How the marine trades are not your friend part 110,367...

Scarily right on the money, those disappearing lakes, and in the "Everything has a carbon footprint" department...

One of the portlights aboard "So It Goes" had a part fail and, unsurprisingly, the company (Vetus) that made the port no longer supports their product. Kind of a bummer that.

In searching for said part from other purveyors of portlights I didn't really come across anything that would work but I did find myself saying "WTF" a lot at the pricing of said bits.

So, what to do? The choice seems to be a new port or fabricate the bit I need.

Of course, if I replace one port I'd have to replace four ports because even I would not be able to deal with mismatched ports as it would drive me nuts. On the other hand, replacing four ports would cost close to $1K and my Mr Cheapseats persona could not handle that on any level.

Leaving me with  the only sensible answer to the problem is to fabricate my own bits.

As it happens the part is actually fairly easy to build as all I really need is a 1/4" thumb nut ($0.36) and a 1/4" threaded stud ($0.81) combined with ten minutes with a file and drill to make it work.

That works out to $1.17 and I think I can handle that.

Listening to songs in aid of a theme

So it goes...

A few recent thoughts on electric propulsion...

 Well this is scary/interesting, but this ruined my whole day, and something of a palate cleanser in the "Rich men behaving badly" department...

The other day, someone I know was complaining about the high cost of electric propulsion systems for sailboats and it got me thinking.

Since I've had three different electric propulsion systems aboard "So It Goes" I actually understand what what works and what doesn't as well as what stuff actually costs.

Obviously, the real issue, where electric propulsion costs are concerned, is not so much that the various parts are expensive but that the marine trades tend to inflate those costs because it's all about making money.

For my first system I used an Etek motor ($200), a replacement controller for a golf cart  ($100), an aluminum mounting bracket($30) for thirty bucks and an assortment of sprockets and chain for the actual power transmission ($100). The electrical control bits were bought at Radio Shack ($15) and worked just fine. The actual motor mount was cobbled together with some scrap plywood I had on the boat.

Hardly an expensive installation.

As far as the battery bank went I used six-volt golf cart batteries in a 48-volt 200 AH bank.which, admittedly, was far too expensive and heavy in my opinion.

That said, the system worked extremely well once I'd sorted out some overheating issues with the Etek motor. As to the reason why the motor was overheating it was that at extreme low speeds (most of how I actually used the motor) the combination of cooling optimized for high speed use combined with the higher amp loads at lower voltages. The fix was fairly simple and just involved a change in gearing to let the motor run at a higher speed.

The other day I saw a very interesting Chinese EV which costs all of $2000. with lithium batteries included. Now, at $2000 you'd have just about all the bits needful to make an electric propulsion rig for a sailboat. I'd certainly consider buying one of these pickup/dump trucks, taking it apart, and adapting the drive train to turn the prop shaft aboard "So It Goes" for about the same cost of a 6HP outboard or about 10% of what a Marine grade system would cost you...

So maybe we should not be complaining about the high cost of marine EV systems but instead looking at adapting more reality based costing of commercial EV systems that are already out there.

Listening to the Isley Brothers

So it goes...

It's that time of year again...

The threat of coastal landfills, a very bad report card, and where COVID is concerned best to stay paranoid...

One of the sailing magazines who sends me email mentioned a slew of Christmas gifts for sailors and, as expected, it pissed me off as their choices were all high-ticket items.

So, to balance out things for the non-consumerist who read my drivel, here's what I'd suggest instead...

The first item on the list was a watch and they suggested two. One cost $1,850 and the other would set you back a measly $100-$250 or so. Way too expensive for my tastes. As an alternative I recommend the Casio F-91W. It is an excellent timepiece often used for celestial navigation (Starpath includes it as part of their GPS Backup Kit) and the watch costs less than 20 bucks.

The second item on their list was a PFD and tether. Which, in my opinion, is a horrible gift. PFDs in general are a very personal item and, if it does not sync with your tastes, it won't get worn. I've given up on inflatables and have come to the conclusion that the best bet for sailing folk are the inexpensive sort designed for kayak folk. As far as tethers go, I'd give the sailor in question some line, a couple of carabiners, and a link on how to make a Brummel splice.

The third item was a satellite communication device which is a lot more money than most of the people I know give as gifts. Nothing wrong with the item in question but how about an extra winch handle?

Seriously, everyone needs an extra winch handle.

The next item on the list was new foul weather gear. I've gone on record before that most of the foul weather gear available is pretty awful and not up to the job. These days the only foulies I recommend is the cheap stuff used by commercial fisherfolk which might not be as hip and fashionable but does allow you to work while wearing it and keep you dry. Since I'm ranting on this particular subject, whose bright idea was it to start doing BLACK foul weather gear?

The last item was a yacht charter. Now, as someone who actually has a charter business, you’d think I’d be all over that in a big way. The current price of bareboat charters down here in the Caribbean could buy someone a pretty nice, classic plastic sailboat. Which would you prefer: a week in paradise or a boat you could use all year?

Just sayin'...

Listening to some Christmas covers

So it goes...

A too expensive stocking stuffer...

DoryMan with a good point/link, some needful reading, and 39 minutes well spent...

This is kinda cool. How to tie eight knots on a coffee cup.

I came across it on a popup ad while looking for something or other on some boat related site and it makes a lot of sense. Of course, as a product aimed at boaty folk, it's silly expensive at around $40 and change.

So expensive in fact, that I won't bother with a link because it's just embarrassing what folks who should know better will spend on things of a nautical nature. Plus anyone dumb enough to spend that kind of money for a cheap cup with a bit of string just might wind up hanging themselves while trying to do a sheet bend or drowning in their morning coffee.

Listening to Phosphorescent

So it goes...

Just another day in the greed zone...

Metastasized global economy pretty much says it all, just about the profit, and in the "poisonous corrosive man" department...

A reader sent me a link this morning to this...

...wanting to know if it was a good deal.

Now, I could easily insert a whole lot of snark here, go off on a rant of epic proportions, or simply acknowledge that, in point of fact, that the quote most often attributed to Mr Barnum (that he most likely never said) would be spot on.

Instead I'll just answer the question...

West Marine sells it for $299.99 and Defender sells it for $235.99 so the one you're inquiring about is not really a good deal and, if you're going to spend your money foolishly, you're better off giving it to the folks at Defender.

Then again, if you want something that does the same job just as well for a non-stupid price like this one...

Just $13

Really, just how stupid do they think we are?


Listening to some interesting versions of Sloop John B

So it goes...