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Front panel is in!

March 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I am not a woodworker, so most of my modifications to Jammy where design is involved has been to remove something made of wood, and somehow mount an instrument, device, or otherwise with some sort of industrial setup.

When I embarked upon re-doing my entire network on the boat to NMEA 2000, I made the choice to produce a better navigation station, including front panels.  After searching around, I found Front Panel Express online, which just happens to be a local Seattle company.  Several other folks had suggested them as well, although none of them had actually ordered anything from them.

The first step is to download their Front Panel Designer software, and then start designing your panel.  It’s pretty intuitive and easy to use, and even allows you to click a button and see how much the panel is going to cost you.  I used a combination of manufacturer mounting templates and measurements to figure out how to get everything I wanted on my panel.  This included my Simrad NSS7 chart plotter, Vesper WatchMate 850 AIS unit, mic holder for my VHF radio, Fusion WR600 stereo remote, NMEA 2000 connector, and three BlueSea Systems switches.

Screen Shot 2012-03-31 at 9.47.28 PM

Once the design is fine tuned, you simply click on a button and start the ordering process, which takes just a few minutes, and you’re done!  They have a decent online system to check your order as well, and you can see it move through the process:

Screen Shot 2012-03-29 at 7.51.57 PM

I chose 3MM black anodized aluminum for my panel.  This is the first of three panels in the area, with the other two being far simpler.  I am very pleased with how it turned out.  The text is easy to read, everything fits perfectly and is held in securely.  I like the black as it makes the instruments sort of float on the panel, and the switches will look great when I get power to them.  It’s also at a slight angle tilted back so that from the cockpit door, I can see the instruments without bending down too far.

I’ll post some better photos in a few days – these are iPhone quality… sorry.

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When building this panel, I took a cue from Steven Roberts of microship.com who has built panels and enclosures for his many adventures and systems, and always had a way to hinge them open for serviceability, something I am keen on as well.  I haven’t completed the mechanism for holding the panel in quite yet, but in the picture below you can see it hinging open.  The cables inside are not completed yet either – I’m a bit of a fanatic about cable ties and neatness.  I used a stainless steel marine hinge on the bottom with holes 2″ on center.  It was extremely flat, and allows for the panel to hinge out for access.

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The panel is extremely strong, looks great, and fits all of my components perfectly.  I highly recommend Front Panel Express for this sort of work.  A few tips, though:

  • DO NOT rely on manufacturer measurements or templates.  Always start with their recommendations, and measure the real device.  Several of mine were dead wrong.
  • The designer is absolute down to sub-millimeter accuracy – add some slack for components that are harder to get in and out.  Although you can use appropriate tools to shave off a bit, it’s messy and can also mess up your anodization.

I have a few other places, including my cockpit navigation pod, that need new panels, and will be using Front Panel Express to create those as well.  Now back to the NMEA 2000 network final tasks and wiring…

Filed Under: electronics, Uncategorized

SeaSmart.net WiFi Gateway initial impressions

March 19, 2012 By 2 Comments

I’ve been working on finishing off my NMEA 2000 network for the last year or two, and one of the pieces I wanted to have in it was something that could slurp up all of the data on the network and make it available via TCP to other devices.  I had initially decided that I would have to use something like an ActiSense NGT-1 and a Linux system to do this myself, but then I saw posts on Panbo about the Chetco SeaSmart.net gateways.

TCP/IP setup

A few weeks ago I finally got around to getting one, and have been pleasantly surprised.  There are still some rough edges that are being worked through, but overall the concept is a great one.  In the picture above you can see my iPhone connecting to the SeaSmart adapter and streaming NMEA 2000 PGN’s directly into iNavX.  I can do this while on board, or based on my router/firewall configuration, while I’m anywhere in the world if I just happen to want to check on what’s going on.  You can check out more on how to configure iNavX with SeaSmart here on iNavX’s site.

I’ve designed my N2K system to have a portion of the bus that is always on 24×7 for monitoring purposes.  My end goal is to have some of this equipment, perhaps the SeaSmart adapter, monitored and scripted in such a way that I get emails when certain things happen – bilge pump goes on, fire alarm fails, etc.

Chetco WiFi Adapter

The unit itself is compact and well made, and includes an indicator light to let you know when it’s up and running and on your WiFi network, antenna, N2K connector (somewhat proprietary unfortunately) and a USB/Serial port for diagnostics and local use.  Configuration is documented on their website, and they have great support in their forums.

Once up and running, I can see various instruments, as you can see from the below, as well as charts.

iPhone instruments

Here’s an example of my iPad showing charts, including the plethora of AIS targets in the local area.

iPad Chart Closeup

I’m using Navionics Gold charts with iNavX – I highly recommend purchasing the charts for iNavX instead of using the standard NOAA raster charts, as they require you change charts for clarity (just like flopping around paper charts) depending on the area you want to see.  Navionics Gold charts can be acquired through X-Traverse.

Below is the SeaSmart main web interface showing some info from my Maretron battery sensor. You’ll note there is still some adjustments to do to get everything happy. I don’t think I have that many amps heading out of my batteries – if I do I’m probably in trouble!

Battery info

I will be posting more in the future about my plans to stream this data back to a central place and analyze it, as well as updates and changes to the system itself.  I also have an ActiSense NGT-1 connected to a Linux box that is streaming similar information, but that’s a post for another day…

Filed Under: electronics, sailing

BlueSea Terminal Fuse Block, a great innovation

February 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This weekend I am replacing all three batteries on the boat as a result of damage from a crappy battery charger.  I’m taking the opportunity to replace all of the old battery wires, simplify things, and add some redundancy, which I’ll hopefully post about here later.  

In redesigning the battery wiring, I came across a really great product from BlueSea called the Terminal Fuse Block.  It comes in a single or double configuration, and mounts on the existing battery terminal, providing you with high current protection in limited space.

I don’t have a lot of space where my house bank is located, and this is an absolute life saver.

The whole assembly is very well made, as is usual with BlueSea, and fits right onto the existing battery terminal.  You can get marine rated battery fuses (MRBF) from 30-300 AMPs which simply drop onto the added studs, and are very easy to see – both the label and whether it’s been tripped.  As always, you should make sure you size your fuses and wire correctly for the application at hand.

The fuses have exposed conductors on the top and bottom that contact very well.  The whole thing is protected by a rubber cover.

This will allow me to have appropriate fusing and protection with a huge amount of space savings.

Filed Under: electronics, sailing

When power goes wrong

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Yesterday I made a trip down to the sailboat to do a few things, and when I arrived, I noticed that I didn’t have any shore power.  Additionally, the main A/C breaker panel indicated a reverse polarity situation.  I immediately disconnected the A/C panel from shore power via the breaker, and went outside to the plug to see what had happened.

As you can see from the picture, it’s pretty clear why A/C power was interrupted.  After a bit of sleuthing, I determined that the socket that the shore power plug was connected into was full of water.  I believe the water caused a short which then resulted in what you see in the picture.

The main breaker in the boat did trip when this happened, so everything was safe, but it’s a bit strange it caused so much damage to the plug and socket.  It should have likely tripped earlier, so I’ll be thinking/investigating the current boat-side breaker to see if there’s a better solution.

The other worrisome situation was that my BlueSea VSM (used to monitor battery health, A/C power, and tank levels) was acting up.  It also reported low voltage conditions on one of my batteries, which only a few days before had reported healthy.  These were new in the last 2 years AGM batteries that should last a long time.

I decided to use the SmartPlug system when replacing my damaged plug and socket – specifically their 30 AMP solution that includes a new plug end and socket.

It took about an hour to install, which was mostly because my shore power cord is slightly bigger than normal, and getting the new plug on was an exercise in strength.  Once that was set, I had A/C power back and waited while the battery charger started bringing life back to the batteries.  Right around that time, the BlueSea VSM stopped displaying vital information and flashed on it’s screen:

No firmware image found.  Waiting for download.

So back to using the handheld meter to check on things.  The rest of the afternoon and evening the battery charger worked long and hard and had the batteries back to their normal selves late in the evening.  From other visual inspections of almost the entire A/C wiring (whew!) I did not see any other damage, and everything else on the battery side seems to be OK as well.

I contacted BlueSea on Sunday via email, and on Monday morning they returned the email saying they would be glad to ship out a replacement, and that this rarely happens, and they’d like to see the broken unit.  Very helpful and quick – I hope to have the new one very soon.

I had read a lot about the SmartPlug system, but never really thought there was anything that wrong with my current system that warranted the $200 price for the plug and socket.  I’m glad nothing was badly damaged, and can sleep soundly now that I’ve installed SmartPlug.  It’s a very well designed system, with little chance of a repeat of what happened.  Sealed in several ways, positive locking, and a lot more metal on metal contact, it’s well worth the investment, and I would suggest anyone upgrade immediately to prevent things like what happened to me.

 

 

Filed Under: electronics, sailing

First sail of the year and a swim

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

On Saturday, it looked really nice out on the water near our place on the island, so I decided to go out in my dinghy for the first time this year.  It just so happened that it was opening day of boating season.  There was a small craft advisory up, but nearly ready to expire, and the water was very calm as far as I could see in my sailing area.  Further up the channel there were whitecaps.

My dinghy is an 8' Walker Bay with the performance sail kit, which includes inflatable RIB pontoons on the sides of the dinghy.  I sailed it a bunch of times last season, and was always able to get out of any problems I got into, and ended up sailing pretty fast a number of times. 

This time around, it wasn't so fun.  After departing the beach, a friend was watching me, and I got out a couple of hundred feet when the wind kicked up a bit.  I adjusted the sail, and dropped the centerboard in, got down in the bottom of the boat to drop my center of gravity, and got ready to work the boat upwind – the wind was coming from the north.

Before I could even get settled, a huge gust caught me – I remember seeing the water and really tiny ripples everywhere with water flying off of the top.  I let the main sheet go and started leaning to get the nose pointed into the wind, but it was too late – the wind kept getting stronger very fast.

I don't remember which way the boat tipped over, or which way the sail was pointing – I just remember doing everything I could to keep things from getting worse, and when I knew there was nothing left to do, I got myself free of any lines or part of the boat and got ready to get wet.  

The water was about 46 degrees, and it was about 50 outside, so it didn't really feel that much colder when I hit the water.  I was wearing jeans, three shirts, rubber boots, and a life vest.  I did get hung up a bit in the mainsail as the boat went over.  It ended up going completely over and the mast hung up on the bottom – even though I was about a 1/4 mile out from the beach, it was still shallow.  I could see the bottom and the sail stuck in the mud, and the boat was relatively stable, albeit upside-down.  

My friend on the beach was asking if I needed help, and I said "yes" after trying to move the boat around a bit.  I knew the tide was still going out at least for another 30 minutes, so I was worried things would be stuck for a while.  He immediately ran up the beach and started to get his kayak ready to come out to me.  Meanwhile, the rudder popped loose and started floating away, so I rescued that, and then climbed up on the hull of the boat and hung onto the centerboard, resting a bit and waiting for my friend to arrive.

Once he arrived, I transferred the rudder to him, and then after moving the hull to point into the wind, was able to get the mast un-stuck from the bottom.  It was fairly easy to get it back upright, but the boat was filled almost to the top with water.  Really the only thing keeping it floating was the RIB pontoons.  I jumped in, secured a bunch of stuff floating around, and started to bail using my boot.  

At this point, I figure I had been in the water for about 10 minutes.  It wasn't too cold yet.  The wind was still gusting, and I was able to get the sail loose so I didn't go over again, but the bigger problem was the waves and the fact that the boat was filled with water.  I transferred a 10lb anchor to my friends kayak, and continued baling.  After doing this for a while, with him yanking me in a bit, and eventually just rowing for a while, I was able to get to shore.  Dumping out the water was pretty quick, and then securing the sail completely only took a few minutes.  I would estimate I'd been in the water and in the water in my boat for about 20 minutes by now.  

We were a few hundred feet down the beach from our house, so I walked the boat back through the water (I was already wet anyhow) and helped secure it along with help from my friend.  I got up to the house and immediately jumped in the shower – probably at about 30 minutes now, and definitely shaking a little bit from the cold water.  I warmed up over the next hour, but was very worn out after the adrenaline and working to get things secured.  

Here are a few things I'll be doing differently the next time I go out:

Better floating radio – the radio I was carrying wasn't attached to me, and although it floats a bit, it isn't designed to be underwater as long as it was while the boat was overturned.  I have also never been able to get it to stay attached to me no matter what I do.  I have a different radio on my big sailboat that floats much better, and can be attached better as well.  I'll be using this from now on so I can make sure I can get in contact with someone in the even this happens in the future, and a friend isn't standing on shore!

Less layers and better boots – the layers of clothing I had on were quite heavy while I was in the water, and didn't really help when they were dry.  I've tried to find a better lightweight sailing coat of some sort, and now I'll definitely investigate a better solution.  The boots I was wearing were 12" high or so, and useful for getting off of the beach without getting wet, but were nearly useless while in the water.  They kept coming off.  

Whale pump in the boat – I used to carry one of these, and couldn't find it for the last few outings.  I'll always make sure I have one from now on in case I need to empty the boat.

One thing I'm still considering is the life jacket – I had a kayak-style lifejacket on which doesn't require any inflation or the like.  However, it was a bit restrictive when trying to move around and get the boat righted.  I think I'll look at some newer designs that might be easier to move in, but still be as bouyant as the existing one.

The only "damage" was the socket that the main mast was in popped out of it's mountings, and bent some plastic, which I was able to push back together – everything looks solid and stable.  I of course, lost a little of my pride, and got a little cold, but I'm glad I'm safe!  I'll try again next weekend!

Filed Under: sailing

Not a lot of sailing this year…

September 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

So far this year I've only really sailed once, which was about 2 weeks ago.  Before then, I took the boat up to Seaview to have it hauled, painted, etc. but I don't count that since it was a "business trip".  

And I'm sort of worried about going out right now because of my trip 2 weeks ago.  The short story is that I think I ate something really bad.  Combine that with 3ft waves and 20-25kt winds, and me getting seasick easy, and things went south quickly.  

I ended up getting to Blake Island (north side moorings) and stopping to check some gear, when I started getting very, very sick.  That was at 2pm on a Sunday.  By 8pm I was really, really bad off.  I remember talking to some friends and feeling like I was drunk.  I was so weak and horribly sick that I couldn't even stand.  

So I stayed the night on the mooring, drank lots of water, ate nothing at all, slept very little, and left at around 7am on Monday morning.  I motored home, slept at the slip for an hour, and then went home and slept for the rest of the day.  

It still took almost a full week before I felt right.  I had to eat carefully….  I think it was food poisoning.  If you think you might want to eat something from Moveable Feast, especially their Mushroom Burrito (yes I should have known!) you might not want to…

Anyhow, the memory of that whole evening/night still haunt me every time I think about going back out.  I hope it will fade…

Filed Under: sailing Tagged With: , ,

Parker fuel polishing system installed

August 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A while ago I wrote about the Parker Fuel Polishing module that I found and purchased.  I finally had the time a week ago to finish my design and install it.  So far, I'm very pleased with it, although I appear to have a potential leak in one of my splices…

DSC00135

The whole installation took me about 3 hours, most of which was laying in odd positions and searching for tools that I had dropped or misplaced – the usual delays and challenges on any boat project.  In the picture above, you can see the pump, Racor fuel filter, and all of the fuel hose coming and going.  The fuel filter was already mounted in the current location, so it was relatively easy to install.

You can see the fuel line from the tank going into the Racor filter.  Behind the filter, a new fuel pipe connects the outflow to the inlet of the fuel polisher pump.  On the top of the pump is the new line I installed that goes back to the fuel return line (not in the picture) and into a tee that I installed into it.  The polished fuel returns to the tank via that line.  The final pipe leaving the pump heads out to the engine fuel pump.

DSC00142 In addition to the pump installation, I also purchased the Programmable Controller that allows for very detailed scheduling of fuel polishing – far more granularity than I needed.  I ended up running four cycles of 2 hours every day, giving me 8 hours of polishing.  This might be overkill on a 10 gallon tank of diesel, but I suppose it's not really doing any harm – it's not like it would wear the fuel out!

The controller is mounted quite a ways away from the pump, and it has a really watertight glass and machined aluminum cover (not on in the picture) that will keep it very safe and dry.

So far, the polisher has been running for a few days – I've checked on it several times to make sure there aren't any major leaks.  I can hear the fuel being returned into the main tank so I know it's working.  We'll see if this will end up solving some of the fuel problems I had in the past – I believe it will.  I also think it will require that I change the Racor filter more often, but that's OK too – I'd rather have good quality fuel.

The one concern is that the tee I used to connect into the existing fuel return line might be leaking.  Per my research, I used teflon pipe tape on all of my brass/bronze fittings.   For the tee, I used a bronze fitting, and then three 3/8" brass pipe connectors and clamps.  All three of the connectors have teflon tape around their threads – only one layer – I read that more than that can cause leaks/problems.   Nevertheless, I can see the edge of some of the pipe tape on one of the connections, and it appears to be soaking up diesel fuel.  I have not seen any leaks or anything else, but if the diesel has miscolored the teflon, I would imagine over time it is going to leak.

Should I have used something other than this quite large hunk of metal parts as a tee?  I looked high and low for a one part tee for a fuel line, and couldn't find anything.  I did a bunch of research, and came up with my current solution.  I'll keep an eye on it, but if anyone has suggestions, they would be appreciated.

I'll follow up in a while on how the polishing is going.

Filed Under: engine, sailing Tagged With: , ,

Fuel polishing

May 14, 2010 By 4 Comments

For a while I have been searching for a solution to polish my fuel on the sailboat.  My motivation stemmed from one harrowing sail which I wrote about where dirt caused the engine to fail, and two other times where I've had to deal with the fuel filter at inopportune times – just when you need the engine the most as it always seems!
Most of the systems I've looked at before are far too complicated, or require a huge amount of space.  One I've always admired is the Filter Boss from KTI Systems – it allows you to switch fuel filters on the fly with the engine still running.  While it's primary purpose is to have filter redundancy, there are also ways of configuring it to provide fuel polishing.
Besides the space required, many of the other systems require a separate fuel polishing loop, which I also wanted to avoid.  Due to space constraints when my engine was redone, the filter was placed on the opposite side of the boat from the fuel tank.  Adding another fuel filter and loop just for polishing has never really been an option due to space and connections into my existing tank.
Recently I was reading online and found Parker Fuel Polishing.  After reviewing various sources online and reading a lot of material about their systems, I ordered their FPM-050 Fuel Polishing Module, and Programmable Timer.  Their system is much smaller (one small pump) and it can be used in-line.  I liked this approach since by default it's left in an open state, allowing fuel to flow through, when it's not in use.  Combine that with the Programmable Timer, and you have a really good system that will pull fuel through while you're not using the engine, and keep it in good shape for when you need it.
I think this system will be good to keep the fuel clean and usable while using the existing filter and system, and not requiring a huge amount of new equipment and space.
More after it's installed…

Filed Under: engine, sailing

Collinite – magic stuff for boats

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I've been through a lot of different waxes and treatments for boats that always seem to take forever to apply, or have some catch.  I recently had my boat out of the water, and the cockpit and rest of the deck really needed some help after having been exposed to the elements for a year without much other than the usual wash down.
Enter Collinite – I saw this stuff at Fisheries Supply and read a bunch about it online.  I started with Fiberglass Boat Cleaner No. 920 and then applied Paste Fleetwax No. 885.
The Boat Cleaner is designed to strip away any discoloration and restore the gelcoat – it was nearly instantaneous, and very easy to do.  I started by using a paper towel to apply it, and then a clean one to wipe it off, which brought with it a lot of dirt and cleared out the "pores" of the fiberglass.  I ended up using a stiff brush as the project progressed, and paper towels to clean it up once the brush loosened up things.
It took a fraction of the time for this part than any of the other systems I've used, and the fiberglass looked amazing, even at this stage.
The Paste Fleetwax is really thick stuff, and is really easy to apply as well.  Wipe on, let it dry a bit, and then buff it to a shine.  It really seems to work well with the Fiberglass Boat Cleaner to form a very tough shell.
All in all, it still took a good solid day to do all of the top of the boat, but I spent a long, long time in the cockpit doing every last inch of it – even in the corners and such, which I didn't do with previous solutions.
The only issue was that for the first day or so, any surface that had been waxed was AMAZINGLY slippery – very dangerous – far more slippery than anything I had ever seen.  Since I waxed all of the non-slip tread as well, it made for a very difficult time moving around the boat.
Since the treatment, things have continued to look really good.  I am waiting to see how it looks over the summer and with use.  Definitely would recommend their products for ease of use and initial quality.

Filed Under: cleaning, sailing

Yearly haul out

April 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

This last week I finished off a bunch of work on the sailboat and it was re-floated after the bottom was painted (them), topsides were waxed (me), and hull was waxed (them).  There was a bunch of work on thru-hulls to make sure they were safe – we found one that was not even clamped on the far end!
Jammy PSS shaft seal The big job was removing the shaft and propeller and replacing the PSS shaft seal that had been there since who-knows-when.  As far as we could tell, the old one was so old it was made of some sort of rubber and didn't have much spring left in it, which is important in it's operation.  The most annoying thing was at low idle, when a loud banging noise was produced.
I originally wrote about this back in 2008 right after my new engine was put in.  The noise never got any better than that visit, and it was still really loud and annoying.  My bigger worry was what it was doing to the shaft, shaft log, and anything else.
The good news is that it appears to have been the PSS – replacing it with a modern one has resulted in virtually no noise at idle.  And, the guy who did the repair talked with Coastal Marine Engine, the place I had the new motor put in from, and they think adjusting the idle might help get rid of it completely.
Sadly, while I was in the boat yard, the folks who did the waxing found a lot of problems with my paint job on the hull.  The red stripes above and below the blue color are coming off rapidly, and look poorly painted.  The blue center section has a lot of patch jobs where the previous owner tried to match colors of paint, and failed miserably.  You can see it quite obviously in some of my close up pictures which I will post in a few days.
So, I'm faced with repainting things completely, which is pretty expensive, and requires removing the mast and all standing rigging so they can wheel the boat in and out of their paint sheds.  Seaview West, where I go, uses Alexseal paint which seems to have a good following – it's claim is that it is much easier to repair than Awlgrip and it's similar types, but still looks close to those types of paints.
I'm going to do a bit of research, as I don't plan on having her painted until November of this year, and hopefully I'll find exactly what I want, color, type, etc.  I also have engaged a friend in helping with the logo as that will have to be redone.
The good news is that the bottom looks in really good shape, and is ready for another couple of seasons in the water.  I intend on taking advantage of that this year!

Filed Under: cleaning, engine, sailing
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