Nice day to be in a warm Pilothouse.

[dhays]

2 foot wind waves, periodic rain, cool temps. Beats being outside in my sailboat cockpit. OTOH, a 50 foot sailboat is pacing us as we head downwind.

 

[bilge53]

It's a race! Give her another 100 rpm.

 

[MRRiley]

OTOH, a 50 foot sailboat is pacing us as we head downwind.

I'd venture a guess that he's (the inclusive he's) not posting on the web with photos of his day. Looks like a nice day to be out and about.

 

[dhays]

Yup. We were heading to Poulsbo. By the time we got there the wind was really howling out of the South. Since my boat doesn't have anemometer I can only guess at the wind speed, but steady at 20kts with some higher gusts I guessing. Poulsbo was packed and while I think there may have been a slip open, the fairway is narrowed by all the 45' boats in the 30' slips on either side with the wind blowing across. I decided that my newbie skills weren't up to the task so we gave up. We considered anchoring there in Liberty Bay but after watching the boats that were anchored bouncing around, decided against that as well. Liberty Bay is pretty exposed to strong southerlies. I don't trust my 45lbs CQR to hold me in a big blow if I am exposed.

Decided to head South to Brownsville. They had some open guest moorage and are a little more protected. Even so, my thrusters got a work out as I went into the slip with the crosswind blowing me away from the finger.

Good experience for us today. Still not used to the amount of windage and the small rudder compared to my sailboat.

 

[78puget-trawler]

Yep, its blustery on the Sound today. Further north its the same, probably gusting over 30 in Rosario easily enough by how it is inland a few miles, and cool. No matter, I am tied up still going thru the boat to make ready for summer. I haven't been to Poulsbo in many years, last time on a 26' '52 CC I had, around 1979.

 

[dhays]

I now know the reason why.

I used to have the impression that power boaters were a bunch of inebriates, given the amount of time and energy devoted to having a fully stocked bar, customs limits, etc... Sailors didn't spend as much energy or interest in on board spirits (quite a different matter on land of course). I think I have finally solved the mystery.

Power Boaters aren't drunkards, they are simply civilized. They have discovered what makes rum and coke's truly amazing.

Ice!

 

[Star0210]

Lol! We went by the marina tonight and the first thing I hear from the three neighbors who live on sailboats who were all out drinking under the tree is that they went on our boat and "borrowed" all of our ice from ournicemaker! And yes, they were all quite inebriated!

 

[dhays]

Lol! We went by the marina tonight and the first thing I hear from the three neighbors who live on sailboats who were all out drinking under the tree is that they went on our boat and "borrowed" all of our ice from ournicemaker! And yes, they were all quite inebriated!

See! I am right! The corelary to my argument would be that give sailors enough ice, and you will convert them to power boaters.

 

[twistedtree]

See! I am right! The corelary to my argument would be that give sailors enough ice, and you will convert them to power boaters.

This is good. I think we have distilled the power vs sail argument down to one pivotal question. Do you want ice?

 

[Phil Fill]

The same is true in hot sweltering few 80 degree days to be in an air condition pilot house. we use to go out in those cool windy days, but now prefer tied to the dock cuddled in a quilt, with a warm drink watching all the CRAZY sailor head put as those kind of day are when they can go really fast at hull speed. Most of the time when they come back in they look cold wet and miserable. Gee, this was fun let's do it again in a month better yet make that two on a warm summer day. .

 

[dhmeissner]

Nice to be warm in the saloon too....
@Port Hadlock

 

[fryedaze]

2 foot wind waves, periodic rain, cool temps. Beats being outside in my sailboat cockpit. OTOH, a 50 foot sailboat is pacing us as we head downwind.

Heading up the Pamlico Sound yesterday with TS Bonnie drenching the coast we passed two open cockpit sailboats when it was raining so hard you couldn't see 100 yards. I felt bad for the poor rag baggers.
Maybe they like soaked undies

 

[Wayfarer]

Nice to be warm in the saloon too....
@Port Hadlock

How much do you love your Bose BT speaker? It's one of my favorite gadgets. 1000% glad I bought one.

 

[dhmeissner]

How much do you love your Bose BT speaker? It's one of my favorite gadgets. 1000% glad I bought one.

Love the Bose. Sound is amazing for such a small box.

 

[dhays]

Thread drift but....

The PO of my boat was very proud of his sound system. He has a very powerful home receiver, complete with surround sound in the saloon, including a large sub-woofer. He has separate stereo speakers in the PH and fly bridge, each with a volume control that is independent of the setting on the receiver in the saloon. He had an XM radio receiver connected to it (I have since swapped out an ipod or my phone for Pandora) as well as the KVH TV and a CD,DVD, Blue Ray player.

I like music while on the boat, this this is a bit overkill. The only way to play it is with shore power, the genset, or the inverter running. The sound system likely takes way more ah than the refrigerator does. The idea of having to run a genny just to listen to music seems more than a little silly. The shear size of all the equipment means that an entire cabinet in the saloon holds nothing but the sound system and sub woofer.

I am tempted to gut the system and replace it with a 12v sound system. I do like being able to have the volume control in the PH to be completely independent from the saloon or fly bridge and be able to control the PH and Flybridge volume from those location.

If anyone has some great ideas for 12v systems, I would love to hear them.

 

[cardude01]

To me the new Bluetooth portable speakers are so good it's made installed boat stereos obsolete.

This one really rocks, but pricey.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/47466402?...4545194&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=175434365074&veh=sem

 

[ragin cajun]

Power Boaters aren't drunkards, they are simply civilized. They have discovered what makes rum and coke's truly amazing.

Ice!

..and a twist of lime!

 

[dhays]

To me the new Bluetooth portable speakers are so good it's made installed boat stereos obsolete.

This one really rocks, but pricey.

UE Megaboom Wireless Speaker - Walmart.com

Thanks, that is an idea I hadn't considered but could work out well. My phone could drive a bluetooth speaker (I have a great mini blue tooth speaker that I take with me traveling) but my old school ipod doesn't have blue tooth but there are plenty of adapters that can handle that.

 

[jwnall]

Still not used to the amount of windage and the small rudder compared to my sailboat.

I think that was the single biggest challenge that I had in going from a sailboat to a trawler. My sailboat (an Allied Mistress) had a rudder which was about 4' or so, and gave me complete control. The Gulfstar has a rudder which is about the size of a medium pizza (OK, perhaps a large one, but still . . .) and what it seems to do primarily is to wave around helplessly. Thanks goodness for twin engines!!

 

[markpierce]

I"m long finished from open-cockpit boating. Am avoiding solar "toasting" as well as the wind and spray. Have seen too many people (mostly women) who have alligator skin.

 

[Pack Mule]

To me the new Bluetooth portable speakers are so good it's made installed boat stereos obsolete.

This one really rocks, but pricey.

UE Megaboom Wireless Speaker - Walmart.com

Check out the Bluetooth Antigravity Thump Box . It turns whatever hollow box you have into a speaker . Some areas sound really good as long as there is nothing on the surface to rattle . I can turn the old fish hold on William into a speaker that sounds good . It sounds good on top of the dash or even a big cooler . We move it around on the boat to find the best sound .

 

[cardude01]

That's cool.

Or you could mount these on all your pilot house Windows and have surround sound! I actually have a couple of these exciters and they are fun to play with on different surfaces.

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-daex25-sound-exciter-pair--300-375

 

[cappy208]

My Iphone has Pandora. When the phone battery dies I am 'fairly certain' that my house Battery is still kickin'.

 

[FF]

"Or you could mount these on all your pilot house Windows and have surround sound!"

And screw up the FBI if there listening with a lazer to your window.

 

[healhustler]

Check out the Bluetooth Antigravity Thump Box . It turns whatever hollow box you have into a speaker . Some areas sound really good as long as there is nothing on the surface to rattle . I can turn the old fish hold on William into a speaker that sounds good .

Hey, that's a great idea for a Sonic Bottom Anti-Fouling setup, Marty. Just point the thing down into the fish hold, slip in a Lawrence Welk CD and voila, even the barnacles will run.

 

[refugio]

We rented a house across the mountains over Memorial Day (out of town family, total of 12 people) and it came with a bluetooth disco ball speaker: ION Audio House Party Portable Sound System

We were there less than 15 minutes before one of the teenagers figured it out, and then it was on for 4 days with only a pause when everyone went to bed.

 

[dhays]

That is what my PH needs, a disco ball!

 

[refugio]

That is what my PH needs, a disco ball!

Pilothouse? I think it belongs on the boat deck. At night in a quiet anchorage. Par-tay!!


Keith

 

[LeftCoastShawn]

Re: iPod, use one of the fm transmitters that plug into the cigarette lighter and then you can pick up the signal on any of your fm radios aboard... most all blue tooth are mono, not stereo so be sure to check!

Re: Puget Sound sailors... Most of the areas 'real' sailors have 'woodies' and can't get a rail under in anything less than 25 gusting 30, so yes, they are out there!

Re: pucker power is a 30 ft sloop with a spinnaker up at 25 gusting 30... more "fun" I have never had! and watching the spreaders hit the water is a 'religious' experience believe me!

 

[dhays]

20 kt South wind against a 3 knot current. Short period wind waves to 3 feet. Not bad at all. Of course I am heading South.