Ken and others interested,

I do not think this forum is a place to criticize any business or person for
work performed on any Amel. The reason is that it would be one-sided, and
we all know that there are at least two sides to every story.

Caraibe Marine and all of its shops in Martinique are owned by Philippe
LECONTE. I know him very well and if anyone wants help with any problem with
any of his 8 different shops in Martinique, please ask me. My email address
is brouse@gmail.com. I also know Patrice FOUGEROUSE who manages Caraibe
Refrigeration for Philippe. I have found him to be very knowledgeable
regarding Frigoboat and Climma. He has also been very responsive. I also
know each of the managers that run Philippe's shops.

It is true that anyone can make a mistake, you and I included, and anyone
can be wrong, but regarding the honesty, integrity, and professionalism of
Philippe and all of the managers that work for him, I believe they exhibit
the very high standards.

This year we had the first ever Amel Yacht Owners Rally in Martinique.
Philippe LECONTE and Caraibe Marine Shops sponsored the rally and bought a
wonderful dinner for all of the participants. BTW, la Marina du Marin,
sponsored with reduced rates and other stuff, Carenantilles Yard gave away a
free haulout to one Rally participant, I gave away 2 of my Amel Books, and
JP and Stephanie at Caribbean Yacht Sales paid for the drinks at dinner.

I think that Martinique and all of the Martinique businesses I mentioned
above have created a special place to bring your Amel. In my "circle of the
world," I found no better place, especially considering the fact that Amel
has a company owned service facility there. The presence of Amel in
Martinique also allows for an expert advisor to all Martinique businesses
that you might deal with. I know for a fact that the businesses I mentioned
above have a great relationship with Amel and communicate often on specific
issues that are unique to Amel...you will not find that anywhere outside of
France.

Best,

CW Bill Rouse

Yacht School (formerly Amel School) - Supporting Amel Owners (
http://www.yachtschool.us/ )
720 Winnie St

Galveston Island, TX 77550
+1(832) 380-4970
My Calendar ( https://preparetocastoff.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html )

Yacht School ( https://preparetocastoff.blogspot.com/ )

When we replaced all our electronic due to lightning damage ,we went with the latest B&G equipment,including forward looking sonar. We had Interphase prior and for me it was like trying to read a ultrasound . The B&G sonar sends false images of things that do not exist ,with the bottom going up and down and what looks like walls showing and then disappearing . These false signals have instilled no confidence to the point I never turn it on and at this point I consider a big waste of money. It was professionally installed and I have spoken to the installer as well as B&G reps. at the boat show , I have gotten no answers . I got to the point that I assume this is the state of the art ,when it comes to sonar. 

But after reading what a few of you have said about your sonar,which are older than mine ,I am convinced that something is wrong with my unit. Does anyone have B&G forward looking sonar ,how is it working for you, false images ?

Thanks,

Pat

SM Shenanigans

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott SV Tengah <Scott.nguyen@...>
To: main <main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io>
Sent: Wed, Aug 21, 2019 1:36 am
Subject: Re: [AmelYachtOwners] Forward Looking Sonar

We have the Interphase forward looking sonar on our A54 and use it often. It's not perfect, but definitely useful.

As Ken noted, we often use it to scope out the surrounding depths to account for any swinging. And more than once it has showed us that the charts aren't perfect and given us time to go astern hard to avoid a collision with an uncharted obstacle.

--
Scott 
2007 A54 #69
SV Tengah
http://www.svtengah.com

Ken and others interested,

I do not think this forum is a place to criticize any business or person for
work performed on any Amel. The reason is that it would be one-sided, and
we all know that there are at least two sides to every story.

Caraibe Marine and all of its shops in Martinique are owned by Philippe
LECONTE. I know him very well and if anyone wants help with any problem with
any of his 8 different shops in Martinique, please ask me. My email address
is brouse@gmail.com. I also know Patrice FOUGEROUSE who manages Caraibe
Refrigeration for Philippe. I have found him to be very knowledgeable
regarding Frigoboat and Climma. He has also been very responsive. I also
know each of the managers that run Philippe's shops.

It is true that anyone can make a mistake, you and I included, and anyone
can be wrong, but regarding the honesty, integrity, and professionalism of
Philippe and all of the managers that work for him, I believe they exhibit
the very high standards.

This year we had the first ever Amel Yacht Owners Rally in Martinique.
Philippe LECONTE and Caraibe Marine Shops sponsored the rally and bought a
wonderful dinner for all of the participants. BTW, la Marina du Marin,
sponsored with reduced rates and other stuff, Carenantilles Yard gave away a
free haulout to one Rally participant, I gave away 2 of my Amel Books, and
JP and Stephanie at Caribbean Yacht Sales paid for the drinks at dinner.

I think that Martinique and all of the Martinique businesses I mentioned
above have created a special place to bring your Amel. In my "circle of the
world," I found no better place, especially considering the fact that Amel
has a company owned service facility there. The presence of Amel in
Martinique also allows for an expert advisor to all Martinique businesses
that you might deal with. I know for a fact that the businesses I mentioned
above have a great relationship with Amel and communicate often on specific
issues that are unique to Amel...you will not find that anywhere outside of
France.

Best,

CW Bill Rouse

Yacht School (formerly Amel School) - Supporting Amel Owners (
http://www.yachtschool.us/ )
720 Winnie St

Galveston Island, TX 77550
+1(832) 380-4970
My Calendar ( https://preparetocastoff.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html )

Yacht School ( https://preparetocastoff.blogspot.com/ )

Paul,

I think that  www.123roulement.com is a good company, but I am 99% sure that they will NOT have the Amel-made wear bushing. They may have seals that fit, but to ensure you are getting the best seal for the job, don't try to save a few euros.

My advice is to purchase the wear bushing and seals from Amel only. The 55 has a larger output shaft and thus larger wear bushing and seals than the SM & 54. The procedure is also different. Email sav"at"amel.fr. Ask for the complete kit and also ask for instructions. The last time someone asked for instructions, Amel sent them instructions for SM & 54. Hopefully that has changed.

Best,

CW Bill Rouse

Yacht School (formerly Amel School) - Supporting Amel Owners

720 Winnie St

Galveston Island, TX 77550

+1(832) 380-4970

My Calendar 

Yacht School

On Wed, Aug 21, 2019 at 2:53 AM Paul Brown <feeder.brown@...> wrote:

hello all, I’m inquiring please  for assistance to where I can purchase the Cdrive seal kit and at what estimated price? Can this only be purchased through Amel or is it a standard product from a distributor or manufacturer?

thank you for your time 

regards paul - Fortuna II 55#17

Paul, in France you have www.123roulement.com .... You will find all what you need with fast delivery ....

Jean Luc

---

Le 21/08/2019 à 09:53, Paul Brown a écrit :

hello all, I’m inquiring please  for assistance to where I can purchase the Cdrive seal kit and at what estimated price? Can this only be purchased through Amel or is it a standard product from a distributor or manufacturer?

thank you for your time 

regards paul - Fortuna II 55#17

---

L'absence de virus dans ce courrier électronique a été vérifiée par le logiciel antivirus Avast. www.avast.com

Ah ok, I have not had experience with the refrigeration group.

Good thing you guys didn't take what they said at face value! That said, I
still believe having Amel's office nearby is invaluable so my vote is still
for Le Marin.

The electricians in Southern Spain were nice guys so I am a bit loathe to
hang them out to dry. But given how much additional time and money I have
wasted due to their shoddy work, I've realized that it's more important to
me that no fellow Amel owner has to go through what I did.

The group was Electrical Marine Services in Gibraltar. An English guy and a
South African. Initially I was very happy with their work as they actually
showed up on time or at all, unlike some of the other contractors we hired.
They got the work done on time, unlike the other contractors. As time
passed and problems with their work surfaced, my opinion of them changed.

The primary "other" contractor was MH Preserve at Alcaidesa Marina. They
were overwhelmed and understaffed for the quantity of work we had them do -
keep in mind this is right when we bought the boat. They came recommended by
a surveyor but I surmise they were buddies. Anyways it's run by an English
guy and his father does a lot of the work. With that (reverse?) nepotism,
the father was unfireable and the work quality and pace reflected that.
Additionally the marina makes it very expensive to bring in outside
contractors, so you're stuck with them.

The only reason we were able to leave was because my visa was running out.
Otherwise we'd probably still be there today!

-- Scott
2007 A54 #69
SV Tengah
http://www.svtengah.com

I had the EchoPilot 2-D on my boat when purchased 10 years ago. I found it
of little use because it only sees a little over a boat length ahead when
you really need it in water less than 4M deep. In muddy water if you are
looking for a channel, it only sees directly in front of the boat. You have
to turn the boat in hopes if identifying deeper water. I was rarely
successful, and was as likely to stumble on the channel as find it with the
sonar.
The transducer has since failed. I’m waiting until the 3D units get better
and cheaper before I replace it.

Kent Robertson
S/V Kristy
SN243

On Aug 20, 2019, at 11:34 AM, Oliver Henrichsen, SV Vela Nautica
<oliver.henrichsen@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Scott,

To place the charger in the engineroom has some downsides:
- hunidity
- heat
- limited space so probably the charger is mounted sideways what lowers
airflow.
- long wires

I customized widened the switch area and drilled ventilation holes to the
alley.
I install 120mm thermocontrolled fans with heat alarms to blow fresh air
into the cabinet.

The 120A5000W fits vertical.

The lifepo is smaller than batteries before with same capacity so i could
install a new separation.

The starter batt is now behind the onan in the engine room.

No more dirty lead in the cabin. Hydrogen Should not be an issue as most
other yachts place the starter batt around the engine room.

Oliver from Vela Nautica

A54#39

Portugal

Sent from my Huawei Mobile


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [AmelYachtOwners] Amel is going lithium
From: Scott SV Tengah
To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io
CC:


I guess this is a reminder that I still owe the group my writeup. :)

Oliver, how do you vent the compartment where you've installed the Victron
24/5000/120 inverter/charger? I mounted mine in the engine compartment
(connected with the recommended 2x pair of 50mm2 wires - not 95mm2 as I
previously mentioned) in the same location as the old Dolphin 100amp
charger, with the same ventilation from outside as the original Amel setup.


Even then, the charger/inverter gets damn hot especially when we are cooking
and the induction, microwave and boiler are drawing tons of current. Or when
it's charging at the full 120 amps.

Part of the reason I ask is that the electricians installed the Victron
150/35 MPPT in the same compartment where you installed your
charger/inverter (where the main battery switches are) and I'm getting very
high temperatures in that closed compartment after a full day's charging. If
you've figured out a good cooling solution, I'd rather implement that than
try to move my MPPT!

I was considering adding a little timer controlled 24v fan on the vent in
the battery compartment and connecting the two compartments, but haven't for
two reasons: (1) Amel kept the two compartments isolated. I am loathe to
violate that as they probably did that for a reason (2) The fan is just
another part to fail and I have enough things to keep up with already!


--
Scott
2007 A54 #69
SV Tengah
http://www.svtengah.com