Helmsman Hacks

Tom-Jill-Lilly said:

Hi Ric, Interesting. I assume your value option was installed at the factory?
I need to read up on it. If you have a good article, let me know. I did read somewhere you have to be careful if you rev the engine in this mode, you can ruin the transmission. Maybe that's the "old design"?

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That is a concern with trolling valves in general, but ones that are integrated with electronic engine controls typically protect against it.

NSM said:

Tom, thanks for you detailed and thoughtful reponse. We were inspired by Jill’s handrails and had them installed on ours. But I also hadn’t thought through the impact on downrigger mounts. I had Scott install wiring for them so if I can figure out a solution I’m good to go. At this point the path of least resistance is to set the dinghy up as my downrigger boat and do what you do on the helmsman using the Deep Six.

Cheers

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Hi Scott, I didnt have the factory install scotty plugs, but did have them plug in a cigarette style 12v plug. That was incase I needed something like a frig in the stern. The 38 has limited space, so I went with a large frif/freezer where the gen set goes and it's super awesome. If I had scotty p=lugs installed, which I like better I would splice in a Scotty male for the frig.

If you interested in this, then I would look at:
Frig (Doug Alba Bella has this one) which I bought for the stern and would fit great on a 38, but I sent it back and got the big one for the basement. It's go big or go home and I like my helmsman better than my home.:

Scotty plug:

Speaking of fishing, here is our new rod rack.



On long rods my tips just about tough the ceiling due to the arch but enough clearance not to be a problem so far.

If interested, Odessey went with these which he said they work well on his 38.

And Jill's new rack for the stern wall. It's for lines, BUT works great to dry out jackets on a soggy day heading to Alaska.

Yes, the old design was a vernier screw that operated a pullcord that opened a bypass for hydraulic fluid at the transmission. If you revved too high, your transmission could overheat. The new ZF trolling valve is different. Also complicated in function although simple in operation. It is integrated into the electronic throttle/shift controls. The operation and troubleshooting manual is twice the size of the QSB manual. But using it is simple - hold a button for a few seconds and it's on. Full control of revs while the engine idles at 600 rpm, and once you are at full revs, further increases in throttle are no different from not having a trolling valve. I don't have any literature and didn't know about it -- I'm used to the old school version and simply asked for a trolling valve in the order. I am very glad to have it.

A double set of Tacos.

Since receiving our 38E last year, we have wanted to have live weather data on board. We looked at Airmar marine weather stations but decided that, for the price, they didn’t provide all the data we wanted and it wasn’t readable remotely.

We just installed a Tempest home weather system. It gives us tons of useful data whether we’re on the boat or not and it cost a third of what the Airmar would have cost.

Its wind readout doesn’t account for the boat’s movement or heading so it isn’t showing true wind speed or direction. When stopped, the wind speed is correct but the direction is relative to the boat’s heading. It does indicate temperature, dew point, relative humidity, precipitation, barometric pressure and solar radiation. It detects and alerts on lightning strikes and shows the estimated distance to the strike.

The app reads on all mobile devices including my Apple Watch. We are using an old iPad in the pilot house to monitor weather while underway.

Best of all, it looks like it belongs on a boat and needs no wiring.

Tom-Jill-Lilly said:

Hi Scott, I didnt have the factory install scotty plugs, but did have them plug in a cigarette style 12v plug. That was incase I needed something like a frig in the stern. The 38 has limited space, so I went with a large frif/freezer where the gen set goes and it's super awesome. If I had scotty p=lugs installed, which I like better I would splice in a Scotty male for the frig.

If you interested in this, then I would look at:
Frig (Doug Alba Bella has this one) which I bought for the stern and would fit great on a 38, but I sent it back and got the big one for the basement. It's go big or go home and I like my helmsman better than my home.:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B9WGVSKW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Scotty plug:

Amazon.com

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For what its worth, I put this dual fridge/freeze on my boat a year ago and love it. Plugged into 12V DC (cigarette lighter)

NSM said:

I keep bumping into the ladder as I maneuver around the engine room. I decided to hang it out of my way when the deck is lifted using boat hook hangers.

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Do you have a spec or source on the hooks you used?

Doug_Snider said:

Do you have a spec or source on the hooks you used?

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Doug:
Amazon.com.

Thanks. Not being very tall, we needed a folding step stool to access things out of reach like the radar mast. We bought one of these and plan to hang it on the engine room bulkhead forward of the door from the day head.

Doug

My wife is "height challenged." We have used these things for years.

Pro tip. Makes a great seat in the engine room while working on something.

Amazon.com

We've used one of these for years. On the H38S it is great for reaching canvas tracks, snaps, and zippers, or working on the overhead in the salon. Also useful as boarding stairs on occasion. When folded, it fits to one side in the aft lazarette and takes up no room. Since it is plastic, there's no rust problem and no hard corners to scratch things. Bee Neat Folding Step Stool, sold by Amazon. Listed for pets but fine for anyone under 200 pounds.

Ric said:

We've used one of these for years. On the H38S it is great for reaching canvas tracks, snaps, and zippers, or working on the overhead in the salon. Also useful as boarding stairs on occasion. When folded, it fits to one side in the aft lazarette and takes up no room. Since it is plastic, there's no rust problem and no hard corners to scratch things. Bee Neat Folding Step Stool, sold by Amazon. Listed for pets but fine for anyone under 200 pounds.

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Have two. Useful in the ER when servicing the engine and other stuff.

Hi, does anyone have a solution for getting remote wireless temperature monitoring from 5-6 locations? All I can find are cheap-looking small plastic monitors displays from Amazon, which would be fine in a house but not on a Helmsman! If I had to go to that I'd stick it in a drawer and probably forget its there.
Looking for a device that can measure one frig, three freezers, and engine room temp.

$/lb salmon fishing is very expensive fishing for it, and I want an alarm if the freezers go offline down in the hold.

A bonus would be to see it from a remote location for the indoor (engine room or solan) temp while she is sleeping over the winter months. A nice display that you would mount on a wall and talk to the wireless WIFI.
Thanks in advance.

Guess it depends on your appetite for data, but I have a few of these. Simple, small, effective, and good data (for me).

I have a bunch of Victron gear on my boat, so I just hooked up a couple of temperature sensors to the Cerbo GX. Easy enough to see the current temperature and it'll alert me based on configurable high and low thresholds.

capran said:

great idea on the ladder. any hacks to keep stern platform rails clean

Great idea on the hooks for the ladder storage. where did you get them? also, any hacks for keeping the rails attached to the underside of the stern platform cleaned?

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Use Prop Speed anti fouling

Ric said:

We got the trolling valve and it is terrific. I didn't anticipate using it other than for fishing, but the design is such that (unlike the old style) it's simple to operate. We've only had one long weekend shakedown, but we used it getting in and out of crowded locks and harbors between Seattle and Pender Island. You can go anywhere from barely moving to full throttle, with the trolling valve only operating while the engine is at idle. Your engine rpm stays steady at 600 and your speed is throttle controlled from 0-3.4kt at that rpm; at higher speeds you automatically go back to normal transmission operation.

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Do you have a separate “throttle” for the trolling valve? And, can you shift into nutral or reverse while using it? Thanks

Tom-Jill-Lilly said:

And Jill's new rack for the stern wall. It's for lines, BUT works great to dry out jackets on a soggy day heading to Alaska.View attachment 155122

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Tom - can you provide details on the rack/hanger - is this an available accessory or custom?

Tom-Jill-Lilly said:

Hi, does anyone have a solution for getting remote wireless temperature monitoring from 5-6 locations? All I can find are cheap-looking small plastic monitors displays from Amazon, which would be fine in a house but not on a Helmsman! If I had to go to that I'd stick it in a drawer and probably forget its there.
Looking for a device that can measure one frig, three freezers, and engine room temp.

$/lb salmon fishing is very expensive fishing for it, and I want an alarm if the freezers go offline down in the hold.

A bonus would be to see it from a remote location for the indoor (engine room or solan) temp while she is sleeping over the winter months. A nice display that you would mount on a wall and talk to the wireless WIFI.
Thanks in advance.

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I use Siren Marine to monitor batteries, bilge pumps, water levels, shore power, bilge temp and other factors. It has built in cellular and gps and I can monitor remotely on any number of devices. Works well and keeps me from hopping in my car all of the time in the winter wondering if my boat is still floating - never mind it has been for 50+ years....

Here’s another idea for height challenged Helmspersons. I don’t know where to get them. Some equally short friends cruising with us just dropped this by.

Doug_Snider said:

Here’s another idea for height challenged Helmspersons. I don’t know where to get them. Some equally short friends cruising with us just dropped this by.

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Here’s what my new grab strap looks like.

Barrie said:

It is obvious that you haven't changed diapers for awhile!
My sensor was frozen solid with rust and junk when i first got the boat. Got the sensor out and took it home and completely disassembled it. Once cleaned the float should move easily up and down. The holes in the side of the tube allow liquid in and keep solids out so you should get many months of care-free use.
Some tips: use quick disconnects on the electrical ends and lubricate the thread. This way you only have to screw out the inner part and not remove the screws holding the base to the tank. Here is a picture of the model i have.
There is a spring wire on the bottom that when removed allows complete disassembly for cleaning.
Barrie

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We have tried the Tide in the tank and a good sloshing around on a half full tank and a nearly full tank with no luck. Does anyone know how to remove the sensor on a newer 38E? Do you have to remove all th ebolts around the tank lid or can the sensor be removed by itself?

Hey Doug. It is a crappy job. We have been lucky so far with a combination tide and dove for dishes. Sorry to hear yours is crapped out. The sad answer is yes, all the bolts have to come out to remove the fluid level sender. Should be quick and painful on the nose. I think ours are the KUS SHS holding tank sensors. Surprisingly cheap at Fisheries.

I cleaned mine twice. The third time I added this sensor. Been great ever since. When it comes to "fluids" like that, non-contact sensors are best.

HeadedToTexas said:

I cleaned mine twice. The third time I added this sensor. Been great ever since. When it comes to "fluids" like that, non-contact sensors are best.

TM Series Tank Montors - SCAD Technologies LLC

SCAD TM series tank monitors are easy to install and use sensors that attached to the outside of a tank, which cannot foul.

scadtech.com

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HTT, do you have the monitor on the tank where you can read it under the step?

Edit to add link to instructions. I couldn’t figure out the half inch hole that needs to be drilled.

There is no drilling on the holding tank. The sensors are wide foil "tape" that stick to the outside of the tank. Access to the aft side of the tank is pretty easy in our hull 3. Thought for sure I had before and after pictures, but in two trips through my 1200 boat pictures I found only this before picture. Suffice it to say that installation was easy.



The hole is for the wires on the display unit. It looks like a standard 2" gauge, but it's really a flat panel with membrane buttons and LEDs. Very simple to operate and at least as easy to use and read as the KUS gauge it replaced.

Helmsman said:

HTT, do you have the monitor on the tank where you can read it under the step?

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Hmmm, guess I didn't really address that one. No, the display is mounted in the forward head where you can sit there and see the holding tank level. I installed it right where the old KUS gauge was.

On our boat, there is no access to the sides of the FRP holding tank, ruling out the possibility of using the SCAD sensor. Thanks to my very knowledgeable brother-in-law, I learned that the sensor assembly, circled in red in the photo, is very easily removed using pliers or a wrench. The sensor assembly has quick disconnects for the wiring. Grasp the square metal protrusion with pliers to loosen the sensor assembly. Once removed, the sensor assembly can be disassembled for cleaning. The shaft with the float is secured in the tube with a bell shaped spring. Once the spring is removed, the float and shaft can be pulled from the tube. If the float is working properly, you can hear and feel it moving inside the tube when you tip it upside down. There was some crud in the tube that was easily removed. Our gauge now reads correctly and it wasn’t a messy operation after all.