JP, Ken, et al None of the other hundred or more SMs that I have been aboard had PERKO latches. Perco is a Florida company. If anyone is interested in the latches shown in the photos that were added

Hi Gang, Our friends Ken and Zeville on SM2K Aquarius sent us this. Their floor boards were built like this at the factory Cheers Jean-Pierre Germain, SY Eleuthera Begin forwarded message:

Hi All, We are on the hard and I wish to clean the grounding plate on the Skegness. How do you proceed? What product do you use? Kind regards, Jean-Pierre Germain, SY Eleuthera, SM007, NZ

As I understand it, series vs parallel is a trade off. In series, in full light, there is reduced impedance because of the higher transmission voltages to the MPPT ostensibly close to the batteries.

I'm servicing my furlers and wonder what kind of lubricants I should have in the main furler? see pictures, when disassembly it was a grayish syrup like liquid Paul on SY Kerpa SM#259

The Amel installation includes a Victron 150/35 MPPT controller. I have observed that shading is definitely an issue. As the sun makes its way around, there are always times when the mizzen boom,

Here are some photos of the two lock-downs on our floor boards. Aquarius SM2K #262 Currently in Thailand

Hi gang, The new owner of SM444 can possibly give you some info. IIRC, the PO of 444 had locks on his floor panels Jean-Pierre Germain SY Eleuthera SM 007 NZ

I'd also like to hear how SM owners have installed lock-downs on the floor lockers. Thanks Kent and Iris SM 243 Kristy Leaving Georgetown Exumas for T&C, then Martinique in the next 24 hours.

Paul, We have 3 x 250 W solar panels on an arch with Schottky diodes, whether its better with or without I don't know since we installed them from new. We also rarely run the generator except when

Hello again, Many thanks for all your valuable comments! One additional question for those people who have upgraded to the 47kg (105 lb) Mantus option on their SM. Does your windlass cope OK with the

Hi, how do you clean it? On my current boat I open tank every spring and use plastic tube connected to a pump to remove 1-2 gallons until I stop seeing black chunks from the bottom. I do that to

I agree that SM is a very quiet boat. Essentially no squeaking in big seas and wind, and a tiny bit of thermal expansion/contraction noise. There is one way that the SM makes some noise though, and

Hi Bill, Yes we did at the time and if i recall correctly, they were available at around €55 ex vat each. Best, Thomas GARULFO A54-122 Tahuata, Marquesas, French Polynesia

For info: A54 diesel tank blueprint attached. Hope that helps Thomas GARULFO A54-122 Tahuata, French Polynesia

Thank you all for your comments. This is what I thought and got confirmations from first hands. I knew the build quality is very different, but Lagoon is also in 1M+ range yacht, which made me wander.

Scott, The problem I have is that I use a VSAT which has three thick cables taking up most of the conduit space. I am told that by putting schottky diodes between the panels the loss due to uneven

Oliver - Any luck with this? I also appreciate Thomas and others' willingness to translate engineer speak into something us laymen will understand. :) -- Scott 2007 A54 #69 SV

Thank you Scott. Very helpful. Happy Sailing; Mohammad and Aty B&B Kokomo AMEL 54 #099

Thank you Joerg. All very useful information. Happy Sailing; Mohammad and Aty B&B Kokomo AMEL 54 #099