. Clean decks underway are desirable. Davits are miserable devices in my opinion.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here. Much appreciated. I try to add som hints and tricks now and then, but for sure could made an episode focusing more on this specific topic. All the best and cheers 🍻
Hi Thomas. Is everything OK? I saw a video go up, which UA-cam asked me to sign in for, then marked as private, and then it seemed to disappear. Maybe I'm doing something wrong!
Hey Adrian, you have done nothing wrong. I took this episode down as I could not keep up with all the really bad comments towards my friends and guests. I tolerate quite a lot but draw the line when friends are called prostitutes and gold diggers etc. Only because having many happy people dancing in my boat. New episode soon. I appreciate people disagreeing with me in discussions and especially in technical or sailing related topics. Because there is so many ways and opinions in doing things. But using really bad characteristics against my friends is where I draw the line. Then I had no choice. All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas I'm sorry you're having to deal with that sort of nonsense Thomas. People love to hate - and cast judgement. Know that I'm a lover of your channel and [genuinely] consider it a highlight of my week when a new film drops. I want to encourage you; I follow several sailing/boaty youtube channels that I really enjoy, but yours is the most authentic - and the most experienced; you're the guy I'd want to be on a boat with if there was any kind of emergency. I value your channel, your opinion - and you - greatly. In a way, I'm being selfish when I say these things, because despite the effort and fortitude I know it must cost you to produce these videos, it will be a sad day indeed when you feel like you've had enough of sharing your journey with us. With best wishes. Adrian. #ANTIsocialmedia
Yes I would never go without a well maintained engine. Not even electric. Imagine the week I had with stormy weather... This would been pretty stressful and possibly not a good outcome if I did not had a strong engine. Thank you so much for watching and for being here! Cheers 🍻
Ser nå i ettertid når jeg kjøpt min båt. Satt meg ned å laget liste. Hva mitt bevov var. Så kjøpte jeg båten etter det. Vil bestandig seile 1 eller 2 personer. Jeg selv ville ha lugar med dusj bake. Nå i ettertid har sånn garsje vært helt perfekt. Få inn gummibåten når det er dårlig vær. Din løsning på båten er mye mer anvennelig. Kan laste inn proviant i båten der bak. Min løsning er å legge mat å ting i lugaren fremme. Du vet jo selv hvordan en seilbåt blir seile i store bølger med alt for mye vekt i bauen. :/ Ikke bra i heletatt. Du får vekt av last der bak. Noe som er bedre enn å ha vekt helt fremst. Fikk bølger opp på dekket i sommer. Kom bakover å traff vinduer med et brak. Utrolig fin denne båten din. Rene luxus sjipet he he det du har :) Ha en fin seillas videre. Liker se dine filmer å lære fra dem.
Fair enough and it’s obviously pros and cons with this as I tried to show as objective as possible. Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your opinion as well. All the best and cheers 🍻
Thank you for watching and sharing your opinion. However on this channel my viewers I like to call my friends and myself try to be polite. It’s a bit impolite claiming I’m not thinking not to forget one of the greatest naval architects designed this yacht. It’s also manufactured by one of the largest companies in the world of production yachts and its classified category A -meaning all oceans. I can assure you even they have spent quite a lot of thinking into this. I also invest above average of thinking into my content and in fact this episode took more than 35 hours to make. It also took me 8 hours to upload, so can’t really say this is like an impulsive act from my side. I try very hard to not say anything wrong but to share things I hope can give my viewers some value. It’s possible I could explained things better and even more detailed about how a garage is designed, so I take this on my side and apologise for this. Please let me explain very short. A dinghy garage is just like putting a lid on top of a sugar scoop transom, then close the aft. No water can come inside the boat not even if the platform is down. So it’s totally safe but off course not recommended to sail with this open. Not for risk of water but destroying the lifting system. Hopefully this is clarifying things. All the best and cheers 🍻
C'mon folks and give this crazy guy a thumbs up! 👍🏽 After all his efforts making and sharing interesting videos, from remote places, he's are worth a 👍🏽 don't ya think?
Thank you so much my friend🙏🏻 Much appreciated and thankful for your efforts trying to help me here. Cheers 🍻
I really like your clean “around the world” setup.
Very tidy and free panorama view.
Thank you so much🙏🏻
UA-cam University....Professor Thomas another Fine Class Fair Winds 😎
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here. Much appreciated! All the best and cheers 🍻
I usually dont watch channels with boats I cant afford but you are mostly a singlehander and there something about you I glad I decided to watch
Thank you so much for watching and even leaving a very nice comment. Im really glad you gave my channel a chance. Yes I’m a Singlehander and in fact sailed solo several years before even uploading to UA-cam.
Welcome aboard and hope you will enjoy future content as well. All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas thankyou for the reply I live on the Chesapeake bay on my boat i work on boats for a living I'm trying to save and get a boat for some serious cruising i been mostly getting boats for free fixing them up and flipping them iam now living on a 93 hunter 28 will be flipping her soon hope to buy a boat to cross oceans I wish I could do UA-cam but it's so out of my comfort zone
Thank you for sharing my friend!
I can assure you that your concept is great and better invested time than UA-cam. I’m not really comfortable in front at the camera and don’t really need to expose my face. Probably why I enjoy making technical videos the most. Also the running cost of a UA-cam channel is ridiculous. As you know by living on and fixing boats the environment we live in is not the best for cameras and laptops. So for me this is a quite expensive hobby. If I used my scuba equipment and offered neighbors a scrub on their hull at anchor I probably would made more money in one month than next five years here on UA-cam. So my friend your doing it all right in my ears and eyes!
Keep going and I hope to see you out the big blue one day. Ohw and as a side note, don’t believe everything you see online. Lots of channels I met last year don’t even own their boats but only leasing it. So in three years you probably own a better boat with higher value than many of the glossy posers you see online.
Keep up your good work and success!
All the best and cheers 🍻
I watched this twice. Great info Thomas!
Thank you so much🙏🏻
IMHO sailboats with everything hanging off of them remind me of a vacation trailer park. They are borderline trashy looking. Your sailboat is neat as a pin and less of a theft target. You did a great job explaining the pros and cons of the swim platform. I wouldn't have thought of many of the cons without your explanation. Just like at home, I prefer my vehicle in the garage as outside where it is exposed to the elements and possible theft or damage. Great episode, Thomas. Thank you for sharing. 🍻
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. I’m totally agree with you some boats looks just unbelievable... I sometimes wonder how could they possibly be sailing. But we are all different and I prefer to always be ready to sail in less than 30 minutes. It’s a good rule to me.
Thank you for being here and all the best 🍻
You gave me some ideas. I am a professional engineer with a lot of experience. I am going to design a swim platform that can rotate upwards when underway and then rotate down when at anchor. I want to store the dingy vertically on the forward side of the dingy so that it is jammed between the hull and the swim platform without the engine on it. I can load the dingy before rotating vertically and strap it down. That will keep it from taking on water in rough conditions. I really like the idea of the extra boarding protection while underway, particularly for yachts which are quite open at the rear with easy access.
Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your ideas. A closed transom even at anchor is worth it all to me. It’s really not easy to access my boat quietly at night when I’m sleeping. Had a few attempts and they all failed. All the best and and good luck with your projects. Cheers 🍻
You make some great points here. It's a pain to lift a mid-sized dinghy and motor to the fore deck for a single sailor or an older couple. An arch and lift has it's own problems as it places that weight up high and the dinghy could still swing back and forth and it's still possible for it to be stolen.
Storing a dinghy is always a challenge on a monohull. Cats seem to have an advantage here and between the hulls is the perfect space to lift a dinghy. But they also have their own issues. Everything is a tradeoff.
Totally agree with you you as catamarans not only are better rigged for dinghies but can even carry bigger ones if wanted. I found the solution I have to be just as perfect as it’s not... But for me it works. Thank you so much for watching and for being here! All the best and cheers 🍻
I admire your non aggressive ways I am from a passionate country and would respond with a broadsword. (Like to)🤣
Thank you so much for watching and your kind and funny comment as well. All the best and cheers 🍻
Nice analysis and discussion of pro and cons
Thank you so much for watching and your kind feedback. All the best and cheers 🍻
You are totally correct, everybody will have different priorities and it's best not to become critical about someone else's choices. I also hate people who race around moorings and anchored boats. What's more, I'm also a Stones fan :)
Thank you so much for watching and your great comment. Also for being the first to take the Stones reference. Buying a boat is like ordering a nice bottle of wine. Some years are better than others, and some even don’t like it no matter if it’s red white ore rose. Some just want a diet beer. Luckily there is so many options and the variety is what’s makes it interesting. Thank you for being here! All the best and cheers 🍻
This is far beyond enjoyable! Very very interesting points you've made here, especially for someone doing boat shopping right now.
Thank you so much my friend. I hope sharing some real experience can contribute to help others deciding wich compromise they might need accept or not.
All the best and and thank you for watching🍻
Very good video. Well thought out and informative. You have a beautiful ship! Fair winds, and following seas my friend!
When I was looking for my boat, I thought the garage was the way to go. How cool would that be to tuck the dinghy and water toys inside and have a platform to play on in the back! However after much research, 3 things stood out: 1) it limited the size of the dinghy, 2) the door would have wave slap possibly causing damage and 3) the rudder quadrant and autopilot drive unit had to be mounted low and just about into the bilge. Because the floor of the garage is almost at waterline, access to the steering quadrant beneath the floor of the garage would have to be through a watertight door. I noted that many models just glue the floor down to make it watertight and that would need to be lifted to gain access. Not something I'd be able to get at when on the high seas with a steering issue. Thomas, how is it on your Bavaria? Keep up the videos. I always tune in every Monday to see your latest.
Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your thoughts. BE FREE has twin rudders meaning 4 quadrants connected with a metal beam/tube. This metal beam goes above the garage inside the boat, and on each side the quadrants are easily accessible from hatch/doors in the aft cabins on each side. It’s even aluminium tubes laminated going all the way up to almost cockpit floor. Meaning additional safety against water penetration. Pretty clever solution. You can easily drop the rudder with no worries. On top of this sits 1 quadrant. Then connected to the quadrant under the helm. And from this goes the beam inside the boat but above the garage to the other side. The floor and even the grid/super structure on Bavaria is hand laminated with fibreglass and polyester.
I would say this brand does a lot of things right and for being a mass production yacht very high quality and well done. My impression is the important stuff is really well done, however they do cut some corners here and there to cut costs.
This is something I wanna make a video about how to understand a mass production yacht and where they save money. All the best and cheers 🍻
The hammock needs some engineering.
Great overview - impressed. ;)
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. All the best and cheers 🍻
I love your whole sailing yacht setup!
The size, the garage everything is so practical. I love following your adventures!
Cheers Jeff
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words! Much appreciated 🍻
I had no idea of some of these Tender Garage considerations. I would hope manufacturers could accommodate a larger dinghy garage to handle the larger dimensions on new models. The sacrifices in space are well worth it.
Thank you so much for watching and for being here. I try to share things in an objective way hopefully to add value for my viewers. This solution has its downsides but still worth it to me and my needs.
All the best and cheers 🍻
I love your pro vs con videos. You do a good job anticipating what people might throw your way as a con and diplomatically defusing those arguments. I like your potential modification to include an arch to hoist your dinghy for short trips. Would the arch modifications add much weight? I assume that you would use the garage for longer trips.
I know you are not looking for a replacement dinghy at the moment, but I am wondering if a Williams mini-jet tender would fit in your garage. I have seen Sailing Aequus on youtube with this tender but I believe their Bavarian is a 57 instead of a 55. I like the idea that motor doesn't have to come off to store this type of dinghy since it is a jet motor built into the hull of the tender. I'm sure there are pros and con's that come with using a jet tender instead of an outboard. One potential obstacle of the Williams jet tender might be the helm placement. Although I believe AB Inflatables company also makes a mini-jet tender too with a different helm placement. Just food for thought I guess.
Thanks for the perspective on swim platforms and tender garages! cheers!
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words. The additional arch for lifting the dinghy is only for moving between different anchorages. Your totally correct assuming I still would us the garage. Weight is not much only one tube.
Re water jet and thoughts around this. I have quite a lot experience with small jets and even captained twin jets with buckets big enough to swallow this dinghy.
From my experience this solution is not optimal for long distance cruising and would not been my choice. It’s more maintenance and also expensive not only buying but also when things breaks. Hence the fact I changed to the most reliable outboard you can buy for money, a 2 stroke Yamaha instead of a 4-stroke due to weight and maintenance. The main challenge with water jets is not ideal to beach, and consumption ratio vs weight power and size. Also quite heavy so to me it’s in pleasure yacht World a fancy toy, and definitely not optimal for a Singlehander. In/out of the garage would be okay but I would struggle pulling it up at the beach alone. In search and rescue however it’s a brilliant tool. And here is also where I have probably 100k nautical miles of experience.
But this is only my opinion and also limitations being alone.
But a Williams are great fun looks great no questions about that!
All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas Thanks for the insight on the use of the Williams Jet tender. :) Not being a sailor, I miss out on a lot that comes with experience so its always enlightening to get the thoughts of someone who's used them and understands the limitations and advantages. :)
Just as a side note, only tried Williams for fun. The smaller and even the bigger with Diesel engine. However my experience is from custom built with rolls Royce system and others within the professional segment. Cheers 🍻
Bravo Capt.
Well done video !
Sail on
Cheers
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. Much appreciated! Cheers 🍻
Love your videos thank you for sharing places most of us may never otherwise see in our lifetimes. Very best
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words. I’m really happy to hear you enjoy the content I upload here.
Much appreciated!
All the best and cheers 🍻
I like the way you reply to every single message ❤️👍🏼⛵️🥑🍻🏊🏻♀️
Note to self. Only park my yacht in Forklift Free zones. In my opinion, you didn't need a bigger dinghy, just a bigger outboard. Power is everthing ! But it reminds me of when I put bigger tyres on my car. The spare wheel would no longer fit in it's place in the boot. A mechanic told me to just deflate the tyre. I almost punched him. Thinking back, I should have. Cheers .
Another good one, things to think about. Thanks.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for watching. All the best and cheers 🍻
Wow Sailor 👍
good video ,as always , thanks, Pete
Thank you so much Pete! Your comments and presence here is much appreciated. All the best and cheers 🍻
Great video, preparation, ideas and presentation as usual! Funny that i've never run across a good workshop on a sailboat although sailors are mostly DYI kind of people and seem to never have a good place to repair and work on things. For me it is either have a tender garage or have a workshop room with workbench/vise, tool cabinets etc. I value a good workshop more. I'm curious what you think about the transom platform on the Garcia Exploration that would eliminate electronics and other equipment but provide easy access.... but cons would be that it'snot a big platform and can't close up for safety against unwanted "guests".
Thank you so much for watching and sharing your thoughts. I believe in most cases space is the challenge. It’s hard enough to have everything sorted out and cabins nice and tidy. I know some turning one cabin into a workshop but this is rare.
There is lots of things better done ashore than inside a boat anyway. But for sure having all the tools nice and tidy organised would been perfect. I have not studied the Garcia however I have made some jokes about my own boat now and then in terms of to much fancy electronics. It’s pros & cons with everything. To me a closed transom is still something I value very high.
Thank you for being here and all the best 🍻
Hi Thomas!
Great explanations, as usual. I learn a lot with these videos. Thank you for that!
When are you going to the Pacific? And more important, why is your "own beach club" always full of beautiful girls??
Well, you don't need to answer the second question 😉.
Cheers man!
Hey Manuel!
Thank you so much for watching!
Hopefully I cross the canal between 1-15 November. So in not to long time.
Waiting for my shipment from the US with a new anchor and some other things.
Don’t bother about the girls it’s just a Viking thing🤣🍻
Cheers 🍻
See you next week, safe sail
Thank you so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
Not being able to have a windvane steering system is a down side , It can be done BUT one has to dismantle it . 55 ft is the bear minimum size for one & a lot of good thought went into this to make it happen , Thanks for the honest thoughtful view .
Thank you so much for watching and sharing your opinions. Much appreciated.
As a comment about windvane from my perspective it’s not really a good solution on my boat. It’s possible to have but first of all it cost ridiculous amount of money for this size boat with twin rudders. In fact you could buy double hydraulic AP systems double AP computers and even add dedicated lithium batteries only for this. Still you would have saved 50% of your money.
Secondly windvane is very uncomfortable on a boat sailing as fast as BE FREE. Imagine wobbling your way down at 14-16 knots... Not many guests onboard that would not been quite seasick from this.
It takes to much space and to much hassle every time before and after sailing.
A windvane is also not very good downwind either, and from broad to close reach a boat like this is so well balanced the wheel lock does the job. I sailed 2000 miles without autopilot on BE FREE so I know first hand. Only time I need autopilot is therefore where windvanes are not that great, and it’s down wind.
And through doldrums an autopilot that not only steers the boat but also makes sure you stay on track even by engine is at least for me as solo sailor absolutely mandatory.
I know lots of sailors swear to windvane but to me as solo sailor this is just not safe enough. But then again we all look different at things. I did some research before leaving Europe and had this option up for my own evaluation. But safety first then costs and last the estetic and extra hassle made my decision easy.
So I’m really happy with my setup full redundancy with hydraulic and redundancy on computers as well.
All the best and cheers 🍻
Very good analysis Thomas, not sure what your previous work life was but you think like an engineer.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. I’m not an engineer but had the privilege of playing around with boats and fibreglass from really early age. Chopping off boats and rebuild to se what worked... Imagine someone giving a 10 year old a grinder and free access to polyester nowadays... thank you for being here and all the best 🍻
Very good video Thomas. I have wondered what you thought about the dinghy storage so I found this episode very interesting. Few boats are designed with dinghy storage in mind even though it is essential equipment on almost every sailboat. And critical for every cruising boat.
I love your diagrams and pictures showing the size and how it fits. Always a compromise.
A remote control too! And more things to need maintenance and repair. I had not considered the problems from wakes and waves when the platform is down. Lot's of excellent information to think about!
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. Yes you are absolutely correct there is very few boats designed perfectly for all the needs of a long distance sailor. Reasons is obviously we are quite tiny group of people spread out on a rich variety of brands models and size. The mass production yachts are designed and built for volume as a one size fits all solution. So unless you are loaded with money and can order a custom or semi custom built yacht a new boat is not even close to ready for a circumnavigation. Solutions working great in charter or island hopping is not always ideal for long distance sailing.
I try to focus on mass production yachts as it’s what I’m sailing in good and bad. But this is also what’s available to most people.
So I try to create some awareness and sharing my experience as well.
Thank you so much for being here. All the best and cheers 🍻
Sometimes you have to pay to play and that garage and swim platform is well worth it. In my opinion. Great job Thomas.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words. All the best and cheers 🍻
I have to agree, loosing floor space inside for the garage is worth it.... thank you
Thank you so much for watching and your kind comment. All the best and cheers 🍻
I personally think you have made some good compromises. I have never liked a dingy hanging off the transom. the garage affords greater protection for your dingy on long passages. listening to the last two videos really gives me insight into your reasons for choosing the Bavaria 55. Your experience with so many different boats really says a lot about your choices. great video Thomas. Cheers my friend!!🥂
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here. It’s pros & cons and off course different opinions etc. However this works pretty good for my needs even with the flaws I pointed out. But when sailing I really like having the dinghy tucked in below deck. I try to share valuable and objective information and be able to look someone in the eyes later if they bought same boat as me. As I said in this episode I’m aware of the responsibility I have uploading videos here, and that some might wanna copy. That’s why I wanna be transparent and share my honest opinions. Owned so many boats in my life I know it’s something with any brand or model expensive or cheap.
All the best and cheers 🍻
Thomas thank, you for sharing this information and your knowledge.
Thank you so much for watching and for being here 🍻
Thanks for the video and knowledge.
Thank you so much for watching and for being here! Cheers 🍻
Cheers from Norway 👍😎🍻
Thank you so much! Cheers 🍻
Informative as always, thanks for taking the time to post
Thank you so much for watching and for being here. And also thank you for taking time to leave a kind comment as well. All the best and cheers 🍻
Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for watching! All the best and cheers 🍻
Two points;
1) Great fuel jug storage.
2) Have one Dingy stolen and it’s suddenly a great idea
It for sure has its advantages. Best part from my experience is dinghy is safely stored away for offshore sailing.
Thank you so much for watching 🙏🏻
Good video Thomas. I know you have considered this or done this probably on your other boats. If you could have the engine on the aft rails, somehow and hoist it up and down , with your rigging. That way it would be easier to get the dinghy in and out. Looks like a right backbreaker having to store the engine in the dinghy all the time.
Yes it’s something I have had before and also considered here. However it’s nice to have it out of the sun and sight as well. I replaced my 4-stroke 9,9 with a lighter 15hp 2-stroke for this among other reasons. The good thing I have a safe and sturdy platform to work on while lifting the outboard into place before putting it into the ocean. So at least no wobbly feeling stretching muscles unnecessary.
But as long I’m “young” and strong this is not really a problem. Thank you so much for watching and for being here. All the best and cheers 🍻
Great intro music and what a lovely boat. I don't think I would choose any other platform if I were to leave the land. Why you ask? Because Thomas is worthy of copying and using his knowledge as a model. A competent sailor for sure.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for watching all to the end. Otherwise you would not had this reference... So well done my friend. All the best and cheers 🍻
Seams like a cable lifting system would be good for the garage door. It would allow the door to float up when impacted by waves or whatever. Robust and easy to repair....
Not really, maybes on a much smaller swimming platform.
The weight on this platform is a few hundred kilos, meaning the impact and chock has to go somewhere. Most likely the hinges would not survive that long. Also the fact the “door” when closed is leaning forward. So it’s pretty heavy and lots of power needed to open it enough to have the weight do the rest.
Thank you so much for your suggestions though and for being here🙏🏻
Hey Thomas. Great review but unless I missed it - is there a manual way to close it quickly in case the motor(s) crap themselves ?
Hey Andy, Yes its a quick fix. You can detach the arms in less than a minute and use ropes and winch it up. Thank you for watching and leaving a great question. All the best and cheers 🍻
Great video.
I must say I'm more a fan fan of davits so you can get a bigger dingy with a more powerful outboard.
Cheers 🍻
Thank you so much for watching my friend! I totally understand your opinion and I believe here is one of the really strong points for a catamaran. They can carry more weight aft with perfect space between the hulls.
All the best and cheers 🍻
Great discussion. I love the idea of the swim platform. I have the potential of adding one over the sugar scoop on my Southerly, and will do that when I am in a Southern Med port some time. The height problem, though, can be fixed with a compound hinge design that has two hinge positions each selected with a 180 degree flip latch at the top of the platform in the up position. The ultimate is the swim platform in the Galeon 500, but that is another budget altogether.
I love the hammock hooks and will copy that into the solar arch I am currently building. One feature I've designed into my arch though, are horizontal slide out davit arms which can be there when needed and not when not. The support tubes are virtually invisible as they are right underneath and the same length as the solar panels. The panels are set so they can adjust angle for better solar energy collection, as well as rain water collection if I choose to. The full system will have 4 solar thermal panels, 1 under each solar panel to give a total 2kw thermal energy capacity delivered diirectly into the hydronic heating system on top of the 1 kw of electrical power for the batteries. So with the hammock my solar arch will perform 5 rolls.
Thank you so much for your time to leave a comment and for watching. Yes I agree with you there is many solutions that could made this way better and more functional. I also have looked at several motor yachts similar size with solutions you mention.
Guess it would be to expensive on a mass production yacht in a tougher market price vice. All the best and and thank you for being here. Cheers 🍻
I would change it too a winch system with pullies. Have cables to insure it doesn't go to far down. Then waves would allow it to move up and down a bit. Would last longer. Just my opinion.
I was going to post something similar to your comment, but I thought I should read the comments to see if anyone else had beat me to it.
Thank you so much for watching and sharing your thoughts. I have thought of different solutions but landed on the fact the original designed solution is the best for several reasons. This platform is ridiculous heavy and also leans forward with an angle when In closed position. Meaning I would also need a mechanism pushing the platform out enough for the gravity to kick in with its assistance. It’s almost to heavy for me to push out, even though I have tried this with ropes and blocks via electric winches.
To much Mac Guyver solution would been needed. Imagine the size of this platform and the momentum. A boat weighs 20 tons mowing and the force times arm towards the platform even if big movement was accepted. The hinges would need to be massive and also reinforced both at the platform and one the boat.
Then replacing lifting arms with new that have worked flawlessly until a forklift crashed BE FREE at the hard seams like not only a quick fix but also a good solution after all. And original condition/solutions is always best the day it’s up for sale.
All the best and cheers 🍻
Always interesting to hear your wise reasoning - BeFree seems like a pocket superyacht with sailracing prestanda! Just add a waterslide for the amusement park&daycare center 🤪🛝cheers!
Ha ha🤣 Again to funny! What a brilliant idea with a water slide!! The BE FREE kindergarten would then be even a bigger hit among neighbour cruisers needing a day off. I’m really happy with my pocket yacht even though she also has her flaws. But mostly a very good boat for its purpose. Thank you so much for watching 🍻
Thank you for another awesome video! Is it difficult to get it in and out of the garage?
Thank you so much for watching and your question as well. Yes it’s very easy to get the dinghy in and out. Takes only a few minutes. All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas I have no idea where you are, but here's hoping you are out of ant hurricanes path. Love your boat, but I'm still in love with the Oyster 745.
I’m still in San Andres so actually paying close attention to the new system developing outside Grenada. This could potentially become a challenge not only for the windward islands but even here in San Andres even though most likely Jamaica is at bigger risk. I have looked at this before it came on the NOAA warning.
The oyster is not only a much bigger but also much more expensive. Beautiful yacht for sure so your taste is really good. Cheers 🍻
I would be interested in how you remove / reinstall your dinghy engine. Just muscle? Or do you use the boom / topping lift? How does this fit in to the pros / cons vs having a lift?
Thanks Thomas - yet again - for a really interesting run-through of the pros and cons of something that I have spent hours thinking about. For example, I think that Oyster yachts are beautiful, but not even their 675 has a garage, so the dingy flops around on the hoists - which I think ruins the over all look of the vessel. I do have a question (and please forgive its 'newbie' nature!); when you're sailing solo, although it would produce some drag, wouldn't it be a good idea to have the dingy (without the motor) trailing behind the yacht on [say] a 200-300 foot floating rope? This way, IF you were to go overboard (and remain conscious), you'd have a good chance of being able to swim behind the boat and pick up the rope, jump on the dingy and pull yourself back towards the yacht. I know that tethers offer a false sense of security in that if you go overboard - even at low speed - you would drown before you were able to pull yourself back onboard, but this dingy idea seems like a good one to me, despite it almost certainly being bad!! I'm sure as you're reading this you can tell that I'm not a sailor, it's probably a terrible idea - I just love watching your channel! :)
Hi Adrian, and thank you so much for watching. And I agree with you a yacht looks better without a dinghy and lots of other things added that not really belong there. It was some of the reasons I worked with my design trying to keep my arch as low as possible. Towing a dinghy is not a very good idea whilst offshore sailing for several reasons. It can easily be flipped around or filled with water from a breaking wave (some of the reasons why a dinghy is not recommended as substitute to a life raft) and if towing line snaps it can be a challenge retrieving the dinghy. Lots of sailors have not only lost their dinghies this way but also due to not reporting started an unnecessary search and rescue operation. Some use a long rope with a fender behind, so your suggestion is not strange at all. However rule number one is stay onboard, use safety lines. For my boat sailing fast trying to get back onboard is a lost case. It’s impossible to work your way against 10-14 kts through the water. Even only holding the line would be a challenge.
So in this context a dinghy could be better and if strong enough outboard possible to get back onboard the sailboat.
But better stay onboard. All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas Thanks so much for explaining all that Thomas. Makes perfect sense. *note to self - stay on the boat! Thanks again for sharing your journey - and expertise - with us all. :)
Maybe consider OC Tender from NZ. Less external width for same internal space. Lighter and needs less motor power for same performance. Expensive but very nice.
Its definatly my dream tender!! Unfortunately way to expensive for me at the moment, but if I had the money it would be my first choice. Thank you so much for watching and for being here🙏🏻
Have you ever had problems taking water in the garage in rough seas? It does look like a rogue wave to the transom would be better than a sugar scoop where it'd wind up in your cockpit.
Thank you so much for watching and your question as well. The garage is a watertight compartment in the meaning water can not come inside the boat via the garage no matter if “door” is open or not. The platform that closes the garage is however not making the garage entirely waterproof but this is not necessary. Floor inside is having an angle aft if some minor splash should come in draining it out straight away. But never had any issues here not even in breaking waves from aft.
It’s definitely a better solution than sugar scoop when sailing. At anchor a sugar scoop gives faster and easier access to the water. All the best and cheers 🍻
It begs the question, is a dinghy on davits are seaman like feature on an ocean crossing.
You missed another possible advantage. Would it not be able to be used in a MOB rescue?
Thank you so much for watching🙏🏻
I really don’t like a dinghy in davits for several reasons. It’s really not good for offshore sailing. For MOB situations it’s also useless for most cases. Also remember most offshore sailors are couples. So who’s gonna helm the mothership?
Rule number 1, stay onboard.
All the best
This is just the info I'm looking for. What I'm reading here that in your opinion the garage and the swim platform is great unless there's big waves expected from other boats.
Additional question: Has the been any situations when the sea has been so rolly that you haven't been able to deploy the dinghy from there?
I have now started to build my boat and the feature I'm still going to do there is the dinghy garage. Not just sure yet how should I make the door for it. :)
Thanks!
:Panu
Thank you so much for watching and for your very good question. Rolly anchorage is normally no problem getting dinghy in/out. However it has been situations at anchorages I have had to time it a bit. Like in places with tsunami machines like the ferries in Fort de France Martinique. But in general it’s not that big of a problem.
All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas Could some sort of cordage system , with pulleys probably , be used above from the davits and horizontally from within the hull ? Or a sliding , possibly with rollers or small wheels , flat surface the dingy sits on whilst stored with a light weight pulley system to pull it back and fore ( if this could be made to float it could extend the tail deck area as well ) Oh my head hurts already !
👍
Thank you so much for watching 🍻
Do you have a stern thruster? If not, how easy it is to dock/undock a 55 footer in tight marinas under adverse conditions?
I don’t have stern trusters and almost never use the bow thruster either. I have covered this topic in a few different situations and different episodes. The biggest difference with twin rudders compared to single rudder are you have no prop wash on your rudder. So you need momentum to be manuverable. However the precise steering is superior even going backwards. The lack of propeller wash on the rudder also means you have no vibrations on your rudder running on engine. Better direction stability as well. However using prop wash and rudder with a spring line ashore does not work the same way as with one rudder.
So it’s pro&cons but mostly only positive things.
The biggest benefit in Windy docking situations is the deep keel and weight of the boat. So if you have momentum it’s like going on rails until your docked. Thrusters mostly mess up things. Better to learn how your boat drifts, play on team with the elements as current and wind, and focus on steering your boat and boat speed instead.
When people focus on all the thrusters they have is when things goes wrong
All the best
Thomas, do you have a video on your arch/solar setup?
I think this video has the installation.... not sure about the design part... ua-cam.com/video/p3i13sq60RA/v-deo.html
Yes as Jason here helped me out I made something about it at my early face of uploading here. Thank you so much for watching and Jason for sharing. All the best and cheers 🍻
Can you deploy the dinghy if the weather is stormy?
Yes it’s possible as long you keep bow towards waves. But why deploy if it’s a storm? Thank you so much for watching and all the best 🍻
Thanks for another great video 😃
Thank you so much for watching and for being here! All the best and cheers 🍻
I would add a solid metal rods that are pinned in after the platform is down. This would save damage to your hydraulics.
Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your thoughts. Not so sure this would been a good solution though. Imagine the momentum as an extension from a 17 meter boat weighing in at 20 tons... (Force Times arm) Both the pin and the hinges would most likely be destroyed, or even ripped out of the fibreglass.
I believe it’s something I just have to live with, and that a solution where it could be higher above the sea level is the only way to go.
All the best and cheers 🍻
Hei Thomas,
Noen korte spørsmål som trenger kunn korte svar:
Kjøpskost: 2,5 NOK +/- 0,5 mil., Ingen dingy garasje, min. 45'. 2 voksne 50+, mulighet for jorden rundt tur.
Hvilken sailbåt ville du ha sett på hvis du skulle ha kjøpt båt i dag?
Ville du ha hat furling hovedsail?
Takk Thomas, hold det gående!
Erik
I seen off the coast of Spain and Portugal that orca's have been attacking sailboats. couldn't you turn the engine on and get the propeller spinning to where they couldn't see the propeller. By creating a bubble effect in the water. That would deter the vision of the orcas. They will not be able to attack. Just a thought.🍺🍺👍
Yes it’s a major problem there with orcas at the moment. No really good answer for this behaviour and why they attack the rudders. Apparently they are more aggressive towards spade rudders on mono hulls. But again this is also the majority of designs boats have that cross the Atlantic. Some claim take down sails and start engine going reverse is a good strategy. But not so sure if this pays off. All the best and cheers 🍻
❤
When you make it to Australia you do sailing days where you teach people how to sail or any where else your experience is price less
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words! Could be fun to try out days with different crews one day, that wants to learn and enjoy cruising. Who knows wat the future brings. All the best and cheers 🍻
I use a Takacat. The Takacat deflates and inflates very easily. The floor inflates like a paddle board. Clean decks underway are desirable. Davits are miserable devices in my opinion.
Thank you Thomas for your very interesting non-nonsence channel. Perhaps you could give some more safety advice for a solo sailor?
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here. Much appreciated. I try to add som hints and tricks now and then, but for sure could made an episode focusing more on this specific topic.
All the best and cheers 🍻
Hi Thomas. Is everything OK? I saw a video go up, which UA-cam asked me to sign in for, then marked as private, and then it seemed to disappear. Maybe I'm doing something wrong!
Hey Adrian, you have done nothing wrong.
I took this episode down as I could not keep up with all the really bad comments towards my friends and guests.
I tolerate quite a lot but draw the line when friends are called prostitutes and gold diggers etc. Only because having many happy people dancing in my boat.
New episode soon.
I appreciate people disagreeing with me in discussions and especially in technical or sailing related topics. Because there is so many ways and opinions in doing things.
But using really bad characteristics against my friends is where I draw the line. Then I had no choice.
All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas I'm sorry you're having to deal with that sort of nonsense Thomas. People love to hate - and cast judgement. Know that I'm a lover of your channel and [genuinely] consider it a highlight of my week when a new film drops. I want to encourage you; I follow several sailing/boaty youtube channels that I really enjoy, but yours is the most authentic - and the most experienced; you're the guy I'd want to be on a boat with if there was any kind of emergency. I value your channel, your opinion - and you - greatly. In a way, I'm being selfish when I say these things, because despite the effort and fortitude I know it must cost you to produce these videos, it will be a sad day indeed when you feel like you've had enough of sharing your journey with us. With best wishes. Adrian. #ANTIsocialmedia
@@adrianheywood Well said Adrian . I totally agree .
I guess with the number of ships, other sailors, pirates etc…it would be tough to have a non electronic, non motor sail boat.
Yes I would never go without a well maintained engine. Not even electric.
Imagine the week I had with stormy weather... This would been pretty stressful and possibly not a good outcome if I did not had a strong engine.
Thank you so much for watching and for being here! Cheers 🍻
👍🏻🍻🍻🌞👌🏻
Thank you so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
Ser nå i ettertid når jeg kjøpt min båt. Satt meg ned å laget liste. Hva mitt bevov var. Så kjøpte jeg båten etter det. Vil bestandig seile 1 eller 2 personer. Jeg selv ville ha lugar med dusj bake. Nå i ettertid har sånn garsje vært helt perfekt. Få inn gummibåten når det er dårlig vær. Din løsning på båten er mye mer anvennelig. Kan laste inn proviant i båten der bak. Min løsning er å legge mat å ting i lugaren fremme. Du vet jo selv hvordan en seilbåt blir seile i store bølger med alt for mye vekt i bauen. :/ Ikke bra i heletatt. Du får vekt av last der bak. Noe som er bedre enn å ha vekt helt fremst. Fikk bølger opp på dekket i sommer. Kom bakover å traff vinduer med et brak. Utrolig fin denne båten din. Rene luxus sjipet he he det du har :) Ha en fin seillas videre. Liker se dine filmer å lære fra dem.
Never liked tender garages because it's too much loss of living space. It's like chopping 1/4 of the boat off.
Fair enough and it’s obviously pros and cons with this as I tried to show as objective as possible.
Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your opinion as well. All the best and cheers 🍻
If the boat is 55 feet, it’s definitely worth having.
It’s just the ultimate way too store the dinghy IMO.
Not practical... If it works to you, perfect 👍
No
Thank you for watching🙏🏻
To me extremely expensive real estate wasted on a dinghy..
Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your opinion. All the best and cheers 🍻
An open and shut case I reckon . Sorry .
If you can afford one you don't really need it!
Can you please elaborate this statement? I don’t get it
No it's actually a terrible idea. Another failure point that can sink you. Geez. Think before you put videos up
Thank you for watching and sharing your opinion. However on this channel my viewers I like to call my friends and myself try to be polite. It’s a bit impolite claiming I’m not thinking not to forget one of the greatest naval architects designed this yacht. It’s also manufactured by one of the largest companies in the world of production yachts and its classified category A -meaning all oceans. I can assure you even they have spent quite a lot of thinking into this. I also invest above average of thinking into my content and in fact this episode took more than 35 hours to make. It also took me 8 hours to upload, so can’t really say this is like an impulsive act from my side. I try very hard to not say anything wrong but to share things I hope can give my viewers some value.
It’s possible I could explained things better and even more detailed about how a garage is designed, so I take this on my side and apologise for this. Please let me explain very short. A dinghy garage is just like putting a lid on top of a sugar scoop transom, then close the aft. No water can come inside the boat not even if the platform is down. So it’s totally safe but off course not recommended to sail with this open. Not for risk of water but destroying the lifting system. Hopefully this is clarifying things. All the best and cheers 🍻
@@SailingwithThomas 👍With you . Opinions should BE FREE .