Washing Machine
When we were looking for a boat we started with the 'keep it simple stupid - KISS' approach, the more stuff you have the more can go wrong. If Rosie came without a washing machine I highly doubt we would have installed one. However she did, and we use it, and love it! So much so that if we were ever to get another cruising sailboat, one of the first things we would install is a new washing machine. When we arrive in port after a passage with our laundry done and our water tanks full (from our water maker), we can instantly go ashore and start exploring...instead of wasting valuable time with our heads in a bucket, swirling and wringing laundry. Forget Laundromats: none of the Pacific islands have them. We had more envious comments from fellow cruisers about our washing machine than anything else on board and we spent many an evening plotting with friends to try and workout where they could put one. Not many boats have that sort of free space.
Currently we have a fold down changing table attached in the washing machine cupboard and have found it useful to put clothes on when loading/unloading so I have left it attached. If you are not impressed it is a few screws to remove and throw away.
Usage notes:
Removal notes:
We have had to remove the washing machine a few times to replace pump seals, a pump and a set of brushes. Like everything on the boat, the washing machine is squeezed into position but it is possible to pull it out with two people.
Unscrew the 3 wooden brackets holding it in, top right and bottom left and right. The piece of plywood it is sitting on is in turn sitting on two pieces of vertical wood. The left one of these is bolted through into the cupboard in the Master cabin the right one is held in position by weight of the washing machine. Find something around 3 inches thick (we use the Dashew's cruising encyclopedia!). With one person lifting the shelf with the machine on it to relieve the pressure on the vertical members, the other needs to pull the bolts on the left piece of wood and slide the right piece of wood to the left, off the front support.Now positioning the book between the front wall and the shelf, lower the shelf onto the book. Ensure the book is far enough in that sliding the machine forwards will not damage the book.With the front loading door open, put both arms in and lift/slide machine to edge of shelf then taking care of wires and hoses two people can lift, turn and lower onto blocks. We normally have the door facing the master cabin and the back facing into the salon.Spares:We have a spare AC pump that we purchased when we couldn't find a seal in Panama. The pump still needs a new lip seal but otherwise is fine. It is located with all other pumps in space behind two top drawers in corridor.
Currently we have a fold down changing table attached in the washing machine cupboard and have found it useful to put clothes on when loading/unloading so I have left it attached. If you are not impressed it is a few screws to remove and throw away.
Usage notes:
- The washing machine has both hot and cold input plumbed to our hot system. If you want a cold wash, do it when the engine has not been run.
- If at port and using the electric hot water heater, close its output valve. If using the instant water heater in the Head, turn it off (you shouldn't be leaving it on anyway!)
- We gave up using the drawer for detergent as even a slight heel causes it to drip out or never go into the machine properly. We put it directly in the drum, then our clothes.We found that if the clothes fit in without forcing them, it is filled about right.
- The permanent press cycle uses the least water at around 20gallons a load. Kelly did an experiment one day and used 15 gallons of water washing a load of laundry by hand (and spent three hours doing it!!) so we have never hand washed since.
- Plug in another AC electrical device (we plug in computer power supply) before turning on as the washing machine does not draw enough power in certain phases to activate the inverter.
- To complete a load of laundry the machine will use around 15Amps, the equivalent power that is generated by the solar panels in a hour of midday sun.
Removal notes:
We have had to remove the washing machine a few times to replace pump seals, a pump and a set of brushes. Like everything on the boat, the washing machine is squeezed into position but it is possible to pull it out with two people.
Unscrew the 3 wooden brackets holding it in, top right and bottom left and right. The piece of plywood it is sitting on is in turn sitting on two pieces of vertical wood. The left one of these is bolted through into the cupboard in the Master cabin the right one is held in position by weight of the washing machine. Find something around 3 inches thick (we use the Dashew's cruising encyclopedia!). With one person lifting the shelf with the machine on it to relieve the pressure on the vertical members, the other needs to pull the bolts on the left piece of wood and slide the right piece of wood to the left, off the front support.Now positioning the book between the front wall and the shelf, lower the shelf onto the book. Ensure the book is far enough in that sliding the machine forwards will not damage the book.With the front loading door open, put both arms in and lift/slide machine to edge of shelf then taking care of wires and hoses two people can lift, turn and lower onto blocks. We normally have the door facing the master cabin and the back facing into the salon.Spares:We have a spare AC pump that we purchased when we couldn't find a seal in Panama. The pump still needs a new lip seal but otherwise is fine. It is located with all other pumps in space behind two top drawers in corridor.
Air Conditioner
The use of the air-conditioner requires a shore power connection due to its current drain. It has not been used since we left the states 5 years ago but I have no reason to believe that it will not jump back to life once switched on. On the shelf wall over the washing machine is the air-conditioner thermostat, this has recently gone blank so I assume you will need to find and replace its battery. Like the refrigeration system, the air-conditioner is water cooled and it uses an AC centripetal pump (red) located under the floor in the master cabin. Once the unit is turned at the control panel and the thermostat is set to cool and the desired temperature is lower than the current temp by a few degrees, it will automatically turn on. Ensure water is coming out of the stbd side of the boat around the shrouds. If not, next to the red pump is a "T" valve, open this for a few seconds to bleed any air that may have entered the system - hazards of centripetal pumps - water should now flow freely.
The main air conditioner vent is in the corridor opposite the head, three more vents exist, one in the master cabin, one in the galley under the sink and one in the quarter berth. Some work will have to be performed ensuring the duct work is complete and not squashed as 5 years of non-use will have taken its toll.
The air-conditioner is a reverse cycle unit implying it can heat as well as cool. I have never had the need for this feature and hence have never tested it. I have no reason to suspect it won't work.
The main air conditioner vent is in the corridor opposite the head, three more vents exist, one in the master cabin, one in the galley under the sink and one in the quarter berth. Some work will have to be performed ensuring the duct work is complete and not squashed as 5 years of non-use will have taken its toll.
The air-conditioner is a reverse cycle unit implying it can heat as well as cool. I have never had the need for this feature and hence have never tested it. I have no reason to suspect it won't work.
What are people saying about Sailing to Jessica?
"Part travelogue, part memoir, part craziness (they sailed around the world without actually knowing how to sail!) Sailing to Jessica holds nothing back..." - Katie on Goodreads.com
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