When it comes to the safety and the protection of your boat and occupants, a proper gas detection system is a critical device where LPG gas is being stored or used. You need a gas detector that you can depend on to watch over you and your boat while on or off board.

On Cool Change we have recently installed a BEP Contour Matrix Gas Detector.  This gas detector has the capability to control two sensors which detect both LPG and petrol, with visual and audible alarms. It also has a test switch to check the operation of the sensors.
 
While location of sensors will depend very much on the particulars of each vessel, on Cool Change we have one sensor installed right behind the gas oven and another one at a lower level below the entry of the gas line from the sealed gas locker and the internal turn-off valve.

The control panel is installed in the galley and in clear view when sitting down in the saloon.

Additionally it pays to do following from time to time:
1. Check connections for leaks at the appliance, regulator and cylinder with soapy water.
2. Never use a match or flame when checking for leaks.
3. Close cylinder valve when appliances are not in use or when the gas cylinder is being filled.
4. Never leave an appliance with a continuous burning flame operating in any petrol driven vessel if unattended for a period of 12 hours or more.
5. Use the cooking appliance or stove only for the purpose for which it was designed f – cooking, eg not as a room heater.
6. In the event of fire, immediately close cylinder valve(s).
7. Check the gas detector, to determine if flammable vapours are present and the vessel cleared of any flammable vapour before lighting any LP gas appliance or starting the motor.
8. All spare gas cylinders, whether full or empty are fitted with gas tight sealing plugs and all cylinder valves closed.
9. E licensed gas fitter does perform all additions or alterations to your boats LP gas system.
10. In the event of an accidental gas leak, close the cylinder valve and ventilate the vessel until the air is clear.

On Cool Change we do have a fully battened mainsail with a Lazy Jack system. One of the issues we have encountered when surprised by strong winds (e.g. 30+ knots) especially at night is the difficulty to drop the sail completely in those conditions. Usually turning the boat into the wind and releasing the main halyard drops the sail nicely into the boom bag via the lazy jacks. However, when confronted with strong winds, we often find that the sail drops only partially and the top bit of it is still up to about  the first spreader flogging heavily. While we are blessed with easy access due to our deck saloon rooftop to manually pull down the last part of the sail, in heavy seas, with a flogging sail this can be quite a perilous exercise.
To overcome this we have attached a line (6mm -see picture below) at the top of the mainsail - going down in a straight line to the second reef point (when the sail is up). Now, when we drop the sail and it does not quite come down all the we have easy access to this line which by then should be abou t at the mast base and can be used to not only pull down the rest of the mainsail but also to secure it to the mast base to avoid the wind from blowing it up and out of the boom bag.
Alternatively, if one does not want to go forward at all, one can instead of fastening one end to the second reef point, lead the line all the way down to the mast base and via blocks back to the cockpit. This way you can pull it down from the security of the cockpit. However, be aware that you will get quite some line length with this configuration and there is more chance of it flying off and getting tangled with the sail or other lines if you do not have somebody bringing it in quickly as you lower the sail.

We have become so used to having accurate gauges for our fuel tanks, water tanks etc. but when it comes to our state of the battery bank, most of us have no real means to accurately monitor it. The advice I’ve received in the past was that when the voltage goes down to 12 Volts, I most likely are down to nearly 50% of my battery capacity. Which means that this is the maximum of how far down one should  discharge lead acid, gel or AGM batteries without doing any damage.
This of course results in either charging the batteries to early, too long or not enough. Not being too happy about this (past) situation, I now have had a monitor installed that acts just like a fuel gauge for my battery bank. It is quite a nifty device from Xantrex called Enerdrive eLite that not only gives me current capacity in percentage but also, just like a fuel gauge shows me with bars increasing in height how full my batteries are.
By simply pushing a button I now can scroll between displays showing volts, amps and amp hours consumed.   At a glance I can simply look at the LCD bar graph to see a 'fuel gauge' reading of my current battery state.
It sure takes out the guessing game, gives me a good indication how much longer I can go on current consumption until I need to recharge. It also shows me how many Amps are going back into the batteries during charging, being it shore power, solar panels or generator. Sure makes things a lot easier.

Features:
Digital Display to show battery volts, amps, amp-hours, state of charge. Easy to read LCD bar graph, 'just like a fuel gauge'. Around 99.5% accuracy of battery status. Flush mount face place, with fixing by rear locking nut.  Compatible with 12 and 24 volt DC systems.  Includes 500amp / 50mv Shunt. Can be programmed to work on any battery type, with capacity up to 2000+ amp hours.