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admin
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Posted: Thu May 1st, 2008 05:28 am |
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I replaced all my Hanse 371 running lights with LED inserts about 3 years ago. The green light was very weak, red strong. The white stern light looked good when new but failed within a year. These were from Orcagreen. I complained about the failure but never got a reply.
So, a second try, I used LED bulbs from doctorLED.com which were specifically designed for the Aquasignal lamps. An A/B test with the boat alongside with regular bulbs shows they are at least equally bright, and the red and green are nearly equal (the bulb has red and green LEDS). I'm 100% satisfied with these. Kind of an expensive experiment though.
I have also replaced most of the interior lights with LED bulbs which plug into the same sockets. Some were from doctorled, these fitted the gooseneck lamps. For the dome lamps I found some small flat LED boards with 3 LEDs each at a local supplier. These fit the dome lights well.
In my opinion the interior lights and the anchor light save more power than the running lights since I seldom sail at night, but often anchor.
We have 2 - 75 watt solar panels on top of the hard dodger, and have upgraded the house batteries to 2 x 6 volt 220 AH AGM Lifeline in series. We can anchor out for at least 2 days with fridge running before we need to run the engine. Other than the fridge the biggest power user I have is a very hungry 17" laptop computer.
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admin
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Posted: Thu May 1st, 2008 05:31 am |
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I have had water leaking into the first compartment under the vee berth since my 371 (number 092) was new in 2002. I would mop out the water a couple of times a year.
Today I decided to see if I could fix it. I let all the chain out with the windlass, (while tied up in the marina) so that I could see the bottom of the locker. I then cleaned it as it was pretty dirty in there. I couldn't see any cracks or gaps, and the bottom panel looked well glassed in.
The drain holes had 2 copper pipes inserted in the holes, I assume to stop water entering the laminate. I couldn't see any sealant around them, so I wondered how they were fastened in place. I grabbed a protruding edge with pliers and found the answer. The tube came out easily, it was just fitted in there, not sealed at all. The second tube also came out easily, and it was wet.
I cleaned the holes as well as possible, and since the boat is in the water, I had a limited ability to inspect the inside of the holes. Still, I suspect there is a gap or hole in there which is letting water in.
I cleaned the copper tubes with sandpaper, and coated the outside with a thick layer of polyurethane sealant, and pushed them back into the holes. Will this cure the problem? I'm pretty sure it will, but I'll have to wait a while to verify it.
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admin
Administrator
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Posted: Thu May 1st, 2008 05:43 am |
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I have Hanse 371-092, my second 371 (its a long story...). My boat is great and I have cruised her for thousands of miles. I have also raced her quite a bit with great results. I love the boat in almost all ways.
I have a few problems and complaints. The refigerator insulation was inadequate, and we made a 50 mm thick foam, fiberglass covered, liner for the lid. We filled the void space around the fridges with spray fosm (professionally applied) which has cut power use in half.
I had a new spray dodger made, with a hard top by Tartarooga. When removing the factory sprayhood it was discovered that the boltrope tracks were not bedded with sealant. BAD. Water could get into the core and perhaps has. If any of you has the factory sprayhood check for bedding. It is easy to rebed, but expensive to fix 10 years later.
The anchor locker is too small and I have to push the chain out of the way when raising the anchor as it piles up and jams.
Battery and electrical wiring is not as tidy and professional as I would like to see it. I replaced the house battery with two 220AH 6volt AGM batteries in series. Fuel and water tanks are very small for long distance cruising. However, I can fix these items without much trouble. I converted my running lights to LEDs to conserve power. I installed 2 - 75 watt solar panels on the top of the new spray dodger.
I have a full set of Raymarine instruments and an Autohelm 5000 which works very well. Also a Uniden VHF with wireless remote mike. Very handy.
The East sails are very soft and not durable. There was no sacrificial strip on the furling jib, so I had one added. Despite the poor sails, we always seemed to outpoint and out foot other cruisng boats our size. But racing is a different matter. Overall still the best boat I have ever had, and I have had 10 so far including Islander, Catalina and several custom built jobs.
In 2005 I bought a 149% Elvstrom high-tech genoa for racing, and it did make the boat faster in light winds. In 2007 I bought a new self-tacking working jib to replace the original. Again, Elvstrom supplied by Leitch and McBride. A great looking sail and more area due to vertical battens and positive roach. The boat is faster and points higher. I wish I had boaught that sail first instead of the Genoa.
Last edited on Tue Sep 16th, 2008 05:56 am by admin
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admin
Administrator
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Posted: Thu May 1st, 2008 05:45 am |
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Our Hanse 371 Tangleberry is now 5 years old, and we have learned the ins and outs, good and bad of the 371, and by extension, Hanses in general. She is now nearly perfect for our use, and we will sail to Alaska this summer.
Good:
Overall structure excellent.
Sailing capability and balance excellent.
Interior layout good.
Reliability has been good.
Bad:
Wiring not up to the best standards, and would not pass US AYBC rules. They did put in lots of extra wires which has made it easier to add equipment.
Shower drainage not the best, someone at Hanse needs to know that water generally flows downhill. Same with deck drainage. We put a grating in the shower which doesn't help the drainage but at least keeps your feet drier.
Anchor windlass has insufficient drop, the locker is really too shallow for an all chain rode. I just have to live with pushing the chain out of the way every 10-15 M when raising the anchor.
Factory spray hood was of mediocre quality and ugly.
Deck hardware, mainly blocks of inexpensive type. Nothing has broken, so I guess I can't complain too much.
We have done the following mods:
Replaced spray hood with a Tartarooga hard dodger. Expensive and worth it. We have back panels to enclose it to make a "wheelhouse".
Added two 75 watt solar panels on top of the hard dodger.
Added insulation to the fridge.
Changed house battery to two 6 volt AGM 220AH units in series.
Added AIS and new Garmin GPSMAP 545 this year.
Replaced running light bulbs with LEDs.
Interior enhancements.
Any production boat lacks individuality, and Tangleberry was no exception. We like the clean uncluttered Hanse style, but have done a few things to make the interior more practical and cosier.
Lighting:
All interior bulbs replaced with warm white LEDs to save power. They are not quite as bright as the original halogens but use 1/10 the power.
I loved the kerosene trawler lamp we used to have in a boat long ago, but they are very expensive, and I don't want another fuel on board. Also, polished brass doesn't really suit our mahogany and chrome interior.
The solution? IKEA to the rescue. I installed an Ottava hanging lamp (aluminum), which is their version of a traditional fisherman's lamp. I also bought a bulkhead clock from them which has a thermometer and hygrometer in the dial. The lamp was made for mains power, but I have adapted it with a readily available 12 volt bulb. I have also ordered a 12V CCF bulb which will use less power, but it hasn't arrived yet.
When sailing in rough seas, and heeled over, things placed on the shelves above the berths and on top of the lockers tend to jump out, the fiddles are too low. I have solved this with 18 mm anodized aluminum tubing mounted about 20mm above the fiddles along the vee berth, using rubber door stops for end sockets.
IKEA again. I found a bathroom shelf called BAREN which is made of tempered glass and has nicely rounded corners. It is meant to be mounted horizontally, but I mounted it vertically just inside the existing fiddles on top of the lockers. It looks as if it belongs there, and since it is about 40 mm high it can keep quite a lot of "stuff" in place.
I made a "bum strap" for the galley to keep the cook in place when heeled. I would have liked to put a "crash bar" in front of the cooker, but it would interfere with opening the locker under the sink.
I have ordered several cargo nets about 1200 x 300mm in size which I plan to install in various places such as above the berths to hold life jackets and other light items out of the way.
The cabin probably needs a few more hand holds, and I'm considering where to locate them.
By the way, I doubt if you will find a home in Canada without at least a few IKEA items. Now this may become true of boats as well.
Last edited on Tue Sep 16th, 2008 05:54 am by admin
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admin
Administrator
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Posted: Tue Sep 16th, 2008 06:03 am |
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We are back from our 1800 mile round trip to Alaska. The boat performed perfectly, and we had a good time with no scary bits. No groundings or accidents although a clumsy fishboat rafted alongside and bent a couple of our stanchions.
We used the heater (Espar hot air) a LOT. Don't even think of going to Alaska without heat.
Although it is a sail boat, we motored 90% of the time due to narrow channels and lack of wind. Beautiful scenery and for the most part friendly people.
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