Getting really busy
14 May 2023 | Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand
Jay Brosius | Sunny at last
Things are certainly heating up these days when it comes to boat work. I have completed templating the main salon flooring and am ready to go to the flooring centre to cut my vinyl to match. This is something I will do as soon as time permits. Tomorrow has been the working plan.
Aahh, but “as time permits”, there’s the rub. I’m getting a lot of overlap. Having spent a lot of the week on preparation for new vinyl, I spent all weekend working on electrics for the boat, because that was when an installer here was available. As I have mentioned, the existing batteries on the boat were toast. They no longer took any charge at all. So after having 3 sets of these AGM batteries fail, I decided maybe I ought to try something else: lithium batteries seem like the way to go. So I am installing a 12-volt lithium battery bank for the boat’s house battery, which supplies electricity for living aboard and running the boat, everything except starting the engines, which have their own batteries, which are good. Lithiums last a lot longer than lead-acid batteries, can be discharged more deeply without problems, are more efficient, and are much lighter in weight. But with a mix of battery types, conventional lead-acid batteries for the engines and lithium for the house battery, two different types of charging are required, and greater separation between them in terms of connections are also required. So there’s lots of rewiring. Lithium batteries are not simply drop-in replacements.
A fellow in the yard here who is expert in lithium batteries is helping me (actually I am paying for his services but he is quite reasonable), and with his prior experience with such installs knows what to do and how to do it right. So far the whole thing is working out great. Interesting fellow, turns out we have a lot in common. Over the weekend we’ve pretty much completed the rewiring and equipment updating. The batteries will go in some time this coming week after their slow charge and balancing is complete at his facility.
But then I am also arranging for a new, less limiting solar panel mounting scheme to feed the lithiums, and the fabricator will have a sketch for me tomorrow for my approval.
And just this evening at sundown I found some issues with the roller furler foil that is preventing the installation of the jib sail (the foil surrounds the forestay and has a slot for hoisting the leading edge of the sail. The sail can be rolled around this foil when it is not needed, rather than dropping the sail). So tomorrow morning I must walk across to the rigger and get him to work the problem. It appears that the foil segments have become misaligned. Are the crews just loose or are the bearings worn? Giving the foil a shake seemed to move the alignment.
Finally, a shop here is repairing a cockpit deck hatch whose core had become soft. He’ll probably be here tomorrow to re-install the hatch he worked on last week.
So that’s 5 things now I must act on tomorrow. Aargh. Well, we’ll do the best we can. Onward!!
At least… this weekend was very nice weather, and today (Sunday) was perfect. Nice change from all the rain.