Another new start for Helmsman

Helmsman said:

We may order some through one of the retail home stores, or may have them custom made if we can’t find what we are looking for.

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This may sound a little crazy but intriguing. There appears to be a wide enough valance at each window to accommodate motorized blinds. We installed them in 21 windows in our house. They can all be operated at once using a small remote control. They are battery powered. The initial batteries have lasted over two years with daily use. If you have wi-fi, you can operate them from anywhere and program them to open and close at specific times or at local sunrise/sunset. We just tell Alexa when we want them opened or closed. They are made to custom dimensions only and the blind disappears completely when closed.

Doug_Snider said:

This may sound a little crazy but intriguing. There appears to be a wide enough valance at each window to accommodate motorized blinds. We installed them in 21 windows in our house. They can all be operated at once using a small remote control. They are battery powered. The initial batteries have lasted over two years with daily use. If you have wi-fi, you can operate them from anywhere and program them to open and close at specific times or at local sunrise/sunset. We just tell Alexa when we want them opened or closed. They are made to custom dimensions only and the blind disappears completely when closed.

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I like the idea. The Roman shades she has in mind go up by touch. They don’t come with pulls. The only issue I see with the few Roman shades I have looked at, is that they won’t recede above the teak valance. I don’t think that would be a problem with the ones you are talking about. We will keep looking.

We received an update on the ongoing build. A lot of the woodwork is in place, and the boat is beginning to take shape and “look like a boat”. One of the great things about working with Scott and his team is their willingness to work with buyers throughout the build process. One case in point is our addition of a grill and refrigerator cabinet up on the FB. I mentioned it earlier, but Helmsman makes it easy to think through things with them, suggest ideas, get excellent feedback, and come up with new ways of looking at things. That is unusual these days, with off the shelf products, unalterable in form, or standardized in options being the rule. I think it is one of the great strengths of the company. The response was almost immediate, and decisions were made within a week.

Another advantage to Helmsman is that they deliver a finished boat to you. While there is a commissioning process, as with all boats, custom work is typically completed, checked out, and found good prior to leaving the yard. I have never been a proponent of the majority of work being completed in one location, with modifications or options added elsewhere. Some builders do that, and some owners like that type process, but it isn’t for me.

With supply chain issues probably at their maximum economic disruption level, inflation higher than the last 40 years, and transport backed up, this company is keeping true to the business principles that has made the demand for these boats so high.

Helmsman said:

We received an update on the ongoing build. A lot of the woodwork is in place, and the boat is beginning to take shape and “look like a boat”.

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We didn’t see a lot of noticeable progress in our first update photos in a month. The photos this week show much of the same work but from different angles. Chinese New Year seems to have slowed things down, which was expected. The hull and the deck are still separated. The interior bulkheads are what we saw a month ago.

I agree with your assessment of Helmsman’s process. When we first met Scott, he said that each new boat is better than its predecessor. The combination of incorporating buyer suggestions and the expertise of Scott and the builders makes that happen. We’ve looked at a lot of photos and videos online and the incremental improvements in the 38E over the years are very apparent.

We went down to look at the latest 38E to be delivered in Seattle and we were impressed with the consistent quality. The new boat feeling is amazing. We noticed that the two salon table supports had been replaced by a heavy duty single pedestal. Scott said this was an upgrade necessitated by supply chain issues. We hope the issue will affect our boat similarly.

Well said!

Here is a picture of the salon with the wood work underway. You can see the doorway to the day head (a great feature in a boat this size) on the port side. The second access hatch to the ER is also visible in the floor. The air vents for the engine room are visible on each side, and will be enclosed by a cabinet on the port side, and galley cabinetry on the starboard side.

This month's picture shows material progress from the previous month. Having built several homes over the last 40 years, this period in the build process reminds me of home builds once the exterior is dried in. There is a lot of detail work going on, but since we are not seeing a ton of big changes, it is easy to think things aren't moving along, when in reality they are.

It is fun to watch it come together.

I spoke too soon. We just got another progress report, the second this week. It shows the deck being lowered onto the hull and the shower and master head modules in place. Things are really moving. We might have an engine by March 15, although we don’t know when it will be installed. The next photos should be spectacular.

You guys are killing me, in a good way.

Rendezvous

Hi from southern Baja (extremely limited internet)..
I see Pt Townsand Rendezvous is later part of May when our boat arrives.. Probably wont be ready by then so we will be arriving via camper staying at the marina RV park. Will be extra sand from the many beaches we hit this past month.

Is anyone going via boat or will you be landbased for the event?

PS. just ordered the reverso system based on this forum. don't have a connection to research but much trust in this team. I do remember inventing more sailor terms trying to extract the oil out of the seasport 8.1L Volvo engine with hand pump. Not fun.

Tom-Jill-Lilly said:

Hi from southern Baja (extremely limited internet)..
I see Pt Townsand Rendezvous is later part of May when our boat arrives.. Probably wont be ready by then so we will be arriving via camper staying at the marina RV park. Will be extra sand from the many beaches we hit this past month.

Is anyone going via boat or will you be landbased for the event?

PS. just ordered the reverso system based on this forum. don't have a connection to research but much trust in this team. I do remember inventing more sailor terms trying to extract the oil out of the seasport 8.1L Volvo engine with hand pump. Not fun.

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Reverso is a no-brainer in my opinion. Works well and save a lot of work/hours.

Tom-Jill-Lilly said:

Is anyone going via boat or will you be landbased for the event?

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Our boat won’t quite be here yet so we’re going to be staying at the Palace Hotel. Hopefully we’ll have it by June when our yacht club cruises to Roche Harbor. We look forward to meeting you.

The event: looks like a good thing to do, but we won't be going. Our calendar just is too clogged to take that time to go. And as an east-coaster we have the added downside of a needed coast-to-coast flight. Airline travel is cheap these days so its not a cost thing, but we really and truly hate airlines these days. Not from fear or cost. Its just a miserable experience. If we were anywhere close to PNW attendance would be a no-brainer.

We will be there, and on our boat. It will be the start of our summer cruise to Desolation Sound and the Broughtons.

Not sure if I will be able to make it. That will depend upon when and where the boat arrives. Would be staying at a hotel so will wait to see. If we get past the date Lisa would need to know, it might be next year. A friend of mine buying the 43 might meet me out there if we can do it.

FWT, I agree completely on the air travel! I haven’t had a good experience in the last two years. I feel for those still traveling by air.

One of the elements of the electronics install has been determining how to get the necessary pieces placed on the arch in the correct configuration which will satisfy varying manufacturing requirements. One thing I have learned in the few installs I have been involved with is that compromise is an important element of the design.

My particular install is complicated by a height requirement. My home dock has an 18 foot roof on it. The 38E has a14’ 10” high arch. The light standard is 26” higher making the boat 17’ high (All rough numbers). I would like to hold with the 17’ height. In order to do that, I need to get a satellite compass and a GPS above the radar beam, but below the bottom of the steaming light which is 16” above the arch. The radar and top plate will be 10.7” above the arch, leaving 6.3” for the satcom and the GPS unit.

Scott and Gary took some measurements for me, on an existing boat, which allowed me to order a few additional pieces early, to ensure that I will receive them. With that settled, the next step is to determine the cabling and wiring order.

Incidentally, Elon Musk recently said that the Starlink system was being opened up for mobile use. When that gets to a point that boaters can reliably use it, the cell carriers will probably lose most of the internet connectivity business for boats. That will affect me, as I have purchased a 5G cellular router for use in the boat. Or it may drive down prices from the carriers and reduce the data caps they put on some of their products. It will be interesting to see where that ends up.

The supply chain issues seem to be a never ending battle right now.

New pictures arrived. Work continues on the interior. The floor in the salon is being laid, and it appears the window frame supports are in. The floor laying is labor intensive, and the work to get it perfect must be pretty tedious, but as can be seen on finished boats, the end result is really extraordinary. Still a ways to go, which is not surprising with all of the supply issues businesses are facing.

The build pictures will come in handy later, as they do provide views of what may be behind things, and also the construction of different areas of the boat.

One of the considerations is where to mount the Vesper Cortex, and the Pepwave. I am considering placing both of them in the cabinets above the Pilothouse helm station, or maybe in one of the cabinets on the flybridge. The key is to have the Pepwave within six feet of the antennas for it. Would appreciate ideas for those who have an internet setup on their boat and where they have it.

So progress continues, and the boat interior continues to take shape. I went with my wife to look at Roman shades, which she prefers over the standard wood blinds. Roman shades tend to hang down a little, which could pose a problem with the aft door and the PH doors. So, more study to do there.

Helmsman said:

New pictures arrived. Work continues on the interior. The floor in the salon is being laid, and it appears the window frame supports are in. The floor laying is labor intensive, and the work to get it perfect must be pretty tedious, but as can be seen on finished boats, the end result is really extraordinary. Still a ways to go, which is not surprising with all of the supply issues businesses are facing.

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We got photos this week too. Both fuel tanks are in place and the pilot house floor framing is being installed. Last week we got the first photos of the hull married to the superstructure. In one shot, we could see your (Helmsman’s) boat with the upper deck and radar arch in place. Very exciting.

Helmsman said:

New pictures arrived. Work continues on the interior. The floor in the salon is being laid, and it appears the window frame supports are in. The floor laying is labor intensive, and the work to get it perfect must be pretty tedious, but as can be seen on finished boats, the end result is really extraordinary. Still a ways to go, which is not surprising with all of the supply issues businesses are facing.

The build pictures will come in handy later, as they do provide views of what may be behind things, and also the construction of different areas of the boat.

One of the considerations is where to mount the Vesper Cortex, and the Pepwave. I am considering placing both of them in the cabinets above the Pilothouse helm station, or maybe in one of the cabinets on the flybridge. The key is to have the Pepwave within six feet of the antennas for it. Would appreciate ideas for those who have an internet setup on their boat and where they have it.

So progress continues, and the boat interior continues to take shape. I went with my wife to look at Roman shades, which she prefers over the standard wood blinds. Roman shades tend to hang down a little, which could pose a problem with the aft door and the PH doors. So, more study to do there.

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Seems to me in various videos I've seen gear like that in the top shelf of the midships cabinet stack against the bulkhead, which would seem to put it near whatever wire runs exist to bring lines from the arch / mast into the boat.

FWT said:

Seems to me in various videos I've seen gear like that in the top shelf of the midships cabinet stack against the bulkhead, which would seem to put it near whatever wire runs exist to bring lines from the arch / mast into the boat.

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That looks like a good option. Will need to find a place for the antenna. It is the Pepwave 42g. Fiberglass won’t impede the signal. I may try to locate it in one of the FB cabinets, then hange the Pepwave beside it. Need to figure it it out to order some cables.

It also occurs to me, the cabinet above the door to the day head.

What I can't recall is what you plan up top, and where located. Just wondering what complications might exist from an antenna impeded by a grill, propane tanks above in the settee storage, etc.

Looking forward to seeing your construction progress pictures. Do you have a separate website out side of TF?
Barrie

Barrie said:

Looking forward to seeing your construction progress pictures. Do you have a separate website out side of TF?
Barrie

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Hi Barrie, the last picture was post 576. I don’t have a another web site.

FWT said:

It also occurs to me, the cabinet above the door to the day head.

What I can't recall is what you plan up top, and where located. Just wondering what complications might exist from an antenna impeded by a grill, propane tanks above in the settee storage, etc.

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I do have a grill and fridge going up on the fly bridge just aft of the helm seats on the starboard side. What I may do is try the cell WiFi antenna and Pepwave up top in the forward cabinet in front of the helm seats. Will have to look at the construction to see if I can get the antenna set up where it is just “looking” through fiberglass. Not sure whether the coring would create a situation. The antenna has seven cables and would therefore require about a 2 inch hole, which I won’t cut in the outer skin. The cables are 6 feet long so if I don’t want to replace them, then I will need to have the PepWave close. I will try in several locations before finalizing.

Does anyone know what the order times are these days for electronics packages? Lead time needed?

I ordered mine in November and they were available. The other day I was told by BOE they were 6 weeks out. Call BOEMarine ask for Emily. Tell her I suggested you call. She will be able to give you a good estimate for today.

Helmsman said:

I ordered mine in November and they were available. The other day I was told by BOE they were 6 weeks out. Call BOEMarine ask for Emily. Tell her I suggested you call. She will be able to give you a good estimate for today.

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Thanks. That's close enough, to know there is no worry at this point.

Helmsman:

Do you have any sense of when Furuno will get its chart package selections sorted out?

At the moment things seem scrambled due to the Navionics change. It appears every brand is choosing to, or having to, go to their own walled garden approach.

Simrad came out with a new lower end MFD / plotter that features a new operating system, and the commentary on that seems to be that this release was the first as they roll that up through their lineup. The new one is C-maps reliant. Garmin is of course Navionics reliant. Furnuno of course is just vector and rastor charts until and unless they announce something more.

There isn't anything useful out yet on the new interface other than a few brief screen shots promoting how pretty it looks.

Simrad's autoroute function was inside of Navionics, which is obviously going away. C-Map on the phone app side says they will be offering a version "soon". But at the moment there is nothing visible that one can judge.

The point being: things are pretty much up in the air at the moment with forward visabilty as to what the products will actually offer is poor. My question on order timeline was about how long I can wait before decision time. Enough it seems. I hope.

FWT said:

Thanks. That's close enough, to know there is no worry at this point.

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I’d be careful. In September/October I ordered Furuno 19” and 16” and the 16” still haven’t arrived. I would order as soon as possible.

bowball said:

I’d be careful. In September/October I ordered Furuno 19” and 16” and the 16” still haven’t arrived. I would order as soon as possible.

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Thanks

I really get it

Its matter of walking the razor's edge. Too late is a problem. Too soon and instantly obsolete. Not a great position to be in with a full package order that's likely 35k installed.

I think I'll have enough time to remain a bit patient.

With a big change like you describe with Simrad, based on past experience I would expect it to take at least a year in the field before it actually works in any reasonable way.