BrisHamish
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2016
- Messages
- 223
- Location
- Australia
- Vessel Name
- Beluga
- Vessel Make
- Grand Banks 46eu 2006 hull#289
You may recall late last year I decided to install a set of Naiad 252 fins with Datum controller on my GB46. I posted a thread about it, and some photos of the works being carried out, and there were some helpful suggestions from TF members which helped shape some of the install.
I have had them operating for a while now, and thought I would post an "independent as possible" review for those who are interested or even considering the same job.
First up, roll reduction. I bought a 1 litre bottle of water from the shop, tall and thin with a narrow base. With a small beam sea on Moreton Bay near Brisbane, the stabilizers off and steering from the flybridge, and the bottle placed on a flat surface near the wheel, the bottle would topple over almost as soon as you take your hand off it. Turn the stabilizers on, and the bottle never toppled, even during tight turns. An app on the Naiad guy's phone measured the roll at 6 degrees with stabilizers off, and about 1 degree with them on. The roll reduction has made the boat measurably more pleasant to travel on, and for some (false) reason it also makes me feel more confident while underway when the seas are up.
Speed. In calm conditions, with the stabilizers on or off, I reckon the boat is about three quarters of a knot slower. She used to do 15 Knots at 60% load on the engines, now in similar tide conditions she does 14+ at 60% load. But it is different when the seas are up - with the stabilizers on the boat travels faster than with them off plus the autopilot isn't constantly making course corrections (less frequent corrections, and when it does correct the amount of the correction is reduced). I am coming to the view that when the seas are up and the stabilizers are on, we are actually able to travel a bit faster than we used to be able to (as weird as that sounds).
Noise. Underway there is a slight sound in those cabins which sit above the actuators. Not enough to concern me. However when at rest in the quiet of the night, the stabilizers do make a bit of a racket as they flop around with the currents. I have asked Naiad to install a device on each actuator to hold the fins at centre when powered off, which they can easily do (had I known of this problem, I would have asked them to install these from the outset).
Ease of use. Very simple. The new Datum controller is pretty intuitive, and so far have just used it in the 'Adaptive' (ie automatic) setting.
Overall I am very pleased. The addition of stabilizers has made the boat much more 'approachable' and user friendly. I think it will make my annual Bluewater trips to the Whitsundays and to Sydney much more pleasant and less tiring.
And I cannot understand why, if a person is buying a new trawler and paying out a very substantial sum, they don't always agree to the comparatively small incremental cost of stabilizers and have them installed from the outset. Makes a huge difference!
H.
I have had them operating for a while now, and thought I would post an "independent as possible" review for those who are interested or even considering the same job.
First up, roll reduction. I bought a 1 litre bottle of water from the shop, tall and thin with a narrow base. With a small beam sea on Moreton Bay near Brisbane, the stabilizers off and steering from the flybridge, and the bottle placed on a flat surface near the wheel, the bottle would topple over almost as soon as you take your hand off it. Turn the stabilizers on, and the bottle never toppled, even during tight turns. An app on the Naiad guy's phone measured the roll at 6 degrees with stabilizers off, and about 1 degree with them on. The roll reduction has made the boat measurably more pleasant to travel on, and for some (false) reason it also makes me feel more confident while underway when the seas are up.
Speed. In calm conditions, with the stabilizers on or off, I reckon the boat is about three quarters of a knot slower. She used to do 15 Knots at 60% load on the engines, now in similar tide conditions she does 14+ at 60% load. But it is different when the seas are up - with the stabilizers on the boat travels faster than with them off plus the autopilot isn't constantly making course corrections (less frequent corrections, and when it does correct the amount of the correction is reduced). I am coming to the view that when the seas are up and the stabilizers are on, we are actually able to travel a bit faster than we used to be able to (as weird as that sounds).
Noise. Underway there is a slight sound in those cabins which sit above the actuators. Not enough to concern me. However when at rest in the quiet of the night, the stabilizers do make a bit of a racket as they flop around with the currents. I have asked Naiad to install a device on each actuator to hold the fins at centre when powered off, which they can easily do (had I known of this problem, I would have asked them to install these from the outset).
Ease of use. Very simple. The new Datum controller is pretty intuitive, and so far have just used it in the 'Adaptive' (ie automatic) setting.
Overall I am very pleased. The addition of stabilizers has made the boat much more 'approachable' and user friendly. I think it will make my annual Bluewater trips to the Whitsundays and to Sydney much more pleasant and less tiring.
And I cannot understand why, if a person is buying a new trawler and paying out a very substantial sum, they don't always agree to the comparatively small incremental cost of stabilizers and have them installed from the outset. Makes a huge difference!
H.