Another new start for Helmsman

[Tom-Jill-Lilly]

Tom,

I have already created a number of checklists using MiraCheck. I used information in the “Amy Ann” manual and a similar document for “Kiskadee”. As we get familiar with the boat and progress through our training, I will be updating them. The app is pretty intuitive and the checklists can be used on a mobile device or printed in several layout formats. They can be exported for sharing with other uses of the app. I would be happy to share any checklists we create. I'll try to upload a PDF sample to TF.

I have also been playing with the Logbook Suite app. It’s very comprehensive and can automatically log NMEA data with the addition of a WiFi multiplexer that will plug into the back of our chart plotter. I’m always forgetting to log engine hours and the app will do it for me.

https://logbooksuite.de/en/

Our approach to carrying kayaks will be a little different. We have two Hobie pedal kayaks that we will carry on the boat deck with ties to the rails to keep them in place. Our dinghy will be carried on swim step davits. We will use the hoist for the kayaks, my mountain bike and Patti’s recumbent trike.

We have most of our boat shopping done but I'm still trying to find a rail mounted burgee mast for the bow that will fit on a 1 1/4" rail. Has anyone found a good option?

Doug, Thanks for the input. Looks like I need to study the Mira approach more, maybe a on-board lesson at your slip in exchange for a bottle of fine wine to go with your new boat

A little research, here is what I could find on your burgee ask..

https://wavyflag.net/collections/fr...le-heavy-duty-1-rail-size-316-stainless-steel

Good luck on your splash tomorrow. very exciting! Just don't look at her hanging over the water..

 

[chanprr]

I'd add the following to your checklists:

Safety briefing before departing
MOB procedures for keeping MOB person in sight and recovery

Securing
Water pump off
Bilge pumps on
ACR panel switches set to auto

Emergency MOB
Designate someone on board to point to where the MOB was last seen, and keeps pointing even if underway
Practice Williamson turn for recovery
Ready boat hook, life sling and throw bags

Thanks for the checklists. Good stuff!

 

[Doug_Snider]

I'd add the following to your checklists:

Safety briefing before departing
MOB procedures for keeping MOB person in sight and recovery

Securing
Water pump off
Bilge pumps on
ACR panel switches set to auto

Emergency MOB
Designate someone on board to point to where the MOB was last seen, and keeps pointing even if underway
Practice Williamson turn for recovery
Ready boat hook, life sling and throw bags

Thanks for the checklists. Good stuff!

Thanks for the input. Great suggestions. I'll be doing a lot of revisions during commissioning and training. BTW, splashdown in Seattle is tomorrow morning.

 

[Helmsman]

I saw some discussion on placing a starlink antenna via scotty rod holder.. Any thoughts (aside from $$) about using a dome (Intellian) for the antenna, has anyone heard of this idea if it works? Feasible or not?

I have seen it stated that it will work for the mobile RV product (Tripod version) with the right size dome. Seaview sells a stand for it. For the flat panel, the dome would be pretty large.

 

[Hobomack]

I'll be the one to break the ice and acknowledge the mistake so that this can be openly talked about...

Doug and Patti (Doug_Snider) were with us for the unload of their 38E at the Port of Seattle yesterday. But to everyone's shock and dismay the boat that arrived was the one that was to ship to Miami (Helmsman's 38E). Evidently the boats were inadvertently switched at the container terminal in Shanghai. The cause of the error is being investigated, but it seems that the identifying marks were lost or damaged. Otherwise the boats looked the same -- entirely wrapped in white plastic so that even the different hull colors were not visible.

We are now working on plans to get the boats to their intended locations.

A big disappointment for Doug and Patti of course, who will need to wait longer for their boat to be transported to Seattle from Miami.

Here's a photo of Helmsman's new 38E on its visit to the left coast, just after the unload.

Scott Helker
Helmsman Trawlers

 

[PattiS]

We were all really disappointed yesterday, but were and are really impressed with how Scott and his crew dealt with the “switched at berth” situation. Scott was on the phone immediately notifying Helmsman and trying to find out how it had happened. The next step is figuring out the best way to get the two boats to the right locations.

Helmsman’s boat is beautiful and it was great to see it underway on it’s way back to Waterline Boats.

 

[Helmsman]

Patty , well said! We feel the same about the situation. Great, and clear, communication from the Helmsman team when the mistake was discovered. And work was started right away on getting the boats to the right place. Stuff happens in life. Nice to be working with a great company when it does. And thank you guys for the pictures!

 

[Doug_Snider]

I'll be the one to break the ice and acknowledge the mistake so that this can be openly talked about...


We are now working on plans to get the boats to their intended locations.

A big disappointment for Doug and Patti of course, who will need to wait longer for their boat to be transported to Seattle from Miami.

Here's a photo of Helmsman's new 38E on its visit to the left coast, just after the unload.

Scott Helker
Helmsman Trawlers

We’re trying to stay focused on the positives of this situation. Yesterday was disappointing but not a bad day. We had nice weather aboard Scott’s boat and got to see the beautiful Helmsman 38E that started this thread. We got a good introduction in navigating the Ballard Locks.

For months, we have been focused on getting ready for the boat and, for the past few weeks, watching it make its way across the Pacific. Now that Alba Bella is headed away from us instead of toward us, we plan to attend to some things we’ve been neglecting for a while. Instead of spending Thanksgiving aboard the boat on Lake Union, we’ll be heading south to spend some time with our family.

As disheartening as the event was, dealing with Scott Helker and his entire team makes it bearable. We have complete confidence that it will be resolved to our satisfaction and that there will be new happy Helmsman Trawlers owners in short order.

 

[Nancy n Larry]

I'll be the one to break the ice and acknowledge the mistake so that this can be openly talked about...

Doug and Patti (Doug_Snider) were with us for the unload of their 38E at the Port of Seattle yesterday. But to everyone's shock and dismay the boat that arrived was the one that was to ship to Miami (Helmsman's 38E). Evidently the boats were inadvertently switched at the container terminal in Shanghai. The cause of the error is being investigated, but it seems that the identifying marks were lost or damaged. Otherwise the boats looked the same -- entirely wrapped in white plastic so that even the different hull colors were not visible.

We are now working on plans to get the boats to their intended locations.

A big disappointment for Doug and Patti of course, who will need to wait longer for their boat to be transported to Seattle from Miami

Here's a photo of Helmsman's new 38E on its visit to the left coast, just after the unload.

Scott Helker
Helmsman Trawlers

I can't imagine the astonishment and disappointment that everyone experienced. This is a perfect example of "Best laid plans going awry"! Also sounds like a good stiff drink was in order at the end of the day! Fortunately, all things tend to work out in the end. Sending our well wishes for all involved! N and L

 

[Tom-Jill-Lilly]

Sorry to hear about the port mixup, the good news is you got Scott and his team to go find a solution.

 

[Helmsman]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! There is certainly a lot to be thankful for.

 

[twistedtree]

We’re trying to stay focused on the positives of this situation. Yesterday was disappointing but not a bad day. We had nice weather aboard Scott’s boat and got to see the beautiful Helmsman 38E that started this thread. We got a good introduction in navigating the Ballard Locks.

For months, we have been focused on getting ready for the boat and, for the past few weeks, watching it make its way across the Pacific. Now that Alba Bella is headed away from us instead of toward us, we plan to attend to some things we’ve been neglecting for a while. Instead of spending Thanksgiving aboard the boat on Lake Union, we’ll be heading south to spend some time with our family.

As disheartening as the event was, dealing with Scott Helker and his entire team makes it bearable. We have complete confidence that it will be resolved to our satisfaction and that there will be new happy Helmsman Trawlers owners in short order.

I feel your pain, especially since my boat got smashed up in transit. But hang in there. This will get resolved and all be behind you, you will have a great boat to enjoy, and a great story to tell...

 

[FWT]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! There is certainly a lot to be thankful for.

And the very same to you and yours.

 

[Tom-Jill-Lilly]

That is very true. We do have a lot to be thankful for. Thank you for reminding us.

Helmsman, have you thought of a name for your boat yet? We're still mulling it over. I feel like it's almost like naming our first born.

Do you have an expected date yet for when yours will arrive?

 

[Helmsman]

That is very true. We do have a lot to be thankful for. Thank you for reminding us.

Helmsman, have you thought of a name for your boat yet? We're still mulling it over. I feel like it's almost like naming our first born.

Do you have an expected date yet for when yours will arrive?

Thanks for asking, and I agree! It is hard to come up with a name! We decided to name it the Mishy Jean. My mother's name was Jean and my mother in law's nickname was Mish. Both super ladies who had a significant impact on everyone in our family. Both have passed on, and we thought that it would be a small way to honor them, and to remind our grandchildren of them when we are all out on the water.

As far as receiving the boat, the tentative date for departing Seattle was communicated December 9th, of course subject to the trucking company and their schedule. That could always change. We found a marina at the confluence of the Tennessee and the TomBigBee that can handle the off load and get the boat back into the water.

I am thinking the boat will be turned over to us probably right after the first of the year due to the holidays, which will work for us. We will see!

 

[Doug_Snider]

Having the name for a boat is a significant event. You no longer have to refer to her as "the boat". You can also start acquiring customized boat swag like shirts, hats and etched wine glasses.

"Mishy Jean" will be departing Seattle on the same day "Alba Bella" will be arriving in Miami. We have been tracking her wayward voyage across half the planet. Tomorrow she will be making her first U.S. port call in Mobile. It looks like her journey west will be aboard a yacht transport ship that might arrive in Victoria at the end of January.

To fill the void, I'm planning trips we will take after commissioning. So many choices to make.

 

[Tom-Jill-Lilly]

Hi, back on dehumidifiers. I had my brother buy the unit Scott recommended and I really like it. Setting it up in his 31 Boston Whaler, it accumulated half of a tank of water in 2 days. Connected the overflow tube and will now drain in the sink. I am buying two for the 38E which might be overkill and since you can set the humidity control to a certain %RH, it’ll work great.

The unit just went on Blackfriday-cyber Monday sale on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B8SCPZ4/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Helmsman]

Hi, back on dehumidifiers. I had my brother buy the unit Scott recommended and I really like it. Setting it up in his 31 Boston Whaler, it accumulated half of a tank of water in 2 days. Connected the overflow tube and will now drain in the sink. I am buying two for the 38E which might be overkill and since you can set the humidity control to a certain %RH, it’ll work great.

The unit just went on Blackfriday-cyber Monday sale on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B8SCPZ4/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Tom, Thanks for posting this. I assume the first dehumidifier would be placed in the galley sink. Where would you place the second one? Not sure that the sinks in the heads would be large enough to hold it, and the forward shower requires the pump to be activated, right? Always concerned about these falling over. Both are assumptions, and I certainly could be wrong about both.

 

[Tom-Jill-Lilly]

Hi.. I assume there is a location in the master bath. Looking at the pics, maybe a custom board to fit across the sink if the height of 17.4" + board fits. Could hang it off of a towel rack. I don't know if there is a A/C outlet there, but I assume so.
Worst case is to dump the tank from time to time.

I may have a few hours to cancel the 2nd one. So if you think it wont work or the 2nd unit isn't necessary, let me know.

What are you doing for the engine room? Any engine room heaters of dehumidifiers?

 

[bowball]

Here’s what we have for checklists, so far. It’s a work in progress and very preliminary. These are the hard copy output from the app. The user interface is very clean and simple. The audio prompts and replies may be useful.


View attachment 133558

Maybe a few comments

1. “ Retrieve and stow fenders when clear of dock”

I wait till I’m relatively clear of the Harbour, in case something happens. One less thing to worry about in a stressful situation.

2. Anchor alarm.

You say activate it after secure but you want to mark the location where you dropped the anchor not when at the end of your rode.

3. Your trip pre planning section is missing. Do you have your course plotted? Weather checked? Tide checked? Moorage selected? Importantly, is there a back up? I’ve had to relocate to a new anchorage due to weather or full anchorage, and it’s work over load at that point choosing a new destination. Marina frequency? Reservations if docking?

4. Radar standby or on? AIS?

5. Water and black water tanks.

6. Download current weather forecast.

 

[Doug_Snider]

Great suggestions. It's still a work in progress and will continue to be until we finally connect with Alba Bella and start learning the boat. I have a list of checklists I want to add.

 

[Helmsman]

Hi.. I assume there is a location in the master bath. Looking at the pics, maybe a custom board to fit across the sink if the height of 17.4" + board fits. Could hang it off of a towel rack. I don't know if there is a A/C outlet there, but I assume so.
Worst case is to dump the tank from time to time.

I may have a few hours to cancel the 2nd one. So if you think it wont work or the 2nd unit isn't necessary, let me know.

What are you doing for the engine room? Any engine room heaters of dehumidifiers?

I am pretty sure that there is an outlet in there. If it pumps up high enough i guess you could leave it in the floor.



I am not sure about the engine room. The boat will be in cold weather for a couple of months, albeit north Mississippi and Alabama while we finish getting it where we want it. I am not too concerned about the engine room this winter because the water will keep it warmer than freezing in there. For periods when I am away from the boat, we will put a cover over the engine room vents. I will also probably drain the fresh water, and possibly run AF through the HVAC.



Receiving a boat just prior to the two coldest months does create some thought about what to do. I would prefer to run the boat, But will need to balance that against being a couple or three hours away.

 

[twistedtree]

The attached might be a useful starting point for creating check lists. I'll emphasize "lists" plural. You will see there are a number of them covering different situations like arriving at a dock vs anchoring, departing from a dock vs from anchor, leaving the boat for an extended time. Cold weather vs warm weather, transferring fuel, hauling out, etc. I'm not a pilot but got this from one and I gather the "challenge - response" format comes from aviation. So it's not a list of things to do, but rather a list of questions and the correct answer.

 

[Helmsman]

The attached might be a useful starting point for creating check lists. I'll emphasize "lists" plural. You will see there are a number of them covering different situations like arriving at a dock vs anchoring, departing from a dock vs from anchor, leaving the boat for an extended time. Cold weather vs warm weather, transferring fuel, hauling out, etc. I'm not a pilot but got this from one and I gather the "challenge - response" format comes from aviation. So it's not a list of things to do, but rather a list of questions and the correct answer.

Hey TT, Thanks for posting this checklist. I will go through the one I am developing and check against this. Your boat is a little more complex than ours, but still plenty of good items to incorporate.

 

[Hydraulicjump]

Hey all, two answers to the previous posts:

1) We got around the challenge of referring to our last boat as “the boat”, by naming it La Barka, with the “k” an homage to our barky dogs. I thought it was funny, but no one seemed to get it. Such is the way with boats. Everyone seems to get the current boat’s name: “Off Leash”.

2) the Scott-approved dehumidifier works so well in our boat that we have gone with only one of these units. We put it on a small step stool at the base of the steps down into the master stateroom. This is to give enough head so that the discharge tube will drain easily into the shower (no low spots), and it will circulate air to the rest of the boat. This is risky, however, since there can be challenges with the shower sump pump (probably worth a Helmsman Hack discussion), but we have a friend who checks on the boat regularly and all is working well. We augment the dehumidifier with two Caframo air circulators: one in the salon and one in the day head.

BTW: belated Happy Thanksgiving to the Helmsman Clan!

Jeff and Barbara

 

[Nancy n Larry]

Hey all, two answers to the previous posts:

1) We got around the challenge of referring to our last boat as “the boat”, by naming it La Barka, with the “k” an homage to our barky dogs. I thought it was funny, but no one seemed to get it. Such is the way with boats. Everyone seems to get the current boat’s name: “Off Leash”.

2) the Scott-approved dehumidifier works so well in our boat that we have gone with only one of these units. We put it on a small step stool at the base of the steps down into the master stateroom. This is to give enough head so that the discharge tube will drain easily into the shower (no low spots), and it will circulate air to the rest of the boat. This is risky, however, since there can be challenges with the shower sump pump (probably worth a Helmsman Hack discussion), but we have a friend who checks on the boat regularly and all is working well. We augment the dehumidifier with two Caframo air circulators: one in the salon and one in the day head.

BTW: belated Happy Thanksgiving to the Helmsman Clan!

Jeff and Barbara[/QUOTE

Thank you for the update! Are you adding any heat to your engine room and /or keeping the engine room hatch open as well? Of course you can get 100's of opinions on this subject. Hard to know which way to go! Sounds like you have had great times with your new boat! Love the name! N and L

 

[chanprr]

Hi.. I assume there is a location in the master bath. Looking at the pics, maybe a custom board to fit across the sink if the height of 17.4" + board fits. Could hang it off of a towel rack. I don't know if there is a A/C outlet there, but I assume so.
Worst case is to dump the tank from time to time.

I may have a few hours to cancel the 2nd one. So if you think it wont work or the 2nd unit isn't necessary, let me know.

What are you doing for the engine room? Any engine room heaters of dehumidifiers?

In our 38E, the dehumidifier was just outside the master shower and the water drained into the shower compartment. The sump pump was always on and the water in the sump was pumped overboard every so often. A 120vac receptacle was just a few feet away under the bookshelf on the same side as the shower.
I did not have a dehumidifier in the engine compartment or the salon. Wasn't needed since the single dehumidifier kept the RH in the 55% range all winter, and around 35% in the master stateroom. The dehumidifier ran 24/7 unless we were underway.

 

[twistedtree]

Hey TT, Thanks for posting this checklist. I will go through the one I am developing and check against this. Your boat is a little more complex than ours, but still plenty of good items to incorporate.

Yes, I assume much will change adapting it to any other boat, big or small, but in concept it should be pretty similar. I liked the format, which is why I pilfered it myself.

 

[Helmsman]

In our 38E, the dehumidifier was just outside the master shower and the water drained into the shower compartment. The sump pump was always on and the water in the sump was pumped overboard every so often. A 120vac receptacle was just a few feet away under the bookshelf on the same side as the shower.
I did not have a dehumidifier in the engine compartment or the salon. Wasn't needed since the single dehumidifier kept the RH in the 55% range all winter, and around 35% in the master stateroom. The dehumidifier ran 24/7 unless we were underway.

Thanks for the numbers. That puts some context around dehumidifiers. I never had to use one on the Tennessee, but that was a different boat, and not built as well as this one. Certainly will need one in Florida and the east coast.

 

[chanprr]

Thanks for the numbers. That puts some context around dehumidifiers. I never had to use one on the Tennessee, but that was a different boat, and not built as well as this one. Certainly will need one in Florida and the east coast.

I used this model dehumidifier for three winters: Whynter Elite Energy Star 70 Pint Dehumidifier with Pump RPD-711DWP. This unit comes with an option to attach a standard hose fitting to an outlet at the rear, eliminating the need for emptying the reservoir.