New Sweet Melissa!

[captddis]

Well, unfortunately, this is an area where I have not broadened my horizons (grown up) yet beyond my all-time favorite "regular" brew from the LSU days, Miller Lite. Now, before you guys tell me what trash beer it is, let me explain that I have proven time after dime year after year decade after decade(!) that I can drink as much as I like and I do not get that full or bloated feeling as I do with heavy/dark/imported beers AND I NEVER get a headache! Those reasons have kept me in Miller Lite this far, so until someone shows me better Miller Lite it is. Now, I'm not opposed to trying some small kegs of other stuff. Surely we will dabble this summer, but I will need much help!

My Brother in law lives on Miller Lite! He drinks it starting at 10:00 on the days off and never seems to get drunk. Once we were out and he took a sip of his beer and told the waiter that what he just served was not Miller Lite.

The waiter was shocked and brought 5 glasses of beer, he identified each one.

 

[bigbill]

byron, how many kegs do you think it will take to get thru the summer? i know 5 people on our dock that drink miller lite..

 

[ThirdHatt]

byron, how many kegs do you think it will take to get thru the summer? i know 5 people on our dock that drink miller lite..

That's a good question! I'll certainly make friends with the local Miller Lite distributor in Orange Beach. I would guess since you guys will only be there on the weekends that one keg per week should be about right.

Just think, no more hustling cases and cases and 80lbs of ice every Friday and then the WORST of it all, waiting for the beer to get cold!

 

[Deckhand]

Since you live up NORTH, I thought you might have aquired a taste for either PURPLE HAZE or TURBO DOG, not sure if they come in full size kegs or not. I know they come in the small size, but that would be too much work having to swap them out so often, it would interupt the relaxing on the back deck!!!

 

[Deckhand]

Speaking of being up NORTH, a picture of SWEET MELISSA with snow covered cypress trees in the background might be pretty cool.

 

[ThirdHatt]

Speaking of being up NORTH, a picture of SWEET MELISSA with snow covered cypress trees in the background might be pretty cool.

So you are asking me to take a picture tomorrow morning? That's what the weather man is predicting anyway!

 

[ThirdHatt]

What do you guys like for a shore power cord brand these days? The boat requires 100A via two 50A cordsets to be plugged in either on the bow or the transom. It came with several cords of various lengths, but they are all old and stiff. I'm thinking of getting a couple of new cords, but cannot decide on the brand. I've always heard that Hubbell was the best, but Marinco has been much more popular lately. Also Charles sells a cordset but they look like they may be made by the same company as the one sold under Marinco.

Thoughts/Opinions/Suggestions?

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Byron,
We are starting to see the new marinas up here putting in 100amp service. I always run twin 50's if possible, but I don't have a splitter for that 100amp. I just figured that a boat of the size you have would be set up for it.

 

[Boatsb]

I have some nice marinco 30 amp ends that toasted up nice...


I replaced it with hubbel and everything seems better. The cable is similar but the ends are the more important part. Hubbel has better quality ends.

 

[Brian Degulis]

Byron does your boat have transformers? If so your not using the neutral so make the cables yourself out of 6/3 instead of 6/4. They will be lighter more flexible and cost less. As for pre made cables I never saw much diffrence from one brand to another.

If you like PM with pricing you get I might be able to save you some $


Brian

 

[ThirdHatt]

Byron,
We are starting to see the new marinas up here putting in 100amp service. I always run twin 50's if possible, but I don't have a splitter for that 100amp. I just figured that a boat of the size you have would be set up for it.

I wouldn't want one 100A plug, that's for sure. The 50A stuff is expensive enough! I've always run the boat on one 50A, but I am careful to balance loads and mind the amperage so I never run a bunch of things at once. Surely come summer time I'll need to run two 50A's to carry the load of both chillers, etc.

If for some reason I ever wanted to run a 100A cordset I surely could, I'd just use a splitter at the boat. I doubt that will happen unless someone gives me a 100A cord! Two 50's are perfect, and one works just fine most of the time.

 

[krush]

You said chillers, more info please. Is there an integrated utilities system?

 

[ThirdHatt]

You said chillers, more info please. Is there an integrated utilities system?

Sorry Krush, I just meant the A/C compressors. The boat has two 6-ton chillers and I was referring to the ability to run one of them on one 50A shorepower cord, but not both.

 

[ThirdHatt]

Byron does your boat have transformers? If so your not using the neutral so make the cables yourself out of 6/3 instead of 6/4. They will be lighter more flexible and cost less. As for pre made cables I never saw much diffrence from one brand to another.

If you like PM with pricing you get I might be able to save you some $


Brian

Brian, yes the boat does have isolation transformers. I took one of the plugs apart to clean and tighten the connection and sure enough the boat just takes in two 120V legs, that's it.

I'll PM you the pricing that I have on the different brand cables. Thanks!

 

[krush]

Sorry Krush, I just meant the A/C compressors. The boat has two 6-ton chillers and I was referring to the ability to run one of them on one 50A shorepower cord, but not both.

Then don't call them chillers. Chillers cool liquid (usually water).

 

[ThirdHatt]

Then don't call them chillers. Chillers cool liquid (usually water).

Uh, pardon me Mr. A/C expert, I don't claim to have anywhere near the knowledge that you have on the subject overall but these ARE chillers because that's exactly how they work. They acutally do cool (or heat) water and that's why this type of system is called a "chilled water system", more often referred to simply as "chillers". It's the type of system usually found on larger boats to reduce the number of compressors on board and to eliminate the need to run freon lines throughout the vessel like in traditional "split systems" where the compressor is located in the engine or genny room and freon lines must be run to each air handler throughout the vessel.

No freon goes throughout the boat with a chilled water system, only fresh water in insulated tubes that is chilled when in cool mode and heated when in heat mode. One of the benefits of this type of system that I like is that it makes changing out air handlers throughout the boat much easier because you just shut off the water valves to and from the unit, disconnect the power and it's ready for removal. No escaped gas or need to evacuate and recharge. Of course, I'll still keep my tank & guages on board but at least now I know they'll stay in the engine room.

 

[captddis]

Uh, pardon me Mr. A/C expert, I don't claim to have anywhere near the knowledge that you have on the subject overall but these ARE chillers because that's exactly how they work. They acutally do cool (or heat) water and that's why this type of system is called a "chilled water system", more often referred to simply as "chillers". It's the type of system usually found on larger boats to reduce the number of compressors on board and to eliminate the need to run freon lines throughout the vessel like in traditional "split systems" where the compressor is located in the engine or genny room and freon lines must be run to each air handler throughout the vessel.

No freon goes throughout the boat with a chilled water system, only fresh water in insulated tubes that is chilled when in cool mode and heated when in heat mode. One of the benefits of this type of system that I like is that it makes changing out air handlers throughout the boat much easier because you just shut off the water valves to and from the unit, disconnect the power and it's ready for removal. No escaped gas or need to evacuate and recharge. Of course, I'll still keep my tank & guages on board but at least now I know they'll stay in the engine room.

True, But you need large circulation pumps that need maintenance, zone valves, you need to bleed the air from the system and need something in the lines so they can't freeze. The "chill water" side needs to be cleaned from time to time. If freon leaks nothing gets harmed, Liquid running down the walls is something else.
Not knocking the system, but it has maintenance issues also.

 

[Brian Degulis]

The water chill units are pretty popular on commercial boats. The advantage I see to them in that aplication is that you have only one large compressor which seems less complicated than the 7 split systems we have on our 61' MY


Brian

 

[ThirdHatt]

True, But you need large circulation pumps that need maintenance, zone valves, you need to bleed the air from the system and need something in the lines so they can't freeze. The "chill water" side needs to be cleaned from time to time. If freon leaks nothing gets harmed, Liquid running down the walls is something else.
Not knocking the system, but it has maintenance issues also.

Good points and there is no "perfect" system for sure. It's on a boat so it will require maintenance. I had looked at several Hatt 74 & 75's that had 7 different compressors with freon lines running throughout the boat to various air handlers and I thought at that point a chilled water system began to make sense.

It has one circulation pump in addition to the standard raw water pump. Sure water leaks are no fun, but I like the fact that anyone can trace a water leak and change out water hose or pipe with no need for an A/C tech or refrigeration and leak detecting tools. The water lines are all insulated just like the ones on the outside of our homes here in LA, so being insulated and inside the hull they are pretty protected from freezing already. Up north you may have to but I do not run antifreeze in the closed loop side, just about 15psi of fresh water.

 

[CHECK 6]

Beautiful boat keep showing pictures and good luck with her...Cory