It has been 20 days since we arrived here at Puerto del Ray marina, where we returned to Island Spirit after 16 months of storage on the hard. When we launched, all systems fired up and all systems seemed to be working fine. That is until we put them to the test. Several systems needed work and service and one died and needed to be replaced. It is a B.O.A.T. and we all know what that stands for. It was expected after all this non-use. Boats do not like to be stored, they prefer to run constantly. Here is a summary.
The Darn AB Cold Machine, Frig/Freezer
We have been dealing with an intermittent frig freezer for a year, and we needed to resolve the issue. FYI, this is a brand new install two years ago and it has never been right. Imagine filling your freezer and then overnight in the morning you discovered it nearly thawed out and then refroze. NOT acceptable in a house and not on a boat either. So, after 3 days in the sail locker working on this Adler Barbour Cold Machine, (AB) resoldering the connections on the circuit board, I found out this did not help. Then a super tech support guy at AB informed me that we did not need this circuit board and he has found that it is the #1 issue on these units. So, he told me how to simply rewire it and remove the board and toss it in the trash. We did exactly what he said, and it has never worked better!
Next, the Inverter/charger died
With the frig now fixed, I could resume the normal yacht service jobs on my list. But NO, Island Spirit said, hold on, this 2005 charger/inverter just blew up. WHAT? Yes, we lost the boat battery charger on Thanksgiving morning. The inverter still worked, but we had no way to charge the battery bank other than solar, wind, or the alternator. That is all OK until you are anchored out and want 120v power. We usually only use 12-volt power, again, remember, we live off a car battery, imagine that! Try it at home and see how long it will last. Ha Ha. We have no idea why it died, but we are guessing it was the power grid here in Puerto Rico. The power goes out daily and then surges and things bet blown up, so that is our best guess as it was working for a week, then died. So, we replaced it with a new Xantrex HF Freedom 1800 watt inverter. This install sent me into the sail locker for a full day but I installed it without electrocution. That is a good thing. Here are a few photos.
Living on the Boat
Even though we are still in dock, as planned for one month, living on the boat is so interesting and different. We walk miles every day, we are eating less, drinking less, and feeling better. Thanksgiving was simple, a whole chicken and veggies roasted in an oven bag, with a batch of my Dad’s pan filling. A fine bottle of French wine was found in the locker, still good, which was amazing. Canned pumpkin for a crustless pie was found at the fourth grocery store. We are happy, even with all the boat issues and repairs, we both love this adventure. We are anticipating sailing off to the Virgin Islands on Dec 16th all goes well. For now…..we have a new adventure….two weddings to fly off to, one in FLA and one in CALI. Here we go!
Island Spirit in Dock, PDR
Island Packet Yacht Owners in PDR
OK…off for an 11 day Wedding loop Coast to Coast from the Caribbean!
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Great discussion and photo’s of important repairs…you made it sound easy…I know it wasn’t…I once spent a lot of time in the starboard lazerette working on the AB compressor…Good for you.
It is the overcome obstacles that make the successful outcomes all the more sweet.
I have the identical Xantrex and have twice been unable to get shorepower to work at a marina only to find that the RESET switch needed to be reset.
Think of you guys everyday and smile every morning when we pray for our “fleet”.
Too much time spent cramped down in the sail locker is one of the reasons why I became a land Yacht’er. You either love it or hate it. I was not one of the former.
It’s interesting that the circuit board was unnecessary. Makes you wonder why they put it on there in the first place. Another part to sell?
Ruben Is right, you make it look easy.
(Hi Reuben )
You both look good!
You’re back in your element. ⛵️
The boat is looking GREAT!
Great post on challenging repairs! We also had to remove our circuit board, called a Merlin, on our Frigaboat (same compressor.) we have 2 of these in our spares, ouch! We are so happy you are back in the boat life, enjoy! Nina and Bob on Moondance Guatemala
As always, love to hear about all of your adventures, whether they involve boat repairs or exotic destinations. Always something to learn from you. Have a wonderful trip. Enjoy the weddings! Loretta and Jim Elliott s/v Plan Sea
Thank you thank you thank you. I stumbled across your picture of direct wiring the cold machine control module. You literally save me days and days trying to figure out this stupid refrigerator. Pull the circuit board and copied your wiring picture and everything is running perfectly! What a stupid design to put a delicate circuit board like that on a Marine compressor