Some particulars about Invictus

 What follows is a dry and [likely for most of you] boring post covering some of the technical facts about Invictus. To completely describe each of her systems and their management is not an option in a blog post so I will just scratch the surface here in this post. Each one of these systems is critical to either the safety or the comfort of the entities living aboard. This is especially true given the remote areas that we frequent - areas without cell service, spotty radio contact, and few other boaters to help out in emergencies. A thorough knowledge and familiarity with the boat’s systems is important to develop. And an attitude of ‘can fix’ is useful.

Mixed in with this outrageous amount of text is a selection of interior shots in no particular order.

Installing Starlink

A tangle of wiring

If you are an insomniac you will want to read through to the end for your maximum benefit. For the more competitive reader, you can bet there will test on this material at a later date. The person with the highest test score will be the winner and will have Glory(see note 1 below) bestowed upon them. 

Coming into the boat through the salon doors

Looking aft at the galley

Invictus is an average ‘cruising boat’ or ‘trawler’, average in length and in the equipment and amenities onboard. In our view, she is perfect for a couple with a dog (or two) on extended cruises. Even our cat, Whitty, cruised with us for many years. Invictus is special to us but is not really special otherwise. There are 100’s of thousands of very similar trawlers in marinas all over the world. But, if you can dig through what follows, some of the facts might surprise you, such as her loaded weight or the complexity of her systems.

Underway. Oblio on duty.

Left side of the wheelhouse. Oblio still on duty.

Invictus is 32’ long with a bit sticking out the back, the swim step (2’), and a bit sticking out the front, the anchor and anchor roller (10”). We pay for 34’ worth of moorage when we tie up at a marina. She was built in 1997 by Nordic Tugs in Bellingham, WA. She is designed for Pacific Northwest waters and well built. We purchased her in San Diego in 2010 and we are the fourth owners. 

Our new helm cabinet. More storage for more stuff!

It is designed to look at bit like a tug boat with the vertical windshields, sweet shear-line, big round corners at the transom, heavy duty rub rails, raised wheelhouse, and a steep bow angle. It comes from the factory with a faux stack behind the wheelhouse, which is empty except for a radar reflector. I removed the faux stack and built a mast and boom for both aesthetic and practical purposes. Anyway, I always wanted a boat with a mast and boom!

She weighs around 22,000 lbs with a full load of fuel, water, miscellaneous gear, clothing, tools, and many unneeded items, etc. She is powered by a 220 hp Cummins 6BT5.9M 6-cylinder diesel engine which turns a 2” shaft with a 24” four-blade bronze propeller. This is the same engine that Dodge put in their pickup trucks for many years. The engine has approximately 2600 hours running time.

Under average cruising conditions at around 1650 rpm and 7.6 knots, she burns approximately 1.6 imperial gallons per hour. This equates to 4.75 nautical miles per imperial gallon (8.75 kilometers). If we cruise early or late in the season our fuel consumption increases because in the evenings we run a diesel-fired furnace to keep warm, we run our generator more often, and the solar panels produce less power on the short rainy days. Typically, in the shoulder season we burn more like 2 imperial gph. 

Oblio's new bed.

Oblio on duty yet again.

 Tankage is important on a boat. Invictus has (all imperial gallons) 160 gallons of diesel, 105 gallons of water, 12 gallons black water (sewage). In addition, we keep 15 gallons of gasoline in the cockpit locker for the kicker motor (9.9 hp Yamaha) and the dinghy motor (6 hp Yamaha).

Hull design is an interesting (for some of us) and complex topic. Marine architects spend years learning about and understanding this aspect of hull design. Hull speed is an important concept related to hull design and my understanding is basic: Invictus has a ‘semi-displacement’ hull, which means up to a particular speed it moves smoothly through the water by pushing it aside, as opposed to riding up on top of the water like a speedboat with a ‘planing’ hull does. Semi-displacement means that, if enough power is applied, the hull design will allow the boat to rise up on plane and exceed the theoretical hull speed (see below) but only up to a certain point. The downside of higher speeds is an exponential increase in fuel consumption. Just an extra two knots of speed can triple or quadruple fuel consumption. 

Looking aft from the stateroom, storage on the right and door into the head (bathroom) on the left.

 On the other hand, a displacement hull, such as a sailboat or a freighter, is only designed to push the water aside. If more power is applied to a displacement hull, speed will not increase and it will not ride up on the water, but will instead become unstable and unmanageable.

Interesting nerdy boat intel: All boat hulls have a theoretical ‘hull speed’, which is the maximum speed of travel without riding up on top of the water. Theoretical displacement hull speed is calculated by the formula: velocity in knots = 1.35 x the square root of the waterline length in feet. For Invictus this is 7.58 knots or 14.03 km/hr. (check my math). Traveling at this theoretical hull speed is the most efficient in terms of power required and fuel consumed. This means we don’t go anywhere in a hurry, which is exactly how we like it. This formula also explains why a huge ship like the Titanic with a waterline length of 883’ could efficiently (but maybe not safely) cruise at 24 knots. If it had enough power, it could have achieved its theoretical hull speed of 39.82 knots (over 45 mph). Tomorrow, you can measure your own boat’s waterline length and calculate your hull speed. Please don’t email me the results. 

The head.

Speaking of engine power vs speed, Invictus has a 9.9 hp outboard motor mounted on the transom used primarily for trolling. It’s interesting that at full throttle this relatively tiny motor pushes Invictus at 5 knots. Meanwhile, we are using a motor with 2200% more hp (the 220 hp main engine) to increase her speed by only 25% (5 to 7.5), the definition of inefficiency!

Of course, it’s more complicated than that. The power of the main engine is critical when the tide is running, in heavy seas and winds, or in crowded harbours and marinas where quick action is required. There are many (most) situations when the kicker would definitely not be up to the job. Some boats have a ‘get home’ engine in case the main fails. We consider the kicker to be our ‘get out of trouble’ engine. It may not get us home but if the main engine fails, we can use the kicker to move Invictus to a safe place where we can drop an anchor. Or we can use it to keep her bow into the wind in a case of heavy seas. You might find this article interesting. 

Underway.

Invictus is by far the most complicated vehicle we have ever owned. Multiple primary systems and considerations are listed below. Each system has multiple subsystems and they are all interdependent and interconnected. And they are all prone to frequent and poorly-timed breakage!

· Propulsion – main engine, kicker with aft control station, bow thruster
· Steering – hydraulic system, rudder, autopilot
· Fuel – diesel for main engine and generator and furnace, gasoline for outboard motors, propane for galley range and BBQ, fuel filtration and distribution
· Fresh water – tankage, filtration, distribution, drainage
· Raw water (seawater) – main engine and generator cooling, wash down pump
· Plumbing – sinks (2), shower, toilet, tankage, bilge pumps, hot water heater
· Electrical – main engine alternator, shore power, generator, solar panels, lighting, 12VDC, 120VAC, inverter/charger
· Batteries – house bank, generator battery, battery isolator, batter combiner, battery monitor
· Heating – bus heater using excess engine heat, diesel 12V forced air furnace, 120V portable heaters used when connected to shore power
· Safety – AIS system, VHF radios with DSC calling tied to GPS system, InReach, flares and smoke signals, PFD’s, portable fire extinguishers, automatic engine room fire suppression and shutdown system, ditch box, dinghy, portable VHF radios, Gumby suits, life ring, throw lines, propane alarm and shutoff, smoke/CO detector, anchor alarm
· Galley – storage for food, dishes, utensils and spices, fridge and two freezers, propane range
· Sewage – blackwater tank, greywater drainage, macerator pump
· Living amenities – Sirius radio, Starlink, drone #2 (drone #1 – there’s a story here), sound system
· Communications
· Navigation – 4 independent chartplotters, GPS antennas, compass, 2 radars, AIS system, 2 depth sounders
· Anchoring – chain and rode, spare anchor, anchor windlass, chain storage
· Spares and tools
· Miscellaneous – fishing gear

The boat is so complex (and well worn) that Roma is not interested in taking a man-free trip with the girls. This was a dream for her early on when we first got the boat. But after 14 years of ownership, she has seen that inevitably something(s) breaks and fixing it may not be possible without the prerequisite skills and analytical approach typical of males (oops, did I write that?). I have offered to act as ‘trunk monkey’ (Google it) for a girl’s only trip. I promised to stay in the lazarette for the duration but surprisingly Roma has never seriously considered this offer. She says we would need a second boat.

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