Here's a reasonably complete list of Horizon's gear. I'm sure I've forgotten to include some stuff, but this is the bulk of it.
Engine
27 hp Yanmar 3GM30F new 1998--now has about 2400 hours. A great little engine--ask anyone who has one. Presently drives a 3-blade Campbell Sailer prop (new 2007). Previous prop was standard fixed 2-blade still available as spare. CS seems to offer a slight improvement. Engine is not large for size of the boat, but it gives 6 knots+ in reasonable conditions without straining (2600-2800 rpm). I've been scrupulous about maintenance, and it's in excellent shape.
Electrical
Plumbing
Instruments and Electronics
Steering
Ground Tackle
Safety Gear
Avon 4-man Liferaft with storage bracket on foredeck. This is an older raft from the 1980s. It was last inspected by a Service Center in 1999. In 2005 I opened it myself, checked the raft and the inflation system, and repacked it prior to a cruise to Maine. It was fine, but it should probably be inspected and repacked by a Service Center before any ocean passage. Expect to pay between $600-$1000 for this service, perhaps more, depending on what they have to do and how much prices have escalated. The raft itself should be fine though. I keep it in my garage when not actively cruising where it’s protected from sun and water.
Dinghy
Engine
27 hp Yanmar 3GM30F new 1998--now has about 2400 hours. A great little engine--ask anyone who has one. Presently drives a 3-blade Campbell Sailer prop (new 2007). Previous prop was standard fixed 2-blade still available as spare. CS seems to offer a slight improvement. Engine is not large for size of the boat, but it gives 6 knots+ in reasonable conditions without straining (2600-2800 rpm). I've been scrupulous about maintenance, and it's in excellent shape.
Electrical
- Balmar 80 amp alternator with external programmable regulator makes for efficient charging (replaced standard Yanmar 55 amp alternator).
- 3 Group 31 batteries (new 2015) in house bank (@350 amps) and 1 Group 24 starting battery.
- 2 Siemens 48 watt solar panels mounted on Bimini top.
- Aero4Gen wind generator new 2004. Gives 1 amp in 10 knots of wind, 6 amps in 20 knots. Not at all noisy like the Air-X and so many others.
- Both wind generator and solar panels charge through a NC25a regulator.
- Boat is wired only for 12 volts. (Two reasons for no 110 wiring: I seldom go to marinas when cruising, and I considered that in a steel boat 110 offers too much opportunity for stray currents.) I use a small automotive battery charger to keep batteries up when at a marina, if necessary.
- Tricolor/anchor light at masthead.
Plumbing
- Raritan PHII head, with Y-valve for overboard discharge and 15 gallon collapsible holding tank. (This is obviously a minimal set-up if you intend to do a lot of coastal cruising in the regulation-heavy US. It would be relatively simple to add a larger holding tank, if desired.)
- Whale Gusher manual bilge pump
- Whale Guzzler bilge pump for emptying sink (a Y-valve in sink drain chooses self-draining or pump; sink does drain without pump, but we prefer pump at sea for more positive drainage and to prevent water from being forced back into the sink).
- 2 Whale foot pumps in galley for fresh and salt water (one spare also on board)
- 2 Stainless steel water tanks (@ 42 gallons and 30 gallons) are in the keel.
- Shure 12-volt water washdown pump (used primarily for cleaning anchor chain).
- Thru-hull for engine cooling water also supplies SW for galley, head, and washdown, eliminating need for separate sea cocks. Only other seacocks are for head discharge and galley sink drain. Cockpit drains are 1/4" -wall straight pipe with no seacocks.
- The 3 seacocks (engine intake, sink drain, head discharge) are all galvanized steel coated with epoxy paint. They've given no trouble at all and are in fine shape.
- Note there is no electric bilge pump, though it's an easy and inexpensive addition to make.
Instruments and Electronics
- Raymarine ST-40 digital depth sounder.
- Moor analog speed and knot meter.
- Moor analog wind speed instrument. Original worked well for more than 20 years. When it finally failed in 2008, I replaced it with an identical new one.
- Furuno 1623 radar, new 2013. Nice basic radar with fairly low current draw (3 amps in transmit, less than 1 amp in standby). Replaced 25+ year old Apelco radar which still worked fine except that the display was getting progressively more faint.
- 3 GPSs. Newest (2015) is Garmin GPSmap 541 chartplotter with preloaded charts for all US and Bahamas.
- ICOM IC-718 ham radio transceiver with general coverage receiver and automatic antenna tuner, also modified to transmit on marine SSB frequencies. Antenna is insulated backstay.
- CARD radar detector. (Sounds alarm when it detects radar in vicinity. Used mostly when singlehanding at sea when sleeping or in conditions of low visibility. Very low current draw.)
- Sestrel Moore magnetic compass
- Uniden VHF
- Handheld VHF
- 7" digital TV with installed antenna
- JVC CD/MP3 player with speakers installed in settee area.
Steering
- Owner-built windvane self-steering. This is a vertically-pivoted vane that operates a trim-tab on the rudder, a design not often seen today but it works well and has been totally dependable. Check out video of vane in operation in boisterous offshore conditions with big following seas (at bottom of page). Also works well in light airs.
- Autohelm ST4000gp autopilot. (Note: We use the autopilot primarily in sheltered waters when motoring. It’s excellent for that. It’s less effective in a seaway, although it will steer and we do use it when we’re motoring offshore. Under sail we almost always use the wind vane. The wind vane has steered us nearly 50,000 offshore miles with no problems. It is excellent downwind.)
Ground Tackle
- Simpson-Lawrence SL555 manual windless--a real workhorse--have had no trouble with it.
- 45 lb CQR on 240' 3/8" BBB chain.
- 35 lb CQR with 60' 3/8" BBB chain and 200' 5/8" nylon.
- 13 lb Danforth with 20' chain and 200' 1/2" nylon.
- Plenty of additional line, shackles, etc.
Safety Gear
Avon 4-man Liferaft with storage bracket on foredeck. This is an older raft from the 1980s. It was last inspected by a Service Center in 1999. In 2005 I opened it myself, checked the raft and the inflation system, and repacked it prior to a cruise to Maine. It was fine, but it should probably be inspected and repacked by a Service Center before any ocean passage. Expect to pay between $600-$1000 for this service, perhaps more, depending on what they have to do and how much prices have escalated. The raft itself should be fine though. I keep it in my garage when not actively cruising where it’s protected from sun and water.
Dinghy
- Avon 9' inflatable with inflatable floor. (1999 model; new floor 2005) Excellent condition. (There's room to carry the dinghy inflated on the foredeck. On offshore passages, we deflate it and carry it aft of the mast.)
- Nissan 5 HP outboard 4-stroke outboard, new 2007. Tackle (removable) for lifting motor on and off mounted on radar pole.
Spares
Large inventory of spare parts on board for rigging, engine, plumbing and toilet, stove, winches. Lots of hardware, screws, bolts, etc. Lots of extra line, blocks, and various other rigging components. My policy was to attempt to be as independent of marine stores as possible while cruising to avoid the too-frequent dilemma of "waiting for parts."
Canvas
- Bimini. Solar panels are mounted on the bimini, so I leave the bimini permanently rigged. Bimini top new 2007.
- Awning. Covers cockpit to nearly the mast. Great for the tropics.
- Dodger. Functional and not unsightly but has been patched, restitched, glued, and will need to be replaced at some point. (Update: in 2015 I fabricated a new dodger myself. A difficult job, but it came out well and should be good for many years.)
- Weather cloths.
- Canvas covers for rails, hatches, and winches for off-season protection.
Other
- Boom Gallows
- Plastic Bubble for looking out at sea. A removable seat allows you to sit up in the bubble to keep track of things in nasty conditions.
- Wind scoop. Omnidirectional--it will funnel wind in from any direction.
Video of downwind sailing in the Atlantic south of Bermuda in November 2003. We'd been heading for the Virgins, but a late season tropical system forced us to divert to the Bahamas. Winds here are 25-35 (mostly Force 7), seas about 10-12 feet--not part of the tropical system, just good trade wind sailing. Note how the steering vane keeps the boat on course dead downwind. (Click on the full-screen icon in the lower right corner for a better view.)