Electric
We won't be making direct progress on Vida this Friday as I'm working. Still we have been making some progress at home. Jane has ordered more foam for the saloon (dinette backrests and the outboard portion of the sea berth). I've been collecting a
Motor
A couple of very good moments today amidst clearing up, measuring and preparing to come home. First, despite strong winds and a fairly cold, very wet night we woke to find the temperature in the aft cabin at 12.7°C. The thermostat was set to 11°C so clearly
Electric
Now that our engine compartment is empty we have been able to more accurately work out where everything will go. We can fit the motor batteries (each 300AH) at the side of the motor. By stacking two batteries each side we can have the entire motor and it's
Motor
Today we successfully removed our diesel engine. It is now in our cockpit, under the wheelhouse. All went pretty much as planned. Three of the 4 engine mounts had to be cut off. But the lift went smoothly. Always a bit tense when lifting nearly 200kg over 1.7m. We
Motor
The bit I expected to be tricky has been. The rusty bolts on the coupling between gearbox and propeller shaft wouldn't undo. Angle grinder to the rescue. So far only managed to undo 1 of 4 engine mount bolts as again very rusty. Currently soaking in wd40 but
Environmental
So despite Storm Dennis we have arrived at Vida for a few days work during Jane's half term holiday. The electricity cards had run out after 16 days but clearly the heating has done a great job. Last visit we discovered the leaks from the old dorade ventilation
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
Electric
Among sailors, diesel engines have become so ubiquitous that few seem to be able to imagine any alternative. Yet, of course, that hasn't always been the case. However, during my lifetime we have seen them steadily increasing in power and boats becoming more dependent on them, not just
Electric
Last weekend we have placed the first set of orders for what will become a complete Electric Motor system on Vida. We are going fully fossil fuel free as we just couldn't face the thought of spending money on an existing diesel system that is so against our
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
Electric
As will be clear from many of our posts such as Zero Fossil Fuel Sailing and Electric Motor now or later we are against Diesel engines from a Sustainable view. And yes they fail on all aspects of Sustainable: * Environmentally: surely obvious! Fossil Fuels are incredibly destructive and we have
Appliances
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