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Two recent examples have in equal measures frustrated and amused me. In their plans for Ruby Rose 2 Nick and Terysa have oodles of calculations but they appear to be aimed at justifying fitting large diesel engines because an all electric boat isn't possible. They seem to have
Electric
Our process for designing the electric motor compartment has had to be somewhat adaptable. We started from knowing nothing and so it has been a constant process of learning and then changing our plans. The work over the last two weeks (Stuffing box flange is off, Yanmar Diesel 3JH5E for
Appliances
With the our commitment to Zero fossil fuel sailing we have been having to review and update our initial Solar plan. Designing our Solar Arch has been part of that. The traditional "passive" approach to solar is not going to work for us. By that I mean the
Electric
We have been trying to work out a design for a solar arch for a very very long time. Designs have come and gone multiple times. When I wrote our Solar Plan back in September, I said "I haven’t quite given up on putting panels off the back
Dinghy
I've been quiet on here during the COVID-19 pandemic so far. More urgent priorities and has seemed inappropriate when so many have been dying, ill or struggling in other ways. However, some countries are now starting to move beyond lockdowns and it now seems more appropriate to focus
Electric
So we have the main components for the reduction gears for our electric motor. Note that in the picture the items are laid out on their side, in reality the electric motor will be above the reduction box shaft. On the left is a sheet of paper representing the electric
Appliances
The biggest difference is availability. With an electric motor instead of a diesel in your boat you can achieve the same/similar performance in power/speed. At the same time you can get better reliability and lower maintenance. However, the biggest difference is that you have to manage availability. With
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Now that we are confident that our multi-cooker is going to be part of our galley it opens some extra options. So in December we joined a group making bulk purchases from a co-operative, vegetarian wholesaler. Our best bargain was a 10kg (paper) bag of dried chickpeas. We've
Electric
The sailing channels are full of amazing boats. What used to be the sailing magazines that my Dad would buy have been replaced by YouTube channels like Yachting World. Consistently they present, as if it were normal a world view that everyone will be buying a brand new boat and
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This Yachting World article is heading in the right direction. Skippers’ tips: Bluewater sailing secrets of the million milers revealed Some key items such as reduced plastic and renewable energy get mentioned. I'm still desperate for them to connect the dots between all those parts and skills needed
Electric
So, if we do decide to fit an electric motor what are we looking at? We follow five sailing channels on Youtube who have fitted electric motors: * Spoondrifters: ELECTRIC SAILBOAT | Choosing an electric motor for your sailboat * Sailing Uma: Our Electric Motor (Electro-Beke, part 1) * Beau and Brandy: Cheap sailboat
Appliances
I'm not writing about IT or programming here (although there can be similar problems). By this I'm thinking of Single Point of Failures (SPOF) and taking that a bit further. By SPOF I mean the danger of one item failing and causing a cascade of failures.