these turbine alternaters are easy to make

Arrrr Boston - ignore the batteries and carry lots or wood chips and a device to chop up the "driftwood" and lumber you cut down??? the hold that holds your wood (fuel) is your battery...

 

seems like putting all your eggs in one basket
besides I need some to watch tv with and play the stereo
you dont think a small auxiliary is in order that little torquedo seemed perfect
it even flips up when not in use

and what electronics you planning on in your cat mate ?

and I did include the pellet mill its only $700

oh
and the idea behind the pellets is you cut down nothing it can all be made out of waste
sawdust
wood chips
straw
even corn silage or cat tails work great
there is even one pellet mill that you can just shove yard waste into

 

the wood only cost for the vessel is about $15,000
White Oak Cedar and Cherry traditional build plank on frame
with all the bits and pieces the drive train could end up $25,000

Hull cost is about 20% of the total, and dont forget 600 to 8000 man hours to put it together.

FF

 

do you include labor in that 20%
cause that hull looks easy to do





that hull just looks easy
and the putting together is the fun part Red
only thing Im really doing different with the hull is bilge keels so she will rest upright if I get in a pinch and for ease of cleaning
although she is pretty flat bottomed anyway and would likely sit just fine ( I might not even do the bilge keels depends on what the lines plan actually looks like )
and ya Im not just trying to figure out what is the most advantageous set up for the given purpose but also the relative cost when compared to standard diesel engines

I think you meant 6000 to 8000 hours
not even I can do that hull in 600 hours and Ive made a living off being dam fast ( 2500 sq ft house frame typically takes me one week four guys with a tolerance of 1/4 inch per room or joist length, wall height and depends on how cut up the house is )

question at this point is electronics and nav aids
whats a comfortable level of electronics in a boat like this
and what should that budget look like
Im going to guess about 10,000 would seem reasonable for two radios, four Eprb's minimum, a satellite tracking dome, nav and weather computer and the appropriate signal lights, spot light and horn

will have to go look some stuff up but any ideas on whats the more dependable manufacturers that wouldnt break the bank
I dont know Jack about electronics

 

No need for 4 epirbs as the new ones cost a fortune and in a life vest attach a small strobe light in a sealed container if you must - a healthy fear of being a MOB is sufficient incentive to ensure ones safety harness is attached to the boat whilst on deck. - - To stay with the boat is better than many other options unless the boat is heading for a berth at the bottom (as opposed to settling into a swamped status)...

A couple of cheap battery powered GPS (like a 'garmin 60') then a couple of radios VHF to handle close range marine shipping with preset duplex and simplex channels if going more remote, an HF set to get weather fax (in conjunction with a trusted computer for display) or a second VHF handheld for redundancy and with rechargable aa batteries as on the GPS and am/fm domestic radio receiver using batteries again.... All the paper charts for the region you are cruising, and other "ancient" marine navigational tools and tables according to your skills and needs... This would be a minimum in addition to the standard fitout for your boat... I am sure I have missed a lot - still half asleep, as baby grandson - 3yo - is staying with us and seems to never sleep or run out of energy

 

he's just trying to remind you to have a good time and dont let little things like sleep get in the way. You always want to look at things from the eyes of a child specially when you live with one otherwise you will forget were you came from.

Hmmm I kidna had an urge for one of those groovy displays I saw a while back. it had a chart with depth and hazards along with a blip that was you and one that was other shipping.
thing was mind bending cool
also you could set your destination on the thing and it would display a line to follow
kinda mindless actually but slick none the less
Ill go look it up and tell you what that thing was
my bet is it costs a fortune

the minimum electronics sounds cheaper than I thought
I guess a cheapo hand held GPS would do the trick if I wanted to go that way
that and the paper charts you mentioned

at least two on the EPRB's
I got a thing for being rescued
although it sounds like your telling me they are built into the survival suet's these days
and ya the life jackets and life boat would be in the safety equipment section of this analysis and Im going all out when it comes to that stuff
I want 2 survival suet's in each of two rafts fully stocked
boat will be + buoyancy so it will take a hell of a wreck to sink it

whats a sweet ( reproduction ) antique ships compass go for these days and who makes em

 

All severe oceanic losses/damage of recent reports 'in this neck of the woods' affirm that staying with your main boat where possible (it has not sunk - NOTE PAST TENSE use) as abandonment to swim or even life-raft is NO guarantee of survival... - I forgot radar - something about 18 to 24 miles with auto wake-up and set to search every 10 or 15 minutes and if it finds a target to set off an alarm... Especially near shipping lanes or where cruise ships/large trawlers operate as you cannot guarantee they are watching their radar and a reflector is of no value or assistance here... - Their radar will be set for bigger objects to stop false alarms sounding on clutter.... - work out range by adding 20knots to your max velocity and double the time to head on impact and mount the dome high enough to reliably reach that distance (say 30knot closing velocity, range = 15 miles then 15 minute auto search or more frequent to be 'on the safe side' for say a coastguard boat steaming at 30knots)

Just a modern compass, professionally "boxed" to make sure it points truely, one would be preferable as would come with "red night vision illumination" and better compensation set-up around steel/iron if necessary...

For cold waters - yes a survival suit with your name embroidered inside, and made for the wearer and no-one-else to use, or, an approved for the waters cruised inflatable PFD with whistle mirror & strobe light as would be easier to wear at all times whilst moving...

"trinkets" are a temptation, but is not boating an excuse to get away from the stuff that uselessly clutters our lives? and a desire to live simpler and back to nature?

 

oh I know all about staying with the boat no mater what
if its floating stick with it
tie a life raft onto it but go nowhere
that's why I want it +buoyancy
run down and cut in two I want that thing to float
both halves

hey I just found lines for that boat and also scantlings
dam easy build if you ask me
ribs are only 1.25 x 1.25 on 12" centers and the keel is only
ah I forgot but its like 4"x 12"? timber framed
Ill have to go look up the stringers and floors again but I got it all copied and saved thing was real straight forward frame over keel

 

keeping the thread on track again
I started with this
57' Elco



and I put some vawt generators on it thinking they would be enough if I had enough batteries and a conventional genset
but it was dam pricey and just not all that powerful in a pinch
there are those time when you run from a squall

so I went with steam

the latest best idea is a steam engine ($2,000) and a little machining ( pays to have friends who own machine shops )
200 hp 1050 ft/lb torque
two boilers converted to pellets (say another ($4,000) ( DIY plans can be had for $32 )
and a pellet mill to make the pellets from anything from hay and straw to wood pulp or corn stalks ($700) (might even catch me trying sea weed)
or $225 pr ton to buy and a boiler typically burns about 1 to 5 lbs an hour
in a boiler application Im guessing between 4-7 lbs and hour each boiler at ten knots
call it 11 lbs an hour or ~270 lbs a day

premium grade wood pellets put out around 8300 btu pr pound
diesel 130,500 btu pr gallon at 7.15 lbs per gallon thats 18,252btu per lb for 42C
at $3 gallon that works out to 435 btu per penny for diesel
at $225 a ton for pellets thats 8.89 lbs per $1 or .0889 lbs per penny
8300 btu x .0889 = pellets 738.0 btu per penny

holly ****
pellets are great

and for electricity while just sitting round



there are loads of DIY versions like this one that puts out 2,500 watts at about 13 amps and costs around $200 for bits and pieces call it $500 to do a sweat job of it



Im going with three Vawt generators 2500 watts each at 13 amps ( $500 each ) placed in line under the canopy augmenting one steam powered genset ($2500) and a battery pack of three gorilla batteries ($3,600) at 8 volts and 1150 amp hrs each and an auxiliary ( something to limp home with ) elec torquito 17hp (?)

Im estimating cost on engine and drive train at

2000 steam engine
4000 two boilers ( I could DIY em for half that )
700 pellet mill ( free fuel if I want to just make my own pellets )
1500 3 vawt Generators
2500 steam genset
3600 batteries
------
$14,700

and I still need a transmission, drive line, screw and a few other bits and pieces (the engine is reversible and the torque is insane so do I really need a trany if I use a large enough screw ?)

$14,700 not including the auxiliary torquido

with all the bits and pieces the drive train could end up $25,000

and my favorite part
free fuel
with the pellet mill any number of low or no cost fuel sources could be used to manufacture the pellets
or if Im feeling lazy I might just break down and spring the $225 on a bloody ton of fuel

the wood only cost for the vessel is about $15,000
White Oak Cedar and Cherry traditional build plank on frame


electronics


whats a comfortable level of electronics in a boat like this?
( time to go search some threads )

Im guessing 10,000 for a decent but not exorbitant system
2 GPS hand sets
3 radios ( dont care were I may be but I sure as hell would like to at least tell someone know if Im lost )
2 depth finders
I weather station with a decent sized screen
a satellite tracking system
a radar proximity alert system
wind vein auto pilot
fire alarm system
oxygen alarm system ( its a boiler thing )
air conditioning system
inverter
gauges and lights

what am I forgetting?

 

Why the satellite tracking system - fkcing expensive in $, energy and fees and for what?...

If you are building in wood then one depth sounder (electronic) with the transducer located on a bracket near the stern, or, of a pole that attaches forward a bit - not needed all the time... and a sounding rope (a small weight with regular knots to mark 6ft increments to about 30 ft for when the water is muddy and you cannot see the bottom and the electronics died - - redundancy)

"windvane-autopilot" with sails is feasible but will only hold a course relative to the wind and a wind change could put you on rocks in minutes and under power is not effective, and with abundant energy fit a balanced rudder and electric/electronic autopilot system -

fire alarm system $12.50 smoke detector from a hardware store or "help my clothes/hair is burning" , else an automatic extinguisher system is not cheap, - - but mandatory is several fire extinguishers and fire-blankets...

When anchored up for a night of rest, the usual is to look for a sheltered bay as constant rocking and rolling is not conducive to a romantic dinner and "sleep"... The sheltered anchorage will not be good for getting wind energy to make electricity so - stick with PV solar panels or make surplus and put it in batteries for when anchored up... - but if you love the spot and decide to stay for a few days (or the weather is nasty outside) - running the genset or main engine to charge batteries would rightly upset the neighbours...

Now nut out the sizes and power consumption etc.. of all your goodies - then start eliminating stuff savagely.... You are on about on page 4 of a BIG book - keep going....

 

You are forgetting pirate protection for night borders.

 

Opposite gender are never pirates so long as they are skinny-dipping will be assisted aboard... - others will then happily pay a "service" fee

 

the steam engines/ generators are pretty quiet, certainly quieter than the diesel ones and voltaic's are expensive break and are heavy

they're about $2000 last time I looked and a $100 a month subscription for the link
I need it for day trading and a decent connection weather and those perfect evenings in front of the tube slurping down a beer arm around the girl

wind veins they say there the best thing for sailing why not for motoring
Ill look into a tiller gps model and see what they cost

smoke detector might be peanuts but still its vital so I listed it
same thing with the oxygen sensor

ya this is kinda fun though
what I still need to do is cross ref the weight per btu in pellets/diesel
and see if it checks out

pirates eh
boarding alarm system I saw one of them when I was looking up nav stations

actual companies and devices would be good guys
what do you use and what did it cost
how well do you like it and so on
Im going to go hunt down some electronics threads

B

 

Just an ordinary domestic ir detector that points inward (so no false alarms as people pass by in their dingy to or from the jetty) and connect to a bloody LOUD screaming alarm set inside so the thief buggers off in pain and agony then you need a small hidden switch to deactivate it when you return "home" - and make sure the screaming stops once the thief has left - or 2 minutes after he/she has left.... Just a small pizeo 12v is beaut... - local "home electronics / security shop" - Tandy, Dick-Smith or whatever....

 

oh
I though it was some kind of fancy whatever
I got those here at the house
infra red detectors and a central alarm station no big deal
if its that primative I could modify outdoor intruder lights to sound an alarm with a timer although if I want it monitored I have to go with the system

who makes a decent radar system thats not going to cost a fortune