Under way, eventually (a 1200+ Nm cruise around Italy)

[BartW]

.
For cooking, we have gas hobs anyway - the connoisseur choice, if I may add!
But don't tell any Brit that I said this, they would think I'm mad...

+1

re the airco,
in the past we used the airco mostly in Marina's (lack of wind, and no option for swimming)
and almost never on ancher,
last season on Almalfo coast, almost every afternoon and evening we had to run the AC,
I'm still not sure if the climate on average was a few degrees higher, compared to Croatia and SOF,
or if we've become sissies

just like you we run the genny in the morning, after lunch (dishwasher) and towards the evening.
The consumption is indeed neglectible (compared to...)

 

[Hurricane]

re the airco,
in the past we used the airco mostly in Marina's (lack of wind, and no option for swimming)
and almost never on ancher,
last season on Almalfo coast, almost every afternoon and evening we had to run the AC,
I'm still not sure if the climate on average was a few degrees higher, compared to Croatia and SOF,
or if we've become sissies

Likewise, we don't generally run the generator at anchor but last summer (first three weeks in August), we did run it.
It was unbearably hot and humid - even swimming didn't get away from it so a good A/C run in the evenings cooled the cabins down.
A few years ago, I fitted DC fans over the beds which helps to move air round on a hot sticky night.
The motor hum seems to help sleep as well!!!

 

[Portofino]

There was a day last week - hot 30 + but still , no breeze so we ran the geny and Aircon for the 40 min run back to the marina .
You can,t hear it over the main engine noise anyhow ,so may as well .
Just gives a head start on chilling it down before the shore power .

Little dog appreciated a cool saloon .:encouragement: on return .
As said you can start to recharge devices too while motoring .

Btw bit of advice, I only turn the Aircon on and 220 V outlets ( sockets )
Not the charger because the engine alternators are running .
Which begs the Q should the charger be on and the alternator s could that damage anything ?
What do others turn on running both mains and geny ?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I am a typical Brit for whom any temp above 20degC is a blistering heatwave. My aircon goes on in May and is switched off in October. And yes I nearly always run the gennie continuously at anchor although not usually overnight

 

[Hurricane]

These days, while anchored, we are running the genset anyway on a daily basis, usually after waking up in the morning and around dinner time, but that's just to avoid hurting the batteries too much, and recharge mobiles etc.

It will be interesting to hear how your house batteries cope.
Do you have a battery monitor or some way of determining the state of charge?

As you know, my experience of charging for a couple of hours every now and then takes the battery voltages dangerously low after about 3 days away from shore power.
But on a long delivery trip like this, the engines will probably be running for a considerable period so it may not be as much of a problem.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

A few years ago, I fitted DC fans over the beds which helps to move air round on a hot sticky night.
The motor hum seems to help sleep as well!!!

Thanks to your recommendation I did the same but the boss objects to them because they 'dry her skin out'. My suggestion to douse herself in engine oil before retiring at night has fallen on deaf ears

 

[BartW]

A few years ago, I fitted DC fans over the beds which helps to move air round on a hot sticky night.
The motor hum seems to help sleep as well!!!

yes that is a good tip,
we alway's struggle with ventilation in the side cabins,
when guests want privacy, and keep the cabin doors closed, the side cabins are very hot in the night,
oposed to the bow VIP and full beam Master cabin, there usually is a light breeze from one side to the other side of the boat, through the cabin.

2 x silent fans are on order !

 

[petem]

For cooking, we have gas hobs anyway - the connoisseur choice, if I may add!
But don't tell any Brit that I said this, they would think I'm mad...
...though the setup was approved also from Y insurance, so maybe also in the UK it's a more popular arrangement than it appears from this MoBo forum!

P, AFAIK gas was the standard fit on pretty much all (smaller) Fairlines until the early 2000's and perhaps even later. In fact, I asked if I could substitute gas with electricity it on my T30 in 99 and was advised against it. Saying that, virtually all small Targas that I've ever viewed had unused hobs and ovens. Unusually, the gas hob and oven on my boat has been used and there's even an empty gas cylinder in the cockpit locker (which I must ditch at some point).

 

[BartW]

Btw bit of advice, I only turn the Aircon on and 220 V outlets ( sockets )
Not the charger because the engine alternators are running .
Which begs the Q should the charger be on and the alternator s could that damage anything ?
What do others turn on running both mains and geny ?

in our setup engine alternators are in parallel with charge-invertors (2 x Victron Quattro 8Kw)
and the chargers are automatically fead from genny or shore power (genny gets priority)

this all works smooth and without any problem,
Victron advices todo so !
we could add solar power in parallel aswell.

the charging curent stabilises itself between the different sources.
and is depending on the settings of the DC charging voltage from the chargers at different modes (bulk - absob - float)

 

[MapisM]

There was a day last week - hot 30 + but still , no breeze so we ran the geny and Aircon for the 40 min run back to the marina.

And that's with an open boat... Talk about 1st world problems!

Which begs the Q should the charger be on and the alternator s could that damage anything ?

I don't think so - in fact, I did that incidentally a few times with the old boat, and she never exploded!
The DP automatically switches the charger off upon engine start, though.

 

[MapisM]

It will be interesting to hear how your house batteries cope.
Do you have a battery monitor or some way of determining the state of charge?

As you know, my experience of charging for a couple of hours every now and then takes the battery voltages dangerously low after about 3 days away from shore power.
But on a long delivery trip like this, the engines will probably be running for a considerable period so it may not be as much of a problem.

I'm afraid I'll be unable to give you a decent feedback this summer, M. In fact, the OEM electrical setup is rather sophisticated in many ways, particularly for a 2004 boat, but it leaves something to be desired in terms of battery control.
A Victron charger/inverter with its own monitoring system remained in my future upgrades list for this year, but based on the very positive experience of retrofitting just that in the previous boat, more than likely I will install something similar also on the DP, sooner or later.

Time being, all I've got are two A-meter, measuring the DC absorption and the DC recharge (when the charger is running, obviously).
That gives at least a rough idea of the battery status, because upon the first genset start in the morning the DC recharge goes straight to 60A or so (the Dolphin charger is rated for 100A max), then quickly goes down somewhere between 40 and 50, then around 20 to 30 after half an hour or so.
But it does take at least another good hour to drop to just above whatever the Amps consumption is at any given moment (i.e. float charge).

Anyway, during the whole trip, on top of running the engines rather frequently, I will occasionally check in some marinas to enjoy a bit of social life and rinse the boat (we are planning to head for Mali Losinj tomorrow, for instance), so hopefully the batteries shouldn't suffer too much...

 

[MapisM]

My suggestion to douse herself in engine oil before retiring at night has fallen on deaf ears

LOL, after such suggestion, I can easily imagine how collaborative S could be upon the following mooring...

 

[AndieMac]

....For cooking, we have gas hobs anyway - the connoisseur choice, if I may add!
But don't tell any Brit that I said this, they would think I'm mad...
...though the setup was approved also from Y insurance, so maybe also in the UK it's a more popular arrangement than it appears from this MoBo forum!

The cooking with electricity concept must have developed more in the last couple of decades as genset installations become more common and boat sizes increased, from boating magazine info pre 2000 it seemed gas was the choice. Perhaps potential health and safety issues around that time also contributed to the demise of gas.

 

[AndieMac]

Yup, that was the idea, together with a much better guests accommodation. I'm sure A & A will appreciate that! .......

....don't make them too comfortable, you'll never get rid of them

Although we did love the old girl, comfortable and classy.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

The cooking with electricity concept must have developed more in the last couple of decades as genset installations become more common and boat sizes increased, from boating magazine info pre 2000 it seemed gas was the choice. Perhaps potential health and safety issues around that time also contributed to the demise of gas.

Its as much about convenience as anything. My first few boats had gas cooking but it was a pain in the arse because inevitably the gas bottle ran out just when you were about to cook dinner and then even if you could get a replacement bottle sometimes you couldnt get one with the right fitting. And then there was the safety issue. I always felt a bit uncomfortable sitting on my cockpit seating knowing I was sitting on top of a potential gas bomb and it would take a single spark to detonate it. I was very happy to get my first boat with an electric hob and gennie even if the food doesnt quite taste as good

 

[MapisM]

it was a pain in the arse because inevitably the gas bottle ran out just when you were about to cook dinner and then even if you could get a replacement bottle sometimes you couldnt get one with the right fitting.

Pah, amateur...!
Keeping one spare bottle is a given, when you've got a gas hob.
After all, if you really must explode, you can as well do it in style and have not one but two bombs, for a properly big bang!

And on a more serious note, most gas cooktop also have at least one electric hob too, just in case.
That's what I've got on the DP, and used to have on the previous boat as well. :encouragement:

 

[AndieMac]

I was very happy to get my first boat with an electric hob and gennie even if the food doesnt quite taste as good

Never get into a food argument with an Italian, you will never win...

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

And on a more serious note, most gas cooktop also have at least one electric hob too, just in case.
That's what I've got on the DP, and used to have on the previous boat as well. :encouragement:

Just out of interest what is the difference between a boiled egg cooked on a gas hob and a boiled egg cooked on an electric one? I'm needing culinary education here!

 

[BartW]

Just out of interest what is the difference between a boiled egg cooked on a gas hob and a boiled egg cooked on an electric one? I'm needing culinary education here!

while Italians will tell you that the difference is huge,
I'm afraid that you brits won't taste any difference

 

[MapisM]

Just out of interest what is the difference between a boiled egg cooked on a gas hob and a boiled egg cooked on an electric one? I'm needing culinary education here!

TBH boiled eggs aren't among my favorites - I actually can't remember to have ever had one since I left my parents home almost 40 years ago…!
But yes, I suppose you couldn't tell the difference between gas and electric hobs, in this case.

Where it does make a difference (according not only to S, but also to several friends of ours, some of which are indeed excellent cooks - and I mean it: I had some meals at their homes which I would have been happy to get in a starred restaurant) is in any preparations where it's crucial to carefully calibrate the temperature, possibly changing it rapidly, and/or you need to move the pan, possibly keeping it also slightly inclined for some time.
As I understand, this is what is practically impossible with electric hobs.

Then again, I'm far from being an expert myself, when it comes to cooking. I'm just faithful on what I'm told, and enjoy the results!