Engine Data on NMEA 2K Bus
Based on what I learned on the Internet, working with NMEA 2000 networks requires cryptic sorcery, with routine blood sacrifices. So, I always hesitated to mess with mine, lest I invoke the fury of the sea daemons. But, then, I once again found a Sail Life video where Mads convinced me that I’d been lied to – and NMEA 2000 is no harder than any other networking. So, I plugged my Vessel View into the bus and now I have engine data on my chartplotter and MFDs. It took five minutes. Cleaning up the cables will take longer. I’m sure there are times and complex installs when casting runes and prayer are necessary – but I’m coming to understand that the network on Turtle is pretty basic. I’m hoping with the data available to the chart plotter, I can get more extensive fuel data (without having to calculate it by hand).
Hydronic Controls
I replaced the touchscreen with old-fashioned analog controls. In this case, simpler seems better. I also connected the jumper on the “priority” terminals in the Zone Control box and found that the fans no longer cycle off when I run the hot water. I’ll leave it like this for a while and see if it causes us to run out of hot water during normal use. ITR says that should only happen when we exceed 50,000 BTUs across all of the heating zones, which is possible if it gets really cold.
Freezer Drawer
I broke the freezer drawer when trying to stuff ice down into it. The replacement was $50, but only for the back (it’s $100 for the whole unit). Of course, I broke two of the plastic tabs on the drawer face when swapping it out. Next time, maybe I’ll just glue everything together with 5200.
Headsets
We’ve been using the Sena SPH10 headphones since we’ve been boating as a couple. For the most part, they just work. They have a few of disadvantages though. First, they’re not terribly durable. We loose one or the other speaker usually after a couple of years (we’ve replaced three of them in ten years). Second, they’re ridiculously over-priced – I’ve seen them for as low at $159, but they seem to hover around $179-$199. Finally, they use micro-USB ports for charging – and with almost every pair the port wears out or gets bent and we need to use a rubber band to hold it in place to charge. So, I ordered a set of these magnetic cables. The little receiver goes into the micro USB port and the cable just clicks on. Unfortunately, the little ”water resistant” port didn’t fit the little magnetic thingy – but that was quickly solved with my dremel. So far, this solution works great.
Sea Strainers
Cleaned the main engine, generator, and water maker sea strainers. The main was pretty clean, but the generator and water maker were covered with black gunk. Also, the water maker smelled like sulphur… not sure what that’s about. I also noticed the water maker strainer dribbled water even with the seacock closed. This could have been backflow from inside the water maker, so I’m not going to blame a leaky valve yet. But, it’s something to check on the next haul out.