Wow. That is huge progress. You should be proud of yourselves. Wish i had even half your boat knowledge and skill. We’re enjoying watching it take shape.
Thank you for sharing the very thorough pre-passage preparation. The innovative hinging solar panels are a great solution to using deck space where the ama hatches reside. The back side of the electrical panel is looking very professional. The easy access gas on/off for the cooker is an excellent safety feature. Looking forward to the video of that idyllic “shakedown” cruise around those offshore islands of Panama.
I bet you are licking your chops to get on down wind run to Polynesia. What a fabulous platform you have to ride away on. Great work...great crew...best of luck mate.
Im watching this boat for years , Dreaming of buying it Watching you guys too , with your old spirit for years . Nice to see that you 2 met in the end . I got a house in Panama. Lived there for 20 years arrived 1999 with one of the first fountain Pajot catamarans and run a day sailing business. I hope I can follow your route in 2-3 years I wish you the best for the leap to Polynesia and so on . Nice refit I got a marine mechanic business in the Florida Keys and the work you guys are doing is great.
Hi thanks for the message. Wonderful story wish we got to catch up in Panama. Maybe we’ll see you out in the Pacific in a few years? Keep an eye out for us 😁
Nice Job on fitting the solar panels and they should be way more efficient then the flex panels you had on Spirit-1. Always enjoy watching your videos with emphasis on minimalism and simplicity. You guys take care, from Just Dance now in Penang heading to Thailand. Cheers Keith
Hey mate great to hear from you!! Hope we cross paths sometime soon great to see you’re still sailing around exploring this awesome world. Best wishes from Clo and I mate.
The position of the solar panels is clever-- the pressure of the water at speed is going to pretty high though.. When I looked at her, there was a spare rudder on the aft deck-- do you still have that? Really nice to see you bringing her back to life! Phil
Hey Phil yes the panel position will be an interesting one and we’re keen to see how it evolves over time. The rudder was deemed extra weight and to be honest where does one draw the line at how many and what spares should be carried onboard?
With the fixed rigid solar pannels I would have set the brackets on one side so the panel could be hinged up vertical or between .. probably to the outboard side ... Better to catch early or late light or light at higher lattitudes. The other thing is you only have to undo one side and it its less likely to get washed away if you need to get in an amma hatch whilst underway. 🤔🧙🏼♂️ Have you seen Arrie hes Dutch his English partner and their huge German shepherd dog .. on their ex Ostar racer Trimeran Dawn .
Nice points but we sail tropical latitudes more where trades winds tend to be easterly so we tend to sit east west making a north or south facing panel less efficient. We did think of mounting these the many ways they could be mounted but the issue with opening outboard is that you can’t have three feet on each side and you don’t have the shrouds to support the panel it’s when open. Also the foot in the middle won’t hinge when mounted transverse and can only four feet, which would give less support to the panel frame. To optimise opening outboard you need to make the design more complex and we’re all about simplicity as this is pretty much a test until the boat gets to Australia. The feet also creat more area when mounted transverse so they tend to build the water up when we get a wave across the deck creating more load on the feet and restricting the waters flow and one of our favourite quotes is to be like water and to choose the path of least resistance! Thanks for the comment though we appreciate hearing everyone’s thoughts 🤙
@@TrimaranSpirit You might want to take a look at this and the follow up testing. For tropical latitudes keeping the PV panel cool is vital to maintain efficiency and ultimately the life of the panels. If they are overhanging water or have white reflecting backgrounds then bi facials can be effective.. but if on or close to the roof or hulls then hybrid HPV panels with water cooling/recovery in strong sunlight maxi mises the combined efficiency..as a panel begins to get warm to touch the PV output falls off dramatically. This also leads to silicon crystal degradation. 🧙🏼♂️ It's worth a look as it can increase the maximum efficiency over an overheating panel in the tropics by over 80%.
You have done a lot of work! Was that 80mtrs of 10mm chain!? Lorra weight in the bow for a shoal draft boat. I’ve only recently reached 30mtrs of 8mm chain on my 40 ft tri. I use Sunware walkable panels on the floats. And after a second compressor failed, decided I didn’t really need a fridge. Tinned food is widely available. I do look fwd to hearing of your progress. By Starlink!! David
Thanks Dave 🙏 Yes it is a lot of chain and weight to carry around especially in the tip of the bow! we do plan to move the anchor locker and windlass further aft in time but we won’t reduce the length of chain as it’s our insurance when at anchor and having it helps us sleep well at night especially when it’s blowing dogs off chains! And don’t mention tinned food that’s an instant divorce and my wife’s actually healed my gut and stomach issues that’s to her research and putting us on a whole foods diet rich in diversity and life. All the best 🤙
While rigid solar panels are a bit more efficient, walkable solar panels seem VASTLY more practical for a sailboat. They have no glass to break. are hermetically sealed and can be placed on decks that can be walked on.
Yes correct but unfortunately the flexible panels just don’t have the longevity of the rigid ones. We had Solbian flexible panels on the old Spirit and we lived off 500 watts of solar for five years using those panels however they were a long way from the efficiency of these panels and unfortunately had to be changed twice during that time due to manufacturing defects. So far these panels and the mounting location are working a treat 👍
@@TrimaranSpirit To follow up, "Solbian" is the brand of walkable solar panels now being used by Windelo. Solbian is also used by most of the IMOCA 60s in the Vendee Globe races, Jules Verne Trophy boats, etc. VERY high quality. Made in Italy using SunPower cells, not China.
Hi so far we’re really impressed. It’s old school no automatic flush or flash touch screen but that’s why we bought it. Back to basics with commonsense design. Only a month onboard so far but it’s preforming better than spec’d.
@@TrimaranSpiritThanks! And that’s perfect for what we’re after. No need for whizz bang or anything fancy - just a good, solid basic watermaker that I can field repair and produces a good amount of water. Safe travels!👍
I heard you mention the boat had mini keels, are they on the floats or the mainhull. I'm building a 9mtr cruising tri atm and I'm considering put them on the floats . So interested in any thoughts and your experiences cheers
Hi I’m not sure I did can you give me the time on the video so I can understand what I was referring too? Spirit XL doesn’t have a mini keel she has a retractable centreboard that retracts into a case under the saloon floor.
Jas. Could you not hinge your solar panels so you can tilt then when u have liw sun angles. There are also bifacial panels now than can capture light both sides of the panel.
Mate they are hinged 🤙 so we can get access the float hatches which are underneath them. We’ve been finding that we have ample solar though and really don’t need to angle them. Have seen the bifacial and they look cool up to 30% extra production!
@@TrimaranSpirit solar has been a really good investment for me on the house. Putting bifacials on tilt frames to take advantage of a long solar day I have to the west in summer, back of the panel will pick up the morning light. In running an EV now which has been really good as not one cent spent on fuel the 1200km I've put on it. Gives a similar feeling when your putting down miles with a nice wind and you say to yourself this shits for free lol. Would be good to catch up when in Aus.
Definitely not!! Personally the older and smaller the boat the smaller the investment and the smaller the worries. Spirit XL is huge for us but luckily we got her cheap as she was beaten up. As a wise person once said to be “go small go cheap and go now”
Nice 👍
Thanks ✌
Wow. That is huge progress. You should be proud of yourselves. Wish i had even half your boat knowledge and skill. We’re enjoying watching it take shape.
Many thanks for the words of encouragement 🤙
Thank you for sharing the very thorough pre-passage preparation. The innovative hinging solar panels are a great solution to using deck space where the ama hatches reside. The back side of the electrical panel is looking very professional. The easy access gas on/off for the cooker is an excellent safety feature. Looking forward to the video of that idyllic “shakedown” cruise around those offshore islands of Panama.
Many thanks your positive words. They help to inspire us during those difficult moments and we appreciate them 🙏 best wishes!
Fantastic stuff,I’m thrilled to bits for you🙂
Cheers Wayne many thanks mate!
Can't wait to see more of your saving of this vessel! Your definitely giving her a batter life. 😊
Thank you 🙏 we’re not the best at making and posting videos but we’ll try and get some bits and pieces along the way. All the best and thanks again!
@TrimaranSpirit
What you send is some of the best! Well worth the wait for so many who dream of your mission.
Wishing you the very best! 😍
Everything looks great ! Really jazzed for you guys.
Thanks buddy 🤙
Great to see all the hard work come together into another awesome machine. Well done ships company!
Cheers Capt Jack!
Great work as always, thanks for sharing.
Thank you! Cheers! 🍻
Great prep there. Especially the rudder check. Will stand you in good stead for the big puddle jump.😊
Thanks we sure hope so. At the end of the day all you can do is all you can do the sea will judge how well we’ve prept the boat. All the best 👍
Bloody love it. It all looks tight and right.
Awesome thanks Jim we’ll find out soon enough how tight and tight she is 👍😉 all the best!
❤🎉Great Job as always. I am so happy for you guys.
Thank you very much 🙏
I bet you are licking your chops to get on down wind run to Polynesia. What a fabulous platform you have to ride away on. Great work...great crew...best of luck mate.
Many thanks Alan the smiles so big we’d have lipstick on our ears if we wore it 😊
Awesome, looking good! Thats some serious investment but very necessary and satisfying. have fun with her
Awesome Jase looking better all the time.
Cheers mate 🤙
@@TrimaranSpirit awesome so happy for you both.🥳
Im watching this boat for years ,
Dreaming of buying it
Watching you guys too , with your old spirit for years .
Nice to see that you 2 met in the end .
I got a house in Panama. Lived there for 20 years arrived 1999 with one of the first fountain Pajot catamarans and run a day sailing business.
I hope I can follow your route in 2-3 years
I wish you the best for the leap to Polynesia and so on .
Nice refit
I got a marine mechanic business in the Florida Keys and the work you guys are doing is great.
Hi thanks for the message. Wonderful story wish we got to catch up in Panama. Maybe we’ll see you out in the Pacific in a few years? Keep an eye out for us 😁
Very informative video, love the boat, thanks for sharing.
Welcome and thanks for the positive feedback 🙏
Nice Job on fitting the solar panels and they should be way more efficient then the flex panels you had on Spirit-1. Always enjoy watching your videos with emphasis on minimalism and simplicity. You guys take care, from Just Dance now in Penang heading to Thailand. Cheers Keith
Hey mate great to hear from you!! Hope we cross paths sometime soon great to see you’re still sailing around exploring this awesome world. Best wishes from Clo and I mate.
Perfect set up! Subscribed.
Thank you 🙏 we’re stoked to have you aboard!
Love your work, team XL Spirit.
Thanks Rick!
The position of the solar panels is clever-- the pressure of the water at speed is going to pretty high though.. When I looked at her, there was a spare rudder on the aft deck-- do you still have that? Really nice to see you bringing her back to life! Phil
Hey Phil yes the panel position will be an interesting one and we’re keen to see how it evolves over time. The rudder was deemed extra weight and to be honest where does one draw the line at how many and what spares should be carried onboard?
Sweet.
Very!
With the fixed rigid solar pannels I would have set the brackets on one side so the panel could be hinged up vertical or between .. probably to the outboard side ... Better to catch early or late light or light at higher lattitudes.
The other thing is you only have to undo one side and it its less likely to get washed away if you need to get in an amma hatch whilst underway. 🤔🧙🏼♂️ Have you seen Arrie hes Dutch his English partner and their huge German shepherd dog .. on their ex Ostar racer Trimeran Dawn .
Nice points but we sail tropical latitudes more where trades winds tend to be easterly so we tend to sit east west making a north or south facing panel less efficient. We did think of mounting these the many ways they could be mounted but the issue with opening outboard is that you can’t have three feet on each side and you don’t have the shrouds to support the panel it’s when open. Also the foot in the middle won’t hinge when mounted transverse and can only four feet, which would give less support to the panel frame. To optimise opening outboard you need to make the design more complex and we’re all about simplicity as this is pretty much a test until the boat gets to Australia. The feet also creat more area when mounted transverse so they tend to build the water up when we get a wave across the deck creating more load on the feet and restricting the waters flow and one of our favourite quotes is to be like water and to choose the path of least resistance! Thanks for the comment though we appreciate hearing everyone’s thoughts 🤙
@@TrimaranSpirit
You might want to take a look at
this and the follow up testing.
For tropical latitudes keeping the PV panel cool is vital to maintain efficiency and ultimately the life of the panels.
If they are overhanging water or have white reflecting backgrounds then bi facials can be effective.. but if on or close to the roof or hulls then hybrid HPV panels with water cooling/recovery in strong sunlight maxi mises the combined efficiency..as a panel begins to get warm to touch the PV output falls off dramatically. This also leads to silicon crystal
degradation. 🧙🏼♂️ It's worth a look as it can increase the maximum efficiency over an overheating panel in the tropics by over 80%.
You have done a lot of work!
Was that 80mtrs of 10mm chain!? Lorra weight in the bow for a shoal draft boat.
I’ve only recently reached 30mtrs of 8mm chain on my 40 ft tri. I use Sunware walkable panels on the floats.
And after a second compressor failed, decided I didn’t really need a fridge.
Tinned food is widely available. I do look fwd to hearing of your progress. By Starlink!! David
Thanks Dave 🙏 Yes it is a lot of chain and weight to carry around especially in the tip of the bow! we do plan to move the anchor locker and windlass further aft in time but we won’t reduce the length of chain as it’s our insurance when at anchor and having it helps us sleep well at night especially when it’s blowing dogs off chains! And don’t mention tinned food that’s an instant divorce and my wife’s actually healed my gut and stomach issues that’s to her research and putting us on a whole foods diet rich in diversity and life. All the best 🤙
Hi, When is the Next video coming? can't wait to see some serious sailing.
Presently uploading daily updates as we passage across the pacific. Hope you enjoy them there’s some great sailing happening 🤙
@@TrimaranSpirit Wow, that's some cool sailing vids. must of watched about 5 times.
While rigid solar panels are a bit more efficient, walkable solar panels seem VASTLY more practical for a sailboat. They have no glass to break. are hermetically sealed and can be placed on decks that can be walked on.
Yes correct but unfortunately the flexible panels just don’t have the longevity of the rigid ones. We had Solbian flexible panels on the old Spirit and we lived off 500 watts of solar for five years using those panels however they were a long way from the efficiency of these panels and unfortunately had to be changed twice during that time due to manufacturing defects. So far these panels and the mounting location are working a treat 👍
@@TrimaranSpirit Production boats are using walkable solar panels with success. Presumably some are better than others.
@@TrimaranSpirit To follow up, "Solbian" is the brand of walkable solar panels now being used by Windelo. Solbian is also used by most of the IMOCA 60s in the Vendee Globe races, Jules Verne Trophy boats, etc. VERY high quality. Made in Italy using SunPower cells, not China.
Thoughts on the Seawater Pro so far? Our WM is an absolute pain in the a**e and we’re looking for an alternative.
Hi so far we’re really impressed. It’s old school no automatic flush or flash touch screen but that’s why we bought it. Back to basics with commonsense design. Only a month onboard so far but it’s preforming better than spec’d.
@@TrimaranSpiritThanks! And that’s perfect for what we’re after. No need for whizz bang or anything fancy - just a good, solid basic watermaker that I can field repair and produces a good amount of water. Safe travels!👍
I heard you mention the boat had mini keels, are they on the floats or the mainhull. I'm building a 9mtr cruising tri atm and I'm considering put them on the floats . So interested in any thoughts and your experiences cheers
Hi I’m not sure I did can you give me the time on the video so I can understand what I was referring too? Spirit XL doesn’t have a mini keel she has a retractable centreboard that retracts into a case under the saloon floor.
I've probably got it worry then sorry, cheers
Jas. Could you not hinge your solar panels so you can tilt then when u have liw sun angles. There are also bifacial panels now than can capture light both sides of the panel.
Mate they are hinged 🤙 so we can get access the float hatches which are underneath them. We’ve been finding that we have ample solar though and really don’t need to angle them. Have seen the bifacial and they look cool up to 30% extra production!
@@TrimaranSpirit solar has been a really good investment for me on the house. Putting bifacials on tilt frames to take advantage of a long solar day I have to the west in summer, back of the panel will pick up the morning light. In running an EV now which has been really good as not one cent spent on fuel the 1200km I've put on it. Gives a similar feeling when your putting down miles with a nice wind and you say to yourself this shits for free lol. Would be good to catch up when in Aus.
It's Jason meyer from this triplex account
So you don't have to buy a $1 million condomaran to have a great sailing adventure?
Definitely not!! Personally the older and smaller the boat the smaller the investment and the smaller the worries. Spirit XL is huge for us but luckily we got her cheap as she was beaten up. As a wise person once said to be “go small go cheap and go now”