What is it with Nigel Calder and electricity?

Twister_Ken

Twister_Ken

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Reading his latest in in YM, seems he likes to sail along with every electrical button in the on position, then moan about generation not keeping up with consumption, and use that as an excuse to build a CEGB power station into his boat.

Buttons have off positions, Nigel.
 
If we all had simple and easy to use and maintain electrical systems, then we wouldn't need his books...

Personally, I'd rather sail than spend months considering and tweaking an electrical system...
 
If you'll pardon the pun, these articles just turn me off. Was it Nigel who had a new boat for all of 18 months or something before deciding it wasn't quite engineering perfection and then embarked on getting Malo to build him a new one? All the electrcial gadgets and his search for ultimate perfection seem a bit irrelevant to the average sailor....one of the reasons I have given up buying sailing mags....although to be fair YM tends to have the best contents.
 
After giving out good basic advice, Mr Calder then seems to delight in making a simple subject over complicated and then adds ever more variations to this theme.

I refuse to join in the march towards a marine Startrek USS Enterprise culture and for me all this has no place whatsoever on a sailing yacht. If people want all this dross this they should stick to virtulisation programs on a PC.
However I must be in the minority with this view otherwise his publishers would not continue with him,


Brian

Founder member of the Luddite appreciation society
 
" Founder member of the Luddite appreciation society"

.......Sign me up. I have the usual selection of electric flummery around the boat but it normally remains switched off. I make about two VHF calls a year.
 
For those who have kicked the YM habit, and haven't seen NC's list of lectriks, here's his essential 'at sea' list:

Radar (5A)
Autopilot (5A)
Laptop (5A)
Fridge & freezer (avg 3A)
Lighting (avg 2A)
Watermaker (avg 1A)
(note - nothing there for sailing and nav instruments (maybe his laptop handles all that) nor apparently for nav lights)

He adds that up to 504 Amp hours a day, or 6 kW.
 
The guy is a muppet... why is he running the laptop and the radar continuously at sea?????

I note that part of this laptop use is for "work".... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif


He is cruisng in daylight in the Carib... wtf is he running the radar for???? And the Laptop on passage??

His problem is not in generation... it in his lifestyle!
 
[ QUOTE ]
For those who have kicked the YM habit, and haven't seen NC's list of lectriks, here's his essential 'at sea' list:

Radar (5A)
Autopilot (5A)
Laptop (5A)
Fridge & freezer (avg 3A)
Lighting (avg 2A)
Watermaker (avg 1A)
(note - nothing there for sailing and nav instruments (maybe his laptop handles all that) nor apparently for nav lights)

He adds that up to 504 Amp hours a day, or 6 kW.

[/ QUOTE ]
Of that list, I would prioritse the fridge. That's the main benefit of reasonable electrics imho.
The auto pilot should not be working that hard, I know they are mostly poorly designed and move the steering just to show you they are busy, but that figure is pretty silly as an average consumption.
Of course there is a whole industry telling us we are falling behind if we don't have a surround-sound TV and a microwave on our yachts, but I prefer to keep life simple aboard.
 
I suppose I am the last man to jump to Nigel's defence since I rarely understand a word of his articles (my deficiency, not his) but given that there are quite a lot of extended cruisers (the ARC skippers for example) who do like to have all this equipment on board then he is no doubt using his own boat as a laboratory to provide material for his articles. Although I see myself as being in the simple systems camp I am surprised at the amount of electrical equipment I have on board as "essential". And I am contemplating getting a fridge at some point to keep the beer cold. With only a Rutland wind generator and solar panel generating electricity it will be more a matter of luck rather than judgement if I manage to keep the battery charged. But it will undoubtedly be to one of Nigel's books that I turn when I find it flat one morning.

Michael
 
If he was real sailor he'd have a wind vane not an autopilot when sailing! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Having met the man he does know his stuff, but over complicates things for us lesser mortals who know little about 12v electrics. He gave us a very good talk on keeping all boat electrics simple, but then he has the most complicated electric heavy sail boat in existance.

I think he's a little confused as to what Mr average wants in the way of electrics. On the other hand he could catering for the US market which, from what I'm led to believe is very heavy with the boat electrics.

His books are very good, saved me a trip up the mast a couple of times. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Someone told me that Nigel is thinking of trying out one of Toshiba's micro size Nuclear Reactors.

Next12.17b.jpg
 
I suppose if you've paid a lot of money for a radar and wish to rely on it, then your demand for 12(and a bit!) volts is a bit more serious than mine.
I've not read much of his stuff, being a semi-luddite who works in electronics, I work out my own way.
The point I would make is 'be clear what you really need from your system' then work out how best to achieve that. Be careful of spending lots for 'nice to have' functionality.
 
As far as I can remember, he got a Malo 45 built to his own spec then decided to sell it to get a, what passes for me as an experimental, boat built by the same company. What possesses a sailing man to give up a Malo 45 I don't now, but he must have his reasons e.g has he some sort of book deal for this new boat? It strikes me he's more interested in modern day electrickeries than he is in the business od actually sailing. For my own part I'm a fully paid up member of the KISS club.
 
I havn't yet seen the article, but if electricity and boats are what drives you, then out of experimenting something useful and interesting may occur. Like all science progress only happens by doing something different.
 
I've never read any of his books but others seem to speak highly of them. Hope they're written in a different tone to his regular YM pitch. Strange fellow, can't help but mutter to myself "smug git" after each reading. Poles apart from Mr Cunliffe who never fails to keep me amused with his astute observations and wry style.
 
I think he has to be admired for pushing boundries!. I am sure some of the stuff he is into will filter down to us all, perhaps electric engines are the way to go...... I am glad he is doing things like this otherwise some boat builders would use us as the test bed.
More power to you Nigel Opps pardon the pun!!
 
Yes Mr. Calder does know how to blow smoke up his own a*se! God help if SY's and MB's get as complicated as his "Floating Techno Trouble, who's going to fix it when it goes t1ts." But there again he's on a different planet to most.
I agree he is a far cry from Mr Cunliffe that comes across as an amusing but knowledgeable laid back sort of guy.
Pity Mr C. has not found the time to bring his book of electrics/electronics up to date for the last five years instead of making the Malo's engineers life hell.
Perhaps it's all got beyond himself and he is just living off the proceeds. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

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