Does a Sailboat NEED a GENERATOR? More Importantly, DO WE?... Ep 439
2 April 2026 · 24 min · 37K views
Crew member services winch on sunlit sailboat deck
What this video covers
Josh and Tallulah aboard Nandji 2, a Tayana 47 CC, are preparing for a 1,700-nautical-mile passage from South Africa to St Helena and onward to Brazil. The central decision: whether to reinstall a 6.5-kilowatt Cummins-Onan generator removed during the engine room refit for the new Yanmar 4JH110.0:32 The answer is yes — the new Yanmar's dual-alternator setup cannot run two high-output alternators simultaneously into the lithium house bank, leaving only one alternator charging the house bank, so the generator stays as a redundancy backup.1:14 Josh degreases, wire-brushes rust from the block behind the water pump and the drip tray, and repaints the unit grey to match the new engine before lowering it back in on a skateboard.18:44 A secondary problem surfaces mid-episode: the windlass loses power.6:16 Tracing the circuit from the breaker to the motor, Josh finds a mystery junction box with a corroded connection; cleaning the terminals restores function.12:07 Pre-passage invisible prep also covered: syncing the Garmin inReach, confirming Starlink is operational, checking the EPIRB date, inspecting fire extinguishers, reviewing the grab bag, and switching to a comprehensive offshore policy with Keen Insurance covering the Caribbean.3:49 The new sea chest is installed and the Yanmar fires for the first time.14:51 A 70-nautical-mile shakedown to Saldanha Bay is next before the ocean crossing begins.3:30
Boats in this video
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