The new Tattoo

[Wayne nicol]

thats interesting,
the lee helm that is, the only other person i heard of with considerable lee helm was that crazee scotsman an' his cutter.
certinally not disputing what you are saying- just would like to hear more ideas.

any others out there with bowsprits(catigale!!??) on their boats, and what kind of trim that is exhibited on their boats.
i know that your boat and others dont have bow sprits, its just that bow sprits might be more inclined to exhibit lee helm .

[Russ]

Looking at the Tattoo website, there are lots of new pictures of the 26.

Some of the new options look nice. I like the built in cockpit shower. Hard to install that yourself with all the foam in there.
http://tattooyachts.com/options/#exterior


Some I would skip.
Icebox – 12 volt icebox with cigarette lighter plug. Supplied with 110 volt cord for use on shore.
Looks like one of those usless thermolectric coolers they sell at Wal-Mart. I've owned a couple of them and they are useless battery eaters.


Wish they offered an option for second axle trailer. The trailer overall appears to be improved a bit.

--Russ

[RobertB]

That shower option is how my boat was put together from factory sales. Main difference is that my water tank is midships near the batteries, under the aft table seat, instead of forward like the Tat

We need a new icon for Tattoo boats ..... T

[kmclemore]

We need a new icon for Tattoo boats ..... T

I already designed them and Heath has them... he just hasn't upgraded the site for Tattoo yet. He's been reminded.

....... .......

[BOAT]

Some I would skip.
Icebox – 12 volt icebox with cigarette lighter plug. Supplied with 110 volt cord for use on shore.
Looks like one of those usless thermolectric coolers they sell at Wal-Mart. I've owned a couple of them and they are useless battery eaters.


--Russ

What kind of ice box should we get? I don't want a "usless thermoelectric battery eater" - what should I get?

[Russ]

What kind of ice box should we get? I don't want a "usless thermoelectric battery eater" - what should I get?

The problem with the thermoelectric boxes is that they really don't get that cold and they never cycle off. They use a lot of power and your stuff doesn't get cold. They may keep food cold if it's already cold going in. But even at that, if you open the lid too many times all the cold goes out and contents begin to warm up. I own a couple and they were a total waste of money. Fortunately they are fairly inexpensive.

If you are day sailing only, I would recommend a decent cooler and ice. For many, ice and a quality cooler works well, even for several days. But buy a quality 5 or more day cooler.
We go out for a few days at a time and prefer a real 12v refrigerator cooler. They aint cheap, but they get stuff very cold (or even freeze) and will cycle off. My 80w solar panel can keep up with it and any other 12v usage we have.

There are two manufacturers that I now of:
Engel and Edgestar
I think both use the same compressor.
http://www.buyengelcoolers.com/12-volt- ... s/1831.htm
http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Refriger ... frigerator

I've got the edgestar 64 and it works great. No melted ice in our food and beverages are ice cold.

--Russ

[RobertB]

I use the Waeco/Dometic CF50 tied down opposite the head on my . After I learned to set the battery monitor to low, it works well.

[seahouse]

I have the Waeco as well (I think it's the smaller 35, though), and use shore power for it and the battery charger at the dock all season, it keeps drinks cold (we like them COLD), and has a freezer section with wire basket. Very happy with it, it's a quality unit and fits (and stays) in the cushion cutout behind the starboard dinnette seat, and moves easily up onto that seat (with that cushion removed) when we want to sleep there.

It's right next to my head then, but it's so quiet that it doesn't keep me (or us) awake. The main section will freeze stuff too if you set it that high. It will switch to battery power automatically when shore power is disconnected, but I haven't set mine up that way because it keeps stuff cool all day long without any help from the batteries until we get back to the dock.

[RobertB]

I never use the AC cord since I have a good battery charger.

[fortunare]

Have you ever had a problem towing it up a ramp? I have a 2012 Chrysler van and tow a Mac 19. Am considering going back to a 26x or 26M but wonder if the front wheel drive will pull it up steeper ramps?