As a Frugal Boater you can still enjoy comfort. Even in the heat of a Key West summer. In the three years since our last Keeping It Cool, there have been some changes.
Air Velocity for Boat Comfort
PWM speed control
I’ll start by saying that our mighty hatch fan has been in near constant use, but the cheap PWM speed controller gave up. I’m pretty sure a new potentiometer (the part that lets to you dial in the speed) would have fixed it, but for the price of a new controller it wasn’t worth my time. So I put in a new controller, same model. We’ll see how it does. The fan itself is doing just fine.
Oscillating fans keep the Frugal Boat cool
Our oscillating fans have served us well, some being four years old, but we did have two failures. One was probably caused by being dropped a few times. Again, in both cases, I probably could have fixed them, but at about $12 I just replaced them. I think we have nine scattered around the boat now, so for the price we still like them. I get them at Advance Auto, and if you purchase online and pick them up at the store you can usually save 20%.
In the very hottest times, before we became acclimated to keys weather, we ran a generator and used a portable AC unit to cool our stateroom (bedroom), but we really hate doing that. We also cool the entire boat with AC while we are tied to a dock. If at a dock, AC is a no brainer, but for economic and aesthetic reasons we like to be away from the dock.
The Mattress Cooler
Sleeping cool without AC is possible
Now for the real Frugal Boater game changer. Somehow, I became aware of a product called the Mattress Cooler. It’s a water cooled mattress pad designed to cool you, rather than the room, much the same as a race driver or astronaut cool suit. They have some very expensive and power hungry competitors, but this one works simply by evaporative cooling. The pad, with a network of water tubes, goes on your mattress. The box, consisting of reservoir, pump, and fan goes nearby and above your mattress.
It only uses 8 watts with the fan on high, and about half that running the pump only. Since installing this thing we have stopped using two small fans and turned our big fan down, so we’re probably saving power. It’s quiet, compact and really works! With night time low temps in the mid 80s, water temp also in the mid 80s, and very high humidity, we wake up in the middle of the night to grab a blanket. Just beware if you have cats. Their claws can pierce the mattress pad “tubes”.
I wonder if they could make a cat proof kevlar pad.
We love our old Porta-Bote dinghy. She folds flat so we can store her against the lifelines if we don’t want her on the davits. She’s done everything we’ve asked, and we’ve asked a lot. More than once she’s delivered us safely through small craft advisories and four foot seas. She carries amazing amounts of groceries, water and equipment. While her speed isn’t on par with the 25hp dinghies, she does pretty well with her 6hp and uses less gas. But at 10 years old, and after four years of hard daily use and abuse, she was showing her age.
Time for a refit
Here is our old seat bracket
Most of the abuse and damage has been caused by carrying her on our davits, something she was never designed for. I accomplished that simply by replacing her seat assembly pins with eyebolts. Lines running across from eyebolt to eyebolt allow our davit system to lift her. The main problem is this generates a lot of stress, with the lines trying to pull the eyebolts towards the center of the Porta-Bote. We ended up with wear in the seats and brackets, turning the holes into ovals. We also use a line from a middle seat eyebolt to pull the dinghy over while hanging on the davits to stop it swinging. The original 3/16″ pop rivets were telling me they weren’t up to the strain. I should also mention that with our davits we rarely fold our Porta-Bote anymore, and some of my modifications reflect that.
The plastic seats were cracking from a combination of near tropical sun and hard use. The plastic transom suffered too, partly from the motor hitting a submerged object while exploring with friends in Marathon, and then the wakes and waves of Key West didn’t help. It was time for repairs and improvements.
A stronger transom
The story starts before our trip last summer, when I built a new transom. I traced the old transom onto 3/4″ marine plywood. Two
Finished plywood transom with the old plastic transom
layers, screwed and glued together. Plus a bit on each side to equal the thickness of the original plastic unit. A single layer of fiberglass mat more for waterproofing than strength, swap over the brackets and it was done. The new transom is hella strong, but also heavy. I think I’ll probably redo it using one layer of marine plywood.
Seats and brackets
New seat bracket
Next came seat brackets. The best material I could source was aluminum channel with a 1/2″ interior width. Notice it’s much thicker than the original brackets, this is to combat the wear problem. The extra thickness would also help the new 1/4″ large head rivets get a grip, and I also went from three rivets per bracket to four.
Detail of the new seatThe new brace brackets should be much stronger
The channel section somewhat dictated seat design. The seats would be 1/2″ plywood to fit the brackets, with 3/4″ plywood glued and screwed to it. That should give us plenty of stiffness and strength for the job. I epoxied aluminum bushings into the seats, again to combat wear and tear. To spread the load a bit more, and because we actually managed to bend a couple 5/16″ eyebolts, I moved up to 3/8″. Since some of the original plastic underseat brackets (these hold 1/4″ wire supports that keep the Porta-Bote stiff) were cracked I sourced some stainless steel brackets from McMaster-Carr.
While I was at it, I moved the rear seat forward five inches. This is mainly to help with weight distribution when only the driver is aboard, but it also gained a little clearance for the next step.
A big comfort improvement
Our butts immediately noticed the extra stiffness of the new plywood seats, but I had already planned for that. While some glued on foam would have worked, I decided we needed a bit of style, so when I found a great deal on seats and swivels, on they went. The seats are quite comfy, but they do reduce versatility. Rowing would be problematic, and she’s best suited for one or two people now, but our occasional long dinghy expeditions will be a lot more comfortable. Long term we may go a different direction, Or I may come up with a quick release mount.
People are often curious about what it costs to live on a boat. As a Frugal Boater I’d love to give them the clear answer they seek, but asking what it costs to live on a boat is no different than asking what it costs to live in a house. Really! It varies that much because we’re all different. So first, let’s have a look at the major expenses of living.
You will still be you
What we spend on groceries, entertainment, clothes and general shopping probably varies more by person than any other factor. On the water you’ll still have the same likes and dislikes you had on land. You’ll eat the same foods and have the same desires. Remember, you’ll still be you, just on a boat. Your spending habits won’t change much, at least when you’re close to civilization.
Get out of debt
One of the most important considerations is owing money. Debt payments, whether for your boat/home, or anything else, make up a large portion of the budget for many people. A Frugal Boater needs to get off the hamster wheel of debt. For us, that was a big factor in lowering our bills and making this lifestyle possible. That means not getting everything we want, and often waiting for what we do get. It’s satisfying though, to know that everything we have is “paid for”. It also means that none of our money is going towards interest.
Healthcare takes a bite
Health care expenses probably won’t change much whether you sleep over land or water. Many find a boat to be a more active, healthy lifestyle. We have met people who found they no longer needed some of their expensive maintenance medications. When traveling in the USA, you may have to use out of network providers, so factor that in. In many of the countries boaters tend to cruise in, health care charges are so small that most boaters simply pay out of pocket. Often the total cost is comparable to their co-pay in the US. You may wish to consider joining Diver’s Alert Network. You don’t have to be a diver, but they have reasonably priced memberships that includes medical evacuation back to the states for major problems.
Automobiles can be a financial drain
Do you own a car? If so, registration, insurance, fuel, maintenance and parking become part of your budget. When we were actively cruising, we used bikes, buses and Uber. Now that we’re stationary for a while, we decided to buy an inexpensive, used car. A car can add mobility and convenience if you stay in one area a while, but as always, convenience costs. Depending on your surroundings, a car might be almost a necessity.
DIY helps the budget
Since I mentioned maintenance, how much of your own maintenance and repairs do you do? More importantly, how much do you spend paying someone else to fix things for you? A Frugal Boater spends more time than money maintaining his boat. Learning to be your own mechanic, plumber, electrician, carpenter, etc. can save you lots of money while also making you more independent. After all, when traveling by boat, the repairman may be very far away.
Of course, doing these things without the proper knowledge and skill can be very costly. Read, watch YouTube and build your knowledge, skill and comfort level and slowly expand.
None of the above will change significantly simply because your new home floats, but what about boat specific expenses?
Marinas can be expensive
If you choose to keep your boat at a dock, marina fees can add up fast. In some areas they may equal or surpass your old mortgage or rent payment. Docks charge by the foot, so size does matter. Most long term docks also charge separately for electricity.
Size matters
You’ll find that size matters a lot with boat expenses, from marina fees, to bottom cleaning to oil changes. As boat length increases, maintenance seems to go up exponentially. Bigger boats have bigger everything from rigging and anchors to engines and props. In addition, every comfort and convenience item on your boat requires maintenance and occasional repair or replacement. This really isn’t different than a house, but it’s something to think about when choosing your boat.
If you and your boat are more self sufficient you can eliminate or minimize dock expenses by anchoring. This relies on your own skills, judgement and equipment to keep you safely in place. It also means a dinghy ride to get to shore. With the big boat at a dock, a dinghy is an accessory. When the big boat is at anchor, your dinghy becomes your second most important piece of equipment, right behind your anchor system. In some places you may still need to pay for use of a dinghy dock, but it will be far less than docking the mother ship. In many places you can find spots to access land with your dinghy at no, or very minimal, cost.
Communications in a modern world
Communication might be a little different than your house. Obviously there will be no land lines unless you’re at a dock. Most people have mobile phones these days, and they generally work as long as you can see land. Of course in some remote areas they don’t work on land or water. Keep in mind, your phone needs to be able to “see” a mobile phone tower. While anchored in the very remote Everglades we found that hoisting our phone up the mast allowed us to send and receive text messages.
For Internet access some boaters use free wifi at coffee shops, bars and restaurants. Some boats have wifi boosters to pick up those signals from the mothership. We have unlimited data plans on our mobile phones that work well for us in the US. So factor in your communication expenses, whatever they may be. Some people don’t mind minimal, or even no, communications at times. Others have to be connected all the time. Be honest with yourself about your needs and wants.
In addition to “normal” communications we have a couple more. We use a $5 per month sim card from AlarmSim for our alarm. This allows our alarm system to notify us of intrusion by people or water. We also use an old phone with an anchor alarm app. A Freedom Pop sim with no monthly charge lets it notify us if the boat moves farther from the anchor point than it should. [Edit: Sadly, Freedom Pop is no longer free, but AlarmSim still offers a $5/month service]
You’ve got mail
In our modern world a land based address is sometimes a necessity. Even a Frugal Boater needs mail sometimes. Mail forwarding services can fill that need for a small fee. St Brendan’s Isle gives us a permanent mail “home” and they will forward mail whenever and wherever we request. For additional fees they can even scan your mail and email it to you. Having a Florida “address” allowed us to become official Florida residents. No more state income tax!
Don’t forget fuel
You’ll need some fuel, but again, how much depends on you and your boat. Is your boat power or sail? How big and how fast? If sail, are you sailing purist, or do you start the engine when the wind dies? Do you plan to have a motor for your dinghy or row row row your boat? Do you run an engine to supply your electricity? These are just a few of the variables, and some might change depending on your current situation, location or time of year.
Since we paused our cruising to get jobs we find our expenses have crept up. I think that’s natural due to a car, work clothes, more laundry, etc., but of course the net dollars are still positive so it’s all good.
So, what does it cost? If you read this far you’ve probably figured out that there is no simple answer. What works for us, may not work for you, or vice versa. We know boaters who live for well under $1000 per month, that’s a Frugal Boater! We also know boaters who spend $4000 or more per month. Yet for really large yachts, that wouldn’t even pay the fuel bill.
Whether on land or water, you can live the lifestyle of Henry David Thoreau or Robin Leach. Only you, and your wallet, can decide where in that spectrum your own Frugal Boater falls.
I have always liked the look of boats with a sail cover boat name. Since our sails and sail covers were off, it seemed like a good time to do something I had wanted to do for a while. Of course being a Frugal Boater I had to find a way to do it myself. Although the process was a little slow, it was fairly straight forward and simple.
I used the same font we used for the name on our stern. Of course you can use any font you want. If you’re looking for the easy button choose block lettering. I then blew it up to the appropriate size using “Easy Poster Printer” for PC’s. Just print, and tape the pages together. Carefully position the paper on the sail cover, then slip some carbon paper under it and trace with a stylus. I used a pen with the ball point retracted.
Take your time
Even us non-artsy types can do it
Once you have the design transferred, it’s a matter of taking your time and painting inside the lines. If you had some minor shifting of the pattern as you traced it’s easy to fix during the painting stage. I used acrylic paint because it adheres well to fabric without hurting it. I have used it in the past to restore sail insignia. It holds up pretty well, and you can always touch it up. I’m no sign painter, but I managed to stay inside the lines most of the time.
I like the finished product, especially since our Mack Pack covers are usually on display even while we’re sailing. If your boat sits at a dock, this makes it easy for people on the dock to identify your boat.
The finished product
So the next time you have some time and want to add a little custom touch to your boat, go for it!
Our sail cover boat name has been exposed to the elements, including Florida Keys sun now for four years now, and still looks great.
Forgive me for making such a long blog post this time. I have a lot to say about our hurricane preparation for Hurricane Irma. ~ Tom
Hurricane preparation in the mangroves
We live on our Endeavour 43 sailboat, Pearl Lee, so we keep a close eye on tropical weather systems. In the summer of 2017 we were moored in Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, Florida. Watching Hurricane Irma since well before she was a hurricane was almost a hobby for us. As she strengthened we became more concerned.
Watch for every update
Watching all the National Hurricane Center updates is an important part of hurricane preparation for us. Besides letting us see the latest forecast, it gives us some sense of trends. Since Hurricane Irma looked most likely to go up the eastern seaboard, our early concern was mostly for friends in her projected path. Our location, Boot Key Harbor, in Marathon, FL was expected to be effected, but due to distance, was predicted to get only tropical storm force winds. We were prepared to stay on our mooring with just a bit of hurricane preparation. Knowing that food and water might be hard to get immediately after the storm, we stocked Pearl Lee accordingly.
On Monday morning, September 4 we saw that the computer models changed drastically. Suddenly Hurricane Irma was headed right for us! We thought about it all day as we anxiously awaited each update. By the end of the day we made the decision to activate phase two of our hurricane preparation plan.
Hurricane/Tropical Storm basics
To understand hurricane preparation, we need to understand a bit about hurricanes. Damage from hurricanes is by two modes, wind and water. Wind force goes up exponentially with velocity. Doubling velocity, results in 10 times the force, and reports for Hurricane Irma at this stage were in the 150 mph range. To put into perspective for us normal people, that’s 100 times the force of 37 mph wind! We also need to keep in mind it’s not just the wind, but what the wind carries. At that speed, any debris can be lethal.
Storm surge is caused by the wind and low pressure, making artificial tides that can be far higher, or lower, than normal. I have read that after the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, all of the middle keys were under water due to a 20 foot storm surge. Wind driven waves can also be immense. Because hurricanes rotate counter-clockwise (in the northern hemisphere) the direction of the wind and waves depends on which side of the storm we’re in, and will change as the storm moves. Pearl Lee is a good, strong boat, but we know that even aircraft carriers avoid major hurricanes.
With the help of our friend Jeremy, who drove down from Fort Lauderdale, we began hurricane preparation on Tuesday, September 5. The entire harbor was abuzz with activity, as many prepared for Hurricane Irma’s arrival.
What we did
We removed all sails. I believe this was essential to saving the boat, and the sails. Even a furled sail, or a sail cover can represent a lot of drag with hurricane force winds. We saw many damaged boats littering the harbor with remnants of tattered sails still blowing in the wind.
Our solar panels were all removed. Being horizontal, our solar panels don’t catch much wind, but in a hurricane the boat will sometimes be sideways to the wind. At that point she’ll heel (lean) allowing wind to catch those big flat surfaces.
We removed canvas and frames. By now you’re getting the idea. Even the one inch tubing of our dodger and bimini frames can add significant load during hurricane strength wind.
Both of our booms were removed. While not a problem with a head wind, we knew Pearl Lee would get hit with some side wind.
All of our running rigging (ropes), was taken off to reduce windage. We kept the running backstays, feeling the extra support for the masts was more important.
We moved Pearl Lee to our predetermined hurricane hole. With our 5’6″ draft (loaded) we were somewhat limited in our choices. I picked a 90 degree corner in a canal for the best possible wind protection. A narrow canal that we could tie to both sides of would be better, but we didn’t have that option here.
Once we got to our new spot, we tied into the mangroves with seven lines, each from a different hard point on the boat and going to different mangroves. Spreading our load is important. All our lines were a minimum of 50′ long to allow for storm surge, and we tied each with a bowline knot around several large roots.
Of course we used chafe protection on all lines. We had a few bits of fire hose, but also used 3/4″ garden hose. Both did their job effectively. We had no visible chafe on our lines. That may have been because Pearl Lee was pushed into the mangroves most of the time.
We set bow and stern anchors to help hold us off the mangroves and land. More would have been better, but time and materials didn’t allow it. We had the anchors but not enough rope.
Since our topping lifts attach at the mastheads, we wrapped a halyard several times around our masts and topping lifts to keep everything secure.
We cleared the deck of everything that could become a projectile. Both of us gave the deck a final walk before leaving, making sure everything that could be removed was, and everything else was secure.
Our through hulls were closed to minimize chances of sinking. Anything can happen. Through hulls are big valves that let water in or out for drains, engine cooling, etc. Closing these simply removes some catastrophic possibilities.
This aerial photo was our first evidence of Pearl Lee’s condition after the storm.
We emptied and turned off our refrigerator to preserve battery power for our bilge pumps. We actually turned off power to everything except our bilge pumps for two reasons. Fire safety in the case of water getting in or wires chafing, and to give our pumps the best chance of running until our return if necessary.
We stored our dinghies in the concrete marina building. If we hadn’t had this very convenient option, we would have filled them with water, sinking them for later retrieval.
A little help from our friends
It was a lot of work, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking THIS could be the detail that saves Pearl Lee from Hurricane Irma. At about noon on Wednesday, September 6 we left Pearl Lee hoping we had done enough, and for some luck, as we headed to safety in Alabama with Jeremy’s family.
Friends and family supported us the whole time, offering their homes and any other help they could. It was incredible and we are truly blessed to know such wonderful people.
Cat 4 direct hit!
On Sunday, September 10 our hurricane preparation was put to the ultimate test. Hurricane Irma hit the keys as a Category 4 storm about 25 miles WSW of Boot Key Harbor. The most dangerous NE quadrant of her eye wall grazed Boot Key Harbor, and our boat, with sustained winds near 150 mph. Irma was the most powerful storm to hit the Keys in over half a century.
Each number represents a mooring that had a boat attached before the storm.
Here is a picture showing the part of the mooring field that Pearl Lee is normally in, after the storm. Each number represents a mooring, and they were all full before the storm. Unfortunately the boat that occupied “our” mooring is gone.
So, how’d we do? Approximately 80% of the boats in Boot Key Harbor were total losses. Many of our friends and neighbors, on water and land, lost everything.
Our second Pearl Lee sighting came when NOAA released satellite images of the area.
Pearl Lee survived with no structural damage. Our port side has a lot of paint rubbed off from the mangroves Hurricane Irma pushed us against. A mangrove branch punched out a portlight (window) in our head (bathroom) and damaged the headliner. A lifeline stanchion was ripped out by pushing against the mangroves as our boat heeled (leaned) in the wind. Our bow mounted fender holders were bent, but repairable. One was ripped off and I found it six feet away on a mangrove branch. We found scuffs of her bottom paint on mangrove branches five feet above the water. All in all, I’ll give us a B+.
We broadcast live video of our return to our Facebook friends. You can see that video here.
What we did right
We had a hurricane preparation plan in advance. We made our plans when we were calm and had plenty of time. Part of that was scouting out locations, so we knew where to find shelter and enough water depth.
Once our decision was made we didn’t look to see what everyone else was doing. Confident in our plans and abilities, we moved ahead rather than relying on group think.
We were educated, if inexperienced. Literally decades of research, plus talking to hurricane survivors gave us the confidence to make a plan and stick to it, regardless of what those around us were doing. Still, imagine how we felt doing things we’d never done before that we hoped would save our home.
Our only concern was hurricane preparation and we believe there is no such thing as overkill. After the hurricane, we never said, “I wish we hadn’t done so much hurricane preparation.”
We were scared. Fear is a great motivator, and I think it was an asset. We didn’t bother listening to the people saying it wouldn’t amount to much, we acted quickly and thoroughly to save our home.
The aftermath
Just after climbing aboard I made this short video of the apparent damage. We had not yet found the broken port, and the port side of Pearl Lee was still against the mangroves.
What we would do different
Pack our bags before taking the boat apart. Once we stuffed all the equipment from above deck down below, it became nearly impossible to access the things we needed.
Close our through hulls before disassembly. I’m also going to tie open four that are attached to our cockpit drains. In my haste, I closed one of those.
Keep our bottom and prop clean, even if we don’t plan to move. Ours was a bit fouled, and that can limit how far we can move the boat as well as effect our maneuvering ability.
We need more rope! We lost a couple 50′ dock lines over the last year, and I was slow in replacing them. I won’t let that happen again.
I’ll buy and set up spare anchor rodes (ropes) ready for our spare anchors. This would have allowed us to set a couple more anchors. I think that might have saved us some paint, or maybe not.
Our two bow anchors have 5/16″ chain making them very hard to set out with the dinghy due to weight. I really need to be set them from the mother ship before we tie in.
Full time cruisers and the government
We also learned that we are “abnormal” enough that government agencies can’t understand us. While we are self contained, making our own power, and with water and cooking gas for a month or more the county commissioners refused to let us back in until utilities were restored. This was nerve wracking, due to possibilities of damage that needed immediate attention, and looting. They finally let us, and all Marathon residents, back in a week after the storm. Five days after FDOT said the roads and bridges were passable.
Unfortunately at least one family lost their home/boat when it sank at their dock after the storm, but before they were allowed to return, due to no power to run the bilge pumps.
Why didn’t we take Pearl Lee and run?
That’s pretty simple. Hurricane Irma was a giant storm, hundreds of miles wide. All of Florida was within her possible path. Anywhere we ran, we risked running right into her teeth, and in unfamiliar territory. Pearl Lee goes about 7 mph, and at that point Hurricane Irma was traveling at 15 mph. Outrunning the storm just wasn’t possible for us.
How did you know where to put Pearl Lee?
We made plans months ago. We spent a day exploring by dinghy, checking depths and scouting out locations. This way we knew exactly where we wanted to put Pearl Lee in the Boot Key Harbor area. We also identified backup spots in case someone beat us to our first choice. We even scouted some sites near Key Largo and a couple on the mainland.
Why didn’t you leave Pearl Lee on your mooring?
That’s a good question since Boot Key Harbor is the best protected anchorage in the keys, and the moorings here are hella strong. We knew with hundreds of boats moored, anchored and docked here, every one of them had the potential to break loose and turn into a battering ram. That was compounded by people who weren’t taking hurricane preparation as seriously as we did. Of course those battering rams can then break other boats free to be more battering rams. In fact, that type of chain reaction is exactly what happened, destroying boats and docks.
Would you change your hurricane preparation?
Apart from the lessons learned (above), no we wouldn’t. We’re satisfied that we did the right thing. Hurricane survival requires a bit of luck, but with good hurricane preparation, I still believe you can put the odds in your favor.
Paint damage from Hurricane Irma
Here’s a video, shot by friends, showing what Boot Key Harbor suffered. Keep in mind that most of these boats represent someone’s home, hopes and dreams. As you can see, our damage is comparatively trivial.
Although we have air conditioning on Pearl Lee, being a Frugal Boater, we don’t often go to marinas and don’t want to run the generator and air conditioner 24×7. Any HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) professional worth his salt will tell you that three factors affect our comfort. Air temperature, humidity and velocity. Without running the air conditioner we can’t control the first two, so let’s work on the third, velocity.
Ventilation is the key
Pearl Lee has four hatches and 21 opening ports, all with screens. In the summer, inside temperature is rarely more than a degree or so warmer than the outside air, unless we have to close up due to rain. When there is just a light breeze our Davis Windscoop helps a lot.
Oscillating fan
We also have fans, lots of them. We’ve installed seven of these little oscillating fans in strategic locations. We have two more that clamp on for temporary use. They work well, even though they only have one speed, but the oscillating action can be turned on or off. Our oldest fans are about 5 years old, with one year of full time living aboard, and still going. We also have a 10″ O2Cool fan in each stateroom. They work well, but I can’t recommend them because a recent revision has made them 9 volt fans instead of the older 12 volt model.
The big fan
Frugal Boater Hatch Fan
Our biggest problem was a lack of ventilation where we sleep, the aft stateroom. Hatch airflow is mostly blocked by the cockpit and mizzen mast. Although there are six opening ports, they don’t catch much breeze either. So, inspired by another cruiser, I built this hatch fan.
It’s a 16″ radiator “pusher” fan rated at 1400 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) of airflow. That’s a lot of air, but at the price of noise and power (about 10 amps). So I added a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller. This little device controls fan speed by turning power on and off 15,000 times per second. Speed is controlled by regulating the ratio of “on” time vs “off”. The box is just a plastic project box, shown here open. I drilled the side holes for ventilation because PWM’s do give off a little heat.
Fan speed control
With the fan dialed back from “landing helicopter” to “pleasant breeze” the fan only draws about one amp and is whisper quiet. We can dial in any speed we like, and even flip the whole thing over for use as a whole boat exhaust fan. Our retractable internal screen still works, so bugs stay out.
Hatch fan installed
We use a two conductor trailer plug for quick connect/disconnect, and the entire thing can easily be deployed from inside the boat. One last tip, when buying from Advance Auto Parts you can usually get a discount by purchasing online and then picking up the order (often right away) at your local store.
Here’s to summer breezes, both natural and artificial!
On Pearl Lee we make our own electricity, mostly from solar power. Occasionally we found ourselves falling a bit short of our needs and supplementing our solar power with a generator. This was mainly during the short days of winter, but also during periods of high use. We don’t have an “electricity budget” as many cruisers do. My goal is to have enough solar power without any worries. Hence, Pearl Lee Solar (PLS) 2.0.
Our PLS 1.0 configuration consisted of two Hyundai 280 watt solar panels wired in series and mounted on our dinghy davits (hanging over the back of the boat). Power from these went through a Midnite Solar Classic 150 controller which charged our eight golf cart batteries with nearly 900 amp hour capacity.
Upgrade via addition
Bimini mounted panels
We found a solar panel dealer in Miami with very competitive prices, so for PLS 2.0 we decided to add two Suniva 280 watt panels. Bonus, our Suniva panels were made in the USA. The new panels are mono-crystalline, 60 cell panels to match our Hyundai’s as closely as possible. They look different because the backing material is black instead of white.
Frugal Boater mounts
Stainless steel mounts
Initially my plan was to mount these over our bimini (canvas cockpit cover). The problem I ran into was the mounts to do that would raise the panels dangerously close to the boom, and cost as much as the panels themselves. While searching for a Frugal Boater solution, I found some very reasonable mounts at McMaster Carr. This meant removing the canvas and using the solar panels themselves as a hardtop. Pro tip: When drilling the frame slide a piece of scrap between the frame and panel to avoid hitting the panel when your drill breaks through.
This location is impossible to keep in full sun throughout the day, so our goal was a 50% increase in electricity production. Early results are showing a bit more. We pull our boom to the side when anchored to eliminate the major shade.
Aluminum angle
The mounts worked great for us and the panels went on easily. Due to the curve of the top bows, I added some inner rails made from aluminum angle to support the outboard edges where I wanted them. They’re cambered a bit for rain runoff.
Wiring
Maxed out Midnite Classic
Wiring was pretty straight forward, I wired the new panels in series and the new and old strings in parallel. This may not be optimal, but it’s the best our present controller, a Midnite Solar Classic 150, can do.
We’re still working out some aesthetic details like properly joining the panels to our dodger (canvas cover/windshield at the front of the cockpit). I’m also planning to extend the sides out and down a bit to mimic the protection our canvas bimini gave us.
The underside
Pearl Lee Solar 2.0 is working well, but needs a few finishing details. Stay tuned.
You’ll need a charge controller with all but the smallest of solar panels. A charge controller goes between the solar panels and the batteries. It’s job is to limit, or control, the power your panels put into your batteries. This keeps you from destroying expensive batteries by overcharging. There are two types charge controllers.
PWM Solar Charge Controller
Morning Star PWM controller
Power Width Modulation (PWM) controllers are relatively inexpensive, but may not be the best choice for a Frugal Boater. They work by literally switching your panels on and off very rapidly. That works fine as long as your panel voltage is fairly close to your battery voltage. If you’re a weekend boater who just wants a small panel to keep your battery topped up while you’re away, a PWM solar charge controller might do the job. Using a PWM controller will limit the size panels you can use because they don’t have the capability to change the voltage, only turn it on and off.
MPPT Solar Charge Controller
Midnite Solar Classic
Multi Power Point Tracking (MPPT) charge controllers are a big step up in performance and price. This one is from Midnite Solar. These controllers actually adjust voltage/current in an attempt to wring the most power out of your panels. They also have the capability to step the panel voltage down to whatever your batteries need. An MPPT controller takes the 60 volts coming in from our panels and steps it down to our battery charging voltage (around 13.5). When the voltage comes down the amps go up, so very little power is lost in the controller.
Beware of cheap “MPPT” found on Ebay and the like. Some are actually PWM controllers with “MPPT” printed on them. Since the charge controller is the heart of your system, and could prove dangerous to you and your batteries, it’s best to stick with a quality unit from a reputable manufacturer.
Optimizers
A standard system with one MPPT controller is striving to optimize all panels. That means that during partial shading some of your panels are running higher and some lower than optimum. None of your panels are really performing their best because the controller is working with an average. MPPT optimizers on each panel can be useful in environments like our sailboats where partial shading is unavoidable. Obviously no two systems and shade scenarios are identical, but tests with optimizers show that during partial shading power output can be increased by 15-25%. If your out of space on your sailboat these can wring a bit more solar power out of your system.
Multiple solar charge controllers
Victron Smart Solar
Alternatively, you could use a series of smaller, networked MPPT controllers, one for each solar panel. This example is from Victron. This does the same thing as optimizers and as prices continue to drop on these controllers it may be more cost effective. Be sure that your controllers are meant to work this way, so that they can coordinate battery charging between them.
A solar panel converts solar energy to electricity. Solar panels are made up of a collection of silicon wafers called “cells”, wired internally to get the required power and voltage. Ideally, every solar panel in your system should be exactly the same. In our case they are not, but they’re “close enough” since our old and new panels are all 280 watt, 60 cell panels. If you’re in Florida, I recommend shopping for your solar panels at Sun Electronics in Miami for great prices and selection.
We were forced to mix panels since we didn’t buy all four at the same time. Since we use one large controller we had to pay close attention to Open Circuit Voltage (Voc), Short Circuit Voltage (Isc), Maximum Power Point (Pmax), Max Power Point Voltage (Vmpp) and Max Power Point Current (Impp), matching them as closely as possible. If we had been building a system using smaller, networked controllers it wouldn’t be quite as important, but still a good idea.
Shade is bad
Our davit mounted panels
While we might think a little spot of shade on the corner of a panel, or a thin line of shade from a rope doesn’t matter, it can drop power output significantly. This is because the voltage of our shaded cells drops, rendering them nearly useless. In older panels this shaded area can actually suck power from the sunny cells. Luckily for us, newer panels have bypass diodes that bypass the shaded area. The bad news is panels have only three or four bypass diodes. That means even a small shadow can result in us losing a quarter to a third of our output from that panel. This is a big problem on our sailboat, Pearl Lee. With two masts and rigging casting shadows there is almost always some shade.
We use mono-crystalline panels because they perform slightly better under less than ideal conditions. You can recognize mono panels because you can see the individual cells which are actually thin slices of a silicon ingot. Multi-crystalline panels are poured, so the entire panel will be one continuous sheet of silicon. The performance difference is pretty slight, but it’s there.
Aim if possible
Ideally, our solar panels should be at a right angle to the sun’s rays. Doing so let’s us gather maximum solar energy per square inch of panel. Static installations on land can easily approximate this, but on our moving boat it’s quite a challenge. I’ve seen a few articulated panels, but to be effective they take some baby sitting. Most boaters just deal with less output from fixed horizontal panels. I find a slight pitch helps them self clean when it rains.
Wiring choices
We usually wire solar panels in series (+ to -, – to +) to create “strings”. By wiring in series, we increase voltage, but not amps. That lets us use thinner wiring so it’s cheaper and easier to install. A side benefit is that the higher voltage our controller can start charging our batteries earlier in the morning and keep charging later in the evening. Although there used to be problems with shade on one panel having a negative impact on the entire string, bypass diodes mitigate that issue. We wire the strings in parallel (+ to +, – to -) at the charge controller to keep voltage at manageable levels.
We started our trip from Racine, Wisconsin to Mobile, Alabama with some trepidation about going through locks. After a lot of reading, we still had some lock anxiety. All that melted away after a few, and now we think we have a pretty good idea what we’re doing.
After going through more than 20 locks as high as 57 feet, we think we have it down. I hope this helps ease your anxiety.
Tom keeping the bow off the wall
Step One: Call the Lock Master. Never assume he knows your intentions. It’s best to call as far ahead as possible. If he’s busy with barge traffic, he’ll let you know and you can slow down or stop for lunch. Sometimes he’ll say “come on ahead, I’ll have it ready for you”. Either way you save time and fuel. Important: All crew on deck must wear personal flotation devices (PFD’s). I also recommend a Cubs hat.
Floating bollards make things easy
Step Two: You will also know by now if there’s a required side to tie on. Usually they let us tie on either side, so we took our preferred starboard tie. Have plenty of fenders out and just loop your midship line over the bollard. Do not tie to the bollard, just put your line around it and back to the boat. This is a floating bollard which floats down, or up in its channel as you move. Keep an eye on it and be ready to release your line in case it jams. Ours never had a problem. We only had two locks with fixed bollards during the trip. In that case you have to adjust your line as the boat goes up or down. Floating bollards are easier, but even the fixed type aren’t really a challenge, they just take more attention during the process.
Kristi at the bow
Step Three: The lock master will close the doors behind you, and signal when the water level is about to begin changing. This is all done with valves and all you do is tend your boat. Here you see Kristi using a boat hook to keep our boat straight. I’m doing the same at the stern. This is necessary because our sailboat tapers at both ends. Boats with straighter sides tend to lay along the wall better.
Almost ready to leave
Step Four: After the giant whirlpool stops… Just kidding! It’s really not very dramatic, the water level just slowly goes up or down and you float with it. Depending on several factors this takes around 10 – 20 minutes in most cases. When the doors open in front of you wait for the lock master’s signal that it’s safe to move. If you’re sharing the lock it’s simply first in, first out unless you’ve made other arrangements. If a faster boat comes in behind us, we usually call them on the radio and offer to let them exit ahead of us. There typically is some turbulence on the downstream side, but it’s not terrible. Just power through it and go on to the next lock.
Here’s a look around just after we dropped 31 feet. You can see the grooves the floating bollards slide in, as well as fixed bollards along the wall.
I always half expect King Kong to be on the other side of these doors.
And finally, a boater who obviously did it wrong. Just follow the simple rules above and you can avoid this.
Bonus Step Five: Your fenders will get very dirty in the locks. Barkeeper’s Friend will clean them very efficiently.
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