Long-term Product Performance:
Hull
Hull
This is a log which chronicles the long-term performance of the various products installed on Toy Boat 2. Real life problems, real life solutions (mostly), plus alternatives tried...
These pages will updated as new things are installed or replaced, or as stuff happens to the boat. New or changed items from the previous month will be identified with BLUE TEXT in the first column.
Toy Boat 2 was put in service: July, 2001
| Equipment | Topic | Comments |
| Life jackets SOSpender World Class Automatic 
|
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | We would wear this life jacket all the time, even if it weren't required by the Type V labelling | |
| Other products tried: | Various Type II & III foam PFDs | |
| What's happened: | Nothing - SOSpenders are working as advertised. | |
| What's planned: | Mustang Bomber Type III flotation jacket. Since we're wearing a jacket 75-80% of time, why not? | |
| Batteries Trojan Dual Purpose flooded cell, West Marine Seavolt AGM Deep-cycle |
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | A solid product so far. We've noticed that the Trojans seem to control water evaporation better than the Diehard and Kirkland batteries (both made by Johnson Controls) | |
| Other products tried: | Sears Diehard flooded cell, Kirkland flooded cell | |
| What's happened: | The Kirkland batteries (Costco) worked well, as did the Diehards.
Both brands made it through their scheduled battery lives
without incident. Decided to replace them with Trojan batteries on 19-DEC-2005.
Two 27TMs and one 24TM. These only have a 12 month warranty, but the
warranty is not prorated.
In January, 2007, due to difficulty in checking the water level in the starter battery, we decided to switch it to an AGM battery, which does not require maintenance. |
|
| What's planned: | Continue to monitor the Trojan flooded cell and the West Marine AGM batteries | |
| Battery switches Blue Seas Minis 
|
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | Work fine. Replaced West Marine Minis, which began operating intermittently when cold. | |
| Other products tried: | West Marine Mini-switches, Blue Seas standard-size 1/2/Both | |
| What's happened: | This boat did not come with a battery switch. We originally installed a 1/2/Both switch on the inside of the console, which made it inconvenient to access. We replaced this single switch with 3 outward facing waterproof switches, as per a West Marine Advisor. We started with 3 West marine mini-switches, which developed a problem with intermittent operation when cold. The switches would have so much resistance when cold that the engine would not start, but when warm, the engine would start immediately. Replaced them with Blue Seas mini switches. | |
| What's planned: | Nothing | |
| Trolling Motor circuit breaker Blue Seas Bussmann Series 185 Panel Mount 50 amp 
|
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | Works fine so far. | |
| Other products tried: | Blue Seas Bussmann Series 185 Surface Mount 50 amp, Blue Seas T-1 surface mount 50 amp | |
| What's happened: | The T-1 circuit breaker was recalled in mid-2003. The surface mount Bussmann 185 circuit breaker was installed facing towards the inside of the console, and was replaced with the panel mount version facing out. This allows the TM circuit breaker to be set without opening the console. | |
| What's planned: | Nothing | |
| Wiring Aids Blue Seas Cable Clams 
|
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | A great product. Cable clams provide a water-tight thru-hull access path for wiring that is easily opened up when needed. | |
| Other products tried: | Clamshell covers, sealed with silicone caulking | |
| What's happened: | Nothing | |
| What's planned: | Nothing | |
| Fuse block Blue Seas ST* Glass Fuse Block with Negative Bus 
|
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | Works fine | |
| Other products tried: | None | |
| What's happened: | Nothing | |
| What's planned: | Nothing | |
| Charging system Guest 2623A Three Bank charger 
|
Status: | OK but... |
| In a nutshell: | Generally, this has been a reliable product. There still is an occasional glitch where the starting battery gets stuck on "Charge". Resetting the charger by unplugging it from AC power, then plugging it back in again immediately clears the problem. | |
| Other products tried: | None | |
| What's happened: | Burned out twice, probably due to combiner and 24/12 system...
More >>> |
|
| What's planned: | Nothing | |
| Battery combiner West Marine 50 Amp 
|
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | This has worked exactly as billed. A useful product. | |
| Other products tried: | None | |
| What's happened: | Nothing | |
| What's planned: | Nothing | |
| Autopilot Simrad AP12R  |
Status: | OK, But... |
| In a nutshell: | Once you have an autopilot, you will never own a fishing boat without one again. | |
| Other products tried: | None | |
| What's happened: | After running well for about a year, the AP12R developed
a problem with the unit swinging the boat hard to starboard towards the end of the
day. We had a workaround for the problem, and got lazy about sending the unit in
for repair under warranty. At about the 3 year mark, the unit stopped functioning completely, and was replaced.
The replacement unit seems to work OK. Right after the replacement install, on a couple of trips the unit began swinging the boat in a slow turn to port. However, the problem has not reappeared since... More >>> |
|
| What's planned: | Continue to monitor the unit. | |
| VHF radio Standard Horizon Intrepid LE (discontinued)  |
Status: | OK but... |
| In a nutshell: | A good radio performance-wise, waterproofing of the Squelch knob needs work. | |
| Other products tried: | None | |
| What's happened: | Despite being rated JIS-7, the Squelch knob became damaged by water intrusion after 9 months. The complete radio was replaced by West Marine under warranty. The Squelch knob continues to get sticky whenever water gets behind the knob. | |
| What's planned: | Nothing | |
| Antenna Shakespeare 5225 Galaxy (8', 6 dB) (discontinued), and heavy-duty SS rachet |
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | No problems | |
| Other products tried: | Shakespeare 5241 Whip (3', 3 dB) | |
| What's happened: | Whip antenna was inadequate, could rarely communicate with other boats; the 5225 has been excellent. Mounted on the console rail, we can easily communicate with other boats 15-20 miles distant. | |
| What's planned: | Nothing | |
|
EPIRB 
|
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | Seems to be working well now, after resolving the problems noted below | |
| Other products tried: | None | |
| What's happened: | The unit would periodically fail self-test. Returned the unit twice. The first time, it appears that they bench-tested the unit and, when it passed, returned it without doing anything. The second time they replaced some of the internals, and the unit has been fine. | |
| What's planned: | Nothing | |
| Sonar Raymarine DS600X 
|
Status: | OK, but... |
| In a nutshell: | The unit runs OK, but exhibits some unusual (to us, anyway) performance characteristics. A problem with waterproofing was resolved under warranty. | |
| Other products tried: | Lowrance X-81, Furuno LS-6100 | |
| What's happened: |
The digital processor appears to get confused by dense
schools of bait. On several occasions, we could see dense schools of bait below
the boat, which the
sonar registered as a false bottom. We were ready to set everything
manually, but Raymarine's advice - set only the range manually. This seems to work.
Also, the unit fogged up due to a leaky seal, which was repaired under warranty. Raymarine was quick with the repair, and it turns out expedited return shipment is free, if requested....More >>> |
|
| What's planned: | Nothing | |
|
GPS Lowrance Globalmap 100 w/ external antenna (discontinued)  |
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | A reliable, if somewhat dated, GPS unit | |
| Other products tried: | None | |
| What's happened: | We dropped the unit onto the floor from about three feet, and the top 25% of the LCD display went dead. Lowrance repaired the unit for $75... More >>> | |
| What's planned: | Considering replacing with a Standard Horizon 150C mapping unit | |
| Binoculars Fujinon Nautilus AR-SX 7x50  |
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | A great set of binoculars, although a bit heavy | |
| Other products tried: | Sea Bowld BR7500 7x50 | |
| What's happened: | Nothing; The Fujinons replaced the Sea Bowlds, which are a decent set of binoculars for the price (around $130), but do not seem as bright in low light as the Fujinons. Also, the Sea Bowlds were not weatherproofed, and had a tendency to fog when left exposed to cool, moist air. | |
| What's planned: | Stabilized image binoculars, not sure which brand yet. | |
| Radar Reflector Echomax 230I EM Inflatible  |
Status: | OK |
| In a nutshell: | Looks like a promising product. Collapses to the size of a thin 3-ring binder. | |
| Other products tried: | None | |
| What's happened: | How ironic - after a couple of years of heavy morning fog during the summer months, we have seen almost none in the last year. Performance is still TBD. | |
| What's planned: | Continue to wait for fog. May perform some field tests with boats with radar. | |
| Ditch Bag Bass Pro Shops Extreme Boat Bag  |
Status: | OK, but... |
| In a nutshell: | We're still looking for the ideal bag for us. This is a reasonable compromise, especially given the cost. | |
| Other products tried: | West Marine Abandon Ship Bag | |
| What's happened: |
This bag is about the right size for our storage area, but we had problems with
black dye from the cordura on the bottom staining the seat when wet, and the zipper
pulls have both come off (replaced with cord). Otherwise, a good value for the money. We tried a West Marine Abandon Ship bag for a while, but decided that it was too big. We've gone back to the BPS Extreme Boat Bag for now...More>>> |
|
| What's planned: | Continue to look for other types of bags that are in the right size range. |
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