[Rhodes22-list] Seeking advices on accesories for 1983 Rhodes 22

Thu Sep 16 08:31:01 EDT 2004

Kenny,

For day use, the bimini top will be more useful.  You can sail in light air
with the bimini top up.  However, the bimini top does add windage at the
stern.  So, it increases the amount of heeling and weather helm.  The boom
room is primarily a means of increasing the boat's weatherproof/bugproof
living space when overnighting.  The boom room is nice; but, also much more
expensive than the bimini top.

The 10 watt solar panel is good for keeping your battery trickle charged &
not much more than that.  Solar panels are sealed & weatherproof these days
& have a usable lifetime measured in decades unless they are physically
damaged in some way.

The folks that have the skipper swivel chairs (SSC) seem to love them!
However, be advised that the Rhodes 22 is very sensitive to fore/aft trim
and weight distribution.  The SSC's are mounted very close to the stern of
the boat & sitting in them tends to cause the boat to trim down by the
stern.  A down by the stern fore/aft trim adds a lot of drag & is slow.

The portable Coleman type LPG camping stoves are not intended to be used in
an enclosed space and can be very dangerous!  The disposable 16 oz LPG
canisters have been known to leak, primarily from the valve area.  Used
outside in a campground, a small amount of LPG leakage is no big deal.  Down
belowdeck in the galley of your Rhodes 22, this same gas leakage could cause
a major fire &/or explosion.  Plus, the LPG supply cannister is right there
alongside the stove in case of a fire & you have no way to isolate the
propane supply from the fire.  Don't do it!  Get a proper marine LPG stove &
LPG tank.  The below enclosed photo links will show you the 2 burner LPG
stove I installed on Dynamic Equilibrium in 1987.  Note the use of stainless
steel sheet metal and expanded metal grids around the stove to protect the
plastic & wood in the galley from the heat.  You don't want to scorch your
plastic boat!  So far, the system has been absolutely bulletproof:

http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/Galley-3.jpg
http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/Galley-4.jpg
http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/Propane-1.jpg

Note that my system has a 1/4 turn shutoff valve mounted out under the
cockpit seats right at the 6 lb LPG tank.  If something ever went seriously
wrong at the stove; then, I can quickly get out of the cabin & still shut
off the LPG supply to the stove.

Fishing rod holders?  Absolutely!

110 VAC shore power?  Absolutely!

Regarding porta-pottis vs. marine heads, I have experience with only the
porta-potti setup on the Rhodes 22 and with marine heads on larger boats.  I
have sat on the Rhodes 22 marine head at boat shows.  My impressions of the
two setups are:

Using the true marine head is like sitting on your toilet at home, with the
exception of considerably less elbow room.  But, the marine head + its
holding tank & associated plumbing adds weight, drives up the cost, & it's
just one more thing to go wrong on the boat.  The porta-potti is not as
luxurious; but, it gets the job done.  The porta-potti can be moved out into
the cockpit or even up onto the foredeck at night, a much more palatable
proposition if someone needs to use the head in the middle of the night
while you're swinging at anchor in some secluded cove.  The true marine head
is built in, you can't remove it.  Using it in the middle of the night with
the cabin all closed up is a smelly, noisy experience that no one will
appreciate!  When you need to empty the true marine head's holding tank, you
have to find a pump-out station.  If you sail in remote areas, finding a
marine pumpout station that's open and not out of order when you need to
pumpout can be an iffy proposition.  Yes, its true, some marinas frown upon
you dumping your porta-potti into their toilets.  But, you do not have to go
without deck pumpout capability with a porta-potti.  The attached photo
shows how my porta-potti is setup to be emptied either by deck pumpout or by
taking it ashore & dumping it into the nearest gas station toilet.  In
situations where it was inappropriate to carry my porta-potti ashore to dump
it, I've pulled up to marine pumpout station, waited my turn in line, paid
my $3.00, & pumped out just like the rich folks on the big boats do!  But,
I've also emptied it into a Porta-Jon chemical latrine in a state park!  The
greater holding tank capacity of the true marine head is going to give you a
longer period between pump-outs vs. the porta-potti.  But, how long are you
going to realistically live aboard a 22 foot boat?  We find that we only use
the porta-potti on passages between ports of call & try to use onshore
toilets whenever we are in port.  I've always regarded cruising on a small
boat as sort of like camping on the water.  In my opinion, the true marine
head with holding tank is an unnecessary bit of extravagence.  However, you
or your wife may hate porta-pottis or consider them uncivilized.  Thus, you
may have no choice but to opt for the true marine head with holding tank.

Hopefully, that answers your questions, Kenny.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "kenny vu" <kv1at57 at hotmail.com>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 1:13 PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Seeking advices on accesories for 1983 Rhodes 22

> Seeking advices to install the following on my newly acquired '83 Rhodes
22
>
> -Bimini Top or Boom Room
> -Solar Panel
> -Skipper Swivel Chairs
> -Propane Burner/portable Coleman camping type gas cooktop
> -Fishing Rod holder
> -110V hookup
> -Flush toilet vs pump-out connection.
>
> Here's the details:
> -Mostly for weekender use. Can trailer up after use. Currently have a
porta
> potty. No problem putting chemical in it, and dumping it out in toilet
after
> use, but thought a pump out might be convenient for longer trip/visit to
> other marinas. Is pump-out necessary when visiting marinas, i.e. can't
take
> porta potty out and dump ?
> -Definitely want at least a bimini top to keep the sun out. Boom Room
seems
> to be an overkill, especially if it costs an arm and a leg, and
inconvenient
> to set-up/tear down, and can't be use as a sun screen during the day &
while
> sailing
> -Can get 110V from the house when trailer up, and if the only good use is
> for charging the battery, then 100V hookup/distribution/installation/cost
do
> not seem warranted
>
> General advices would like to get:
>
> -pros & cons, Dimensions/cost/ease of installation. A bimini from the
> manufacturer costs ~$500. Need dimensions to check out if available on
eBay.
> -Usefullness of Solar Panel: is 10W enough to run radio/navigational
> equipment/Laptop  directly, or it is mostly good for charging the battery,
> which can be (?) used for powering those ? Are solar panels reliable,
> durable ?
>
> Please respond to kv1at57 at hotmail.com or retkv at msn.com
>
> Many thanks
>
> Kenny Vu
>
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