Okay, not quite yet. At the moment, Antares is still in the Marina am Stau, but at least she's back in the water. It felt like winter was longer than last year, but Antares is in the water almost six weeks earlier than in 2023 – as back then, I still had the entire underwater hull ahead of me.
However, that work has completely paid off. When the boat came out of the water in November, there was hardly any growth on the hull. A few spots on edges and in corners, where I had been unable to sand the CopperCoat well, had barnacles, but all the large surfaces were completely clean and didn't need any further treatment this year. What I did have to deal with, though, were all the through-hulls. Whether it was the cooling water intake, scuppers, or waste outlets, and unfortunately even the speed sensor, they were all full of barnacles and mussels. So, a different solution was needed there. Also, the propeller, which I had only polished, looked only half-good. Its surface was noticeably rough, and barnacles had already taken a foothold on the edges (although with barnacles, it should actually be "head hold," what an astonishing life form).
I treated all these spots this year with a spray-on antifouling, so there's a bit of poison on it again, but I think it's far less than it would have been with "normal" soft antifouling. After one season, the CopperCoat is exactly what I expected: an underwater coating that needs no attention.
What also made me very happy is that my keel renovation was apparently successful. While the sacrificial anode on the keel was completely gone after just a few months at the end of the previous season, this time it looked almost like new. A few kilos of filler and primer plus CopperCoat apparently isolate the keel sufficiently from the surrounding seawater, and I hope that I'll have peace of mind for several years.
As there wasn't much urgent work to do this winter, I took care of a few less pressing matters. The biggest change is the new power supply, which now separates house power from engine power. This means that all consumers, except for the diesel starter, are powered by a 280Ah LiFePO4 battery. To improve the boat's weight distribution, this battery is installed at the front under the V-berth, for which I laminated a carrier plate made of plywood. Because I now have a lot of capacity available with this battery, I also installed a 2kW inverter in the boat. In the next few days, it will be integrated through a priority switch so that it can power the sockets already present for shore power. Currently, this battery is charged exclusively by the existing 300W solar panels, which have been sufficient so far. How this will work out in the future remains to be seen, as a few more electrical devices will now find their way on board – including a proper refrigerator.
The battery has three separately fused connections: one 35mm² cable that runs from the battery aft to the existing boat installation. This cable is fused with 100A on both ends, as it is used in both directions: on one hand, it supplies all 12V loads, and on the other hand, it charges the battery. The cable is connected to the main switch for the house power supply.
The second connection is a 70mm² cable that runs directly from the battery to the inverter, which is installed at the front in the former cabinet, between the V-berth and the salon. 70mm² is likely overkill, but it certainly doesn't hurt. This connection has a 200A fuse and a battery remote switch. I absolutely wanted a way to be able to turn off this circuit, as the inverter itself only has a software-driven on/off switch. Initially, I bought a relay that could handle over 200A, but quickly realized that it required a holding current of around 500-800mA – almost 10W just for a relay! Far too much. What I eventually found was a "normal" battery switch with a motor drive. It can be turned on and off via three wires and even provides a status indicator. Both the control for this battery switch and the control panel for the inverter are now installed above the galley and work flawlessly.
The entire system is primarily designed to function off-grid, and so far, the solar panels have been able to recharge the batteries consistently. However, when I'm in a marina, it's still desirable to be able to use an available shore power supply. I've converted the old Schuko connection to a CEE connection and also upgraded the technology behind it. The protection is now provided by a combined circuit breaker / RCD from Siemens instead of old 16A fuses. And to be able to use all the onboard sockets with onboard power, I've installed a priority switch that, when the shore power is connected, switches it to the internal sockets and otherwise activates the inverter. This ensures that the two networks remain separate but always provide 230V power when needed, on land or on the go.
With all this technology installed, comfort has now made its way on board. In addition to the conveniences that were already on board last year but only usable with shore power (an induction cooktop, an electric kettle, and a toaster), an electric milk frother and ... ta-da ... an espresso machine have now been added. It all feels like a much bigger boat now.
Furthermore, I've now banished most of the real glassware from the ship, after a wine glass shattered on me in the winter, and I spent a long time searching for the shards.
Stattdessen hängt jetzt an der Wand oberhalb der Pantry ein Regal, das vier Polycarbonat Wein“gläser“ aufnimmt, und diese Konstruktion hat auch schon den ersten Test bei 25° Lage bestanden. Prima.
Overall, it's another substantial comfort update that makes Antares even more enjoyable. Here's to the new season ahead!
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