America II

Boat Pics

I thought I might add some pics of the boat here to give everyone an idea of what our boat looks like now and through the construction phase. We rebuilt the inside completely. When we got it, it was gutted. It had no inside left, and no motors. We added a dive/motor platform on the back, and use a 115 Johnson for a rudder along with an electric outboard I built for propulsion. We have run 3 miles per hour in the past, but with my prop re-sized I should be able to go an average of 5 mph. That isn't fast, but we are neither in a hurry or willing to put fuel in the gas motor.

SHOWER MAIN BATH

SOLAR ARRAY AVERAGE 120 VOLTS @ 17 AMPS

BUILDING ELECTRIC OUTBOARD

WIND GENERATOR 90 VOLT DC MOTOR

MASTER BATH MIRROR AND LIGHT

MASTER BATH DOORWAY. LOUVER DOOR GRANITE COUNTERTOP.

ELECTRIC EVINRUDE 33 HP

TEMP SHOWER HEAD

GRANITE KITCHEN COUNTERTOP

KITCHEN

POLY WOOD FLOORING

SOLAR ARRAY

Prop change

08/21/213

I have decided to pull the electric outboard motor off and clean it up before we take anymore trips. I am going to pull the prop off and have the pitch increased.

I calculated that my motor is doing 1533 RPM’s and pulling up to 30 AMPS @ 24 volts currently. With the 1680 WH of solar power I can sacrifice to gain more power and still keep below the max output of my solar panels. The current prop is a 10.5” x 11.5 or 12”. It can only give me 3 mph as is, so to enable me to be able to go faster and still have steerage I will need at least a couple more miles per hour.

My new motor bank is now fully charged since I finally got a clue and programmed the solar controller properly. I am still messing with the house bank in hopes of reviving them. I am currently running direct power from the solar array at 120 volts DC to equalize them. If it works great, and if it doesn't I will just replace them before we take out trip.

I have been monitoring the night time temperatures of Crystal River and Homosassa river area. Once it starts to average around 60-70 degrees at night we will head on up there. If we can get there before the end of September I think we may still have a couple of days left of scallop season.

Many years ago when our kids were young we kept our 32’ houseboat a Homosassa’s springs. We would go out scalloping and fishing for a week at a time in the summer when the kids were out of school. Often we would spend spring breaks or Christmas breaks out on the boat too. The kids always loved seeing the dolphins swim next to the boat, and occasionally when we would stop they would come up where we could get in the water with them and pet them. Oooh, those were the days!

DEKA bank

I finally got the 24 volt battery bank hooked up. With the rain we have had it has been near impossible to work in the basement (old engine room). I was still having trouble with the main controller, or the understanding of it. I contacted the DEKA battery company about the batteries I got. In spite of the float and cycle voltages documented on the batteries, the full voltage on these batteries is 12.8 volts.

One thing I did not realize was that when you hook batteries up in series parallel, or just in parallel, that the controller must be set to handle the increased amperage/current. With my controller you must set the AH to what the battery bank AH is. Dummy me, somehow I didn't realize that! Nonetheless, I will go over today and reset it from the 104 AH to the 416 AH, and 25.6 volts.

No matter how educated I get on this stuff it never ceases to amaze me of how much I do not know. I’m glad I am not an arrogant person; otherwise I would never learn anything. If you think you know it all you have no room to change your opinion!

I also hooked my solar array directly to my house bank to try and get them up to a reasonable voltage. I’m not sure if they are worth saving, but I thought I would give it a go. Since the solar controller for the house bank is not working, and my wind generator diversion load controller went bad, I am just going to put a full load from the solar array directly into the bank. The voltage is down to 10.6, so it will take a bit to get them up close enough that I’ll have to unhook them before overcharge.

The new dock is real nice, but I do not have electricity at the dock. So, I have to either bring my generator over to power things up, or wait to get the controllers in order. In spite of not having electricity at the dock, it is still light years better than where we were. We have no one hassling us, and no parking lot of dust blowing over the boat.

The biggest plus with the new dock is that we are allowed to get into the pool to cool off!

I also have had a nagging drip coming from the Bimini connector on the port side. Whoever mounted the Bimini bent the pole in a bit too much, and when it rains and blows the Bimini shakes about and allows a drip to get through below.

I mounted a bracket on the outside of the boat so there will be no bend on the Bimini, and eliminate the leak. I’m letting it set for a couple of days so the bedding will dry.

Whether you are cruising or just sitting, the jobs on a boat never seem to dwindle. I guess that half the fun of owning a boat is working on it to improve or maintain it; although at the time it never seems to feel that way. 

More controller errors

A treat today; two blogs! Well, we went down to the boat, so I could check our battery bank voltages. It’s been a couple of cloudy days since I put the new fuse in the main solar controller. The 24 volt motor bank was topped off perfectly. When I checked the house bank they had not charged, so I took both controllers off the house bank and brought them home for testing. I have three controllers all together.

The diversion controller, for my wind generator, had taken in some water as well, and needed to be cleaned up. I will also have to get another relay for it. The Mppt solar controller for the house bank had a 40 amp fuse blown in it, so I’ll get another and put them both back on in the next few days.

On the diversion controller I am also going to hook up the load off the Mppt house controller directly to the house bank through a continuous duty starter relay switch. When the diversion controller hits its peak it will shut off the continuous solar charge. I hope that makes some sense? 

For days when I am depleting the house bank quicker than the 30 amp Mppt controller can handle this setup will allow a quicker charge. I will add a diode to the load in case the Mppt diode is not in the load circuit.

I guess staying home this summer to debug all of these problems, and having time to finish off trim, etc. on the boat has been a blessing. I would not have liked doing all of this while on the boat. I do realize that things will come up while cruising, but the basics will be working before we leave, and if anything happens while cruising it will not be too much to fix once all is configured properly.

Finding benchmarks to compare with is not easy and mostly impossible for solar powered houseboats. How far can I go with the solar panels getting good light all day? If the controllers are all working properly, how long can the house bank last with the air conditioner, frig, microwave, etc. running? Will I need to run the generator on occasion, or just have it as another redundancy?

There are many questions to ask when only the math has a definitive answer. But, regardless of the math proving itself, I would still like to test it through using it in a real time situation to back up the math. 

Now Fred would say that it isn't worth the bother, and maybe he would be right. I love to mess around with this stuff, or I wouldn't take the heartache that comes along with trial and error. Nothing ever gets figured out without people like me questioning the norm! 

New controller fuse

Since we now have time to finish up some lingering projects on the boat, before we attempt another long trip this fall, I thought I would measure up what space we have available. I feel that for us to have a successful trip we must be able to conform to some of our daily habits in order to not upset the natural balance we have developed.

When we were young, spontaneity was our guide; well at least that was mine. But now that I am not able to travel easily anymore we must stick to what works. There are days when I am up at the crack of dawn, and other days when Lynda has to work at getting me awake.

So, figuring out a routine and making decisions as to what and where we will spend most of our time on the boat, will help us ease in to the cruising life. In calculating our available space in and out of the boat I came up with the following:

We have 911.5 square feet of usable space on the boat; not including the outside walkways. 689.5 square feet is inside, which makes up the pilot house, kitchen, master bed and bath, the 2nd bedroom and bath, and the remaining amount makes up the front porch, back porch, and the top usable deck under the Bimini.  It does not include the engine room (basement with no engines), or the front top of the boat where the solar array is mounted.

Compared to our 28’ Aloha sailboat, and our cabin at the Grand Canyon, we will be living in a mansion! At our former marina, (where there are no liveaboards), three people come to mind. These individuals, who stay on their boats full time, have either never taken their boats out, or have not taken them out in recent memory. All three have sailboats; two 36 ‘, and one 30’. My unwavering contention was and is: why would you want to live on, (I mean stay on), a cramped sailboat that never moves, rather than a palatial powerboat or houseboat?

Some things are not meant for me to know? Regardless, we are quite happy with our boat now, and that camaraderie that sailboat owners have, that often, if not always excludes “stinkpotters”, will have to trundle on without us. Sailboats travel far on wind and diesel, but if you want to travel in comfort, and you like more room, you must consider an alternative; that is why we chose to convert this houseboat into a solar cruiser.

That is enough of my rambling for this blog entry. Since it is going to be in the low 90’s this week, we will probably not go to the boat and work.

I did hook the solar controller back up the other day, so we can get the batteries back up to speed. I still need to separate the eight batteries in to four 24 volt packs in parallel, which will give us 416 amps @ 24 volts. As I mentioned in another blog the controller blew a $50 fuse when it was underwater during the boat flood. I was going to hook the boat up at 36 volts to get more speed, but the 36 volt array will need an extra 20 amps to run, and my number one controller is only set to handle 1000 watts or 40 amps. Even at maximum the solar array with that controller will not be able to keep up with the diminished capacity being extracted from the battery bank. I did consider running my little generator while cruising to compensate, but will save that for later in case I feel more power and speed are necessary. 

I can run my 800/1000 watt generator on full load for 12 hours on .9 gallons of gas. If I went to 36 volts and the increased amperage it will cost me for gasoline whereas I can cruise for free on the 24 volt 30 amps currently. My speed varies according to current and wind, but usually I can average around 3 mph. Clearly that is not fast, but it is free. I suspect I can get used to free with the occasional use of the Johnson 115 rudder.

I did figure out that if I went with the 36 volt system and generator I would be able to average around 30 miles to the gallon compared to the 3 miles to the gallon I get with the Johnson 115, and that is only when wind and current is not against me. So, I will wile my way along until the cooler weather arrives. There is always something to work on at the boat.

Controller fix

Well, I have been silent on the blog site lately because we had to cancel our upcoming trip on the Great Loop. I replaced the batteries, and am waiting for an expensive 240 volt 100 amp fuse to get here from the U.K. My main solar controller had issues with being under water for some reason? It is amazing how electronics  have such an aversion to being submerged or even wet! Who would of thought!!

We are getting ready to move the boat possibly tomorrow. It will be sitting until maybe October, or until the heat index is conducive to human existence. I am so amazed at how many countless years I worked out in the hot summer sun here in Florida and even in the Arizona desert. Now when I go outside in the heat all my energy is sapped out in minutes!

I was able to charge up my 24 volt new bank of batteries in a New York minute by hooking up the 122 volt 16+ amp solar bank directly to the batteries. As soon as the voltage got close to 25.88 volts I unhooked the solar panels. The batteries float charge around 27 volts, but I saw no reason to wait for it to charge up that high at the moment.

When we relocate the boat I am going to see how well the batteries respond to a direct shot from the solar panels while underway. I can stay in the back to monitor the bank while Lynda or Sara drives the boat. I am interested in seeing if the 30 amp draw at 24 volts will be able to be overcome by the 122 volts at 16+ amps of solar charge. Theoretically the solar panels should be able to not only overcome the motor draw, but continue past compensating for the depleted power by adding more power to the battery bank. We will see.

The nominal running wattage of the solar bank is 1680 watts, but can go above that under certain conditions. If the panels put 1680 watts into a 24 volt system at float voltage I get 1680 / 27 = 62.22 amps. But, since idea conditions never arise, and I am only running a 40 amp solar MPPT controller into the motor bank, which only has a charge limit at 1000 watts, I can only add approximately 37 amps to the bank. Consequently, with the obvious depletion for wasted energy I should be close enough to run the controller continuously without overcharging the 24 volt battery bank, or creating a diminished capacity in the bank itself. Again, we will see.

If I run the uncontrolled power from the solar array I should overpower the motor depletion enough to avail me to unhook the solar panels on a systematic basis to avoid any overcharge of the battery bank. How long will the bank take the solar array before I will have to unhook it can be analyzed, but since I will be constantly monitoring it the need to calculate that optimal peak moment will not be worth the time to figure it out. I do suspect that once the motor initial amp grab is regained it will be probably less than fifteen minute before I will have an unrestricted run of voltage streaming into the battery bank.

I will have approximately a thirteen mile run to test these theories out. In the mean time I will be enjoying a nice ride. I’ll post my findings on the next blog entry.

Controller or batteries?

A technical blog entry:

We set off on the 31^st like the plan called for. The trip down to Jewfish Key was excellent. We ran between 4.5 and 6 MPH under the electric motor until we got into Tampa Bay. I used the Johnson outboard to keep up with the 4’ waves until we got into the Intracoastal Waterway at Anna Marie Island. It took us around 3 hours to make the trip.

After setting the anchor in 4’ of clear water, we kicked back and enjoyed the scenery. We watched as a thunderstorm split before our eyes and headed northwest and southwest in a V formation around us. I didn't want an afternoon rainstorm to ruin our trip. We saw several rainbows and a strong contrast of colors between the sky, trees, and buildings in our panoramic display of God’s glory. It was beautiful and relaxing.

 Rainbow to the right!

Storm to the left!

Rainbow to the left!

We watched a dolphin show, which included tail slapping and acrobatics. SeaWorld can’t take credit for training that into them.

Saturday we had family over for a day on the boat. In the afternoon we noticed that the lights in the bathroom would not turn on? That was my first clue that something wasn't right. I went back to check the house bank for voltage to find that it was near death. After checking the motor battery bank, I saw that it too was depleted.

Obviously I went into cranking out as much cognitive brain power, that I still possessed, to sort out what could have went wrong? Questions about my algorithms kept popping into my head along with questions about continuing the trip without proper answers. 

After several tests, I determined that a rest was in order. We needed to think rationally, and to do that I needed to combine all of the facts that I knew at that time, consult God on the issue, and decide what to do next. Well, His option was somewhat disappointing, but the right one as it turns out. He recommended that we go back home to debug the system, and furthermore stay for the summer before heading out on the long trip.

As usual, when asked, God has all the answers especially if you know his voice, and getting answers is easy if you listen! The only thing I didn't remember to do was to just pray and have him call some angels down to fix the problem. I’ll keep that in mind for the next time.

So, after getting back home I emailed tech support for my controller. I questioned whether it was functioning correctly or not. I assumed that the battery banks suffered more than I thought in the flood that happened on the boat while we were in Europe, and that the controller was not functioning right because of one or more bad batteries in both the house and motor banks.

MPPT Solar Charger_PCM40 controller to support

1.) I have an array of 6- 280 WH solar panels that are hooked up in series that produces on an average of 122 volts @ approx. 16+ amps.

2.) I have a MPPT Solar Charger_PCM40 controller

3.) I have 6- 12v batteries set up at 24 volts in series:

Powerware series

Eaton 12V 390W Battery

PWHR12390W4FR

Technical specifications

Cells per unit 6

Voltage per unit 12

Capacity 390W @ 15-minute rate to 1.67V per cell @

77°F (25°C)

Weight Approximately 72.75 lb (33 kg)

Maximum 800A (5 sec)

discharge current

Internal Approximately 4 mΩ

resistance

Operating Discharge: 5°F~122°F (-15°C~50°C)

temperature Charge: 5°F~104°F (-15°C~40°C)

range Storage: 5°F~104°F (-15°C~40°C)

Nominal 77°F ± 5°F (25°C ± 3°C)

operating

temperature range

Float charging 13.5 to 13.8 Vdc/unit

voltage Average at 77°F (25°C)

Recommended 39A

maximum

charging current

limit

Equalization and 14.4 to 15.0 Vdc/unit

cycle service Average at 77°F (25°C)

4.) I am running a DC motor A00 4009 DC motor @ 24 volts, which draws between 20 and 30 amps while running.

280WH * 6 = 1680 WH -- PCM 1000WH?

24 volts * 30  = 720 WH

Q. 1) Shouldn't I be able to theoretically power via solar power in a draw and replacement give and take with the solar battery combination?

Q. 2) I can set my controller parameters (AH, BATT, etc.) and save them, but cannot get the controller to go back to the standard display even after holding down the Step4: key? The green battery light in on and not flashing.

Q. 3) If one or more of the batteries were bad or depleted, could that make the controller not respond correctly?

Q. 4) If, I just used one set of 24 volt 100AH batteries, would the solar array/controller/battery combination run the above motor @ 24 volts, and no more than 30 amps?

Support Team, MPP Solar Inc. to me

Hello, 
Please see our reply below in blue.thanks 

Best regards,

-James Ko, MPP Solar Inc.

PV: 280w*6=1680w, and motor is 720w, so theoretically it would be ok.  However, motor loads tend to require high surge current during start-up which can be up to 7~8 times the continuous, depending on its design. 

So if you look at it this way it is possible that the 1680w of PV isn't sufficient to get it started, but the reserve in the batteries would take care of this.  However this is just a speculation as I'd suggest the start-up current be measured.  

Another issue of consideration is that a battery acts as a stabilizer in any power source and ensures a load can be powered properly without frequent interruption.   PV is an extremely unstable source of power (depending on where you are) - a piece of cloud, falling leaves, shading, dust, etc... can all contribute to a sudden drop in power, which can cause a stop on your load. 

Q. 2) I can set my controller parameters (AH, BATT, etc.) and save them, but cannot get the controller to go back to the standard display even after holding down the Step4: key? The green battery light in on and not flashing.

If your setting can be saved it should be ok.  Did you try pressing the function key down a bit harder?  By the way I just realized you're referring to the pcm4048 (we have another series PCM40CX) which is a 40amp/1000w model, so connecting 1680w of array is frankly a bit of a waste of PV, since it's limited by the 1000w max output so you have about 680w of untapped potential which I'd recommend putting through another charger to contribute power.  

Q. 3) If one or more of the batteries were bad or depleted, could that make the controller not respond correctly?

Yes, it's possible.  One or more bad batteries can bring down the overall voltage, rendering the system voltage to be read differently and falls out of the battery volt range deemed acceptable by the controller

Q. 4) If I just used one set of 24 volt 100AH batteries, would the solar array/controller/battery combination run the above motor @ 24 volts, and no more than 30 amps?

Every battery should have a specification curve which tells you the discharge time of a battery based on the level of current draw. For a 100Ah battery it usually means 20 hours of draw time at a 5amp current (hence 100Ah, if it's a C/20 rating) and so if your load draw is 30amp, the time the 100Ah can last will reduce dramatically....  this would be a guess, but I think perhaps just 1.5~2hours? But the power from the PV array should be able to balance out in time with the extra 10amp from the 40amp controller if not obstructed.

I will go down to the boat today to check the battery bank, and try “pushing down harder” on the Step4: button to see if the LCD attributes return to normal. Then I will take 2, if I have 2 good ones, of the batteries in the motor bank to test the PCM controller. I’ll put them in series to create the 24 volt system my motor runs on. Then on the house bank I will do the same, but I will only need 1- 12 volt battery for that.

I did not mention to the PCM controller tech that I have another solar controller for the house bank that contributes 24 volts at 30 amps to it along with another controller attached to the wind generator that can push up to 450 watts into the house bank. In fact, in my estimation, we were running on wind generator power all weekend without knowing it. The lights went out when the wind died down, and the generator quit spinning.

Looks like we will be here for scallop season at Homosassa Springs this July!

Uh, oh!

I think this is a hint to leave today! Although getting the last few things on board will be a bit tricky, we will certainly get out of here this afternoon. I might just pull the boat out and anchor it, and then use the dinghy to ferry the rest of the stuff on board. Trying to pull up to any other dock here might be more hassle than it is worth. 

Tomorrow is it! Although the weather gurus’ have their opinion as to what the weather will be where I am, I’ll trust that my strong faith in God will deliver me nothing but good weather.

I’m not sure if I have mentioned it lately, but I do not like writing these blog thingys!

We will keep loading and loading until we leave. Kevin is coming by this evening to load my last few batteries on board. On a solar boat you can never have enough batteries. I will also try to remember to fill up the water tank. I do not doubt we will forget something, but that is only because every boating blog I have read has a comment about forgetting something. So, to sheeple along I must at least follow suit.

Our expectations are to run down to Jewfish key tomorrow afternoon, and anchor until June 5^th when Dwight comes down to join me. We are going to have Sara and the girls, Stephenie and little Mic, and possibly April and Dave.

I am going to hook up a rope swing to the crane, so the kids can swing off of it into the water. The water is clear and the sand white. We will have a good time with all!

5 days left!

Chillin out on the front of the boat driving via remote control!

We took Solarhouseboat out into Terra Ceia Bay for an overnight to check out the systems. We ran the AC for a couple of hours before the house bank quit on me. We didn't have any solar input for two reasons: one, the sun was setting, and two, unbeknownst to me, the main solar controller popped off one of its lead wires causing the controller to error out. Hence, no input!

We had a wonderful evening though. The sunset was spectacular, the wind was up, and the wind generator was spinning like it had no limit. Sometimes I wonder how long it takes God to come up with all these different sunsets for us just so we can enjoy the evenings.

We got to see a great dolphin show without the trainers’ right out back of our boat. There were three sets of dolphins. Two of the sets of two were herding fish for dinner. The other set of three consisted of a large dolphin, most likely the mother, and two short baby dolphins. They stole the show with many of the common acrobatic jumps. It seems no one gets tired of seeing these creatures do there show. With the great sunset, and a dolphin show, how is it that some people still do not acknowledge that God himself created all of this for our enjoyment. 

I did try out the remote control steering. It worked alright with the exception of me trying to turn the controller like it was a steering wheel. We need to make further adjustments on the linkage to make it have a better response. I will be working on that after next weekend. Right now we are under the gun to get everything on the boat we want to take. I have only five days yet!

I hooked up the dinghy to my golf cart, so I can get it down to the marina and load it on the boat. I use my dolly and rope for a trailer. The golf cart makes a nice truck, and does not complain when I get a scratch on it! Hopefully I won’t have any trouble with it. When I get it to the marina I will put it in using the ramp and drive it around to our boat. I can then try out the crane to see if it can get the dinghy on the boat without much trouble.

Pack, pack, unload, unload. 

Got Ice!

Some may think it is foolish; some may think it cool, but I think it is amazing to watch the new ice maker pop out fresh ice in minutes! If I was a party person: had a party, had guests that like to party, and even had a blender, I would definitely be the boat that they all would come back to. This little jewel can pop ice faster than the kids can eat it!!

But, since we are not drinkers, and do not have drinking parties, we will have to settle with bringing the blender along to make smoothies!

Today, May 25^th, 2013, Lynda stocked up some of the groceries we will be taking along on the trip. She picked up a couple of plastic bins, which fit under our bed to store food stuff, and clothes. She also hemmed up our curtain that slides across to enclose our bedroom. After a few minutes of hanging that up, the room was cold enough to keep meat! I am confident that having a refuge from the heat is paramount to maximizing the enjoyment of camping on the water.

Load, load, Load, is all that we will be doing for the next five days. The good thing is that our boat has much more room than the sailboat did.

Although I did not run the math before I put together my crane, I think it will handle my dinghy's weight. I will be adding my dinghy to the boat inventory soon.

Yes, like many other boat bloggers that I have read about, we fall into the same category as all the rest when I say that we are a bit anxious to start our trip! If I have read it once I have read it, well a lot; that leaving the home dock is the hardest part. Leaving this dock will not be difficult. The difficult part of leaving has more to do with forgetting things that we should have brought.

Now, today, we are entertaining taking the Keys route again. It is all about the heat index. I never gave the heat a thought all of those years that I worked out in it, but today is different. So, our plan is to keep the plan open to change!

Driving via video

Now, before anyone gets negative on me, we must realize that we are in the technology renaissance period in time; as it were. And, with that being said, I feel it is necessary to continue to do my part to proliferate the convenience of the technology available to me. In my last post I expounded on the need to have remote control steering. Now I have that. So, if I were to think it too hot to stand outside while driving, what can I do? Well, there are many things that can be done, but one of the ideas that came to me was to drive via video!

I am putting a web cam facing the front of the boat, so that I can drive the boat without looking ahead. Now, if I decide not to get up in the morning to drive all day, I can stay in bed, drive the boat remotely, and watch a Netflix movie all from the confines of my air conditioned bedroom in the back of the boat. I realize that the old salts and purists would be out travelling around without any electrical devices, a block of fast melting ice, a compass, sextant, dividers, and a paper nautical map sprawled out on the table, but for me I will follow the technology all the way.

I know where I am because the GPS that is connected to my computer, which has PolarView and PolarCOM on it, continues to give me direction among lots of other nautical information necessary to navigate through the water.

7 days more to go before lift off!!

I believe I now know the meaning of being an armchair sailor/boater!

Steering remote!

My new steering control!

Well, as final as final can be, I am leaving Cut’s Edge Marina May 31^st. Well, that’s the plan, and you’all know what plans are for, and if you don’t, plans are indelibly susceptible to change. 

However crazy this looks; I did transport the crane hoist to the boat two miles away on my golf cart!

Dwight came down to help me put up the crane on the back port side of the boat. With it I can use the electric 2000 lb. hoist to pull the dingy up out of the water, or pull my sorry @@@ out if I fall in! We also hooked up the steering actuator, which will be driven with my new wireless steering control (pic at the top of blog). It’s kind of exciting thinking that to control the boat all I have to do is push a button. I can sit anywhere in the boat and turn it one way or the other.

I am also going to hook up my webcam in the front of the boat, so I can steer from bed just in case I don’t feel like getting up! I can monitor what is up ahead via my laptop or my phone. My good friend Fred would surely like this driving feature! His idea of creature comforts are a half melted bag of old ice, and a "cupa Walmart tea in a hot boat!" He always teases me about my creature comforts on my boats!

I realize that many old salts will roll their eyes up at me when they either read this or hear about it, but I’m cool with that. I have been criticized by those types of sailor/boaters for quite some time. In fact, one of these authoritative figures advised the person that bought my Aloha 28’ sailboat to rip out all of the wiring in the boat and rewire it because nothing was done right. Although the boat was self-sufficient with refrigerator, microwave, electric head, Purasan waste treatment, air conditioning, solar panels and wind generator, and was sailed hundreds of miles, it clearly did not meet muster with the old salts that have spent nearly 30 years tied up to a dock. 

So, to make a long story longer, I conclude that everyone can have an opinion however inaccurate it may be, and if anyone doesn't like my boat, or thinks I have wired it up wrong, regardless of whether it actually leaves the dock, and is moved through the water by an electric motor that is powered by solar panels and batteries, or that those same solar panels run the air conditioning, pressure water system, refrigerator, microwave, two crock pots, one electric skillet, multiple fan options, remote control steering, computers, gps units, lights, ice machine, and more, they can keep their opinion the themselves and never leave the dock! Sorry for the rant.

Lynda and I have decided that it is more important to get everything on the boat than it is to have everything on the boat finished before we leave. She is coming along with me to Marina Jacks in Sarasota where I will anchor and wait for Dwight to catch up with me. Dwight and I will then take the boat down to Ft. Meyers. That's the plan!

The rain can then start coming to Cut’s Edge on a regular basis. I will not be there. 

The Body!

Well, a body has been found, and removed!! Lynda and I are so happy to be rid of that little pirate mouse who had the audacity to die in a secluded place. I taped a movie camera on the end of a yard stick to peer into the reaches of our bilge and other a sundry places that a mouse with battle wounds could go; to no avail. So, I did the thing I should have done in the first place. I sat down, and waited for the Lord to show me where the body was. In just a few minutes I saw him lying near the bow of the boat with his head pointed toward the back of the boat, and his tail straight out. At first I thought I must have got that from one of the movies, but after reviewing the movies, I realized that God had been the author of my mouse citing.

So, Lynda and I went down to the boat this morning with a positive inclination to apprehend the stinking pirate. After preparing for the ordeal with charcoal mask, old clothes, and rubber gloves, Lynda crawled into the bow area through the vanity door. In less than a New York minute she discovered the body exactly where I saw it, well where the Lord showed me he was. So, thank you Jesus from both of us!!

A dead mouse, rat, or any animal can be quite stinky when decomposing! I doubt if anyone with any sense is reading this particular blog post. It gags me to write about it!

At least we can now get the boat aired out, and continue on the “list” projects. Sorry to post such a nasty note, but it has to be better than going through it like we had to. Better stories to come.

My Solar Array

Even though I had just started this blog a few days ago, I have been getting questions about the solar system I have running. I signed up for a yahoo group: Yahoo electricboats Many of the people on that group have excellent ideas and experience to help get an electric propulsion system going.

On my boat we have

6- Pm 280 W

Vmp     36.7 V

Imp      7.63 A

Voc      44.4 V

Isc        8.14 A

Max sys voltage            1000 V

Module Efficiency         14.3%

PTC rating        249.3

solar panels. I have a PCM-4048 MPPT charge controller that charges my 4-24 volt motor battery banks, and another 24 volt to 12 volt charge controller that charges my 12 volt house bank, which is comprised of 4- 12 volt batteries in a parallel array. I will also add my 3 12 volt 105 Amp golf cart batteries for a backup, or ballast whichever deems more necessary.

Although the current solar panels suffice for the power demand I need, I would like to add a few more just because. I can use them to make a porch roof on the back of the houseboat, and then look for other electrical devices to add.

The ease of installation and the simplicity of the solar array cannot be overstated. As for the rest of the list of projects, there seems to be no end. I pull out of the marina regardless on May 31^st!

The List

Since every boat blog I have ever read, and I have read quite a few, has a final list of jobs, supplies, etc. to get finished picked up, or done before shoving off, I thought I would sheeple along with the rest of them. The following is our current list that needs done before I pull out of the marina May 31^st.

In no apparent order:

get 1-5/16" paddle bit for doors, or 1-3/8”

finish boarding ladder- bring little grinder

check white micro for a turntable

bring table saw for siding

Finish boarding ladder

bolt on the Hoist

Autopilot

Drill doors under bed

Flooring under windows and shelf

Order and hang Blinds

Wood for blinds

Power washer

Outlet out back and front

Reconnect front bath gfi

Cover stools

Finish flooring in bath and second bed/bath

Hang rest of white siding

Second bedroom cover by master shower

Hang blinds in master bedroom

Bring down chaise lounge to see if they work

smoke detectors for boat- bought ebay

fire extinguishers for boat- bought ebay

stair railing

Screen door for boat

take more garden hose for getting water at ramps

Beg God to either help us find that nasty dead mouse, or make it dry up and quit stinking ASAP.

So, there you have it; an incomplete list to be continuously amended. The boat list must be a voyager’s rite of passage. Without the list one may wonder off aimlessly into the deep.

The Battle is over!

Pic above is from the inside of the wall. No body as of yet!!

Although the battle with the pirate mouse is over, we still have to locate the body. The little pirate had the audacity to die in a private place, alone. We can smell the little bas****, but we have yet to locate the body. How inconsiderate of him to die in a secluded location! We surmised that he died of his wounds. He was successful at getting out of four traps with peanut butter on them, but must have sustained injuries in the battle. We kept fresh water available for him so he wouldn't try eating his way through a waterline or a bottle of water. The only other possibility is that when Lynda cleaned down below the bunks in the front bedroom she used Mr. Clean, which may be lethal when ingested.

Nevertheless the body needs to be recovered for burial. We suspect that he died in the walls between the outer and inner hulls.

A distinct smell is wafting out in that direction. The nausea that just writing about it causes is enough for me to quit writing about it. My smelling capacity was greatly diminished forty some years ago when a shotgun blast removed my nose and my face, but this critters decomposing body is susceptible even to me! We have to locate the body no matter what, or wait until it dries up; yuck!!

After looking everywhere imaginable, and sweeping up a shitload, literally, of mouse droppings, we have not found him. So, today we got out a light and a video Flip camera. We shined the light down the wall through various cutouts, and used the Flip camera video to make a number of videos of the inside of the wall in hopes of locating the rat. Lynda also used ingenuity by locating a small mirror to use as a sight tool in hopes of locating him. The mirror gave no immediate results, but hopefully when I finish compiling the videos on my computer I can go through frame by frame looking for any hints of his war torn body. If the videos avail nothing we will probably have to attach a small flashlight to the camera, and investigate further in the vestiges of the boat. A body must be found!

I had a pirate mouse on my sailboat last year, above, but after battling him for a month, he gave up and jumped ship. He was an especially clever little devil. His battle plan was to set off the traps, and then hide them from me. It took several months after the war to find all of the missing traps. I thought that the experience I garnered from those battles might be helpful in this most recent encounter. On one hand I may have delivered the deadly blow through my battle experience, but on the other hand I did not think I would have problems finding and burying the dead.

I’ll do a post op-ed when and if we find him. If we don’t we may need to keep the fans going, and the windows open for a number of days until the body is all dried up like a piece of jerky. 

Now that gives me a visual that will certainly keep me from ever eating another piece of jerky!!

What to do; what to do? 

Dead Batteries

Since the flood of water in the boat, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot resurrect my house bank of batteries. They shorted out to 9.38 volts. I got them to hold at 12.35 volts, but that isn't going to make it.

We run all of our electrical devices such as refrigerator, microwave, crock pot, electric skillet, water pump, etc. from this bank. It was only 420 amps, but nonetheless we will not be leaving with them. I will try to get them replaced by this weekend.

In a way it is good that Dwight's plans changed because it makes it possible for us to get the batteries changed, and install the window shaker air conditioner. The air conditioner that came with the boat works well, but when we are not hooked up to a 30 amp service it will not run off the inverter. 16,500 BTUs' are a bit too many to for our system. The 6,000 BTU unit will suffice, and we can run it off the house bank of batteries with the solar array, or off the 800/1000 watt gas generator. We prefer running it off the solar array.

I will be installing the 6,000 BTU unit this week.

It never fails: "the list never ends!"

Our new plan of attack is to get the boat to Ft. Meyers/Sanibel area in time for Lynda, Sara, and the girls to jump aboard for a few days. Then Lynda and I will cross over to Stuart via the Okeechobee waterway.

In the mean time I have acquired a different type of mouse trap to catch the little pirate on our boat. He set off three traps so far without being caught, but I think this new one may get him. I will post the obituary when I have a body!!!