After returning to California, we had a 3M window film added to the inside of our saloon windows. This reduces UVA and UVB
radiation by 99 percent and infrared radiation by 50 percent. Wind Horse’s interior is noticeably cooler and less glary.
to operate and both of which were taken care of under
warranty.
Wind Horse carries as much as 1,500 gallons of fresh
water, plus a Village Marine NF1200 watermaker. The
freshwater capacity is high to keep the boat heavy as
fuel is burned; we did not expect to use the tankage for
domestic needs. However, we find ourselves arranging
the watermaker schedule so that at the end of a passage
it runs until our tanks are filled, and then we luxuriate
in long showers and baths. The watermaker is a simple
model with no automatic controls. It works great, and
while we do have to keep an eye on things, there is very
little to go wrong. We are set up to catch rainwater off
our decks, and in Alaska and the tropics, this is typically
where most of our fresh water originates.
To reduce heat load on the interior and eliminate
UV radiation, we had a 3M window film applied to
the inside of our saloon windows. The specs say it
keeps out half of the infrared-wavelength light, which
is what produces heat. Although our primary goal
was to eliminate UV radiation to protect both interior
finishes and our skin, the film does materially reduce
the heat load.
We have found air conditioning to be a bigger part
of the cruising under power equation than we had
expected. At anchor, we rarely need the air, unless it is
very still and perhaps buggy. For those muggy tropical
nights, we’ve learned to close up the boat and run the
air for an hour or two. This is enough to draw down the
humidity and reduce the cabin air temperature to 75°F.
That’s fine for sleeping, and then in the early morning,
when it is cool outside, we open the hatches.
Surprisingly, we use the air conditioning more in cold
climates than in hot, to get rid of humidity while cooking
and showering.
There is a Marine Air 12,000-Btu air conditioning
unit for the forward cabin, a pair of 16,000-Btu units
for the saloon, and a 10,000-Btu unit split between the
aft cabins. The relatively small size (each unit is self-contained) means they easily operate off the inverters
while on passage. In hot weather, we have to put
up awnings around the saloon windows, as we had
planned when specifying these units.
We also have a home-style dehumidifier installed,
and in cold weather this runs about a quarter of the
time. It keeps the interior humidity level low enough
that condensation on the hull, topsides, windows, and
hatches is not a problem.
For the type of cruising we’ve been doing, heat is more
important than cooling. We have a Kabola diesel boiler
rated at 65,000-Btu capacity that pumps hot water
to fan coils throughout the interior. The Kabola also
provides domestic hot water for bathing. The heater runs
quietly, is exceptionally clean, and seems very efficient.
During late spring in Alaska, with outside nighttime
temperatures just above freezing and daytime temps
in the low 40s, we burn 4. 5 gallons of diesel per day
for heating the boat and bathing water.
There are heat exchangers on both engines in series
with the Kabola boiler to warm the boat with wasted
engine heat while under way. We added a heat
exchanger to the genset, along with a backup inline,
4,000-watt electric heating element, so we can use the
genset to heat the boat should the Kabola fail. The air
