El Lobo is a Samson ‘C’ Bird designed by Peter Noble of Samson Marine, Vancouver, Canada. She was ‘home built’ by John Law outside his home, which was alongside the Manchester Ship Canal. She was launched in 1971, so is becoming a grand old lady. Most dimensions given in the following descriptions are in Imperial measurements.

Length……………………………………….38’6”

Beam…………………………………………10’9”

Draft……………………………………………6’2”

Hull Type ……………………………………..   Ferro-cement construction with long keel, rudder attached to keel. Below the waterline we have sea cocks for the inlet and outlet for the heads, an inlet for the engine cooling and two outlets for the cockpit drains and for the bilge and shower outlet. The outlet for the galley sink is at water level.

Side Decks …………………………………….. Ferro-cement with gunnels. Galv stanchions with plastic covered stainless guard wires attached to the pulpit forward and gantry at stern. The fillers for the forward and centre water tanks are on the port side deck and the filler for the diesel tanks is on the starboard deck.

Coach Roof ……………………………………. 3/4” Marine ply attached to 3” x 3” mahogany carlings and deck beams. The main mast is here; keel stepped with extra reinforcement with external beams athwart ship and two diagonal beams from the mast partner to the side of the coach roof at the location of the structural bulkhead below. All lines from the masts are led over the coach roof through organisers back to the doghouse. On the deck is the main escape hatch with smaller hatches over the forward cabin and the heads as well as a further prism light for the fore cabin. Also on the coach roof is the life raft and our hard dinghy. The inflatable dinghy is stored forward of the life raft.

Doghouse ………………………………….. Built over the cockpit with mahogany and marine ply with 6 windows of toughened glass, deck locker for extra storage forward of the doghouse covering the sliding hatch. Over the sliding hatch is a ‘dash panel’ with navigation instruments a ship’s time clock and barometer, nav light switches and switch for deck wash. Also there are two 12v sockets, the engine control panel, an extension speaker from the stereo and the input socket for the electrical shore supply. The navigational instruments in the doghouse are a Fluxgate Compass, Depth Sounder, GPS Repeater, Log and Annometer. All lines for the rig come back to the doghouse to line jammers and two self-tailing two-speed winches. The roof of the doghouse supports the boom gallows for the mainsail and also a pair of 52-watt solar panels. In the forward corners of the roof there are two outlets for the rain water catchers.

Cockpit ………………………………………… GRP construction with two 2” self-drainers and a locker forward for halyards and sheets, bilge pump and a handy location for the flares bucket. The seats are slatted and we have tailored cushions. The filler for the aft water tank is under the port side seat.

Poop Deck ……………………………………. Ferro-cement construction with tiller post, Sampson post and access to lazarette. Gantry was constructed with 1” galvanised water pipe holding: Radar scanner, 3 GPS aerials, 1 VHF aerial, 1 Glomex TV aerial and an Ampair Aquair 100 wind/sea generator. Also attached to gantry we have the Dan-buoy, horseshoe buoy with light and a MOB life sling on the starboard side and stern anchor on the port side. This is a ‘Fisherman’ type anchor with about 5 meters of chain and 50 meters of 20 mm line. Gas storage is on deck here with a seat over the bottles. The bottles are held in place under the seat. We have spray dodgers attached to both sides of the gantry and to the first side sections of the guard wires. The mainsheet is attached to the gantry behind the seat and there is a rope bag behind the seat for the mainsheet.

Fore deck …………………………………….. Ferro-cement construction with the fore mast partner and extra strengthening below of a steel plate and a ¾” marine ply gasket packed with epoxy. Forward of the fore mast is the Lofrans Tigres electric windlass with mooring bollards either side of the mast. The windlass has a chain gypsy on one side with a rope drum on the other. We also find it useful for hauling someone (usually Pat) up the mast. The bow fitting is a double roller with fairleads. This fitting came with rubber rollers but we soon found that they didn’t last long with regular anchoring. These have been replaced with nitrile rollers.

Below Deck

Entry is through the hatch in the doghouse down three steps, which are on the engine housing, and then a further large step takes you into the main saloon proper. Looking forward the galley is on your left (port side) and the navigation station is on your right (starboard side). Forward of the navigation station is a solid fuel stove and forward of this on both sides is the seating/dining area with table.

The Galley consists of (starting from aft) a freezer, sink and cooker.

The freezer is a water-cooled type which is very efficient and is not as hungry for power as other types. We are very pleased with its efficiency and economy. When I say water-cooled, this is a system where instead of one motor to circulate and pump the refrigerant and one to drive a fan to cool the refrigerant, the refrigerant is circulated through the freezer plate and then outside the hull through a type of heat exchanger where the refrigerant is then cooled by the sea water. A little more expensive than the normal run of the mill type of unit but the extra has paid dividends. There is about five inches of insulation around the sides, eight inches on the bottom and about three inches on the top. Access is through the top that is part of our tiled work surface for the galley.

Next forward is the sink. The sink is stainless steel and as is would be below the water line when the boat is heeled, there is a hand pump with one-way valves to empty the water overboard. The sink is served with a normal hot/cold mixer tap in the middle with a faucet to the left from a General Ecology water filter. This filter is said to be the same as used by major airlines when taking on water at dubious sources and is supposed to be capable of filtering out the nasties, even E-coli. To the left of the mixer is another faucet that is for raw water that is it is pumped from outside the hull using a foot pump. When on a longer voyage we use this to save fresh water for washing up etc. and even for cooking which we dilute depending on the salinity.

The work top here is tiled with ceramic tiles that are sort of yellow, orange and burgundy in a random pattern (if there is such a thing), sounds awful but is really quite homely. At the back, against the hull are a couple of storage shelves with glass sliding doors, a sliding spice rack, a plate rack and cutlery and utensil drawers. Also around this area we have a mug rack, and holders for such as kitchen roll, foil, cling film and even an electric blender. There is also a twin 240v socket and the thermostat for the freezer.

Below the sink is a cupboard for the pots and pans. We have cut-outs for all the individual pans and jugs so they don’t fall about in rough weather (well that’s the theory anyway). The doors to the cupboard were made with hardwood frames with rattan infills. Inside the doors I have made leather multi sheathes for the kitchen knives so they have easy access. The water filter is at the back of this cupboard. Below this is a smaller storage locker for the cleaning bits and pieces.

Forward of the sink is the cooker. Ours is a Plastimo 2000 with two burners, a grill and oven. To be honest, this was the best we could afford at the time and it really is just a token cooker. We are stuck with this type now unless we can find an alternative that will fit in the same space. The burners are OK, just, but the grill is a bit pathetic and will only toast by doing half of one side at a time. If you wanted to grill pork chops for supper, forget it unless one of you wanted to eat half an hour after the other. The oven also leaves a bit to be desired but with practice Pat has worked wonders. If the cooker and the grill are on at the same time then the control knobs become seized with the heat and extremely difficult to adjust. On the plus side, we eat more salads now. Behind the cooker we have storage for cereals on the lower shelf and tinned foods on the top shelf. By the side of these shelves there is a six-inch wide slot where we keep trays and chopping boards. The cooker is gimballed so that it can swing when the boat is rocking or heeling but I fitted a sliding bolt to lock it in place when in port. There is a shelf tight against the back of the cooker that can be folded in half when the cooker is free to gimbal.

Underneath the cooker there is a sliding shelf where we keep baking trays and casserole dishes and underneath this shelf is access to the domestic water manifold and meter, but more about that later.

Forward of the cooker there is a drop-down work top. When in the ‘up’ position it is folded away upright retained with a ‘cabin hook’ and is part of the backrest of the port side seat/bunk. When lowered it becomes an extended part of the galley work surface area. It too is tiled with the same random pattern as the sink surround and freezer top. It also acts as a cupboard door and here we keep part of our foodstuffs. Further forward there are two more cupboards with rattan doors. In these we keep stationary and computer stuff, all our first aid equipment and drugs and dressings etc. We have our bread bins in here along with dry packaged foods. Below these there is more storage behind the backrest of the seat/bunk. Here we keep our CD’s DVD’s, electrical bits and bobs as well as a few other miscellanies. Under the bunk is a water tank and a small locker where we usually keep booze (when we can afford it!!). This bunk is only five feet long so there is a trotter box where you put your feet and extends the bunk for the tallest crew we are likely to have with us. Under the cushion there is a lee cloth which ties up at each end of the bunk to hold the person off watch in the bunk when the boat is rolling.

On the port side of the main saloon is the navigation station. We have kept this as small as possible to allow room for other things. This probably sounds a rather strange statement but I believe that unless you have the luxury of a large enough space to open up a full chart then the saloon table will suffice as the chart desk. We tend to plan our next part of the trip in comfort around the saloon table anyway. The nav station has two main panels. On one panel there are two banks of six switches that distribute power to the main navigation instruments as well as for the 12v circuit, fuel gauges, tiller pilot and lights. Also we have a battery management system that is backed up with two separate ammeters and a separate voltmeter. The ammeters indicate the inputs from the solar panels and the Ampair Aquair charger. We can actually tell the wind speed by the amps coming into the system. On the panel there are two fuel gauges a 12v socket and the auto bilge pump switch. The bilge pump switch is independent of the switchboards and can only be depowered by physical disconnection from the battery bank. Above this panel is a bookshelf where we keep the almanacs and area pilots as well as our logbooks. Attached to this bulkhead is the radar/chart plotter. This is mounted on a hinged bracket so that we can view it from the nav station or from the cockpit.

The other panel has the VHF/DSC radio, GPS, AIS, and Navtex. These are the nerve centre for our navigation and safety.

The VHF radio is for contact with other boats or to shore and mainly used to contact harbours and marinas to obtain clearance to enter. The DSC part of the radio is a new emergency system which on pressing the ‘panic button’ it will automatically send out a distress signal giving the type of distress but more important our position in latitude and longitude. This position is constantly being fed to the radio by the GPS.

The GPS or Global Positioning System basically will give you your exact position within a few meters and this position can then be plotted on to a chart so that we can physically see our progress and know where we are. The GPS does a number of other things as well. Some of which are surplus to requirements but nice for anyone who likes to ‘fiddle’. By adding the positions of various waypoints it will tell you the distance to your next waypoint, your Speed Over the Ground, compass bearing to the waypoint and also your Estimated Time of Arrival at that waypoint. The Log, which is situated in the doghouse, gives our speed through the water. In tidal waters, by noting the difference between the Speed Over the Ground and Speed through the Water you can see whether you are going with the tide or against it as well as the strength of the tide. We actually have four other GPS’s; one in the radar/chart plotter, two handhelds and a spare mounted one.

The AIS is the new Automatic Identification System. Basically any vessel over 300 tonnes has, by International Law, to carry an AIS transponder. This sends out a signal which indicates the ships name, its MMSI number, its position, speed and course. This comes up on our screen which is similar to a radar screen so that we can see them long before we can see them physically (especially with our aging eyes!). This is particularly useful when crossing shipping lanes or entering a noted busy port. In mid ocean it is also possible to identify passing ships and contact them for up-to-date weather forecasts or position confirmation or even a bit of a chat!!

The Navtex receives signals in script, which is displayed on a screen. These signals are sent from various stations around the globe. These signals give us weather forecasts as well as informing us of any operations at sea such as diving or salvage operations that could influence us in our decisions of our route or at least give us areas to avoid. It also informs us of certain navigational discrepancies such as a buoy light not working or a buoy that has been moved. This generally is an underrated instrument, but used correctly can be a lifesaver.

On the end of this panel there is a 12v socket and a double 240v socket over a small shelf. This we use as a charging station where we charge such things as mobile phones, radios, torches and cameras.

There is a desk at the nav station with a storage drawer and underneath the desk there is a small shelf where we keep the sextant and a trailing log.

Next forward we have our solid fuel stove. It came originally from a French caravan and is made of cast iron, a little heavy but well worth that sacrifice. It is mounted on its own base with a surround that is tiled to the same pattern as the work top’s. Behind the stove is a bulkhead that is also tiled and has a vent top and bottom to allow warm air through to shelves and a hanging space behind. This is used for all types of storage but can of course be used as an airing cupboard. The flue comes out of the back of the stove leaving a clear flat top with five concentric removable rings. When we have the stove alight it can also be used for cooking. It certainly makes the cabin snug on colder nights and we can burn just about anything including coal, driftwood or just about anything combustible. The flue goes straight up through the deck to a three-foot long removable chimney. At the deck we have a stainless steel plate and a non-inflammable canvass type of insulation around the flue. A brass ring finishes it off below the deck. A stainless steel guard surrounds the flue inside and we have a brass rail around the stove to prevent us from falling against it. There are two rails at the ceiling (deck head) where we hang towels etc. to keep them dry (and warm!!).

Forward of the stove is a seat/bunk with storage under. Here we keep many of the spares we need for the engine such as filters, impellers, etc. a few tools and another small compartment for booze. Behind the seat there is more storage. This has been used for many different items. As you will read elsewhere we set off with far too much gear and this happened to be one area that we used to jam all sorts of things into until we got sorted. Above the backrest we have two bookshelves. Aft of the bookshelf is our television with a built in DVD player. It is has a 17” screen and is mounted on a sliding shelf so that it pulls out when we watch it and then slides back into the cabinet and a door slides across to keep it in place at sea. It is also fitted with a Freeview box so that we can get some digital programmes with digital quality as long as you can understand the language of the country you are in. We need to tune in the tele at every port we visit but it is semiautomatic and doesn’t need a geek to sort it out!!

Forward of the bookshelf we have stereo radio/cassette/CD player. It is a Kenwood with a twelve CD rack. Here also is another switch panel that feeds lights, radio, tele, shower pump and holding tank gauge. Here also we have the Target SSB radio. This can be linked into our laptop to pick up weather faxes and forecasts and through this we can download weather charts for more accurate forecasting. Above this we have two shelves where we keep the laptop, printer and scanner.

In the centre of the saloon we have the table, which can fold out to a full width or when folded in half can also hinge up against a shelf unit leaving the saloon clear. In the shelf unit that is against the forward bulkhead we have storage for a couple of bottles, condiments, glasses and of course the corkscrew! Above that we have a couple more shelves for small books, stationary items and odd knickknacks. There are shelves up a height where we have the speakers for the stereo and even more knickknacks.

From the saloon forward through a door is the vanity area and shower. There is a opening hatch above. This also doubles up as an escape hatch. The vanity sink is on the left as you go forward. It is a light plastic sink and the trotter box is under. There is hot and cold running water and the shower pulls up from the tap and is fitted into a bracket. On the right is a bi-fold door behind which are the heads. We have a Blake’s Lavac which is operated using their unique vacuum system. It has few working parts and is reputed to be the most reliable and so far we have no reason to doubt this. The heads area is tiled with white tiles (simulated) and behind the toilet we have installed a holding tank. There are two handles on the bulkhead which divert either the suction or the discharge side of the pump to the tank or overboard. There is also a level gauge for the holding tank with a switch. At head height we have the unit for the fluxgate compass which is about as central on the boat we could get it.

Forward again is our sleeping cabin.

The bed is constructed using slats to aid circulation and to help to prevent condensation. It is 4’ wide and really is the most comfortable bed I have slept in on a boat. We have an interior sprung mattress and not the proverbial Dunlopillow type of foam mattress. There is storage underneath and we have a hanging wardrobe with clothes lockers around the cabin. Underneath the bed we have a large tray, which swings up into the frame of the bed. This stores all our charts - flat! Beneath the under bed storage we have another water tank and under the floor by the bed we have the storage for the fresh fruit and vegetables, which is right next to the hull. This keeps quite cool in most climates.

Forward of the bed is our fore peak storage which is screened off with more rattan doors. Here we keep the smoker, spare sleeping bags and other miscellanies. There is a bulkhead forward of the fore peak which encloses the chain locker.

Services

We have electricity, water and gas on board much like the average house but obviously adapted for our purposes and marine life.

Gas.

When we bought the boat there was a gas cooker, gas water heater and a gas room heater. Personally I am not too keen on gas on a boat. Gas is heavier than air and therefore will sink to the bottom of the boat and can build up to form an explosive mixture. However as long as you are aware of this potential and take the necessary precautions then the risk is minimised. We investigated all different types cooker from spirit stoves and those fuelled by paraffin and diesel but as far as cooking is concerned gas seemed to come out best in all aspects. With most of the liquid fuelled cookers need to be fired up and kept running if you are like us and like the odd cuppa during the day. This generates heat within the cabin and whilst that may be welcome in the more temperate climates, this could make things and bit uncomfortable in the more tropical climes. So we decided on gas for the cooker. It is supplied from two 13 kg Propane bottles that are installed out in the open on the stern deck. We have a manual leak detector and an electronic ‘sniffer’, which will automatically shut off the gas if gas is detected in the cabin. The cooker is now the only gas appliance we have on the boat.

Water.

We have hot and cold running water throughout the boat for domestic use. It is pressurised with an automatic pump through an expansion tank, which is supposed to give smooth running to the water flow, but maybe we need a bigger one! We have three ‘bladder’ type tanks individually filled from the deck. They have a total capacity of around 450 litres. One is positioned under the bed, one under the port side seat in the main cabin and one under the cockpit. They are all piped to a manifold, which is under the floor, by the cooker. From the manifold the water is then fed through a meter so that we can also monitor our consumption rate but also keep a record of the actual capacity of the tanks. There are individual valves so that we can use one tank at a time. This means that if one tank becomes contaminated we can isolate it from the others and take it out to clean it or dispose of it. We carry spare bladders for all the tanks. For long voyages such as crossing an ocean we actually fill these bladders and place them on deck to extend our capacity. We do need to be careful here as it would be easy to upset the trim of the boat with too much weight above the centre of gravity. We also have Gerry cans for water that are carried on deck.

Beneath the cabin sole (floor) we have the calorifier (40 litres), which is basically our hot water tank. When on passage it is heated by the engine from the cooling water. This is great as it means that when we arrive in port we have the engine on to get to our berth and by the time we have tied up and made fast all round, we have piping hot water in the system. The calorifier is well insulated so the water will stay hot for around 24 hrs depending on how much we use. Whilst in port and plugged into the shore electrical supply, it has an immersion heater so that our hot water is constant.

The electric water pump is augmented with a foot pump in case of failure and for long passages. An electric pump can be wasteful as it is so easy to use more than required whereas if you have to pump the water you tend to only use what is needed. Human nature I suppose.

The shower is fed from the main domestic system and has a mixer tap that feeds to the vanity sink but also can be pulled out on a tube to hook up to form the shower. We have the usual shower curtains and a grate in the floor to a tray, which then drains into a sump with a float switch and pump to dispose of the water overboard. We haven’t yet found a way to reuse this water yet, but I’m working on it!

As far as drinking water is concerned, we have invested in a General Ecology water filter. It has a very fine filter which filters out all the nasties that you can sometimes find in tap water in various parts of the world. The system wasn’t cheap and the filters cost around £55.00 each but we feel confident with the system and also feel that this was well worth the investment. We also have an in-line filter which we attach to our hose when filling our water tanks.

Below the cabin sole just forward of the engine is the sea cock which supplies the water for the engine cooling. There is a removable filter and from this there is a manifold with the main supply going to the engine cooling system. Branched off is a supply to a foot pump that supplies the galley sink, a further supply to our deck wash pressure pump. There is also a further full sized branch which goes down into the bilge. This would act as an emergency bilge pump and would be used as an extra pump when things get desperate. At the very least we hope that this will buy us a little time if the worst happens.

Electrics

In this modern age electrical power is essential. With all the electronic instruments we use for navigation and for domestic appliance we have had to put a system together that will sustain us and supply our needs for comfortable living. We have gone for a 12v system. The choice is for a 12v or a 24v system. We are informed that a 24v system is a little more efficient but nearly all items built for a 24v system are more expensive and many instruments are just not available. I am not an electrician and putting one DC system together is challenge enough let alone two. I also needed to consider a 240v system.

I not will bore you with the tables that are available in many other publications that list the consumption rates of various instruments and appliances against the power available. There are also formulae to do the calculations. What I wanted was to get on board was as much power as I could fit in, bearing in mind ours is not a beamy or a spacious boat, and as much recharging capacity as we could reasonably afford.

To this end we now have four six-volt ‘traction batteries’ and two 12v ‘lorry batteries’. Between them we have 480 amp hours. I would be hard pressed to physically fit another decent sized battery on the boat without compromising space used for other essentials. There is also weight to consider.

For charging, we have of course the engine alternator, which through a split diode will initially charge the engine battery and then transfer over to charge the domestic bank. To this end, the engine battery is kept to a minimal size so that less time is spent charging it and therefore more time charging the main bank. Supplementary charging is also supplied by two 54-watt solar panels, which we intend to add to as we progress, and by our Ampair Aquair generator. This has two modes. When at a mooring or at anchor it is fitted on to our gantry with a six bladed propeller and is driven by the wind. In this position it is quite effective and will generate up to around 5 amps in fresh winds however we have recorded 8 amps, which was in a gale. When sailing, bearing in mind we intend to be sailing downwind most of the time, we take it down and attach it to another mounting. A rope is then attached to the centre spindle. At the end of this 30-meter rope is another propeller, which is driven by the motion through the water. We have an ammeter wired into the system so that we can keep an eye on things and we reckon that we get roughly an amp per knot although Ampair did say that they were surprised that we got that much. Nevertheless we feel that it is a good system and certainly sufficient for our needs.

We also have a Sterling 40 amp smart charger. This comes on automatically when we plug into the shore supply. It is a 4-stage type, which in simple terms has a boost charge followed by a rest to allow the batteries to adjust themselves and then a further trickle charge and rest to maintain voltage. The normal voltage is maintained at around 13.0 – 13.4 volts but when on boost the voltage goes up to 14.5 volts and then gradually reduces down to the 13 or so volts. It seems a good system and certainly has given us good service.

The 12-volt system supplies just about all our navigation instruments along with the navigation lights and the tiller pilot (electronic self steering system). The lights in the cabins are a mixture of halogen and LED. The LED lights are improving in performance and we use these when at sea to conserve our power base as much as we can.

We also have a 240-volt ring main around the boat. The shore supply is fed through a waterproof consumer unit. This unit supplies the ring main, the immersion heater and the battery charger. The consumer unit can also be supplied by our inverter, which in turn takes power from the battery bank. Naturally we have to isolate the battery charger and usually the immersion heater and just leave the ring main supplied from the inverter. It is only a 1000-watt supply but that will drive all we need. We have deliberately kept all our electrical goods below 1000 watts. The main items we use on this system are the food blender and chargers for mobile phones, the vacuum cleaner, cameras, laptops and torches. Pats favourite hairdryer unfortunately cannot be used on this system but she does have a little 12v one which she says is a little better that useless! If necessary I can use all my electric tools on this system but I haven’t needed to yet.

We also carry a portable 1000-watt petrol driven generator. In emergency this could be used to charge the batteries but mainly we use it when I need power for tools on deck.

We have a battery management system that is supposed to monitor the batteries and the consumption rates etc. However we fitted a digital voltmeter and ammeters for the solar panels and the Ampair systems and to be honest we find these as complicated as we need. We can tell at a glance if the voltage is getting low and we can also see that the two charging systems are performing.

Generally we have tried to develop the boat for our own comfort and to be able to manage the boat as an entity to supply us with all our needs when we are a long way from civilisation and for our survival. I have always said that with boats or indeed with many other parts of our lives, there is always a compromise. Ideally we really needed a bigger boat but that too brings its own problems as well as a higher price tag. So we have arrived at what we have got and are reasonably happy with it. I met a guy at a Southampton Boat Show a few years ago called Rory Burke. He had written a few books and had sailed as far as New Zealand when I met him and one bit of advice he gave me still rings in my ears and I will pass this on to you. He had written a book on boat management and it was simply that, boat management. He said that as long as you can sail to a reasonable standard, that part of your enterprise is easy, but the important thing is that you need to be able to manage the boat as if you were the city engineer. So we have developed El Lobo with that thought in mind. There are quite a few things on our boat that you will not find on many others. We know that we have influenced others in the way we have equipped and fitted out the boat and I hope that we can bring some ideas to others who are contemplating a similar project.