This Upgrade Changes Everything!
Picking up the hook and moving on is always a bittersweet moment. But alas, summer doesn’t last forever and neither does our visa. Aotea is but one glorious piece of this sweet kiwi pie. “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” — Gandalf.
But, thanks to one powerful new upgrade, firing up the engines to pick up the anchor is way more exciting! We have sooo much more power and Jason is pumped to tell you all about it.
So, we say goodbye to the barrier and set sail for the wilds of the city. Our new sails are waiting for us (whoop whoop) and a few more exciting new upgrades. Because this is #BoatLife and the projects never end.
UPDATE****
We’ve been using this system since mid-December 2021 and it’s now June 2022. So we’re 6 months in and it’s worked well. We have had a couple of bugs that I will get into but overall the ability to pump in so much power to our battery bank while simply arriving at and leaving an anchorage is fantastic! We think high output alternators will be the norm on boats vs a generator in the future. It’s already becoming an option with some boat manufacturers and that is very cool to see.
We have talked with friends who have the Mastervolt and Balmar high-output alternators who are very happy with their set up too. There are lots of new options out there, so look them all up to see which is best for your application. No matter which brand, we’re fans of the technology and think high-output alternators are a fantastic solution for boaters.
FYI, we were warned by friends with high output alternators that we would notice a slight drop in our overall speed. That’s because power is being diverted to the batteries. For our setup, it seems to be about half a knot or so. For instance, if we motored with one engine at 1800 RPMs before we would travel at about 5 knots, now it’s 4.5 knots.
The team has been responsive to my questions, concerns, and feedback through the installation, setup, and use. I’ve also spoken with Rob one of the lead engineers who helped me troubleshoot my wiring schematic and install. There were a few bugs in the beginning with our setup but the techs at Electromaax helped us sort out most of it.
One of the issues was the alternator heat (they do get hot, as expected) was setting off an alarm on our starter battery (because it’s located close to the alternator). We added some extra engine insulation around the battery and that solved the issue.
The only remaining bug is our tachometers haven’t worked properly since the installation but we can see our RPMs by plugging our computer into the system. We’re still not sure what caused the problem but once we figure it out, we’ll update it here.
If you have a good understanding of 12v wiring, and the tools to do the installation, you could probably do it yourself. I personally don’t own proper big boy wire cutters or hydraulic crimpers for such thick cables, so I knew right away it was best to hire a pro.
Even if you don’t go for the High Output Alternators I would highly recommend the Serpentine Pulley kit and Belt Tensioner. For our Yanmar 39s, it loves to eat through the v-belts and they’re such a pain to replace. If you’re dealing with the same dusty issues we’ve been struggling with for the past 6 years, you will think this is the best thing since sliced bread!
Full Disclosure: ElectroMaax reached out to us when they launched the new Genmaxx 2 and we really liked the updates they had made which is why we were keen to test them out. They sent the product and we did the installation.
🎥 CAMERA GEAR USED TO FILM THIS VIDEO
💻 Editing Templates
🎶 MUSIC IN THIS VIDEO
- Artlist, Get 2 Months for FREE: https://bit.ly/artlist-GWTW
- Artlist – Eldar Kedem, the Hunts, Team Callahan, Lone Wild
- From Motion Array – Down to Little Italy, The Great World
🙏 THANK YOU!
Ups, downs, and all around, we share it all. If you like what you see, there are lots of ways you can show your support.
Tanner Lake
Electromaax almost burned our boat to the ground. This company is a nightmare. They fucked us over at every opportunity they could, and now our boat almost burned and sank.
Nikki Wynn
YIKES! Fire on a boat is about as scary as it gets. Very, very sad to hear you had that experience! Hopefully, your insurance company comes through, does a proper investigation and finds the issue that started the fire. If it was at the fault of Electromaxx, the insurance company will take them to task.
It’s now been 1.5 years since we installed them and they are still working aboard Curiosity. But this is a good reminder to keep checking them, our wiring, and heat output. Because alternators do get hot!
Marjorie
Hey guys! Been watching your vids for SO LONG! Love them all! We are looking at installing the same gear you have. An Electromaax high output alternator, doing 250 amps, seems delicious! Omg gimme all that power! We are on a 60 foot cat and want all the power we can get! Was it as amazing as it seems? We’d love to have 250 amps pumping through our cables. Pros cons? So amazing??? Been chatting with John from Electromaax and it all seems amazing. They have a super warranty and he told me everyone is super happy. I wanna seal the deal asap but wanted to touch base with you. Saw a lot of sassy reviews online, and a couple in this comment section, and online, but i figured as John said they are just losers and can’t install stuff right! haha. Im sure they are all just crusty crankies! I figured let’s go direct to the Wynns source to get the real info! SOOOOO EXCITED!!!
Hope you can give us some expert info. Love your vids, 10 year subscriber!
Cheers,
Marjorie
Nikki Wynn
Hey Marjorie. Anytime we are considering an upgrade, we look at and compare all the available options. There are some new options to the market that look promising so I would contact each before making a purchase. One we didn’t know about at the time of our install was the Integral system and we’ve had the opportunity to live with during our stay on the trimaran and we really liked it. No matter which brand or system you decide works best for you, we very much love having a high output alternator over a generator any day of the week.
Robin
How did the Electromaax alternators end up working out for you on Curiosity? I know your new HH will have a completely different system. Would you recommend Electromaax to others? They seem to have really bad reviews online is why I ask.
Nikki Wynn
They are still working aboard Curiosity but we still have issues getting the tachs to work since the installation. I would suggest looking into Integrel Solutions as we’ve seen it on a friend’s boat and it seems to be a great solution.
Mike Budreau
So did you get rid of the generator all together and if so, any regrets? And I assume we will hear more on 12 volt AC units? Thanks
Cam Inskeep
Do you folks still own the Catamaran with this name at Gulf Harbour? The reason that I ask is that it appears to be quite stern heavy in the water. It could just be something small like water in the tender but thought I’d mention it in case it’s something more serious.
Curious Minion
If you pull up some photos, all Leopard 43’s of the vintage look stern heavy. She will get a little lighter when they finally remove the broken generator!
Curious Minion
Alan Solomon
Awesome video Jason because you have become so technical. You have done so many positive things to Curiosity. Now you have 3 if not 4 ways of powering your vessel as well as at least 3 ways of storing energy and loading batteries on cloudy days.
Curiosity is now even more efficient, self-sufficient and sustainable than ever. Nikki and you will probably stay off-grid and on-the-water for a while, maybe a long time because of all the technical and other achievements you have accomplished over the last 7 or 8 years. It can be a rush to achieve and accomplish these types of things time and time again which you continue to do. Awesome Job. Thanks much for this video.
Continued Joy and Happiness…
candy
you two are amazing. God bless you on your journey. Thanks for sharing your amazing adventures
David
When you said you put the blower tube next to your battery to cool it down, it made me curious. Is the that tube sucking from the engine room or blowing into it? If it’s sucking air out of the engine room, it’s probably best to keep it high, and not necessarily next to the battery. It may be good to test the battery temp with it in different positions. If you have a specific intake (maybe even passive w/ no fan) then it could probably help to place its outlet next to the battery so fresh air is passing over the battery. Sucking the hot air from the engine past the battery may be counterproductive, though.
AlainCh2
What about the watermaker and the freezer?
Did I miss that repairs ?
Nice to see you so happy !!
Rhonda
Geez, I’m getting stressed just watching the contortions Jason goes through in those tiny spaces!
Love you both and all that you share with us! Thank you for keeping me sane for the past two years!!
John S.
That Motion Array demo was fun.
I think that your grunts, groans and flexibility demo the end could have been enhanced with a bit of Array humour.
PoliticalSailor
🤣🤣🤣🤣💯
Michael
The idea of a generator or genset is that the engine is made to run at a constant, energy-efficient rpm. Therefore it uses less energy (fuel) than an engine that is designed for something else. Also, the idea that one is saving by placing the alternators on the propulsion engines is overlooking the fact that the engines now use more fuel to create the electricity because of the extra load placed on the engines. One does not get something for nothing.
On the other hand, windmills, solar panels, prop-driven generators and even Stirling engines are ways of truly getting something for nothing. Of course, one is paying for the equipment one way or the other, so that does not change. However, the output is still free, and that makes all the difference.
Using what is already all around us is always better than creating something from scratch, IMHO.
Tracy H
I love your videos. For some reason I especially love the repair/work vids you do on your Curiosity. That feeling of accomplishment and a job well done. Keeping her in tip top shape. Looking forward to watching more of your working vids when I take a break from the work/repair I’m doing on my home, which isn’t quite as fun or relaxing as watching yours.
Timothy Davis
Did you ever replace the odd shaped fuel tank and the missing life boat?
Curious Minion
Fuel tanks, no. The fiberglass is holding well and may last another 10 years. Life raft – of course. It was installed in the same locker which now only opens from the top so if it falls out again that means the boat’s upside down & they’ll need it anyway haha.
Curious Minion