Solar, electrical, and mast crutch

[InertBert]

New mast crutch, inspired by others seen on this site.


15W solar panel mounted on the hatch.  I figured thats where I'm not going to be walking anyway, the trade-off is it has to move.  I mounted it on two wooden runners, shaved with a plane and rasp to fit the curve of the fiberglass.



My new electrical setup.  Breakers instead of fuses, onboard 110v charger, solar charge controller, digital volt meter, 12v accessory port, LED nav lights, hard wired trolling motor on 00Ga wire.  Still to do, interior lights, anchor light, bilge pump, compass install and light.

[Salty19]

I like your electrical setup, but don't care much for the crutch.  Doesn't leave much room to keep the tiller from getting banged up.  Maybe notch it out and put some padding in??

[InertBert]

I think you're right about that.  I will probably cut a notch to keep the tiller and then drill big holes to hook bungees into to hold the tiller in the notch.  I'll probably paint the whole thing with some white spray enamel and then glue some pipe insulation around the notches for the mast and the tiller.  Its always a work in progress.

Btw, I just got the ritchie dash mount compass in the mail today.  I will be drilling a giant hole in the boat tomorrow to fit that (sorta scary).  I like the flush mount compasses, I've had both and I think the flush dash mounts don't get in the way and look a lot more integral.  I am thinking of mounting it far away from centerline over near the gunwale, just to keep the back of the instrument away from clumsy elbows climbing through the companionway.  Is there a reason I shouldn't put this over on the side?  I will be able to see it clearly from all (both) seats in the cockpit.  Wiring is easy.  Am I missing something?  I want to be very sure before I take a holesaw to my boat.

[Bob23]

Make sure you are nowhere near anything metal. The compass won't like it.
Mine is mounted closer to the centerline for maximum viewing from both sides. It's mounted as high as possible and near the cabin entrance. Works fine.
Bob23

[Pacman]

I think it is best to simply remove the rudder for trailering.

Two bolts are quick and easy to remove and you don't have to worry about the rudder moving back and forth or, worse yet, hitting the ground on uneven terrain.

Just my 2 cents.

[Citroen/Dave]

InertBert,

I recommend using automotive type battery clamps instead of the adjacent tiny post on the battery.  At Auto Zone I found replacement battery clamps with knurled nuts.

On my CP 16 I have a jumper cable running from a forward main battery to an aft backup battery. I have replaced the alligator clamps that came on the jumper cable with the knurled nut, automotive battery clamps.  At either end of the jumper cable I have all of the small wire connectors including those to my trolling motor under the two bolt straps on each replacement clamp. (Note the large surface area of either the lead of the battery clamp and/or the two bolt strap.) I can drive the boats electrics with either or both batteries. Similarly, I can charge ether or both batteries by easily hand tightening or loosening a battery clamp.  All small connections under the two bolt strap are WRENCH TIGHTENED and treated to prevent corrosion.  I no longer have to find a "cramped quarter" wrench to remove wires from the batteries should I wish to disconnect or remove a battery.

These modifications came about because the previous owner of my boat forgot to tighten the small post electric connection that drove his trolling motor.  (Or else that connection became loose.) The reduced area of contact increased resistance to the flow of electricity to the point that the connection overheated, melting and almost causing the wire's insulation to catch fire.

Simple change, major safety improvement: maximize the area of contact at all electric connections. For your set up I would attach and wrench tighten the smaller wire connections to automotive type battery clamps.

Dave

P.S.  I really like what you have done with your electrical system. Where did you find the volt meter?

[slowshoes]

 
  Your doing some nice work Inert - it's always nice to see pics of other folks setups. I'm currently juggling projects between our Union 32 and our 16. I just bought a battery, breaker panel and some wiring to get my electrical work going. I ordered led nav lights today and I plan on buying a couple of led berth/reading lights as well. (I replaced all of our reading lights in our Union with AlpineGlow led berth lights in the titanium brass finish last year and we love them, so I'll probably get a couple for our Compac as well. Downside is they are a bit pricey).

  Stereo and speakers were ordered over the winter. I still want to get a steaming and anchor light, an AC charger and a voltmeter. Is your charger a 3 stage charger? I plan on putting the battery all the way forward. Is that where yours is? Kind of hard to tell from the pics.

  Keep up the good work - if I ever get done I'll post pics too.

        Fair winds,
         Bill

[InertBert]

Is your charger a 3 stage charger? I plan on putting the battery all the way forward. Is that where yours is? Kind of hard to tell from the pics.

My charger is a solid state trickle charger, 1.5 Amps.  My battery is actually in the port berth.  I know its off center but I have it balanced with storage in the other berth. 

I recommend using automotive type battery clamps instead of the adjacent tiny post on the battery.  At Auto Zone I found replacement battery clamps with knurled nuts.
...
Simple change, major safety improvement: maximize the area of contact at all electric connections. For your set up I would attach and wrench tighten the smaller wire connections to automotive type battery clamps.

P.S.  I really like what you have done with your electrical system. Where did you find the volt meter?

Thanks, thats good advice.  I actually have the motor wires disconnected in that photo, and I am going to hook them up to the posts.  I also have a battery cutoff switch(not shown) that disconnects just the motor.  I don't really think its necessary but its the big draw so I feel better about having a safety shutoff.  I got the volt meter on Amazon


http://amzn.com/B008KY5ULW

[skip1930]

Your actually allowing raw plywood edges sit on your soft and brittle non-skip fiberglass and bounce down the highway or be rocked by the wind when outdoors?
It's all about spreading out the weight. Like a women's stiletto heel vs. a big, wide, flat U.S. Ked's gym shoe. Same weight. different push.

skip.

[Pacman]

I'm with Skip on this one.

My mast rests on top of a vertical 2x4 that is bolted to the gudgeons on the transom in place of the rudder.  (My rudder rides inside the cabin while on the road)

I used 90 degree brackets that were sold for attaching trailer bunks to the 2x4.

I screwed short pieces of 1x2 to the sides of the 2x4 at the top to hold the mast in place.

The mast is tied down to the top of the crutch to keep everything comfortable.

The front of the mast hangs from the bow pulpit at the halyard cleats.

This simple cheap set up holds things steady at 70+ MPH.

Also, it holds the mast so I can slide it back into position (like the "Mast Up" mast raising aid) when it's time to launch.

[ahmch]

Hey, beautiful day today in Albuquerque.  Nice sailing yesterday.

I am just now feeling good enough to work on the boat.
Would love to see some other pictures of the mast crutch holder thingys people have made. Mine is a little sketchy.
Crutch in stern is only used when rigging to keep mast up off hatch while pinning and bolting. I lash mast to tiller while trailering.  I also pull off rudder blade because that much aluminum looks like an invitation to metal thieves.  (Google copper thefts here in Albq. and you will see what I mean...Crazy they steal copper wire from churches of all places) Crutch on cabin is copy of the one that boat came with.

You can see I switched mt Main sheet rig out and will see how that works next week.

Pram is just a lot of fun. 10 years old and still getting swamped.

BTW.....compac23 on ebay right now no reserve.

Andrew

[InertBert]

Your actually allowing raw plywood edges sit on your soft and brittle non-skip fiberglass and bounce down the highway or be rocked by the wind when outdoors?

That is a rough cut.  I have a little more refining to do on it.  I will put foam or something underneath it and around the crutch cutoff itself. 

[Saluki86]

I will try to get a pic of my crutch tonight and post it.

[InertBert]

Updates: 
I glued in an oak 1X6 on the aft surface of the vertical "bulkhead" that the compression post bolts to.  I sealed and glassed over it, then painted the whole thing.  Redrilled and rebolted the compression post in.  My worry was that the plywood on the inside was getting a bit soft. 

I had already cut a larger access hole in the horizontal surface in front of the post, tomorrow I will make my wooden grate that fits in place over that hole. 

Most of my boat is fine, but a lot of the wood on the interior had rotted out.  Boy let me tell you, cutting out those berths wasn't any fun.  ugh, now that I think about it, I have to fix that starboard berth tomorrow too.  Here's to hoping I remember to take pictures.  Cheers.