Back Stage Tour of Two Fish

For our readers who  want to peer behind the glitzy exterior of Two Fish and know what is going on behind the scenes:
ICE MAKER:

It seems over-the-top to have an ice maker on a sailing vessel, but, what the heck, we have one in the salon.

Pros:   Cold drinks can take the edge off a long day. On a great day, my solar power can feed the fridge, freezer and ice maker.  As a catamaran you are hosting the party, so you might as well do it in style.

Cons:   16 amps consumption wired off the inverter.     The units have a reputation for breaking down, but no issues on Two Fish (fingers crossed).   While producing ice, the unit gets very hot.   Final con is that it takes up some very useful space.

Overall:  Jump ball as the space would be nice to have and I can live without ice and/or buy ice onshore.

 

SAIL LOCKER

Two Fish has a choice of 4 different head sails.  Typically, the code zero (second biggest) and genoa (workhorse)  are on the furlers.  This leaves the spinnaker (huge pink one)  and jib (smallest) to be stored in the sail locker.   The locker also holds a few sail bags and the mainsail cover.

Pros:   Nice to have a proper place for the sails.   We do not use it for extra dinghy anchors, spare boots and other odds and ends so it is easy to find what you need.

Con:   The ladder is annoying and occupies valuable space.   We would like more open space to make it easier to extract the chute  in the large turtle (spinnaker bag) through the hatch.

Overall:   Love my sail locker, only wish it was a bit bigger and did NOT have the ladder.

 

DIVE COMPRESSOR – SCUBA TANK FILLER

Hidden in her port aft locker is a nifty Brownie’s Marine dive compressor.

Pros:   You are your own scuba shop.  Breathing under water is just fantastic.   A few times we have really benefited from having a dive tank for boat maintenance or safety.    I would not  go far afield without a Scuba tank.   Obviously, you can fill scuba tanks at dive shops instead of this complex set-up.   As an aside, 60 liter aluminum tanks fit in the stern rope lockers.   About to buy a pair.

Cons:   Lawn mower loud.   Needs to be kept cool.   Ours has a glitch which we will get fixed in Ft Lauderdale next month.

Overall:   Need more time with the unit.

GENSET LOCKER

Our genset locker is so big, many have called it the genset village.  Like the title implies, it holds our generator which makes 110 electricity so the boat can feel like a house.   The genset is very large for our needs.   It can run the air conditioners, water heaters and other power-hungry items.   We have never felt under-powered with this unit.   When charging the batteries, while at sea, it takes about 1 hour to raise the charge level 10%.  Servicing the impeller-eating genset is easy since it is installed at waist height.   To keep the genset company, we also have fishing poles, long lines and our diesel box.   This toxic box contains anything that has touched fuel or oil besides me (Jason).

Pros:   What a luxury to have a locker designed for purpose.

Cons:  Leaks.   Our anti siphon loop was too short so water  entered.   Easy fix.   We also have a slow leak in the mushroom.   We tried sealant but will have to try again soon.

Overall:   This is a luxury that makes life easy.  We need to get it bone-dry with no small leaks.

ANCHOR LOCKER

One of the reasons I bought this boat, was the outstanding set-up for two anchors.  Boats can go years without needing a second anchor but when you do need it, you might really need it.

Here is a story of an Antares sistership.   They dropped their anchor close to Two Fish and as luck would have it, their anchor hooked Two Fish’s chain.    They tried to move their boat by raising their anchor and madness broke out.   Their anchor proceeded to take a promenade up the Two Fish anchor chain.    They tried to ease the rode but the nylon rode was jammed in the gypsy.   So the captain made a brilliant call and cut the rode.  Their boat was now free and avoided bashing into Two Fish.  Two Fish was very happy as there was no damage.  As a thank you, the next morning I dove with my scuba tank and found their anchor and chain.   I attached a fender to aid in its retrieval.    Lesson learned: before the problem spirals out of control find a way to be back in charge.    Most boat owners would only start thinking about how they will anchor when their primary buzzes by them to sleep with the fishes.   However, our sistership just dropped their second anchor.  With the dual anchor set-up, all the necessary parts are in place and ready to go.

Pros:   Nice bridle.  Very secure set up for the 33kg Rocna.   Easy to use.

Cons:   We are still working on reducing the bee hiving of the anchor chain.  The pin through our anchor roller failed – a dramatic moment but an easy fix.

 

BATTERY LOCKER

This space is at the foot of the mast.   We store our fenders, dock lines and spinnaker sheets in this locker.   The batteries are easy to access when adding water or doing other battery maintenance.   The chase for halyards is also accessible from this locker.   The windlass motor can be seen in the lower right hand corner.

Pros:   Again easy work space.

Cons:  None

 

COCKPIT CUDDY

The most important safety equipment on board is our sun tan lotion stored in a small cuddy in the cockpit.   We also store extra line, safety harnesses and other frequently used equipment.   It usually is a messy jumble but was cleaned for this photo.   This is not a standard set up for the boat.  We find it very helpful as I do not like having a messy cockpit.

Pro:  More storage

Con:  Cost

BONUS PHOTOS

We have readers that stare at photos and examine every angle to better understand the boat.   I know I was one of them before we moved aboard Two Fish.   Now I get to do it in person.   So here are some extra photos for those folks.