A QUICK AND EASY WAY TO ADD A SOLAR POWERED LIGHTING SYSTEM

I mentioned awhile back how living on my boat with it's LED lights and Solar Panels inspired me to build the solar powered lighting system for my house.
Now a company called BIOLITE has come up with a compact solar lighting, charging and music system that is priced reasonably and could be used at home or on a boat.

It even has an FM radio and MP3 player built in. Here is an overview:



Looks like a quick and easy way to add a solar powered lighting system to a boat or home.

 Kit includes a 6 watt solar panel, screws, the control box, three individual string lights with individual switches, including one with a motion sensor.

• Lighting includes 3 over-head lights with their own switches: 2 100-lumen string lights and 1 motion sensor light.
• Control box includes 20-watt hour rechargeable battery to store solar energy, 2 USB device charging ports, digital display for feedback on power availability, and speaker control
• Enjoy the built-in FM radio and speaker or use the SD card reader to play your MP3 music

At $149 the BioLite SolarHome 620 Portable Off-Grid Solar Lighting System is at a minimum a great way to light up your evenings or if you already have solar it could provide the backup lighting you need for nights at anchor. While allowing your current system to deal with important functions like refrigeration. 

Hat Tip: Boat Bits

A PROBLEM IS NOT ALWAYS A PROBLEM

Things always seem to be breaking on a boat except when they are not really broken. Let me explain.  I often fall into the trap of expecting the worse when it turns out there was never really a problem at all. One must resist the urge to tear apart a system until one has sat back and thought about why something that was working yesterday is not working today. It is useful to ask what may have changed before you pull out the tools. Even though I know this I still get caught at least once or twice a year thinking some device has failed when it actually was not the case. Here is an example from last fall:



Even as I commence spring outfitting this year I was mistaken I had another pump failure. I filled one of BIANKA's water tanks so I would have some water to use for cleaning up the boat. I then turned on the water pump switch heard it come on then stop. But, when I went to the faucet there was no water pressure. Another pump failure I thought. I pulled out my volt meter and went to check the voltages at the water pump connections. No voltage. Aha must be a bad switch at the electric panel. It took me a few minutes to realize I was not turning on the water pump breaker but, was actually hitting the washdown pump switch instead!

"To see what is in front of one's nose requires a constant struggle." -- George Orwell

ELECTRIC PROPULSION: SOME THOUGHTS ON ELECTRO-SAILING. PART ONE

I was awakened from my mid winter doldrums by an email from a fellow who had some questions about electro-sailing if he were to convert to electric propulsion:

"My wife and I are looking at converting our Vancouver 27 to electric. I think electric with approximately 200 amp hour 48v bank would meet all of our needs under normal conditions, but because there may be rare occasions

but because there may be rare occasions, like if we have to transit a canal the like Erie Canal, where we would need to motor for an extended period I am I am trying to determine if a small generator like the 2000i would be suitable to propel the boat at a slow speed for extended periods.

You stated that you could motor at about 3 knots with your 2000i generator. What charger do you use? Have you done this for several hours at a time? I am curious if you have experienced issues with heat build up, or other problems that might be an issue with extended use of the charger to power the electric engine."

These are great questions and ones I wondered about back in 2007 where I began to get serious about converting to electric propulsion. So I thought I'd make a blog post about my experience over the past nine seasons with electric propulsion and electro-sailing.

1) I am trying to determine if a small generator like the 2000i would be suitable to propel the boat at a slow speed for extended periods.

The answer is yes. I have found I don't really need to do it often but I have had to at times  motor up to 40 nautical miles just using a Honda 2000i generator and battery charger to move my 30 foot boat along. An example of such a day is shown in this video:

Again I have not had to do this often since at some point during most sailing days a breeze does kick up at some point. But, even if it does not I find electro-sailing with Electric Propulsion to be much quieter and much less vibration than when I had a diesel which makes for a much more pleasant day on the water.

I'll get into more specifics as to the components used on BIANKA for extended electro-sailing  and the things you need to know to make it possible in the next post.

THE COST OF RECYCLING

With the brand new 8A4D batteries on board BIANKA I was faced with what to do with the old batteries I still had in my possession. These included the four old batteries that made up the propulsion bank along with the two new 8A4D batteries that were damaged in shipping.  I knew the two damaged batteries and the one bad battery from the propulsion bank should be recycled ASAP if only to make some room in my garage. I called the local place I usually recycle metals to and asked what they paid for the large 8A4D batteries. They said six dollars. Hmmm, only six bucks for over one hundred plus pounds of lead batteries?  I decided to call another scrapyard nearby and there I was told they pay twenty eight cents a pound. So my 8A4D would make me thirty six dollars each. It really pays to shop around even if you are just recycling.

THE PAIN OF RECYCLING

Since my analysis has confirmed at least one bad battery in my 48 volt string I thought at least let's get that off the boat and recycled ASAP. Though the boat is on land I thought I'd be able to remove it.  Even though my Nova Lift hoist does not have enough line to place the battery on the ground there is part of a dock flotation pad close under the hoist area where I could drop the battery on it and then lift it to the ground where I could use my hand truck to take it to the car. Sounds like a plan!

I was able to easily remove the bad battery from out of the hold with the hoist and drop it down onto the flotation pad. The problem occurred when I tried to lift the 134 pound battery onto the ground. As I lifted it part of it grabbed onto a basket of fishing line also sitting on the flotation pad. As I moved about trying to get the battery to release from the basket I heard a pop in my thigh followed by a sharp pain.  Though in pain I was finally able to get the battery onto the ground and into the car. After consulting Dr. Google my painful symptoms pointed to a pulled Ham String muscle. Treatment includes rest and ice. Climbing the ladder to get onto the boat was rather painful so further battery removal and boat work will be put on hold for a few days while my leg recovers. It's been a two steps forward one step back kind of day.

TO BE CONTINUED

UH OH!: A BATTERY ANOMALY

Just when I thought I was ready to splash BIANKA for the season I made a disturbing discovery concerning one of the batteries in the 48 volt propulsion bank. The Dual Pro PS4 battery charger showed battery number four with a blinking green light where as all the others were steady after having been charged.  This was a new development as for the past several weeks all the batteries had been charging normally on my visits. For some reason the charger thinks battery four is not yet fully charged. I disconnected the power from the charger to let the batteries sit overnight and make sure it would not fire up when I plugged the extension cord  back on my return in the morning.

The next morning I went into the cockpit and threw the switch on the helm instrumentation panel that powers the individual battery meters. My suspicions were confirmed. Battery four is not being charged properly:

As you can see the bottom meter which is reading battery four is only 11.1 volts where the other three batteries are much closer to each other in voltage. So it looks like I will have to forget about launching the boat until I can investigate what it is going on with this battery. TO BE CONTINUED.

NOW THIS IS COOL!

Since I've recently retired I've been taking my time getting BIANKA ready for this years launch. Recent travels in the Keys and Bahamas have pushed things back a bit. The weather has also affected my plans. Speaking of the weather we have had a few days of temperatures in the mid 80 degree Fahrenheit range. Temperatures more common for mid August than late May or early June here on the Isle of Long. Needless to say it could get quite warm while working on the boat before any cooling afternoon sea breezes make it across the island.  Those conditions led me to an impulse buy of the Ergodyne Chill-Its Evaporative Cooling Towel . 

 I have to say this item really works well. The special fabric holds water quite well. You run it under some water until it becomes saturated. Ring it out a bit and drape it around neck and as the water evaporates it cools your body down quite nicely. When it  drys out in a few hours just repeat the process.  A simple idea that works on a hot day. I look forward to using it especially on a hot summer day when running with the wind and not having any breeze in the cockpit. It should make things much more comfortable.

AN INSIDE JOB

I've been taking a little time this spring to refinish some of the cabin interior before launching. The left side in the photo has been done the right still needs to be. I'm using  Cetol Natural Teak. Easier to do this kind of stuff with the boat on the hard.

TOOLS: POWER8 WORKSHOP

Here's an item that would fit right in on a cruising boat or even a landlubbers apartment:
 It's called the Power 8 Workshop:


It looks like it has just about every tool one might need to do a lot of different projects on board yet stores in a very compact space. Which is an important since space is always a concern.

• Includes 4 Power Tools; variable speed hammer drill, circular saw, jigsaw and flashlight. Each tool integrates with the workbench to become a drill press, table saw, scroll saw and table light

SPRINGING FORWARD AND GETTING OUT OF THE DOLDRUMS

I've been in sort of a boat doldrums for a few weeks now. I've not had much urgency to get down to the boat since my Electric Propulsion system does not require a whole lot of maintenance. I've instead been spending some time spring cleaning around the house and trying to figure out what to with some of the left over stuff I pulled off the boat when converting to Electric Propulsion. Thinking about EBAY, donating or selling out right. I've been cleaning out a lot of stuff in the Den where I'll be hopefully working on a new sail cover and cushions for the Engel refrigerators in the main cabin. Now that Spring has officially arrived I feel the boat calling again. So I ordered a few items I know I'll be needing for the upcoming season.

I pretty much am a single hand sailor these days. One thing I bought since it really makes a lot of sense for me to use is a Pick Up Buoy.   I don't know why it has taken me so long to buy one. I was getting along quite well with an empty milk container tied to the mooring pennant lines and a boat hook since 1996. But, after watching a neighboring sailboat use his it just makes a lot of sense for me. Especially since the winds and the currents in the harbor do not always cooperate sometimes requiring me to sometimes make another pass to snag the line.

Another item I knew I'll be needing in the up coming weeks is some Cetol Marine Natural Teak Wood Finish. I've been using Cetol for years mostly on the cockpit hatches, bright.work and handrails. Last spring I decided to use it to spruce up the galley area, companionway steps and the headliner project . I was pleased with the look and ease of application. So I'm planning on using it on other areas of the cabin this year. I bought two quarts since I also plan to use it on some unpainted molding at the house.


I've got a few more things I'll need to order  for the up coming season but, they can wait until I get closer to a launch date. For now these along with 9 yards of Sunbrella fabric for the new Sail Cover will keep me busy enough.

SOME SPRING STEAM CLEANING

Having a boat with electric propulsion has some added benefits thanks to some of the on board power systems I use. One is the Honda 2000i generator which  I use for battery charging at anchor and also when electro-sailing when the wind dies. The second is the 10 kilowatt AGM battery bank it's self. Thanks to the AMES 48 volt 1500 watt sine wave inverter I can tap into it and use 120 volt tools and devices like the Zojirushi bread maker. Though some of these are not necessary it enhances the cruising experience and helps maintain the boat. Another item I recently added on board is a DBTech Multi-Purpose Pressurized Steam Cleaner. Again not a necessary item but, it helps clean and sterilizes with it's steam. Often a lot easier than with other methods. I've used a steam cleaner on board before a few years ago when I started the process of converting BIANKA's now unused fuel tank into wash down water tank. Back then I used the heavily advertise Scunci Steam cleaner. It work well in cleaning the grime from the decades of use in the old fuel tank. I also used it at home. But, unfortunately it did not last. Rather than buy a new one I decided to see if the cheaper steam cleaner from DB Tech would do the job and save a few bucks in the process. So far it has.  First let's look at what comes with the DB Tech steam cleaner:

ANOTHER ELECTRICAL PROJECT UPGRADE PART ONE

I've had  a Morningstar PS-15 ProStar 15 Solar Charge Controller  on board for over ten years. It's operated without a single problem in all the time. Once installed it has some nice features and protections. One is to use it's 15 amp output terminals to power electronics on board without running wires back to the already crowded main breaker panel.

I originally used this output to feed a single cigarette lighter type socket by the boats companion way to power the ENGEL refrigeration system.

It worked well but, I have been wanting to wire up some other devices to the Morningstar's output. So last year I took a little time to make this happen. I bought a two terminal barrier strip and installed it on a nearby bulkhead. Rewired the cigarette lighter socket to it.

I also ran a wire (white wire) to a new distribution panel which I will show in an upcoming post.

DISCOVERIES

We had one day of "mild" temperatures in the fifty degree fahrenheit range. I decide to spend some time in the garage on the never ending struggle to get and keep things organized. I made some progress and discovered some useful things related to the boat. The first were two useful tools for fiberglassing that I had used for a project on my previous boat a 24 foot Bristol. They were a Saturation Roller and a  Corner Epoxy Roller.

The saturation roller needed to be cleaned up a little as it showed  the messy results of my first feeble attempts at fiberglassing back in the 1980's. A few minutes removing the stuck on Epoxy with a screw driver had it good as new again:

Both tools are now reunited where they belong in the bin that holds the Epoxy resins and other tools for fiberglassing. They will be useful if I ever get around to building that dingy I've been thinking about. The other discovery was hidden in an old coffee can on a shelf for decades. It's a small metal vise that looks like it might come in pretty handy on board:

It's old but, still has useful days ahead on board for various projects. Sometimes all it takes is a little cleanup and organizing brings these useful discoveries to light.

A WINTERS BOATYARD TALE

Things warmed up a little between Polar Vortex cold fronts and winter storms. So I decided to go down and do another quick check on the boat before the next winter storm came barreling through. It was definitely a much more pleasant experience than my visit twelve days previously. For one thing it was much easier to get to the boat. The left photos were taken twelve days earlier than the right which was my most recent visit:

Almost all of the snow was gone and I was not slip slidin' around while trying to get to the boat on the icy drifts of snow. The deck too was clear of snow and looked clean and ready for the new season:

I could even see the solar panels once again as they continued to do their job keeping the batteries topped up over the winter:

Finally the cockpit was cleared of snow too:

If it wasn't for the 28 degree F temperature I might have cracked open a beer and enjoyed the view. With less than twenty days until spring begins I hope that day comes soon.

DRINKS, DRUGS, DOCKS AND DEATH

I am occasionally reminded that boat owners do not have to be in the middle of a stormy ocean to die. Back in the mid nineties I was living aboard BIANKA at the Chelsea Piers docks on the west side of Manhattan. I worked in midtown and it allowed for an easy commute to work but, allowed me a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the city. Back then they closed down the marina in the winter. So I was only able to stay there from April to the beginning of December. I had a great time there living on board and a ten minute commute was an added perk since I was working long hours and had little time for enjoying the boat. But, at least I was on it everyday. Then today came this sobering story:

"Body discovered near Chelsea Piers that of missing fashion designer Michele Savoia
The body of Michele Savoia, 55, was fished from the water by NYPD divers near his yacht at Pier 59. The designer — whose client list included Robert DeNiro, Mickey Rourke and Chris Noth — likely slipped off a gangplank leading to the yacht after a night of partying, sources said."-DAILY NEWS

Just a little reminder that one should never let ones guard down just because your boat is tied to a dock. One wrong turn or slip could be your last. Add some type of altered state of mind due to booze or drugs and your chances of a tragic accident increase quite a bit.

One wrong turn is all it takes
and there ain't many signs -
you only get a few breaks.
Some get more. Some get less.
One wrong turn leads to the next.

Greg Brown

WINTERLUDE 2014

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The mooring permit arrived in the mail the other day. Despite the snow still on the ground I really had to get down to the boatyard to pick up some documentation for the application. Also because I had not been on the boat since late December I really wanted to make sure things were ok on board. We have had several winter storms during January and I had visions of an ice filled bilge or worse. In addition a Nor' Easter was expected the next day which would make getting to the boat even harder if not impossible. So for all of these reasons I put on some boots and headed to the boatyard.

Like Robbie the boatyard manager told me a few days before there was still some frozen snow drifts making for a difficult walk to the boat but, not too bad. I used the folding ladder like a crutch or walking stick to help break through the frozen drifts. Soon I was in sight of BIANKA:

There was no snow underneath the boats but, icy  foot and half drifts along the sides. My boats southern location help keep the snow to a minimum around the boat so I could unfold the ladder. But, before I did I noticed the three foot icicles hanging down from some of the cockpit and deck drains:

Yeah, it's been a cold winter with very little thawing in between storms.  I'm going to be doing a close inspection of the cockpit drain hoses when things warm up for sure.  Just to make sure the ice build up has not damaged them. Climbing up the ladder I saw first hand how much snow we have had compared to previous winters:

Somewhere under all that snow is the cabin top and deck. Looks like it was a tactical error not to cover the boat this year. Previous winters for the past ten years had been rather mild and any snow did not stick around for long. Especially with the harbor waters helping to moderate the winter temperatures.

The cockpit was partially filled with snow. The solar panels on one side of the solar bimini were covered as well from the snow of last week:

So I was expecting the worse as I went into the cabin I had not seen since late December. But, to my surprise I found only about an inch of water in the bilge despite all the snow that hit the area:

The water was still way below the bilge switch but, unfortunately because of the recent below normal single digit temperatures the water was frozen.

 So I added a little more spare Antifreeze to the bilge and hope to come back again soon to remove the water when things warm up a bit. I still was relieved to see how little water had actually ended up in the bilge in the month and a half since I was last on board. I also checked the cover over the mast partner area of the boat and it was secure and things were completely dry by the mast step:

Despite the solar panels having been partly covered by snow I was glad to see the batteries were still fully charged. Though I turned on both battery charges to make sure they would get a little top up too while I was on board. I also took out the small ceramic heater and fired it up:

Soon things were nice and toasty. I took off my boots and warmed the insides as well as my toes after trudging around in the 20 degree temperatures and snow drifts  to get to the boat. This little heater works very well to warm up the cabin on a cold winters day. I stayed on board about an hour. Picked up the paper work I needed. I took one last look at the winter view of the docks:

The  undisturbed snow on the dock makes it seem like spring is so far away.  But, after the snow storm last night temperatures reached up to 40 degrees fahrenheit this morning and started to melt much more of the snow. This gives me hope that my next trip to the boat will be a lot easier and warmer.  

DIGITAL WATERS: Using the ACER C720 Chromebook

I am going to be traveling some place warm soon where my gal and I will be on board a forty five foot Catamaran and spending a part of the winter snorkeling, diving and just basically enjoying the warmth. Just like when I am on BIANKA these cruises unleash the creative juices and I wish I had my laptop with me to do some writing. I've been recently looking at the Google Chromebooks which are basically a light laptop that works primarily through the Internet . Not as full featured as a real desktop or laptop computer and does require access to a wifi connection in order to do a lot of things. But, it does come with a basic word processor and have some on board storage for documents in the solid state memory. It’s light and seems good for traveling. At around only two hundred bucks it seemed like a good thing to have even have as a backup to the laptop. So I bought one.

I choose an Acer C720 Chromebook
Both for price and the mostly favorable reviews. So far I am very happy with it and I’m doing everything I usually do with my laptop including writing this blog post. It boots up fast, much faster than the laptop and so far there have been none of those annoying updates and reboots that Bill Gates and company unleash on the digital world from time to time. So far so good though I have only been using it for about an hour.Acer C720 Chromebook

I took the above photo with my cell phone and downloaded it into the Chromebook and it loaded fast and looks as good as my laptop. I also went and checked out Active Captain:

Which is  another site I tend to use a lot when I am on cruising on the boat. Here too access was fast and graphics good. So as long as I have WIFI access which I can create easily with my cell phone acting as a modem. It looks like the Acer C720 Chromebook will work for me both when traveling and when on board BIANKA. I’ll post further remarks as I get to know it better but, the first two hours I’ve been able to make this blog post pretty painlessly. A good sign of things to come.

ANOTHER GEORGE ORWELL MOMENT ON BOARD

I had a frustrating few days on board recently. I ordered the new pressure switch for the boats washdown pump and it arrived in two days. I bought it to the boat and put it aside. When it came time to attempt the repair I could not find it. Then I had a sinking feeling that perhaps I had thrown the box with the part out with another empty box. I went through the trash bins at the boatyard and found the other box but, not the one with the pump part. I swore I threw out two boxes. Did someone see it and take it? Still not finding it on board despite looking everywhere from the cabin sole to the lockers. I finally gave up and ordered another forty dollar pressure switch kit. It arrived and I bought it on the boat determined not to lose like I did the last one. The next morning just after I woke up I noticed the box containing the original pressure switch was sitting on top of another box right under the table in the main cabin. Though I looked all over the cabin I never noticed it sitting on top of the empty inverter box. It was also no more than three inches from my knee when I was having dinner or using my laptop. As George Orwell said:

"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." 

-George Orwell 

.

TOOLS OF A SAILOR: Cutting Star Board with an Oscillating Multifunction Tool

A while ago I purchased a cheap Chicago Electric Power Tools Oscillating Multifunction Power Tool. While I was cutting the pieces for the second phase of the Helm Instrumentation Project I decided to use it to cut some of the 1/2" Star Board pieces and it did a pretty good job. Some of the pieces were pretty long so there was a little melting of the Star Board requiring a quick second pass. But overall it worked well as you can see in this video:

 

RETHINKING PROPANE ON BOARD: Plan B: Butane Burner

After discovering the severe corrosion on the gas feeder tube of BIANKA's factory installed stove and oven. I decided to look at other alternative burners for cooking. My first experiment was with a Coleman burner which worked out very well. Even though most of my cooking can be accommodated using just one burner. Having another burner available is a good idea. Having it it use an alternate fuel also seemed like a good idea. With that in mind I bought a Iwatani Butane Stove :

It has a smaller footprint than the coleman burner and also comes with a case that makes it easier for storage.  I've had a similar cheaper butane burner on board for years but, when I went to use it earlier this year the flame plate had fallen off making it useless. the Iwatani seems to be better built and I've seen reviews that said they were used in Japanese restaurants for Hot Pot dishes called Nabemono in Japan. So they must know a thing or two about building quality stoves. Though a lot of the stoves may look similar form the outside this Iwatani has an additional metal heat sink goes from the burner to the the butane container area:

This metal heat sink warms up the butane container slightly to prevent it from freezing and reducing gas flow to the burner while cooking.

Another nice thing about this burner is the butane canister fits inside the burner unlike the Coleman's externally mounted propane canister.

 So the foot print is somewhat smaller in the galley than the Coleman burner. But, the butane canister does not hold as much fuel as the Coleman either. Also the Iwatani does not have the raised  loops on the burner grill like the Coleman burner does so pots and pans can easily slide off if you are cooking underway and not paying attention.

I found that the butane canisters using this burner last me about a week where as the Coleman one pound propane canisters lasted two weeks. The butane canisters also have no way of being refilled. But, the Butane Fuel  can be purchased in bulk quantities to provide months of cooking time. Though some have said they are also often readily available in Asian grocery stores at very reasonable prices too.

CAPT MIKE'S USAGE NOTES: 
Though the Iwatani Butane Stove cooked just as well as the Coleman burner and takes up less space. I will probably make the Coleman the primary cooktop on board. The Propane canisters last longer and the burner has the loops that hold pots and pans more securely. But, I will keep the Iwatani unit on board with several canisters as a backup or as additional burner when needed. Also with it's carrying case it is easier to store and allows me to have a chance to find  an alternate fuel if the propane canisters can not be found when cruising. As a plan B backup it should work very well.