By C45Sanctuary on 6/27/2009 1:00 PM

Completely manufactured a new sail cover while at home port during a 48 hour visit.

Installed the wind generator mounting, ran all cabling, integrated the AirX into the electrical system.

Built a new notebook for the Fugawi navigation software and updated all NOAA charts.

Removed and completely rebuilt the anchor windlass.  Replaced pushbutton with new automotive switch and weatherproofed it.  It now only needs an electrical connection to operate.

Connected the ice maker to the electrical system.  Need to purge the water line before using.

By C45Sanctuary on 6/25/2009 1:00 PM

The new rigging was finally installed this past Sunday. Here's what was accomplished this past week (it was a very busy week):

Monday and Tuesday Accomplishments

Identified disconnected salt water discharge hose (broken clamp)

Replaced broken clamp

Identified leak in salt water water discharge hose (broken clamps)

Replaced corroded clamps

Removed corroded steel wire wrapping on exhaust manifold

Replaced with clamp

Identified massive hole in seawater discharge hose (4" hose)

Contacted marine mechanic. Awaiting schedule for replacement.

Identified small leak in fresh water supply line to back of shower

Learned the windlass manufacturer (Simpson Lawrence) went out of business sometime before 2002

parts are no longer available

Replace bow light

Wash mattress (stb side aft stateroom mattress)

Visit CanvasUSA store

Purchase Aqua Signal light from Fulton marine store

Purchase eyelet & washer sets from FMS

Wednesday Accomplishments

Attached roller furler

Roller Furler adjustment and tensioning

Replaced main (3") salt water discharge hose (massive undertaking)

Verified navigation lights DO NOT work (no voltage)

Purchased 4' 1"OD aluminum tube from hardware store

Purchased 1500 GPM bilge pump with automatic switch

Thursday Accomplishments

Install bilge pump

Measure outer diameter of radar mast (needed for Radar-AirGen mast brace)

(quarter inch less than where connectors start)

Bring in mattress

Housecleaning chores (new linens, clean kitchen)

Stow inflatable dinghy in sail locker

Schedule mechanic visit to replace fiberglass patch on manifold with "correct" solution

Depart by 1pm for home port

Arrive at home port mid-evening

Friday Accomplishments

Fabricate new boom cover (home port)

Obtain fabric and foam for making new cushions

Saturday Accomplishments

Finish boom cover (minus installing the snaps)

Depart from home port approx 8pm

Sunday Accomplishments

Arrive at boat approx 3am

Backstay installation and tensioning (mid day)

Detach roller furler, attach backstay, re-attach foller furler, then tension the stays.

Depart pier at 5pm

Hoist the genoa into the roller furler (a fun task in 20+ knot winds)

Brief sea trial

Furl the genoa (mostly, with some minor rigging due to the high winds)

Arrive pierside at 11pm

Monday Accomplishments

Depart for home port at 11am

Arrive home port at 5pm

By C45Sanctuary on 3/1/2009 11:30 AM

In addition to finishing the wiring for the charge control circuitry, I increased the main battery bank from 225 amp hours to 300 amp hours.  This was accomplished by removing the starting battery (which was bank 1), adding two deep cycle batteries to the main battery bank (which was battery bank 2), and removing all extranneous wiring and equipment that supported the two different battery banks. The battery combiner was removed since it is no longer needed to charge two separate battery banks.  The starter battery will be stowed in the tools locker in case of an emergency.  This should also simplify troubleshooting the electronics suites.

By C45Sanctuary on 2/27/2009 11:30 AM

It took about three hours to finish the installation of the charge control circuit board. Most of that time was spent measuring and then drilling the holes for the the analog meters and the three-pole switches.  I also cut away portions of the mounting board to reduce the amount of space that it uses.

There were only a few wires that needed to be attached: One pair of 10/2 wires running to the battery bank, and three pairs of 14/2 wires running to the perko through-hull power receptacles (where the solar panels are connected).  After everything was secured I flipped on the switch.  The amp meter jumped to 7 amps of charging current, indicating everything was working as planned.  I was surprised by the 7 amps of current since it's an overcast day and the sun isn't visible.  A few minutes later, when there was a small gap in the clouds, it bounced up to 12 amps.  Based upon this, I anticipate 20 amps in full, direct sunlight.

By C45Sanctuary on 2/7/2009 1:26 PM

I finished the wiring schematics for the power generation system.  The solar array is already installed (although I plan to slightly modify the mounting hardware in the near future).  The wind generator is still being tested at home port.  The wiring for the power transmission bus has been run from the battery bank compartment, through the engine compartment, up to the starboard-side storage locker in the salon.  I used 8 gauge wire for the power transmission bus.  The bus has about one foot of extra wire coiled in the battery storage compartment and two feet coiled in the starboard-side storage locker.  That way, if I need to slightly modify the design, I don't have to pull new wire.

The control circuitry is mounted on a 10" x 14" plank of 1/4" hardwood.  This goes inside the starboard-side storage compartment.  The solar array control and monitoring circuitry is almost identical to the wind generator control and monitoring circuitry.  The only difference is the manual switch in the wind generator control circuit is also configured as a safety override; this enables the wind turbine to be shut off (stop the blades from spinning) at any time.

I added one minor feature to this circuitry that isn't needed but I figured would be nice to have.  I included a 12V plug receptacle.  This can be used for powering an auxilliary device (such as a notebook computer, an emergency bilge pump, or any other 12V appliance).  Due to the location of the control circuitry, this plug is out of the way but is within a few feet of the cockpit, the engine compartment, and the sofa in the salon.  It just seemed like a good idea.  Worst case scenario, if the battery bank goes offline for any reason, this 12V receptacle is positioned in a way that I can still use the solar and wind power during an emergency.

I intend to finish the installation on my next visit.  Two small holes (1/2" in diameter) will be drilled for the manual switches, and two larger holes (2" in diameter) will be drilled for the analog amp meters.  There's maybe an hour of work remaining on this phase of the project.  The next phase will be to mount the wind generator and integrate that subsystem into this control board.  Fortunately, since the control circuitry for the wind generator is finished, I'll only need to run a pair of wires and then connect them.