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Overview - Performance
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Ah
Ha! - Gotcha!
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I
bet you thought I would be talking about sailing
performance! - NOT.
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Not
right now anyway, maybe later when I know something about
it (how to sail, that is!).
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Right
now, I have information on some other things on the boat and
how they perform.
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The
27hp Westerbeke pushes my Gemini around 6 knots at 2500
rpm in no wind and no current. 2700 rpm gives around 7
knots in the same conditions. The speed seems to level
out at 7.8 to 8 knots from 3000 rpm on up to the limit.
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At
6 to 7 knots in varying conditions (wind, current) a I
consume between 1/2 to 3/4 gallons per hour. The 1/2gph
being 6 knots and no wind and the 3/4gph the 7 knots in
bad conditions, respectively.
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I
won't bother discussing the A/C mode of the refrigerator
here.
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However,
the propane amazes me!
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On
my delivery trip that I took 8 days for, all but one night
was at a marina with the refrigerator switched over to
110V. The rest of the time, 8 days and one night continuous,
it was running off of the propane. When I got back, I
had used only 2/3 of ONE of the two bottles
of propane (about 7 dollars worth) - now that's efficient!
The temperatures were on the cool side, however, in the
40's at night (when the propane was off) and 60's to 70's
during the day.
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I
added a project to the project page where I put in some
automotive-type insulation that may help some. We'll see
how it does this summer in the 90's......
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3.
Air Conditioning and Heat
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The
16,000BTU unit seems to be more than enough for the Gemini.
Naturally, the bridgedeck stays warmer or cooler than
than either of the two hulls, but it is still plenty.
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My
only complaint is the noise of the unit. Not the noise
while it is running (that part is suprisingly quiet!).
The loud noise is when it turns on or off by the thermostat.
The relay and/or compressor startup is really loud! And
since the thermostat has only a 1 degree range (unadjustable),
this happens every 10 to 15 minutes depending on the outside
temperature. The noise is loud enough to wake me up.
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I
have two solutions to try (may end up with both). One
is to insulate the inside of the unit's enclusure as well
as shock mounting the relay box. The other is to find
a thermostat that has an adjustable on/off threshold.
I think I can stand more than a 1 degree variation in
temperature!! That would lessen the cycling of the unit.
I have priced complete thermostat replacement units with
programmable thresholds, but they are 80 to 100 dollars.
Maybe if I can insulate the temperature sensor bead with
some foam it will dampen the response time.......
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