Hello everyone. Some of our Garcia and Allures boat friends are doing maintenance on their centreboards, which made me think, 'I've got some old footage of that.' Here's a video showing a quick job done on Snow Gum's centreboard back in January 2021. I had raised the centreboard too high (in the dark; didn't see the stop mark on the lifting line) and one of the anti-friction pads squeezed too tightly against the centreboard box. It was quite stubborn so Garcia decided to investigate. The pads were shaved a touch. Problem solved. Regards, Rick.

Hi folks. Here's a video showing how to disassemble and repair a Webasto U4840 coolant pump from a Webasto Thermo Pro 90 heater, the hydronic heater used in Garcia Exploration 45 yachts and many others. Regards, Rick. Reassembly tips. - apply a small amount of grease or Vaseline between the surfaces of the shaft, the magnetic rotor, the impeller and the two small washers, to minimise wear during startup before coolant reaches the pump and is providing long term lubrication. - apply a small bead of sealant between the junction of the rotor cup and the outer housing. This will reduce the chance of coolant reaching the electronics if it leaks past the inner o-ring seal. Caution - applying sealant in this way will make future disassembly more difficult. - if you can, use a new o-ring for the inner seal when reassembling. I measure the inner o-ring as 2mm cross section by 42mm inside diameter. If someone has a friend at Webasto, please confirm. An option would be to use a slightly thicker 2.4mm x 42.2mm o-ring, which should provide a better seal. - if your repair involves replacing components on the circuit board, remember to apply a protective coating where needed. Clear, non-conductive silicon could be a good choice. ? - consider applying sealant to the rubber seal that sits on the two external, electrical connector terminals, before installing the motor into the outer housing. This should minimise the chance of liquids reaching the electronics through that opening in the housing.

Hello everyone. It's Rick and Carolyn here from Snow Gum, which is now called Night Owl and owned by our friend Tom. This video provides a quick rundown on the second alternator system which Tom has installed. We looked closely at the high performance alternators and regulators available on the market in 2024 and identified what we think are the best items, to provide impressive levels of battery charging performance. Please feel free to ask for further information in the Comments. Note: At 3:40 - rather than using the Cerbo's Ethernet port, the VE.Can port is the one to use. Equipment details are: Alternator - Electromaax Genmaax 250A-12V Remote Rectified. Choose the 1&7/8 inch pulley to get a 2.5:1 ratio with the pulley in the Volvo bracket kit. https://electromaax.com/products/genmaax/ Regulator - Arco Zeus High Energy Bluetooth Alternator Regulator. https://arcomarine.com/products/arco-zeus-high-energy-alternator-regulator Bracket Kit - Volvo Penta Extra Alternator Bracket Kit, part 21384685. Some items in the kit are not needed, but this is the least expensive way to get the bracket, tensioner arm, pulley, spacer & nuts and bolts that are needed. Alternator belt - Gates K050405 (a.k.a. Goodyear K050405). This belt has an outside circumference of 1035mm, which is slightly shorter than the belt in the Volvo bracket kit, being 1067mm. This works with a Genmaax 250A alternator with the 1&7/8" pulley, in the upper position on a Volvo Penta D2-75 engine, using the 119.1mm pulley included in the Volvo bracket kit. Dealer locations are available from the manufacturers' websites provided above. For this installation suppliers were: Alternator - https://marinesmartenergy.com/ Regulator - https://www.imarineusa.com/search.aspx?find=Arco+Zeus+High-Energy+Alternator+Regulator Bracket Kit - https://www.parts4engines.com/volvo-penta-d2-55-and-d2-75-additional-alternator-mounting-kit/ I'll add some performance numbers once Tom has the system dialed in. Early indications are that the output from the ElectroMaax Genmaax 250A alternator and the Arco Zeus regulator is very impressive indeed. Stand by for news on this. Regards, Rick.

If we're planning to do it we say, 'We're going to heave-to.' If we're doing it we say, 'We're heaving-to.' If we've finished we say, 'We're hove-to.' If Coast Guard calls us and asks if we're OK because the boat's going around in circles we say, 'We're un-heave-hoving-to and a bit busy at the moment but thanks for checking. Snow Gum out!' My grammar teacher would applaud my hyphenation, to join the separate words into a single word. ?

Here's a progressive update on our engine/gearbox/coupling repair story. We've had great support from Garcia and Volvo to get Snow Gum back into fighting trim. A great result. Regards from Rick and Carolyn.

Volvo have had three tries with three lift-outs to fix the broken D2-75 engine in our one year old Garcia Exploration 45 - Snow Gum. First the coupling sheared one of its six bolts. Then the gearbox was replaced. Then the coupling sheared all six of its bolts, immediately after being put back in the water and once again limping from the boat lift back to the pontoon. The noises coming from the engine and drive train just get louder with each repair attempt. Now Volvo expect us to waste more of our lives waiting for them to remove the engine, replace a couple of parts and reinstall the engine, so we can wait for it to break again. Nope - if the engine has to come out, I will be pushing for a new one. Well, I might ask that the Mechanical Diesel Interface (MDI) black box from the old engine should be transferred to the new engine. The original MDI failed in May 21 (leaving us and Snow Gum caught in a full gale in the Irish Sea - a story for another day) and its replacement seems to be a good'n. I suspect that it was the intermittent, progressive failure of the MDI that caused all of the trouble we're having. It can't do an engine drive train any good to have random stop and start messages being sent to it while at high revs and high loads. No wonder the drive train keeps failing. Please let us know what you think in the comments. I'd like to hand the boat over to new owners with an engine that can be trusted.

This is a redo (take 2) of an earlier video. It took three nights and nearly three days for Snow Gum to take us from Milford Haven to Cherbourg. She sailed beautifully, including through some tough conditions. Look at the wind angles she was holding in lumpy seas. Listen to how quiet it is, piloting from inside. The trip went well. We had scary-big head-on seas tacking around Land's End, just east of the TSS. Plenty of water over the bow on occasions. The wind angle relative to swell direction while on port tack made for a rollercoaster ride, at night. ? For Carolyn and me (Rick), watching this video highlights how good this design is and emphasises the three part saying from our recent 'For Sale' video - 'This is the perfect time for us to keep the boat. And it's the perfect time to sell the boat. And it's the perfect time for someone to buy the boat.' ? Regards from Rick and Carolyn. ?

The new helm covers that came with Snow Gum we're hiding in the Tech Room. We'd forgotten about them. We put them on for the first time, over some shiny Jefa helms.

Update in June 2022. Snow Gum has been sold to a lucky new owner. To help prospective buyers with fulfilling their dreams, be aware that to be successful when one of these magnificent boats comes up for sale, it's important to be ready, both in terms of knowing what you want and in having your money ready. These boats sell within hours of being listed. With Snow Gum, we didn't even have time to publish our asking price before we'd taken a deposit, within hours of uploading our For Sale video. So, be ready and be quick. :-) Regards, Rick and Carolyn. ***** Hi folks. Rick and Carolyn here. Yes, our Garcia Exploration 45 'Snow Gum' is for sale. ? We've enjoyed a wonderful adventure in learning with this magnificent sailing machine, ironing out the wrinkles and preparing it for a fantastic future. We sailed from Cherbourg, to Jersey, to England, Wales and Scotland. Summer in the Outer Hebrides was very special. On the trip back to Cherbourg it was fun to go to familiar places and see friends we'd made along the way. As mentioned, it's the perfect time for us to keep this boat. And it's the perfect time for us to sell this boat. It's also the perfect time for someone to buy this boat. We know there's lots of people out there who want it. Someone is going to be lucky. We decided to let you know now that Snow Gum is for sale, rather than waiting until after the engine is sorted out. We didn't want to delay the announcement; we know that people are making plans. Better to know earlier than later. The engine has been a disappointment, but the problem is being fixed under warranty by Volvo. Garcia's most excellent Warranty Manager and the Garcia design team here in Cherbourg are working with the local Volvo Service Agent, the agency that certified the original engine installation. We have the right people on the job. We've been impressed with the energy they have put into this and expect a good resolution very soon. The problem has been difficult to diagnose. The coupling has been replaced. The gearbox has been replaced. The noise is getting worse. It must be the engine. That's where we've all got to and the next step is to lift the engine out and, most probably, put a new one straight in. We'll keep everyone updated. While this is a new experience for us as owners, it's a matter of routine for the boating industry here in Cherbourg. Notwithstanding, we are all moving forward slowly and prudently (under my leadership because I care about it the most - Rick) to get the best result. There's around 100 videos on our Sailing Snow Gum channel showing what this wonderful boat is all about. If we've missed an important aspect that you as a prospective buyer would like more information on, please ask. We will add a list of the boat's features to this description soon. The sale will include the following equipment, all one year old or less, lightly or never used and well cared for: tender - AB 10 UL outboard - Tohatsu 9.8 4 stroke liferaft - Viking RescYou Pro 4 person EPIRB - McMurdo SmartFind G8 AIS handheld radio - Icom IC-M37 VHF, with accessory handset and AAA battery pack satcom - Iridium GO! with external antenna accessory kit and 4 x SIM cards lifevests - 2 x Spinlock Deckvest 6D with Harness Release System and RescueME MOB1 man overboard transmitters. 2 x Spinlock Deckvest Vito (never worn) safety lines - 2 x Spinlock deckware series 3 Clip Stretch DW-STR/03/C folding bikes - 2 x Brompton Superlight titanium models, black and red 18V power tools - comprehensive, TOTL set of Metabo tools including drill, tapping drill, angle grinder, sabre saw, bit-driver, circular saw, vacuum cleaner, inspection lamp and torch, with seven 5.5 Ah batteries and two chargers spare parts - lots of filters and fuses, anodes, toilet pump, lubricants, coolant, grease, Loktite, adhesives, tapes, etc dehumidifier - MEACO DD8L Zambezi, with dust making ioniser that can be turned off! Jerry cans - 2 x 25 litre for water. 1 x 5 litre for diesel for pre-filter changing More stuff to be advised.

Atilla asked for a video about the Webasto heater system on Snow Gum, our Garcia Exploration 45 sailing yacht. We show how the system is operated and how it performs. Atilla, please go to the Webasto website to see pictures of the diesel heater and pump unit and the distributed fan units. Look under Products, Marine, Heating, Water Heaters, Thermo Pro 90.

What we have here is a Garcia Exploration 45 with a bare hull and naked toe rails. It has to be the most purposeful version I've seen to date. Just look at all of the places you could tie a line or anchor a block on that rail. Fantastic. This is a design choice that is very much worth thinking about, as is the bare hull. It's a great look. Regards, Rick.

These are the Superlight versions of Brompton's folding bikes, which, with several structural components and accessories made from titanium, weight nearly a kilogram less than the all-steel versions. Very handy. An advantage of the Garcia Exploration 45 over other yachts is that when sitting on the hard it is not as high off the ground. The centreboard is raised and the boat is resting on its hull at the front, with a low support at the rear. Some of the keel boats around us are scary high. Eek!

After doing lots of research and reading the manufacturer's instructions I used 23% hydrochloric acid, diluted 1 part acid to 4 parts water, to slowly and progressively clean the propeller. I rinsed it with copious amounts of water between each cleaning session of several minutes duration, which involved brushing it on with a 2cm wide brush made with the tail hairs of young horses from the exotic ElCheapo breed. No disassembly was required, though I did remove the anodes first. So I guess that is some disassembly, which was easy to do. Worth doing too, as the anode screws were not as tight as I remember doing them up. I'll be making sure the threads are clean and dry before applying Loktite when reassembling. I wanted to be sure there was no acid remaining active in amongst the works of the propeller, so made a bucket of warm, soapy water and slowly poured that over and through the propeller mechanism, blades and body, a couple of times. Lots more rinsing and it's as clean as a whistle. Next I will redo the various locking screws with fresh Loktite 243 in clean threaded holes, then apply grease to the gears, to protect from oxidation and make the prop ready for launching. We won't go to the lengths of a full PropSpeed antifoul treatment this time, as, after the first year in the water the propeller was not particularly fouled up.

A few people have asked to see Snow Gum's centreboard. We have the opportunity at the moment so here is a short video showing the centreboard of a Garcia Exploration 45.

Carolyn and I changed the filters in the Atlas Filtri water filtering system installed in Snow Gum, our Garcia Exploration 45.

We were just talking with Britta and Ralf about catching drones on boats. So here is a short video showing the design we came up with before leaving Australia to pick up our new Garcia Exploration 45 in Cherbourg last year. I wanted the design to be light and compact, to be easily assembled onto and removed from the Mavic 2, to involve no modification to the Mavic and cause no damage, to allow very safe catching and very secure capture for the drone, with retrieval possible using an extension pole if necessary. This design also allows the pilot to fly to the retrieval point using normal, familiar, forward flight commands. Just aim for the catcher's head and the drone will be perfectly positioned for instant capture, with no chance of escape, no injuries and no damage. The method for the pilot is to first input a slow, steady forward speed and hold that. Aiming is done by adjusting the rate of descent, thereby involving only one variable. Once the drone is caught by the Velcro landing platform the catcher holds it still and the pilot commands it to descend. The drone senses that it can't descend and shuts off the motors, without any fuss. ? Regards from Rick and Carolyn.

It's great to have push buttons and gauges out in the cockpit for the Volvo Penta D2-75 diesel engine, but what happens if the electronics have a day off? Here is a demonstration of how to start the engine manually. Hopefully it's not an emergency when you need to do this, but it'll probably feel like one if the engine didn't start when you wanted it to. We keep the short wire we made up for jumping the relay socket in the second drawer in the galley. Two of them actually. You need this to be handy. Keep in mind that a paper clip will do the job if needed. Edit: Once the engine has started you can remove the cable. What are the symptoms of a faulty MDI box? For us, it was the engine stopping for no apparent reason. The MDI was generating its own 'Stop' commands, as if the stop button had been pushed. The engine did what it was told. I noticed that the helm engine control panel had switched off. Upon restarting it, the display went haywire, with random fault codes flashing rapidly, before it went off again. Wisely, Carolyn suggested that we let it rest for 10 minutes. I thought, 'Don't be silly!', but it worked. The control panel came on normally and the engine started. It died again an hour or so later, so we left it off until we needed it to enter port the next morning. Volvo replaced the MDI box and we've had no further trouble with it. Some long-distance cruisers carry a spare.

Carolyn did a great job of filming while also helping me like a theatre nurse, as we did our first change of the on-engine fine particle fuel filter. Apart from a few drips of diesel from my gloves, the job went about as well as we could have asked for. We found that we needed to bleed air from the new filter. That was a simple job. A 10mm spanner loosened the bleed screw and four or five pumps of the manual priming bulb brought up diesel that cleared the air. We used paper towel to catch the little bit of diesel that came out at the end of the priming process. Then the engine was content; it started and ran beautifully.

Hi folks. Here's some information about the Scheiber electronic control system we have on Snow Gum, a Garcia Exploration 45. Sorry about the trouble our GoPro had with focussing. It was more interested in the reflections on screen than the screen itself. But you get the idea. Let us know if you have any questions. Regards from Rick and Carolyn.

Hands up if you'd enjoy cruising the world in one of these - a Garcia Explocat 52. We have tons of storage space in our Exploration 45, but I think there'd be more in a twin-hull 52. When we saw it a couple of days ago my boat neighbour Michel pointed out an advantage with a cat - the way a beer could sit nicely on the cockpit table and not tumble off during a lean.