More from the Isle of Wight (IOW) Visit

More from my IOW Visit — The Engines Are In

To keep these posts manageable, I decided to break the content into smaller pieces. Here are a few more highlights from my visit to the Archipelago boat shed last week.

The first item is the big one: the engines are in. This is no small thing — it's a major milestone. They're big and beautiful. As you can see from this picture, the Yanmar 440hp hybrid engines are considerably bigger

than the 125hp units that are going in the A40 and could have gone in Nomadicat. When I talked to the eMotion engineer, he suggested three reasons: 1) it's a heavy boat and you may need to get somewhere quickly even in the Med, 2) your battery charging time will be minimal, and 3) (and the clincher) since this is an expedition yacht, the resale value of the 440s will be significant if future buyers are expedition-minded.  There are still issues with the hybrid side of things.  The electric engines are attached to this whole engine block.  However, the eMotion folks have still not delivered on some of the electric components needed to wire them and use them.  Hopefully we'll receive them prior to sea trials slated for August, but no guarantees.

It was no small feat getting them into the engine rooms,

but fortunately there is still plenty of room 

around the engines after installation — not so much with the A40.

You can see from this diagram

how the gearbox is actually oriented toward the bow, with a rigid drive shaft running back to the propeller. I thought this was odd at first, but then realized that any other angle to the propellers would be too severe.

An interesting highlight was watching all of the external welds be tested. This is a laborious process: the weld is painted with a red dye, then sprayed with a fine, chalk-like powder.

If there is even a pinhole, the red dye is drawn out and the weld repaired.

Another highlight of the IOW trip was having our Brompton 12-speed electric bikes delivered. These are intended to be our primary means of getting around once we're ashore — other than walking, of course. I was really impressed with them.

Each weighs about 35 pounds with the battery pack, and they fold up incredibly small — we even brought them on the local bus.

They are impressively energy efficient: Thomas and I climbed a significant hill up from the Shanklin beachfront along the English Channel and had gearing to spare. They're a great addition to Nomadicat.

Read more ...

Nomadicat Visit on the Isle of Wight

 Great Visit to Archipelago Boat Shed and Nomadicat

The timing was good. Things are moving fast — especially on the interior. Now Stephen has about 10 guys running around full time on both boats (but mostly mine) — still a bit of welding, but also carpenters,

electricians, plumbers, glazers, and project management. It's a very busy place and there are a lot of moving parts. It was a good time to visit because it isn't too late to make modifications — for example: we'd spec'd a microwave and oven as well as an induction hob in the galley. I thought (mistakenly) that we had spec'd a hot air/convection oven, but it wasn't too late to add that in. Then there were discussions about waste management, clothes drying (turns out the Bosch combo washer/dryer underperforms and doesn't fully dry clothes), so we're trying to find a dedicated stackable washer/dryer that isn't too expensive and will fit. The issue of "will it fit" is a big one. Every time you think about something like my electric bikes, stand-up paddle boards, bean bags, or anything else, the next question is: where are you going to store it, and how are you going to access it? I'm sure Stephen and Thomas are happy I'm on my way home. For my part, I was thrilled to see the progress and feel like I had some input.

Here are some impressions:

1. It's a big boat. (All my bareboat charter boats have felt big for about four hours, and then you wonder why you didn't get a bigger one.)
   
   
   
2. The solar array
   
   
   on the roof is substantial — we should get some good output off that surface, and the technology has improved recently to boost performance.
   
   
   
3. Because the batteries are stored horizontally on the foredeck in front of the pilot house, unlike the 4701 (the sister vessel currently in Norway), there is now significant
   
   
   
   space (6'+) where you can prop up and lounge on the foredeck — that'll be a nice spot, and we brainstormed how we can shade it.
4. Both cabins (owner and VIP) seem smaller than they appear in the videos. However, there is a lot of ceiling height, and the current walls are foamed, which I think gives it a smaller feel than it will have once finished. This 
   
   
   
5. It's engineered for safety — there are lots of handholds, and there are solid rails, not wire ropes, all along the hulls. (My kids would say it's engineered for "old people" safety, and they wouldn't be wrong.)
6. The team is very flexible and accommodating — within reason. For example, they're custom-making clamps for the rails that will accommodate carbon fiber poles to support shade structures, rather than standard off-the-shelf rod holders that would limit functionality. We also designed some storage solutions for the wet locker based on my expected use of the boat.
7. There are a lot of moving parts. This is a condo in almost every respect: galley, lighting, HVAC, entertainment, bedrooms, and so on. It also floats — no small item (more on that in another post). It is powered by a massive set of hybrid engines, and then you have to navigate it somewhere on an environment (the ocean) that has real risks and demands serious safety consideration.  I was buzzing with excitement being on the boat and couldn't sleep most nights — partially, but not completely, due to jet lag.

---

In the interest of brevity (too late), I'll be writing a few additional posts over the coming days covering some other highlights from the week at Archipelago: weld testing, engine installation, the electric bikes, and more.

Read more ...

July 27-Target Date for In-Water Launch

  Target Date Set: July 27 In-Water Launch

There are lots of moving parts now for the Nomadicat. A carpentry shop has been set up in the shed

to build all of the cabinetry for the salon, galley, and bedrooms. The pilothouse has been painted and fitted with windows.

A good deal of the plumbing

has been installed, including hot water tanks, and there is wiring everywhere 

since the French electricians have been on board for a couple of weeks.

However, there is a looming problem. eMotion, the Italian hybrid motor manufacturer, has not delivered all of the electronic components needed to operate the electric motors — things like inverters and related hardware. What is worse is that they are unapologetic about it and seem more focused on making excuses than on committing to delivery dates. Not a good way to run a business. Steven is at his wit's end and is working with the electricians to work around these shortcomings. It's possible we launch with just diesel motors and retrofit the electric motors when all of the components finally arrive.  What they did deliver, but not requested, was different footings for the engines than what were spec'd.  Consequently, Steven has had to have his guys build our own. Very frustrating...probably some calls to eMotion coming up soon.

Steven has targeted July 27 as the in-water launch date so that sea trials can begin in August. This puts me on board in  late August/early September— but there are lots of "ifs" between now and then.

I'll be visiting the Archipelago boat shed on the Isle of Wight (IoW) on Wednesday, May 6.  This seems like good timing as I'll get to see "the guts" of the boat prior to finishes covering it all up.

It looks like I'll get to see the engines installed, which is a big milestone. Progress is strong across the board, with the exception of the eMotion situation, and I'll have a chance to discuss contingency plans firsthand.

Stay tuned — more photos and videos from the Archipelago boat shed on the Isle of Wight coming soon.

Read more ...

Milestone hit: Welding is Complete

 We’ve Hit a Milestone — the Welding Is Complete!!

This is a big one. The aluminum welding

on the boat is now complete.

You’ll see from some of the pictures that they’ve already blown foam throughout the boat

to eliminate internal condensation.

The large rectangular side windows for each hull are in. The engines have arrived

at the boatyard, and a crane has been scheduled to place them aboard.

They’re painting the pilothouse in preparation for installing the windows, and the roof is being prepped

for solar panels. My special-order “Ultra” anchor

is on site https://www.ultramarine-anchors.com/. All of the Raymarine gear and Orca navigation systems and displays have been ordered.

Ceiling panels in the pilothouse are going up.

The French electricians were on site last week laying out plans for the hybrid motors tied to solar and batteries. The tender has been ordered, and I believe the hydraulic lift for the stern is now on site as well.

The Italians (of course) who manufacture the e-Motion hybrid motors shipped them without some critical electronics for the electric motors—those will now be air-freighted in.

There’s a lot going on. I had my RYA motorboat trainer come by to take a look. His very British comment: “There’s a lot going on, but it’s really looking smart.” I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing.

Oh—another big milestone: I sold my house in Sonoma County. Now I can actually pay for this thing!! Not quite in the order I had planned, but I got there. Big relief.

I’m headed over to the boatyard on the Isle of Wight the first week of May for a look-see—and to offer my skills as a sidewalk supervisor. I’ll do my best to stay out of the way!!

Read more ...

Love those props!!

 I love props!

Here are a few recent pictures.  The props have arrived and they’re beautiful. 

There’s something about props that I really like…and these are beauties.  The pointing hand here gives you some sense of size:  

You’ll notice most if not all the

windows have been cut out - waiting for the "glazer".  They’re also installing the railings which are quite stout. 

That’s a good thing as one of our design choices (given our ages) was to leverage the railings in lieu of another type of “jack line.”  From my sailing days, we would harness in to a line that went from the bow to the stern such that you wouldn’t fall overboard in rough seas.  We’ll be using this railing with a tether in lieu of some other tethering system.

There’s also a nice shot of the flooring going in down in the hulls.  

And finally, I’ve been playing with some vinyl wrap ideas and tried using Gemini to animate it…it was kind of fun.

But as you can see, Nomadicat is taking shape and coming along

…but I really do love those props!!

Read more ...

The Pivot: No Med..but hello rivers of Brittany

 The Pivot: Farewell Med, Hello Atlantic!

Based on some frank conversations with Steven at Archipelago, Nomadicat is just not going to make it in time to reach the Mediterranean by fall. There have been too many seen and unforeseen problems and the time can't be made up.  It looks like we’ll now take possession sometime in August, which leaves only September and October before the winter rains, swells, and storms set in.

While disappointing, all is not lost. We have several options for how to spend those two months, factoring in where we’ll winter the boat and where we want to head in April or May. One option is to motor around the British Isles and Ireland. Another is to head north into the river networks from Rotterdam or Brussels. We could even throw it on a barge and take it in to the Med or down to the Canaries.

A third path—leveraging our shallow 1m draft—is to work our way down Brittany and northern Spain exploring rivers.  Some options include the Seine (possibly to Paris), the Loire, the Charente, the Gironde to Bordeaux, or the Adour in Basque Country.

A Picture of the Charante River

This route would likely end with us wintering in the Galician area of Spain (the "elbow" before heading south toward Portugal). There are several lower-cost marinas there, such as in A Coruña, which features a Yanmar facility for a spring tune-up—plus plenty of tapas! It’s also well-connected, with a decent airport and 3.5-hour rail service to Madrid.

Build Update For your viewing pleasure, I’m adding a photo of one of the hybrid eMotion 440hp Yanmar engines.

Welding continues (check out the steps in the photo)

, and all the tanks (water, gray, and black) have been pressure-tested for leaks. This was a big milestone, and only one small leak was found!

We’ve also started playing with color schemes; this isn't final by any means, but we're thinking along these lines.

The French electricians are scheduled for mid-March, and I’m loosely planning a trip over to have a look-see sometime in April.

Read more ...

A Pilot House Added and Progress on a Tender

 A Pilot House and Progress on a Tender

Greetings,

Happy New Year…and it should be a great year when Nomadicat hits the water!  It’s been just over a year since we signed up for the A-47…and we’re a little behind schedule, but not by much.

Photos from about a week ago, show the Nomadicat with a pilot house

albeit without windows.  The port holes have been completed on both sides. You can also see with this photo the “wet locker” cut out

on the aft deck.  This picture,

taken from the stern doors are facing the pilot/nav area.  With the addition of the pilot house, it’s starting to look like a real boat.

I may have made some real progress on the tender.  I was exploring things with my good friend ChatGPT, and after some back and forth it recommended a Highfield 330 (that I am already familiar with), and of all things, a NZ-built blow up catamaran tender.  I reviewed the catamaran a bit but landed on the side of the Highfield 330.  Then, as I was poking around on the web, this video popped up from an American company with another blow-up catamaran...the Laguna 330 from Further Customs. 

It answered all of my objections and reinforced my “plus list” for this kind of tender.  Probably one of the biggest pluses over a traditional tender is that with an open bow, the storage area for groceries, electric bikes, trash runs, and people exceeds any other traditional tender.  On top of that, because of its light weight, Steven (A-47 builder) is pleased as the hydraulic lift for the tender has already added a fair amount of unanticipated weight. The light weight is also an advantage for an electric outboard.  On longer voyages or a long lay-up, it can be folded up and stored out of the weather. The video is a bit long, but it’s an independent review and it pretty well sold me.  

On the video the tender is being demonstrated with both a gas and electric motor.  I’m avoiding gas on Nomadicat, and gong all-electric (and diesel).  The light weight of the tender makes it quite fast and maneuverable with a smaller electric motor.  On the video it is being demo’d with a current version of an ePropulsion Spirit 1, but a new version, ePropulsion Spirit 2 is forthcoming for 2026 and it looks perfect for this catamaran tender.

Read more ...