Sail Life - The worlds most dangerous tree ⚠️

[@davidfrere4522]

Ugh! I used to own one of those Fisher Panda gensets (4kW, 12VDC) and it gave me nothing but trouble. The exhaust was always dirty and the oil would go black after only an hour or two. The issue is that the Kubota engine was always overloaded and the provided regulator was impossible to set correctly. I'm not sure if they updated their regulator but the one that was included in mine was controlled with a couple of trimpots that seemed to have no effect at all. Hopefully yours has a better regulator and if so, I would set it to deliver about half the power that it is supposed to provide. Also, I'm not sure if they updated their cowling but there's a maintenance item on the Kubota that requires you to clean the oil screen every time you change the oil. This screen unscrews out from the lower side of the engine but their cowling prevents you from doing that unless you unscrew the engine mounts and lift it out so that it clears the lower part of the cowling. I've since ditched that unit and replaced it with another that has the same Kubota engine with a regular (hi-amp) alternator controlled by a Balmar regulator. I set the regulator to give me a decent amount of amperage and one hour per day gives me all the juice I need. Hope you have better luck with yours. Love your videos. And enjoy the Grenadines.

[@SailLife]

The videos are around 3 weeks behind real time and I'm super disappointed to report that Fisher Panda have been almost completely useless. They diagnosed the issue as a faulty actuator. Then when I asked how to get the part and mentioned that it was going to be a warranty issue Fischer Panda US stoped replying to my emails. I contacted the dealer in Grenada (seems like a really nice guy!). Apparently he's having difficulties getting any kind of reply from Germany. It's freaking ridiculous! Considering the cost of their gensets you'd expect a little bit of customer service! A couple of days ago I contacted Germany directly - I doubt that will help.

[@davidfrere4522]

@@SailLife Yup. That was my experience too. I never did get any amount of help from them and was never provided with any kind of documentation on how the control box worked. I think that it's supposed to throttle back the engine with the actuator but it seemed to just wind up and hit the max setting and never come down. You should be able to see the actuator spin up and drive the throttle lever when you power on the unit and that would tell you if the actuator is working or not. I would set a limit on throttle lever travel (like a mechanical one) or adjust the existing limit way back so as to keep it from reaching full output. God knows what that would do and it would likely void your warranty though. It's really too bad as a water cooled alternator would be a real benefit. Hope you get a response from them!

[@aserta]

@@SailLife A quick scour of the forums online shows they're notoriously bad with customer support, not only that, but i'm pretty sure they have individuals posting false "good reviews" for their products. Some of the positive things sound entirely, too cow eyed. I'm sure you know what i mean, when i say they stunk of paid PR. If this is true, they should be heavily penalized, especially in the EU.

[@svbarryduckworth628]

It doesn't sound like a smart marketing decision to blow off a customer like Mads who happens to be the creator of a fairly popular sailing/cruising/DIY marine repair and refit channel on KZbin. MANY of the viewers here are cruisers themselves or interested in becoming cruisers and therefore prime potential customers. As an electrician and a cruiser myself I have heard rumblings of similar issues from this company but this only reinforces their bad reputation to the point of avoiding ever buying one of these where instead they could have done the right thing here and achieved the opposite result. If they won't do the right thing and support their products for a big KZbin channel what chance does a regular sailor guy like me have when I have a similar problem?

[@soylentgreen326]

Fisher-Panda added to my boycott list.

[@flyinggyros9745]

Your bloopers show how much effort really goes into making these weekly videos. Thank you so much for your effort. You are so entertaining. Alan

[@SailLife]

Thank you so much!

[@spinaway]

Ava your Italian impersonation made me laugh, those Photos of the birds were awesome Mads.

[@SailLife]

Thanks! I really want to get the Sony 200-600mm at some point but it's expensive and a little bulky for boat life ;)

[@chetdogspoon]

Wow!!! DIY, sailing, History, cooking, humor and now excellent photography and bloopers. It doesn't get any better than that.

[@jepomer]

Enjoyed the humor of the outtakes.

[@SailLife]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@rodbarton2354]

❤ Ava’s sense of humor, the out takes were hilarious…😊😊😊

[@mitfreundlichengrussen1234]

Ava is a natural beast in front of a camera - super entertaining and I always learn something new - since I am German: it hurts to see you get ripped by Fisher Panda and I hope the whole community sinks these bummers in emails and "nice " reviews. I loved your content from the beginning (my wife loves her glorious t-shirt and it always puts a smile on my face seeing her wearing it) and I love watching you grow into your new role as worldwide super explorers. Thanks for the good times, cheers from Bavaria.

[@SailLife]

Thank you so much that is very kind of you! We're thrilled that your wife likes her t-shit! I'm very disappointed by my Fischer Panda experience. I had really high hopes. On paper it's really cool tech. It's compact and quite but given the price point they should be providing way better customer service.

[@mitfreundlichengrussen1234]

@@SailLife hopefully the sailing community will roll over them...

[@jamesbrooks9828]

Enjoying your presentations of what you are seeing and what may be hazardous. Carry on. Outtakes too.

[@joongchanoh2667]

outtake shows how much of an efforts to make a video. Good job! Very much appreciated. Thanks guys.... enjoying all of good scenes from home...

[@superformOG]

Eva is great at balancing Mads dryness with levity, great addition to team Saillife! I have been watching since Mads had the Ballad, also Mads, your old Ballad just came up for sale!

[@Megadoculous]

Fantastic episode guys. And congratulations on obtaining your second outro with an accidentally harmonized "see yooooou". Ava is absolutely hilarious.

[@jamesgordon2289]

LOL those bloopers were so funny. You guys are clearly having a lot of fun. I love this video. I always enjoy watching Mads being super competent and Ava's topical history parts are always so fun and informative.

[@japc4326]

Boost Board and actuator control throttle....read the output voltage while the genset is isolated from any load, low voltage is your issue, increase the throttle manually and if the voltage goes up to near 120 or 220, whatever your genset is set for, then boost board and throttle controller is toast. Other than a failure of the capacitors, that should give you an idea. Some good videos out there showing this issue. John

[@svgabrielle]

Hi Guys, Your FP 5000i is only rated to run at 3.6 kW continuously. We find exhaust dirty if run above ~3.0kW. Might be worth reducing Multiplus input current to see if exhaust runs cleaner. Our transom was always covered in soot before we reduced Multiplus current to 12A! Cheers.

[@SailLife]

Thanks for the heads up but the current limit in our Quattro for the genset is already set at 11A so that's not the issue :)

[@pataulson]

Outtakes were the best! 😄

[@johnharrison9317]

Thanks!

[@monumentmom7593]

Love the out takes! And of course, the whole video. 😀

[@redsailor101]

Love the outtakes..like Mads in the old videos 😂

[@SailLife]

Thank you so much! :)

[@jonunya3128]

you pick good channels to meet with, I enjoy Zach and Becka as well as Roberta and Duca.. thanks for the video!

[@lesstraveledpath]

More outtakes!!! Awesome.

[@SailLife]

We'll do out best! :)

[@waltervanderboor]

Odd life and sail life, tow of my favourite channels... looking forward

[@donaldwatson554]

You Two are so charming, I love this channel, keep up the great work! Cheers from East Lansing Michigan!

[@bdphourde]

Love those out-takes!

[@davidwhelchel109]

Loved the outtakes 😂. Another great video guys 💥

[@SailLife]

Thank you so much :)

[@josephmuscat352]

I understand your frustration with the gen set. I have a Mase gen on my boat, and the amount of hassle I have passed though will make anyone sick. I just shut off the sea cock and bought a portable Honda generator which I placed on the flybridge. I have enjoyed my summers since. Love your channel.

[@daves_channel1491]

Excellent Content and the problem-solving steps on the Technical faults are spot on 🙂very very good this week.

[@praxispm]

I LOVE the out takes!

[@maryjnorwood3962]

I had no idea there existed a Manchineal tree! Eek! LOVE your videos. ❤️😎😮😮😮

[@bullbrorsan]

Please make a "week with saillife" style video, whats your routines and daily thoughts? Would be fun to hear since you life such a specific lifestyle! Love the vids since a few years back (start of athena)

[@SpareRoomSlotCars]

Hi Guys, I have been watching for years, and have never commented, but the outtakes in this video had me laughing, love your content and keep up the good work

[@martineisenschmied435]

Love the videos, nice work. I just saw a video by Justin Lee where he worked on a Fisher Panda with a low voltage condition. It may be relevant to your situation. He had to replace a throttle actuator and a boost module to get back up to normal voltage. Searching for Justin Lee should bring it up for you. All the best!

[@rickhalstead8990]

Love the out takes!!

[@robertwayne3567]

the outtakes are awesome.

[@nmccw3245]

Good job! I bet Zack and Becka appreciate their Milchkühe. 😁👍🏻

[@johnperry7534]

God mate that autopilot is such a dog, We found raymarine linear drive worked for us when we lived aboard and it’s been good for some twelve years since the boats been new . Still working for the new owner. Great videos mate you’re such a fine technician . Great crew and terrific videos always mate!

[@davidvillarroel2480]

well done guys, really interesting

[@SVImpavidus]

RE Fischer Panda. The sooty water is symptomatic of a reduced gas flow in the exhaust elbow. Unfortunately The Fisher Panda gensets are notoriously unreliable. They are top of the list of breakdowns in the ARC and most stopping off points for serious cruisers around the world. The Onan(s) are a much better choice. Or The Honda portables, but they run on petrol. Sail Safe Guys, Ant & Cid.

[@SailLife]

Ahoy Ant and Cid :D Yeah I have heard that before. I figured with a genset based on a Kubota we'd be in better shape than with one of FP's own blocks but apparently the issue is not just engineering but also poor customer service. Such a shame because on paper their gensets are pretty cool.

[@phensriwood8081]

Mads check the crankcase breather, it’ll have a one way valve of some sorts, my experience with gensets is to check the solder joints on the control board, heat and vibration takes a toll. Can’t have too many garden hose connections, male joiners, O rings and avoid the hose ends with the one way valves.

[@Bitcoinyouth]

Yes! odd life coming soon!

[@SailLife]

They sure are! :D

[@dbriggs1689]

That hell tree information was pretty awesome!

[@Buckey1194]

Thanks for the out takes

[@andybrands1883]

We were there about 4 years ago Mads got an amazing shot of a massive Stauner i now have the picture hanging in the saloon!!!

[@ericbergdahl6971]

That was really nice to help others with getting fresh water refilled.

[@jeanhawken4482]

Great video. Bloopers very funny

[@Patnaples5881]

When are you going to complete h your nav station, that missing hunk near the post Play the USA

[@SailLife]

My money is on 2024! ;)

[@RonaldJHElzenga]

That was fun to see and enjoy..you as logistical supply ship for Teulu of Zack and Becka with the clever and creatively constructed supply hose. Time for a permanent supply construction?!?! Haha. I had read about problems with the Panda generator before online and knew you had it too, but hoped it didn't affect you, sadly it did. And again poor customer service, so burn them down, maybe that will help change their mind..and improve their product..as we need Made in EUrope generators!! Hopefully a solution will be find anyway. Boldy forward again and..sail on today's wind, because yesterday's wind will no longer take you forward, tomorrow's wind may not do so, so sail on today's wind. Warm regards, skipper Ron from the Netherlands.

[@seanlathbury5410]

Your outtakes make me laugh. 🤣

[@frodosadventures8757]

I'd say "a sandy quay" or "a coral quay". Im in Australia. But there is also "Circular Quay" in Sydney Harbour where all the ferrys leave from, so maybe it is "a sandy cay" or "coral cay"

[@jamieminton172]

Don't mind those North Atlantic Islanders. A Quay (Kway) is a human construct (Dock, Landing or Peir). Key, Cay and Quay (Kee) are a product of Mother Nature. Unless you are in Australia, then Quay is the manufacturer of Sunnys (Sun Glasses). 🙃

[@wallacegrommet9343]

Two hours! That was quick!

[@AirnFire1111]

You guys are hilarious; love your channel.

[@philgray3443]

Ava's docco was great! I think you should just leave the out-takes in. We're all human and they are funny. Of course in Australia we would say, "Call that an abandoned marina, welcome to Hinchinbrook Resort". Also that tree can kill you, but our Gympie Gympie will dissapoint you that it didn't kill you. Ranked in the top 10 most painful experiences you can have in Australia.

[@twan-zg6nr]

😂😂😂 The last part was the best and about the Fischer panda you can check the condesators I think they are bad you can check them with a good multi meter 👍

[@tazziboy7]

You 2 are great! Love-it!

[@jameshansen1256]

Still loving your adventures and as a matter of fact we so enjoyed your segment on the Canary Islands we’ve booked a cruise from England to the Canaries in oct. Still hopeful you will make your way back to Michigan so we can connect. Catalina 36 Escanaba, Michigan where we sail Unsalted water. Jim Hansen

[@jameshansen1256]

That’s not my email address sorry

[@SailLife]

Hi Jim :) We’re flying to Michigan to see Ava’s family later this summer. We’ll try our very best to squeeze in a meetup while we’re there. Keep an eye on Facebook/Instagram or the community tab here on KZbin and 🙂

[@DavidA877]

Thank you another great update Regards

[@Ian-gf8id]

Another excellent video, especially the outtakes. Just brilliant 😅Fingers crossed that Fischer Panda sees terror of its ways and resolves the issue for you. That said I've already made a note to avoid this brand for my future yacht project. Beta Marine customer service seems to have a great reputation and that would be my first choice at this stage.

[@SailLife]

Thank you so much :D Yeah I don't think I'd go with FP again to be honest but I'll give them a chance to change my mind :)

[@liamwhelan57]

Love the videos! I'm really sorry to hear of your experience with Fisher Panda as I know you always try install quality products that will last onboard Athena - do things right! These Fisher Panda gensets are expensive and you would certainly expect decent customer service, especially when in warranty. Many thanks for the warning - they should obviously be avoided like the plague!😡

[@TekTravis]

LOL i loved the outtakes !

[@danielsundberg1977]

Maz if you like Pelicans, have you seen the film Storm Boy, made in South Australia in the 80's

[@MRMV483]

nice video! I did notice that your autopilot seems to be quite sensitive on its steering corrections, especially considering being under engine creates stable rudder pressure, is this intentional? Seems like if you would lower that sensitivity it would put less strain on the drive unit/cilinder and increase its longevity

[@SailLife]

Thanks! :D The autopilot was set to normal sensitivity there - normally we keep it at the lowest setting :)

[@tommyandmyf]

I was thinking the same. The autopilot looks far too sensitive.

[@timothyobrien1850]

I do enjoy your diagnostic approach, while different from my own it is always elegant and yes I do learn new things. So this is my life experience, question "How long will it take to fix the thermodraculator?"; my answer "Not long to fix however the diagnostic portion of things is often a little difficult to quantify". I like the hose you used to transfer water to your friends, most of my cruising was done before water makers and even many years later I still cherish having fresh water, even at home. Marking the hose location between the boats makes sense however as soon as you "Idiot Proof" something I have found the next thing I generally encounter is a better Idiot.

[@SailLife]

Haha, the 'better idiot' is so true! There is always someone that can find a way ;) Yeah it often seems like 80% of the battle is figuring out what is wrong :)

[@edwardhovitz1753]

Ha! Love the outtakes!

[@mckenziekeith7434]

One thing to do with the generator is measure the voltage when the fault occurs. Is it actually low? Or is it a false detection? First thing to suspect, if the voltage is actually low and the motor is running OK is the voltage regulation system on the generator.

[@JCAJCA3]

Just another wonderful video!

[@SailLife]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@petal2metal884]

She really is a sailor!!!!!!!!!!

[@JHK66]

Not sure what your genest problems turn out to be, but with the inverter models FP has big troubles from the beginning….not cheap but instead of having 2 spare autopilots I rather had 1 inverter in spare since lead times are a problem. Also they do not like heat….so if you have any chance to move it out of that space….

[@richardayres2949]

Coloured coral means it u dear stress, it should be mainly cream coloured! Have you actually checked the voltage coming out of the generator?

[@svbarryduckworth628]

Are there specific rules about not rafting up even for a few minutes in good weather on the mooring balls? It seems that it would have been easier to raft the boats together temporarily than doodling around to string a long hose between the mooring balls and setting warning floats. We have our solar panels sticking out a good two feet from the lifelines at the height of the top line and leave them out almost always unless it is extremely rolly. We've never had an issue with them getting into the water or waves.

[@SailLife]

No rules that I'm aware off but doing it this way saved us from moving one of the boats twice. It wasn't that bad :) The reason we pull in the solar panels is not our of fear that they will go in the water but just to not have the added windage and stressing the bottom panels that are only supported in the middle.

[@svbarryduckworth628]

Your panels are quite a bit bigger and have more windage than our 100w panels. Do you pull the panels in for a windy day or a storm on anchor or on a ball too? We are pretty conservative about our weather windows for crossings and have never crossed whole oceans like you so we often see far greater winds on the hook than we ever see while sailing. We typically ride out the remnants of hurricanes and named tropical storms a couple of times every summer on the US East Coast and usually keep the panels up rather than folding them down but ours give us more windage when folded down than deployed so that is a different case than you. For storm prep before really bad ones we will take them off and carry them down below along with all of our canvas and sails. As far as mooring balls I think because we used to live on a ball before we cut the lines and sailed nearly every day the idea of casting off and catching a ball seems trivial to us, even a ball that isn't equipped with a pendant to pick up. The same with rafting up to another boat since we used to raft up with other boats for socializing practically every weekend back when we were a member of a sailing club where that was a usual activity.

[@aserta]

About the tree, people with even mild respiratory problems shouldn't stay anywhere near it. Dust from the leaves and bark can also get you into a coughing fit.

[@SailLife]

The gift that keeps on giving 😂 That is one terrifying tree!

[@joehimes9898]

So are they the Keeman islands?

[@SailLife]

😂

[@iwoodie]

We love the bloopers 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@cawfeedawg]

I was in the carribean for 12 years. Of note, there are a lot of ferile dogs covered in scars from the machineel trees.

[@bobrose7900]

Fun! Generator is frustrating but good news on the autopilot at least...

[@SailLife]

True :) Better one issue than two!

[@svZia-Switch51]

Looks like you missed Chatham Bay on Union Island which is a real shame as it’s one of the prettiest spots in the Grenadines.

[@milt7348]

Have fun, and we'll see you next time.

[@leewahler3058]

Have you seem that small rotary pump driven by a drill?

[@SailLife]

For the water transfer? :) I’ve never had good luck with those drill pumps

[@paullapper8702]

Great video guys

[@dianes4858]

And then they is the French “quai” 👍 Love words! Great video! Love the channel!

[@SailLife]

Love words too but sometimes it just seems like we go out of our way to make life difficult 😂 Thank you so much!

[@duggydugg3937]

maybe jumper over each connector to verify each connection has no resistance from vibe or corrosion

[@MikeyDee25]

Eh, wattsa matta u? Now that's Italian! Great video as usual guys!

[@SailLife]

Haha, Thanks! :D

[@Bill23799]

Eva has an understated and natural beauty.

[@SailLife]

I think so too ❤️

[@gman3725]

Interested in finding out what’s up with the generator.

[@SailLife]

Me freaking too! ;) The videos are about 3 weeks behind and sadly Fisher Panda has been almost completely useless. I gave more info in a comment on this video :)

[@AcidStyle79]

Nice seeing you will be meeting up with odd life vrafting....FINALYYYYYYY ;-)

[@JakobEngl]

Great video

[@niccat7051]

Feels great to help someone out!! Well done both 👍

[@SailLife]

Thanks 👍

[@billybahama]

My negative experience with a Panda Fisher Generator left doubts about the quality. Hope yours is much better.

[@TheCorsair]

Dinghy security - Grenada and Bequia are relatively secure but Union island and St Vincent, not so much. You’ll need to lock that dinghy up when leaving her ashore or you’ll be swimming back to the boat some day.

[@SailLife]

We have since shooting this video acquired a horribly overpriced blue plastic wrapped steel wire rope and a pad lock. It wasn't until after I noticed a lot of cruisers seem to use just a bit of stainless chain.

[@gkhutch]

Love outtakes

[@wiky5]

I once had a problem on a charter catamaran where the fischer panda generator wouldn't start without decompressing the cylinder. Apparently, it was because it has a starter battery which only charges with shore power (perhaps a failure with its onboard alternator?) so of course that battery was chronically dead. A similar thing happened on another charter cat with an Onan generator. Perhaps you can bypass that battery and connect straight to the main diesel engine starter? I also like what someone else posted about using it at a way lower power setting than what the manual says. Otherwise with your technical knowledge perhaps you can just bypass the smart box with some relays, making it like a dumb old mechanical generator with no wits.

[@SailLife]

Our issue is in now way related to the battery :) It's low voltage on the AC side - in our case somewhere below 200V. Fun little fact about the 5000i it doesn't even have an alternator. You need to have some kind of AC or DC-DC charger to charge the genset starter battery. I guess that's one way of making your genset smaller ;)

[@wiky5]

@@SailLife oh, sorry I didn't get that part from the video and assumed it was on the DC side due to what happened to me before. And from your fun fact, no wonder "my" generator acted up! I wouldn't be surprised if said AC/DC was connected only to shore power in my case as well... Does yours have an independent generator regulator or does it use the same controller for everything? If it's independent then it's an "easier" fix than if a single controller runs everything. Generator regulators are somewhat off the shelf components, and if it's not potted you might even be able to fix it yourself. Does it have brushes on the generator rotor for the exciter coil? That might be another point of failure. Or if it's a brushless generator then the diodes in the rotor might be pooched. Lots of variables to look at!

[@gertboerman3666]

Hey Ava. I'm an amateur-etymologist myself. A great way to look at geopolitics. Nicest example I can give you is the french "beauchamp" . I assume you know how the French pronounce it. Up untill today the British pronounce it as "bitchum". Need I say more?

[@superformOG]

In Australia we say key = key, quay = key, cay = kay, a quay and a cay (like coral cay) are different things

[@soving]

Pretty sure Mads was channeling Gilligan with that sweet bucket hat..(Ava will explain the reference lol)

[@SailLife]

I've never seen an episode but I know of the show from tons of references :) I'm sure if the show had aired today it would have made it to Denmark

[@johnrobertson4809]

A friend sheltered from the rain under one of those trees in Testigos. His shorts soaked up the poison while the water evaporated. He was in serious pain until soaking the affected area in cold tea, which is alkaline.

[@SailLife]

Yikes! That sounds horrible!

[@lyfandeth]

I don't know if it is the same tree, but beware Florida, where there also a "poisonwood" tree. Even rain dripping off it is toxic.

[@SailLife]

Is the tree in Florida called "poisonwood"? If so that is the perfect name! 😀

[@DiederikAms]

Just wondering why you didn't tie the boats together with a bunch of fenders in between 🤷‍♂

[@sigrid129]

You would be able to hear everything on the other boat, no privacy at all.

[@DiederikAms]

@@sigrid129 Fot two hours that shouldn’t be the end of the world, would it?

[@SailLife]

For the water transfer? There was no need this worked out fine :)

[@DiederikAms]

@@SailLife I’m sure it was a lot of fun being the engineer at sea, rather then use the short hose option 😂😂😂 I probably would have done the same first, only to think of other options afterwards ha ha ha.

[@tboolsen]

RAS operation! 👍🏻

[@normanboyes4983]

Great video and you really make a great team. Very disappointed to hear about the Gen set, they do not have the best reputation, unfortunately. Scrutinise the terms and conditions of the warranty and do a shout out for a lawyer among your subscribers to write a letter on your behalf.😉👍⛵️

[@SailLife]

Thanks, Norman! :D Yeah it's a real shame with the genset. I hope Fisher Panda comes through.

[@MidnightAmratha]

the ten foot pole reference is from the rolemaster roleplaying game, where you can buy anything..... including a ten foot pole. the manual for equipment is even called .....and a ten foot pole.

[@SailLife]

That is funny :D

[@BPratto]

Thanks guys, that tree I"ve never heard about

[@Amarok41]

More bloopers please 🙂

[@SailLife]

We'll try our best :)