New Products: LED replacement bulbs

This product has matured; it is time to replace your bulbs.

I spent some time at the Seattle Boat Show looking for new and interesting products.  One in particular that I specifically wanted to learn more about was LED replacement bulbs, for existing light fixtures.

LED lighting offers a huge benefit.  It draws less power from your batteries.  A lot less power.  For similar light output it only consumes about 15% of the electricity.  This is like having an extra battery aboard!

What I wanted to learn more about was light output vs. incandescent  bulbs, color rendition and flicker, all issues that plagued early LED bulbs.  Are these new product ready for your American Tug?

Let's look at those issues:

Light Output & Power Consumption

All of the lighting in an American Tug uses a G4 base bulb, those are the ones with the two little wire prongs.  The overhead bulbs go in sideways, and the reading lights get pushed up vertically.  The old incandescent bulbs are either 10 or 15-watts.  They put out 100 or 150 Lumens but send that light in all directions, the fixtures have reflectors that bounce the stray light back in the direction desired.

The new G4 LED bulbs are between 90 and 120 Lumens, but they are directional and send all of that light in the desired path.  This will equate to similar light output.  This is a large advance in LED efficiency in the past couple of years.

The side mount G4 LED bulbs are used in all of the overhead light fixtures aboard.  These put out 120 Lumens, all in the down direction with a 120-degree flood.  Consumption is 2.2 watts.  That is similar output at only 14.6% of the draw.

 Reading lights use a back pin arrangement and are pushed up into the fixture.  These LED "back pin readers" are highly directional and designed for reading with a viewing angle of 35-degrees.  Output is 68 Lumens, but I would not dwell on this as they have set the output for proper illumination while reading.  Consumption is 1.8 watts or 12% of the draw of the old bulbs.  Please note that these lights may be used for extended periods of time if the book is really good!






Color and Flicker

This is the area where the product has really matured.  Quality LED replacement bulbs are available in warm white.  This is an advance compared to the cold white "refrigerator" color that was the norm just a few years ago.

Flicker is where a quality bulb really shines...   The human eye has light receptor cells, they are either rods or cones. The rods have a faster response and can detect flicker.  This flicker is more noticeable in your peripheral vision where the rods are more prevalent.  Older technology LED bulbs had flicker which will quickly give you a headache or eye strain.  Higher quality bulbs have better electronics and do not suffer this issue.

Where to get your bulbs

My education was courtesy of Jerry Truax of IMTRA.  IMTRA is a distributor of high quality marine parts.  Their bulbs are state of the art.  See:  http://www.imtra.com/lighting-bulbs-led.htm


The internet is full of LED bulbs.  Some are good, some are old technology.  You will want to buy quality bulbs.  The IMTRA brand run about $15-20 each.  It is more important to replace galley, salon and readers than those lights less frequently used. 

Available from Fisheries Supply in Seattle.

Open Houses: See Tsillan & Forever Friday this weekend!

Saturday: Tsillan on display. Edmonds Marina slip H-18, Noon-4pm

Sunday: Forever Friday on display. La Conner Marina slip I-2, Noon-3pm



2007 American Tug 41 #21 Tsillan – Open House

Where: Edmonds Marina, Slip H-18
When: Saturday, February 18th, Noon-4pm
Full details on Tsillan are here.



2008 American Tug 34 #121 Forever Friday – Open House

Where: La Conner Marina, Slip I-2
When: Sunday, February 19th, Noon-3pm
Full details on Forever Friday are here.

Cindy & I are looking forward to showing you these great boats. Spend some time and see all the details, hop into the engine rooms and poke around in the lazarettes. These are very well built and maintained boats, both ready for a full summer of cruising.
We hope to see you this weekend!

Steve & Cindy Scruggs
Call anytime at 206-930-6139

Cinnamon Girl at Seattle's Lake Union Boat Show

On display at the Boats-Afloat show - Jan 27th thru Feb 5th

Cinnamon Girl - American Tug 41 Hull #9 will be on display at the Seattle Boats Afloat Show on Lake Union.  We will be in slip D29, part way out the main dock.  Come and see us.

This is a great boat, very well equipped and in very nice shape.  The owners have just lowered the price and she is a great deal, now just $  Sold by EYS!!!     Complete information, over 50 photos and a video can be found here.

Call Steve for full details at 206-930-6139

Full show details at: http://www.seattleboatshow.com/

2005 American Tug 41  Cinnamon Girl   now $    Sold by EYS!!

The new 2012 Waggoner Guide is now available!

Start planning your summer vacation.

Order your 2012 Waggoner Guide here and receive a 15% discount.

The Waggoner Guide is your annual update for cruising the inside passage from Olympia to Ketchikan.

Mark Bunzel has just completed the all-new 2012 edition.  Last year Mark purchased the Waggoner Guide from longtime publisher Bob Hale, and spent most of the summer updating and re-writing the Waggoner.  Expect the 2012 edition to be one of the most helpful ever.

Mark is the publisher at Fine Edge publications.  Remember that readers of the American Tug News receive a 15% discount on all of his books and publications.

Sold! 2007 American Tug 41 #21

2007 AT-41 #021  Reduced by $75,500   Tsillan is now SOLD! 



I worked very closely with the owner when we had Tsillan constructed in 2007.  He had previously made 5 trips to Alaska on his last boat and was specific in how Tsillan was to be optioned and outfitted.  It was nice to work with a gentleman that had very well found opinions and made great decisions in her commissioning.  She is a fabulous American Tug 41!



Tsillan was built for an experienced yachtsman and includes many special touches.  She has the Cummins QSC-540 common rail engine, Onan 9Kw gensest, Village Marine 600 watermaker, Nick Jackson 3-axis crane, Raymarine electronics suite with 3ea multifunction displays & 48-mile open array radar.

Click here for full details

She is a beatiful boat.  Deep brick red carpet and upholstery with gorgeous Jatoba wood.  

Call Steve to arrange a private tour at 206-930-6139.  Moored in a covered slip in Edmonds, WA.

Steve Scruggs, CPYB
Expedition Yacht Sales
Anytime: 206-930-6139
www.expeditionyachtsales.com

Fine Edge Publications: Discounts for the American Tug Family

Get the best cruising guides and unlock the secrets of the Salish Sea.










Mark Bunzel at Fine Edge publishes the very best cruising guides and planning books for cruising the northwest. I have always relied on the yellow "Exploring" series books. A few years ago I discovered the new "Dreamspeaker" series and they are a great compliment to my on board library. Mark has generously offered a 15% discount on all of his books to the American Tug family.

These books make great gifts for the holidays!

Mark is also now the publisher of the Waggoner Cruising Guide and has the all new 2012 book on his site.

Let SJY help pay for your American Tug!

San Juan Yachting would like to add a couple of Tugs in their charter fleet

The very best charter fleet in the pacific northwest would like to help pay for your American Tug!

I had a great conversation with Rick Sale, manager of San Juan Yachting in Bellingham, WA. He said they need a couple of tugs and he can keep them working for you. His conservative pro-forma shows that just over half the cost of your tug can be paid by others; and that is before any depreciation or tax advantage is figured in, which can really save you.

Rick sent me the cash flow projections for an AT-41 and AT-34. Lightly pre-owned boats such as Forever Friday (AT-34) or Cinnamon Girl (AT-41) cash flow extremely well. I would be happy to forward these pro-formas, just call 206-321-2164 or email me at: steve@expeditionyachtsales.com

Let’s get together with Rick and work out the details.

Thank you,   Steve Scruggs, CPYB

www.expeditionyachtsales.com

Sold! 2005 American Tug 41 "Cinnamon Girl"

I am very pleased to add AT-41009 to the Expedition Yacht Sales brokerage

Sold!!

Beautiful rich interior with neutral colored upholstery and new oat colored carpet.

Originally built for the owner of American Tugs. She is well equipped and very meticulously maintained. Powered by a Volvo 500hp common rail engine with trolling valve and dual controls, bow and stern thrusters, Raymarine E-series displays, Tanner mast, factory custom cabinetry, tons of engine spares, Village Marine 600-gpd watermaker, dual Nova Kool refrigerators, 12-foot inflatable with console and Yamaha 25 engine, etc..

The complete details are included at: http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?&units=Feet&id=2406654&lang=en&slim=broker&&hosturl=expeditionyachtsales&&ywo=expeditionyachtsales&

This is the boat that I delivered to Alaska this past spring.  You can read the trip blog here on the American Tug News.   Look in the articles from last May & June.  This is your opportunity to take her north!  Super well sorted and ready to cruise.

Call Steve at 206-930-6139 to arrange a private showing in Bellingham.  Cinnamon Girl is ready for your next Expedition; to the Broughton's, Alaska or Mexico!

Thank you,  Steve

Expedition Yacht Sales is born!

Steve & Cindy Scruggs are proud to announce the formation of their new brokerage; Expedition Yacht Sales, LLC.  With a combined 40-years in the local marine industry it was time to hang out our own shingle.  We will serve the greater Puget Sound area and are always available to meet on your boat or the yacht you wish to see.

"Cindy & I are excited to be working together for the first time and able to offer the highest level of service and integrity.  We are going to do this right!"

Specializing in high quality cruising tugs, trawlers and expedition grade sailboats.  These are the boats that are ideally suited to cruising the waters of our Salish Sea and inside passage to Alaska.

Between them they have cruised or raced boats on all of the west coast from Southeast Alaska to Ensenada, Mexico and covered most of the east coast from Halifax, Nova Scotia to the Chesapeake.  Throw in a couple of races to Hawaii, Bermuda, an Atlantic crossing and several years on the Caribbean circuit for offshore experience. They have owned twin-engine powerboats, racing sailboats and an offshore capable sailboat.  They know boats and all the local cruising grounds from Olympia to Alaska.

When just 26-years old Steve founded his first boat dealership and service company in Seattle.  Most recently a yacht broker for nearly 10-years working in the Puget Sound area for a large dealership, now able to offer the service that customers really deserve with his own brokerage.  He has been involved in the sale and commissioning of over 200 new boats and countless pre-owned yachts during this career.  This is experience you can rely on.  Steve holds the CPYB designation as a Certified Professional Yacht Broker and subscribes to their code of conduct.

A fifteen-year veteran of the marine industry, Cindy will run the operations of Expedition Yacht Sales.  From listings to closings, expect first class service handling the details of your dream yacht.

Contact Expedition Yacht Sales at 206-321-2164 or visit http://www.expeditionyachtsales.com/.  We stand ready to help you achieve the happiest day of your life.

Steve & Cindy

Catching Prawns in Desolation Sound

A great week of catching prawns near Cortes Island.

Our most successful year ever!

For the past eighteen years Cindy & I have headed north to Desolation Sound with friends to cruise for a week or two in early August.  The greater Desolation Sound area is a wonderful marine area and offers fantastic cruising.   It is a couple of days journey north of the San Juan's or Gulf Islands.  One of the highlights of the trip is putting out the prawn traps and seeing what we can pull up. 

The Spot Prawns are larger than shrimp and make a wonderful meal.  We generally set the traps in a depth of a little over 300-feet.  Every fisherman has their favorite honey spot, but a good guide is to put your pots near a locals and do what they do.

This is Cindy's new boat, the Mystery Machine, in beautiful Desolation Sound.

The rig I use:
Yellow top float with 75-feet of leaded line
400-feet of 1/4" polypropylene line
2ea 8-oz clip-on lead weights
Prawn trap
Scotty screw top bait jar
Bait pellets

Prawn traps are marked with yellow floats, the second jug is for extra flotation in areas with strong current.

A hose reel is an easy way to store multiple 400-foot lines tangle free.

These Dependable Trap Co. pots fold away for easy storage on a boat.

Ladner makes nice commercial style pots for sports fisherman.   Easy to empty.

Snap a couple of lead weights on the poly line to keep it from floating on top.  Scotty bait jars work great.

 

The commercial prawn bait is very effective.  It is like oily dog kibble.  Some use cat food.

Power pot pullers were made legal about five years ago.  We are going over 300-feet deep!

For the first ten-years we went prawning the power pullers were not legal, and we pulled the traps hand over hand...  It was great exercise.   The Brutus "Ace" puller is nicely made and fits on to a Scotty Downrigger base and uses the same power jack.  It pulls about 100-feet per minute.  A welcome addition to the Mystery Machine!

Thanks for reading my blog.  Steve