Batteries installed

Dad has done a beautiful job of painting the engine mount and engine room to get rid of the old gasoline and oil smells and grime. It smells like a new home with a fresh coat of paint. Now we are ready to start mounting the batteries and electric motor.  It might not look like it in this picture but relatively speaking we've gained a fair bit of space with the removal of the old Atomic 4 gasoline engine and the fuel tank. Removal of both of these takes out about five hundred pounds. The batteries and new electric motor combined get us back to about the same weight. If we could afford Lithium batteries we'd be much lighter than the gasoline engine/fuel tank combo. In future no doubt Lithium batteries will be more affordable as the electric cars start deploying them around the world and large scale distribution and R&D kick in to develop this technology even further. For now we'll stick with the old lead acid AGM batteries.

The week before last Lorne and I spent the afternoon wedging the new Odyssey lead acid AGM deep cycle batteries into place on a custom platform Lorne has designed. Lorne has built and secured a base with edges to hold the batteries in approximately the same location as the old fuel tank. This will ensure that batteries are equally distributed in the centre of the boat and near where that same weight was for the old gas tank/Atomic four engine. The Odyssey PC1800-FT are a beautiful industrial, sealed battery system, designed to be rack mounted if need be. The positive and negative leads are on the front face of the batteries for easy connection in series (see earlier blog entry with diagrams of configuration) to get to 48 volts.

Although one person can lift and move these batteries, they are 130 pounds each, it is much easier and more reasonable with two people. So, Lorne and I got it down to quite a system of sliding the batteries through the side panels, lifting them in place from the top, and then inching them over the rails in the box designed to keep each battery in place. Each one fit like a glove. These batteries are sealed and are very sturdy. They can be placed in any orientation. In our case they sit as though ready for a rack. Once all the wiring is place Lorne will put a cap of plywood, like the base, on the top and secure with steel rods.

Next week, we do the electric motor installation and we should be ready to rock and roll with our electric motor system. It'll be interesting to see how far we can go on a full charge and at varying rates of speed. Next spring we'll switch the propellor to fixed blades (our current prop has retractable blades, good for racing, but not so useful for recharging our batteries). Things are looking good.

One other thing we did was to remove the red propellor shaft coupling device that was used for the Atomic 4. The red circular plate has been on the shaft for 40 year and so did not want to leave. Lorne said we needed a prop remover. So, off I went to the QCYC shed where Andy said we might find one. Sure enough, there it was in the back, behind some stuff. Incredibly the old fused connector finally gave way as Lorne and I used an extender and a bit of elbow grease to get the old thing moving. For the new connector we've found that the prop shaft is a slight bit smaller than the connector so we'll need a rubber filler band to fill the gap to make it secure. We are ready for the electric motor!

Stay tuned.

Port Credit Boat Show, Learning from Others

Quick update on the electric motor conversion...we have the electric wiring and new panels in place. We are getting close now. We plan to finish up the electric motor installation this week so we can enjoy sailing this coming long weekend. Lorned has done a beautiful job here. The AC and DC systems are now easy to manage and meters show what is going on. On the right side is a Xantrex charge control monitor system for the two house batteries. Looking gooood!

Now on to the Port Credit Boat Show we attended earlier today. We've been talking a planning quite a bit lately and we've got a few things that are coming together as we plan our circumnavigation on the future catamaran.

We've all agreed now that we will sell the house next spring. This will provide the base financing we need to get our Sun Challenge solar sailing expedition off to a start as well as provide some funding for the kids next phase in life in post secondary education and adventure. So, we've started attending boat shows to learn as much as we can to plan our own voyage.

First up was a tour of a new 2010 Lagoon 38 catamaran. It was beautiful. The deck had a wonderful seating area under a canopy when you get on the stern. Inside the cabin is a spacious dining table and kitchen. The starboard hull had the owners quarters with a large double bed in the stern and spacious bathroom with full standup shower. The port side hull had two wonderful spacious berths. Walking around the deck was easy and safe. This is the type of sailboat for me.

After looking at some monohulls we listened in on a families experience building a 65 foot power catamaran that they lived on and voyaged across the Atlantic, through the Med and finally down through he Suez canal.

What did we learn...

- need a team for fundraising with the right people, sponsor special things.
- $300 for 12 months of sailing in US. Don't forget check in with homeland security at each port or you could get a $5,000 fine.
- When planning stays in port stay for a month for lower rate and then anchor for the next month to cut costs in half. Cost is about $10 per foot per month in the US.
- Have lots of backup systems, two or three GPS systems...etc
- Build up experience by increasing challenges and implementing changes to improve.
- By being patient and waiting for good weather you can avoid bad storms.
- Ditch kit is mounted on deck. Satellite phone, medical kit, several communication systems.
- Virgin has a $40 per month 3G wireless Internet option for communicating, using Skype, Facebook and email.
- It took eight months to outfit the boat from bare hull full time.
- Free charts are available from OAA. Can use your computer and printer with these.
- 1% of hull cost for insurance including hurricane.

That's about all we can remember for now. Time to working the plans for making this happen.

Pieces of the electric motor puzzle

We've now received all the parts we need to assemble the electric motor system. Electric Yachts sent us the 10kW electric motor and controller system. Lorne from Genco has obtained the deep cycle batteries from Odyssey. The charge controller has been semi-custom made for us by Analytic a supplier of heavy duty and advanced charge control systems. Lorne has also supplied all of the heavy duty wiring for the 48 Volt battery system.

Our plans from this point are as follows:

Remaining internal wiring work - Lorne:
1. 2 x GFI for AC, wiring done, just need to put in to GFI outlets
2. DC panel installation, fixture for galley, electrical to fridge (test if it works)
3. House batteries - we've agreed to buy one additional Deep Cycle Lead Acid battery approx. $130.
4. Battery boxes installed, existing house battery location. - we've agreed to buy 2 battery boxes for approx. $30 each for house batteries (use one of the existing Nautilus plus new Deep Cycle)
5. Bonding / Grounding - complete a few more connections to metal through hull connections
6. (NEW) Automatic bilge pump reconnection and switch to exit through exhaust system through hull.


Electric Motor Install:
1. Paint motor compartment with bilge paint (prepare by sandpapering area) - Ian Wilson
2. Transfer batteries and motor kit to boat by Monday evening, August 16, 4pm. - Ian/Ianito/Claire/John
3. Electric motor battery box assembly and battery box custom made. Receive charge controller for motor batteries. Design and schematics. Current hours documented. Remaining hours and completion dates. Monday August 16. - Lorne
4. Battery box materials. Plywood - 3/4 inch (marine grade mahogany), bolts, washers, hinges, threaded rods, primer waterproofing paint, etc. from Home Depot. Wed. Aug. 17- Lorne
5. Build battery box at Port Credit site. Wed. Aug. 18 - Lorne
6. Install electric motor. Battery box where fuel tank was. 4 Odyssey batteries in series connection for 48 volt system. Electric motor on electric motor mount. Aug 19/20. - Lorne
7. Figure out shifter/binnacle removal and replacement with electric motor throttle system. - Lorne

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Once we pull the boat out for this season.

1. Review motor mount leakage issue. Is it resolved once the electric motor is installed? Reinforce area that is of concern.
2. Review exterior hull scuffs and issues. Determine what repairs/painting/cleaning is required.
3. Prepare batteries for storage with full charge. Consider a solar panel to keep charged.


Before launch for next season:


1. Lighting and radio cable for mast.
2. Switch to a fixed propeller optimized for charging boat batteries when sailing.
3. Rolling furler.
4. Depth, windspeed/direction, GPS installations.
5. Radio for nav station/desk.
6. Review fridge requirements.
7. Determine solar panel (4 x 40 watt) setup and installation, Bimini design.


NOTES:
1. Both charge controllers will be installed in the storage closet near motor. House battery system charge control system is already installed there on the left side. Analytic charge controller for electric motor batteries will be installed on the right side of the storage compartment. All done to minimize chances of these ever getting wet.
2. Keep an eye on the leak near motor mount.

Learning from our mistakes

Tough week. Following on the heels of such a wonderful week of sailing for the first time on our own boat, this weekend was all about having things go wrong. We tried to get out sailing Sunday which was looking like a dream day. We are getting quite handy at the rigging and things were all set for a quick push off the dock, and out for some sailing on such a clear and beautiful day. Waiting for everyone to arrive found the wind coming in stronger and stronger from the north especially after noon.

Looking back I can see that the wind coming in from the north meant that as we came out of our slip pointing east/west, our bow would be pushed heavily to the south away from the direction we wanted to go. It certainly was. Our neighbours powerful boat was, after two attempts able to power through the turn, which was the technique I decided to follow. As it turned out, the wind was too much for our temporary dinghy electric motor mount. The wooden mount failed as I thought I had to up the throttle to try to make ground forward into the wind. I should have worked with the wind and swung south, using the wind, rather than having fought it.  Our sister boat, a 25 foot C&C, with our other neighbour at helm, demostrated just minutes after our failed attempt, just how easy it could be done with a low power dinghy motor by just looping around to the south using the wind to advantage. 

When the mount broke in half I, fortunately, had thought to attach an emergency line to catch the motor from sinking after the failure (I had even looked at the mount earlier and said to myself it looks like it might be warping...and surely I should have known it would fail sooner or later). Everyone remained calm. I asked crew to prepare to fend off as we began to drift for a couple seconds in the dock area. A familiar face happened to be motoring by in a dinghy, so, calmly, I asked for some help to get back into our slip as our motor had failed. They quickly agreed and began pulling our bow line around. Seeing that assistance was required, our neighbours helped us come in to dock without any further mishap. We also had another member come in as a backup to make sure all was okay. Help others when they are in need as you will surely need their help one day. 

Despite the safety line catching the motor, it looks like the battery may have been damaged by the water...what a sick feeling knowing that. Hopefully the motor system is still okay...I think it will be. I'll get a replacement battery and we'll be back on track with a significantly beefed up temporary dinghy motor mount (ideally, that will not be needed) and a great deal learned about the way to work with the wind especially if your boat is working under less than ideal mechanical repair.

Hard as this has been, and as hard as it is to have to take all the feedback from those that know better, this is what it is all about. Learning from the school of hard knocks is painful and hard to deal with at the time, but the kind of thing that expands your knowledge of the situation deeply and memorably. People will tell you, "I told you so", and they will be right, but they are the same people that would not have tried and would not have learned from those same mistakes. How do you deal with your boat when/if it loses power when going to dock...been there now. How do you deal with high winds coming across your port side when exiting your slip...work with the wind, and feel comfortable looping around to the south rather than always fighting the difficult conditions. Build repairs beefier and with better back up systems than you might initially conceive of. Like in baseball, anticipate what each component will do in a failure situation so that the backup systems handle them better. Think of the forces that will impact any and all of the systems on the boat, from lines, halyards, buckles, shrouds and pulleys, and imagine how well they will hold up under the worst possible weather conditions, not fair/average weather. Obvious stuff but particularly real once you've made mistakes.

When it rains it pours. Our home solar system is being held up from being turned on by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) which leaves me holding the bag on an expensive system that is supposed to generate income to pay for itself. After two months of waiting for our supplier/installer to work it out with ESA, still no resolution. Today our electrician has proposed a voltage transformer to try to address the concern. The waiting and not knowing is hard to deal with. You want to do something about it to move things along, you try to push, when things aren't moving, and you instigate a little forward motion, and then you wait some more. Hopefully we'll hear soon, that this will resolve their concern which my installer is telling me should not be a concern. Familiary story.

Similar story with the electric motor for the boat. Much of the current frustration with the electric dinghy could have been avoided had things simply moved along with fewer hurdles and difficulties. Life isn't like that though. Certainly we made mistakes in this process and we'll learn from them as well. Good things take time and they are hard, especially when they are the road less travelled. We are learning more than I could have imagined about things I had not even thought of. I know that all of this will become the backbone of what gets us through the tough stuff up ahead.

My Grandma used to say tough times don't last just tough people. These things will be overcome and the extra difficulties will make them all the more satisfying once accomplished. Sometimes you just have to take it, take it from everyone as best you can, take it from yourself when you are harder on you than anyone else and come back out fighting harder than ever to make it happen. Dreams don't just happen, you have to fight to make them real, and they don't happen without mistakes. Kick yourself and tell yourself to do better next time. Your dream is worth it. 

Sailing is such a joy

Last evening we went out for a sail around Toronto inner harbour with some future sailors. Ian and Claire Wilson, my wonderful crew, easily fell into their roles, helping their cousins  David and Cassie (and aunt Kathleen), get into the swing of raising the sails, tacking and jibing. Such a wonderful warm evening to let each of the younger kids take a turn at helm. Seeing that twinkle of wonder as these youngsters commanded our 35 foot sailboat around the harbour, tacking with just the touch of their fingers. Claire's friend Andrea also took a turn at helm and was handy around the lines and sheets.

With just two or three knots of wind we were able to start raising the main sail on our way out of the dock area at QCYC. Our small electric dinghy motor only needed about a minute of run time before I was able to shut it down under main sail power as we exited the club dock area. A beautiful gentle cross breeze took us directly out of the club, into the harbour area on a close reach. Initram is such an easy boat to sail under light winds, she calms her skipper, and allows her junior mates to learn quickly and safely.

Tacking back and forth across the harbour was such a joy, my heart leaps at the thought of how we so elegantly slice through the water in our steady and solid boat. Silently gliding through the water, on a gentle breeze, a slight churn of water off our stern proving she makes excellent headway even under these light winds, the beautiful view of the city on our tack north, the quaint Toronto islands on our southern tack, and the odd propeller plane gliding in over our heads towards the island airport. Freedom. The mere thought that at any moment we could make for the eastern gap, exit out of the harbour onto the expanse of Lake Ontario, and head out, and one day, out to the oceans, through the St. Lawrence, to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific from the Panama Canal, South China Sea, Indian Ocean, the Med, and back to the Atlantic, all by the power of the wind, and the idea, that yes we can, and we will head out around the world one day soon enough.

Dream. Always dream. And then make your dreams happen. Happiness. Find your happiness. (Have been reading Slocums book about sailing around the world on my iPhone)

First sail on dinghy electric motor

We finally "got off the dock". Today, son Ian, Dad, Leigh, Claire and I went out on our sailboat, Initram, with the dinghy electric motor, a Torqueedo electric outboard, rigged to the back of 35 foot C&C. This is the first time in a few years that Initram has been out for a sail. What a great feeling after so much waiting.

Last Thursday night I spent a few hours jury rigging the Torqueedo, lithium battery powered electric motor to the back of our C&C 35. I basically clamped some hard wood to the swim ladder. We've been using the dinghy with this amazing well built German electric motor for a couple weeks. It has lots of power. I'd read that it could push 14 foot boats and perhaps bigger ones. So, since our Electric Yacht kit is still another week or two away from being fully installed, and we have been aching to get out and sail, we decided to try this temporary solution.

First of all, the boat is new to us so we had to figure out how to rig up the jib sail for the first time. I've worked the main sail up and down a few times at the dock so that was ready to go. We did a double check on all safety equipment, reviewed our plan for taking the boat out, and off we went.

Silently I reversed with the Torqueedo motor jumping a bit as I didn't have the ladder held down in place for reverse. Still, she moved slowly back quite nicely, sputtering a bit but kept moving. Once we'd pulled into the middle of the lagoon, between all the other boats, we hauled in the fenders (not wanting to have to buy everyone at the bar a beer on our first run out), and engaged full forward thrusters captain! Away she went, quietly past our neighbours, to the right of a few sailors coming in to dock, and past the Wards Island ferry dock. A few butterflies churned in my stomach, as I hoped that we would not run out of battery power until we were well clear of the docks and some fellow sailors who have said I am crazy.

Once we'd gotten past the entrance to QCYC, our club, we put the bow into the wind and began hauling up the main sail. After futzing with a double winched line, we got the main sail nicely up and started plowing through the water. I turned off the forward thrust on the electric Torqueedo, to conserve as much battery as possible for our return to dock, and we began hauling the jib up.

She sails beautifully. Smoothe as silk. Feels so well balanced you can hold course with just a finger on the wheel. We had fair winds and so were moving along very well. What a joy to be out in the Toronto Harbour, at last, sailing in a good breeze, with all the other sailors.

After some high fives, hand shakes and self-congratulations we enjoyed a couple hours of sailing. While at the helm the crew mutineed the idea of taking her out through the eastern gap for some open lake sailing. Not yet, apparently not everyone felt ready. What a great feeling just to tack back and forth on this beautiful speedy boat. We all had a blast taking turns at helm.

Finally, we got the word, time to go in. I was a bit worried about whether we'd have enough juice in the batteries to get us back to the dock under some kind of propellor driving power. I was prepared to use the main sail a bit in case we ran out of electric engine power. I kept the throttle in maximum distance setting and we slowly came into the QCYC docks under slow speed, red buoys on the right of course. What a day! The adventure continues. Soon we should have the full blown big 10 kW electric motor kit from Electric Yachts and Odyssey batteries (AGM, 1800 series, rack mountable), and the Analytics super military/marine grade charge controller. Stay tuned.

Ready for electric motor

We've cleaned out the engine compartment with some "green" cleaner that Leigh found in the pile of cleaners on the boat. That, and some extra elbow grease, and the boat is starting to look and smell like roses. Okay, so maybe I washed down the grease in that engine room, all 40 years of it. And now, here you can see Leigh actually cleaning it. Now we are ready to mount the new electric motor. We are hoping to see it arrive this week some time.

You can see that the water is a couple of inches higher on the water with the gasoline engine removed. We'll see how the battery and electric motor weigh in. 

I also went around the entire set of lifeline railing on the boat and tightened up all the uprights as some were actually popping out of their hold fittings. 

To the left are pictures of before and after the engine compartment was cleaned. What a relief to get that old crud out.