We have a dilemma. Since we have been on the hook, we have found that we seem to have ample electrical power, except when it comes to refrigeration. For the past few weeks, we have avoided putting our battery energy into refrigeration. Banjo came to us with a SeaFrost DC5000 12V Refrigeration System. The system consists of two cold pates; one for the freezer compartment and one for our double refrigerator compartment. However, the compressor for the system draws 40 amps. That’s right, true believers, we said FORTY amps. Also,…
Read MoreCategory: Maintenance & Projects
Regular maintenance, upgrades and repairs are included in this category.
Lifeline Netting Project on SV Banjo
Since we have two furry traveling companions that are still new to moving around deck, we decided to install lifeline netting. It has been on our project list for awhile now. Because of the time on the hook, I gathered the supplies from around the boat. We ordered our lifeline netting from Sailrite. It was a little more expensive than some of the competitors. However, Sailrite claims it is UV treated; a claim none of the others made. So it seemed like a good investment, especially if it would hold…
Read MoreVictron BMV-712 Smart Battery Monitor Review
A month and a half ago, we upgraded our house bank battery monitor. We went from a Victron BMV-602 to a Victron BMV-712 Smart Battery Monitor. We re-wired our existing monitor to our engine start battery so we could monitor it separately. In this post, we are going to give you our impressions and review of the Victron BMV-712 Smart Battery Monitor. Background A few months ago, we performed some major re-work of our house bank. At the time, we discovered our house battery bank was at the end…
Read MoreBanjo’s New Bottom: Day 2 – Boat Bottom Stripping
Boat Bottom Stripping Thunderstorms set us back a few days, but we were able to make progress after the storms. Today, Crystal Coast Industrial Coatings, went into full force on our boat bottom stripping with recycled glass. Johnny worked fast and did a great job, even working in the rain for a large portion of the day. In the end, he was able to get our Banjo-girl all finished up and stripped. Our epoxy barrier coat and bottom paint also arrived. The plan is to apply 3 coats of the…
Read MoreBanjo’s New Bottom Paint: Day 1
A New Bottom Banjo has been on the hard for about a week and yesterday we began stripping the bottom paint to prepare for a new barrier coat and ablative coats. For more exclusive content, be sure to join us at SailingBanjo on Patreon. Also visit the other sections of our blog.
Read MoreMantus Anchor Bridle with Chain Hook
New Equipment: Mantus Anchor Bridle with Chain Hook Back in January, we upgraded our anchor gypsy, chain and anchor. We opted to go with an 85-lb galvanized Mantus Anchor, upgraded to 3/8″ Galvanized G-43 High-Test Chain from Defender, and the more beefy 3/8″ Chain-Wheel from Maxwell Marine. After doing our boat inventory, we noticed that we could also really use an additional piece of equipment to assist us with anchoring and mooring. That other piece of gear was on our wishlist for a number of months and we finally decided…
Read More