Solar Skiff Early Observations

(CJM pics)


Mostly qualitative and maybe a little quantitative…Please remember that the data collection has just started.


My first comment is that I inadvertently built a solar powered ice-breaker! Not in the polar sense, but most definitely in the social sense. It’s always been one of my favorite parts of cruising to wander aimlessly about the anchorage and chat around sunset. And I have no aversion to responsible sundowner consumption. But the truth is, it’s not always easy to engage in conversation with folks you don’t want to disturb. Circe has solved this problem. The interest and enthusiasm expressed already has been wonderful. Kids, particularly, seem enthusiastic about what they see. This is encouraging, and I try to make the point that they see only a seedling sprout that their generation will nurture into things we cannot even imagine. So maybe after all these years, the urge to learn to farm is fulfilled from a different angle.

The reactions to date seem to fit into 3 file folders.
(1) There are, as there will always be, the totally unimpressed. No, solar skiff does not plane (except under tow.) Yes, that is as fast as she goes (3.5 knots subject to later prop pitch experimentation.) I was a bit taken aback at the first unimpressed reaction coming from an 18’ catboat sailor though…”Who you callin’slow??”
(2) Then there are the incredulous. “Does that really work?” is their mantra. To date, my retort has been “You see it.” Though, I am thinking about concocting a story about a trained team of bluefish in harness for these folks. The fact is, The battery bank that drives this boat has never been charged by any means other than the 90 watt solar array. I guess I have run some 30 to 40 hours so far. Good that it’s been sunny!
(3) The reactions that make it seem worthwhile are the enthusiastic ones. If something can be demonstrated on a small scale, it will create belief in what can be done on a larger scale. I don’t deny that alternate energy is still about bending over to collect pennies, but just so, 100 of those make a dollar.

On the equipment side, I am so far on voltage regulator #3, motor speed control switch #2, circuit breaker #2, and ammeter #2. The voltage regulators packaged with the solar panels seemed to be black boxes full of pretty beads. They simply never worked. It wasn’t a rating or a connection issue. They were just junk. The SunSaver presently installed is correctly keeping the batteries at a bank voltage of 14.4 or below. I may eventually install a bypass switch for a now-and–then 15 volt blast charge to clean the battery plates, but that will be a winter project. The used trolling motor was less gently used than I hoped. The switch was crunchy and intermittently dropped out of the highest speed setting from day 1, so I had a replacement switch on order from Minn Kota when it eventually smoked (literally!) I got a humble pill when a gas dinghy passed and I thought – “Wow what stinky exhaust. Huh it’s lingering. Smells more like plastic. Whoah- there’s smoke coming out of my motor switch!” Still got back to Charis at low speed, so the oars remain unused. The circuit breaker was upgraded from the original 50 amp rating at the recommendation of Minn Kota. The ammeter replacement was prompted by a short lived attempt to power it with a non-isolated power transformer. Electronic optimism ends abruptly when smoke appears. At present we are all-systems-go.

The slightly numerical observation to date is that I have run at full speed for up to 4 hours at a stretch (subject to social stops) with power to spare. Recovery time varies with use and sun strength, but so far I have had no problem enjoying harbor cruises and my short daily commute on a break even basis. Actual numbers are being logged and will be compiled when there are enough of them to make sense of.

On the qualitative side, the most commented on feature of the skiff is that it is silent. I did a dumb thing to test how silent. One evening I watched two outboard dinghies approach (at a respectable distance) an osprey nest on a pole. The residents sounded their dissatisfaction when they were each at least 20 feet away. I got much closer, but realized then that sneaking up on a sharp talon bird of prey is not hugely brilliant. Since, I have limited my bird stealth to cranes, herons, gulls and such. Because I can sit very still, I find I can approach closer than even in my kayak. This brought about an interesting epiphany for me- That noise is pollution too. In truth, I already felt that way, but I guess I just never put silence on the goal list for this project. Bonus. Next to be noticed are the panels themselves, followed, I would say, by my choice of a fairly traditional Whitehall hull shape, and a rather pretty one at that. Since her hull lines are not mine, I am not being vain. I read once that a good boat cannot be walked away from without at least one back glance. Circe has that going for her.


Rigged for towing....





(Photos by Gavin Ashworth – NYC)

Solar Skiff Spreads Her Wings...

After much itchy fiberglass work, completion is near. The Solar panels are on and the batteries installed. So far the systems all seem to be working. The Ammeter is still waiting for a power converter, and appears at present to display only energy flow into the batteries. I had hoped it would display both charge and use power flow, but may have ordered the wrong meter. Easily fixed in good time. Today I made and installed fenders and the bow pudding, and the official hull number was assigned by the State. If memory serves, the itch of glass fibers embedded in the skin will linger for a few more days, but if this all works as planned, it will have been worth it.

Solar Skiff the Embryo

It was only a matter of time before I outgrew the use of small solar gadgets in the commuter dinghy and moved on to test the concept of pulling my propulsion power from the sun. Not that I consider myself to be breaking ground here - many have done much more in this field. I thank them for the inspiration. I'm quite sure that many others out there right now have worked out similar schemes or are in the process. I guess it was the same for every other mechanical concept from the wheel on up. The project if one of personal discovery and research. It's about answering my own questions and being better at answering other people's questions later.

The slant I am approaching this question from is one I have felt strongly about for some time. It's the half step back, full step forward approach. Prior to the second world war, power densities available were small from internal combustion engines. To compensate, the emphasis was on efficient hull form. These days, emphasis seems to focus on everything but hull efficiency with power installed in unlimited quantities to suit. Seems to me that in applying a low power density propulsion scheme, it would be smart to revert to such hull forms as were used before there was high density power. It's all good and well to drive your inflatable with an electric motor, but since it was designed for planing speed with a gas outboard, you will probably be operating in the least efficient speed range. My tack was to start with a hull designed for the lowest power density - rowing. Specifically, my electric drive conversion is based on a Whitehall hull.



This project has been a slow gathering of pieces from far and wide. Ken Flowers, an exceptional lobster boat builder up in Maine came through with the molded hull shell of perfect dimensions for this small scale beta project. Solar panels and electrical components have been trickling in from E-Bay and other online sources. Wood's Boats in RI came through with an affordable gently used salt water trolling motor. I suppose if you really looked at the overall system energy of this project, it may not really be as close to zero impact as I'd like - what with all the shipping involved. But as with most things, I think what is important is the avenue of thought. It's the channeling of creative energy toward a better solution.

So here's the embryonic version of solar skiff. Not especially pretty at present. and maybe even a bit hard to recognize for what she is intended to be. But for all of that, it's the start to a start. I suppose that in itself warrants documentation. And besides, I'm told it's the progress that gets noticed. Maybe the embryo stage will make later imperfections less noticeable!

Cool Ideas

I’m starting to think that just as cars now are only available with everything that was once called an option, boats are only being offered with bow thrusters, generators, and air conditioning. A quick survey of the weekend arrivals is pushing the 50% threshold anyhow. What happened to sailing to quiet places to be cooled by summer sea breeze and invigorated by a swim and fresh air? I never have been “like the other kids,” but I just can’t see the attraction of going from shore power air conditioning to anchored out generator air conditioning.

Here’s my air conditioning unit. Pretty simple. Think it was marketed as the “Wind Scoop” once upon a time. It’s fairly effective, though it does get a bit wonky in places where wind and tide oppose. The plus side is no generator, no circulator pump, and no compressor. And correspondingly no fossil fuel consumption. The air smells nice too. I don’t think I’d thrive on 35’ of recirculated air. I suppose the downside is not having that sense of security so many cruisers in the era of entitlement draw from a pulsing internal combustion engine.

And another cool idea that needs no juice… latent heat of evaporation is the concept. I think I first read about this in a C.S Forester novel. But I thank good science teachers for my understanding of the concept. In simplest terms, when water evaporates, heat is absorbed. That’s why we feel cold in wet clothes in a breeze, even on a hot day. Applied to the new favored stainless water bottles, this principle provides a refreshing temperature drop, though not the jolt of icewater. My specific setup seems to work well with an old gym sock (preferably recently laundered,) slipped over the water bottle. Fuzzy side out evaporates, hence cools better. Michael Jackson fans might go in for one white glove instead. Same concept. Hang the setup in a shaded spot with good exposure to the wind. Even with refrigeration, this setup is great as it keeps the hydration near to hand, reduces cold loss from frequent refrigerator openings, and makes you feel smart just for knowing the concept! Try it. Some folks will think you strange for wearing 1 gym sock on your water bottle and none on your feet, but they will suffer that thought over a tepid water bottle.

I won't get started on the bow thruster standard option now used in lieu of the rudder and engine for steering...It will just make me cranky.

To Have and to Have Not

Hottest day of the summer so far. I’m anchored outside of a harbor I’ve been coming to for 20 years. Anchored because I find the 500% increase in mooring rental offensive. Anchored because I can. And anchored because frequently I find the company more interesting.

Today’s human theater is played by contrasting families. A bit further out is anchored a young live-aboard family. Their aura speaks of simplicity. They row past daily. Mom and dad to shore in the morning. Mom back to pick up dad on the beach in the evening. Never in a hurry, Always with time for a friendly hello. A boy and a girl, neither more than 5 years old, and both as much dolphin as human judging by their comfort in the ocean.
Nearer by and on a $50 a night rental mooring is your classic weekend cruiser on vacation. His outfit is more modern and includes an inflatable with a planning speed outboard motor. His children might be comfortable on the water, but it’s hard to say as they seem permanently wrapped in their life vests. Not that this is a bad thing. In fact, given the rest of the story, it seems wise.

So I mentioned it was a scortcher today. 103 degrees inland. It was a great day to be in the water. Probably a great day to be a kid in the water too.

First the rowboat went by. Mom pulling patiently at the oars. Dad waiting patiently on the beach. Children dressed as they were born frolicking behind the dinghy with one of those dime store inflatable pool toys. They really did remind me of a couple of trained dolphins swimming along behind the dinghy. As they went by, mom quieted them to explain that they shouldn’t shriek quite so much as someone might mistake their joy for distress and jump in to rescue them. “The little boy who cried wolf “ story in a real life framework. I guess a lot of folks would be upset by this scene. No lifejackets on the kids. No lifejacket on mom to set an example. Yet somehow I only want to thank them for being real. I want to thank them for understanding that there is more safety in learning to be comfortable on the water and in learning practical common sense seamanship than in any wearable device. If there were 2 happier kids on this island today I didn’t see them. And while there are days to teach the importance of manmade safety on the water, today just seemed ideal to teach safety through comfort and skills with nothing more than one was born wearing.

Buzzing around at the same time was vacation dad. His two tow heads were bouncing about, apparently too much in fear for their lives to even scream. Or maybe just bored. It’s hard to tell sometimes. They were riding one of those marine store inflatable tubes with handles and bright graphics all over it. They were sucking down outboard fumes at a brain damaging clip, but it’s OK since it was one of those heavy but “clean” 4 stroke outboards. The seamanship they were learning would be better unlearned – it’s illegal to buzz around within 100 ft of moored boats at planning speed in this state. But then I’m pretty sure dad is oblivious to this fact. So will the kids be. They will probably also be hard to convince later in life that their entitlement to fun does not exceed others’ entitlement to a peaceful afternoon free of the side effects of their fun. They began learning today that it’s OK to drive stupidly as long as you have a seatbelt and airbags. But they didn’t seem to be coming near enough to hit anything, and even if they did, they were surrounded by inflatable things and wearing bulletproof life vests. And I am not one to interfere with “intelligent design” as Mr, Darwin’s work is now known.

But the lingering question in this scene is who has and who has not? I guess I was a little bit of both examples growing up. Probably still am. But today, from where I was sitting, it was the slow, simple fun I most admired. I could only feel sorry for the frenetic family. Today it was my fellow dwellers on the fringe that clearly had it best. I know which set of kids I hope grow up to run my world.

Spilled oil and Socialism....

Lots of chatter going around about the gulf oil spill. Guess I figured it was time to check in again and organize my thoughts on the matter. That and it’s sailing season again, so I find myself with time in peaceful places to have thoughts on such things…

In a nutshell, which is how many would describe my cranium, I’m as angry about the oil spill as most everyone, though I think my anger is differently directed. It’s easy to go on a witch hunt at times like this and look for a scapegoat. It’s pretty much a natural reaction. What really upsets me is that with such an obvious example before us, most people still don’t get it. The witch hunt ends in front of the nearest mirror. I’m not angry with BP. I’m angry with America for blissfully ignoring the fact that our monster SUV’s, Mc Mansions, excesses and conveniences sent them in search of the spilled oil to begin with.

Think about it. Oil companies answer our demands. They may make more money at it than we like, but there’s no profit in drilling up even one barrel more than we buy. I’m not defending record profits and price fixing. I’m simply stating that if you do not demand and show willingness to consume a commodity, it will not be produced.

I’d love to replace my 24 year old mini truck. Trouble is, the new one has more horsepower, along with standard power everything and AC. So it gets 5 mpg less. The option for simplicity and only adequate power has been taken away. Why? Because, so I’m told, that’s what America wants.

I grew up in a house without Air Conditioning. Not even a window unit. And we survived. My Grandparents did too. Now I know lots of people in debt to their ears, who wouldn’t dream of not cranking the A/C as soon as the mercury hits 70. In fact, I’m not sure I know anyone else who lives without A/C today. Well folks, A/C is electricity and electricity is oil.

Lots of folks will react to the current mess insisting that the answer is more government oversight. More rules and standards. More inspections and police work. That might help slide the odds slightly in a safer direction. But a fraction of a percent improvement in the odds is meaningless when the numerator in the equation is exponential growth in use and consumption. Basic probability says that accidents will occur in some percentile relation to the quantity of oil drilled, refined and transported. It is simply unrealistic to expect, in a world of human and nature factors, an accident rate of zero. If it could be done, the airline industry would have made it happen long ago.

So here it is in plain fact. More oil consumed = more oil produced and transported= more accidents. The only way to reverse the cycle is from the root of the problem.

The President has stood and taken the blame for the spill. Some will interpret this as admission of inadequate oversight. I choose to see it as something more profound. We elected the president as a country, so he is at this time American attitude personified. His acceptance of blame, in my view, is acknowledgement that we as a people are to blame. But still, most people don’t seem to get it. Personal accountability has somehow been eradicated from our national culture.

There’s a lot of talk about America “going socialist” with healthcare reform and generally increased government involvement in our lives. Well, think about it people. We have before us one of the starkest examples of the folly of our own excesses in years, and still we can do nothing but blame someone – anyone else. If we choose not to look within for responsibility, eventually all responsibility will be handed over to someone else. That someone else is ever expanding government. The buck can only stop there. Make government large enough and it gets called socialist. It is our refusal as a people to take responsibility for our own actions and their effects that is bringing about this change, not the policies or will of those we elect. And, by the way, if you think this trend can turn out well in the long run, you really need to have a chat with an exile form the former Soviet Union.

Are you ready to accept some accountability and do something about having to accept less next time? Change your choices. Take convenience and excess out of the number one and two slots in favor of less consumption. If you are visiting this blog, it is because you suspect or already know it is possible. If you read on, you will see my take on how it is possible. I don’t claim not to see blame in my mirror. I only know that the inconvenience of the hard choice is fleeting and the reward long lasting. I sometimes wonder about the wisdom of my path. It carries a high price of alienation at times. But then when you have to ask yourself if there was anything else you could have done to have less of a hand in a great disaster, it feels pretty good not to come up with a long list.

Were I ever put on trial for one-track-mindedness, I would conjure the ghost of E.B. White as council. He is universally remembered for "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little", but was also a passionate sailor. We never met, but he voiced my feelings on the subject of living aboard better than I could.....

"If a man must be obsessed by something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything, perhaps a bit better than most. A small sailing craft is not only beautiful, it is seductive and full of strange promise and the hint of trouble. If it happens to be an auxiliary cruising boat, it is without question the most compact and ingenious arrangement for living ever devised by the restless mind of man - a home that is stable without being stationary, shaped less like a box than like a fish, or a bird, or a girl, and in which the homeowner can remove his daily affairs as far from shore as he has the nerve to take them, close hauled or running free - parlor, bedroom, and bath - suspended and alive."

E.B's son Joel combined his artistry with a deep technical understanding of Naval Architecture earned at M.I.T. to create stunning and well behaved boats. His grandson Steve carries on the art and skill at Brookline Boat Yard.

How Much Land Does a Sailor Need?

Tolstoy’s short story – “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” (http://www.katinkahesselink.net/other/tolstoy.html) concludes with the rather morbid treatise that 6’ is adequate. I think about this conclusion often in my landless floating existence. I realize though, that Tolstoy’s conclusion is accurate in death not life.

The simple truth is we all need land. I can’t say how much, but I know I have an unconventional view point as I’m not much interested in putting my name on any. We need land to grow food, and to walk on. We need it to derive fuel and decompose waste. We need it to build and manufacture. Most folks need it to live and dwell upon. That’s the only point I really can claim exemption from.

Most indigenous peoples viewed their relationship with land very differently from our societal norm. My limited understanding is that theirs was a stewardship role and not an ownership one. I was a fly on the wall for an argument between a local tenant and an American landlord on a Caribbean island once. The part I remember came after the American told the local to “get off his mountain.” The reply, “Mountain be here long after you dead,” will stick with me forever. I’m not passing judgment here, but it does seem to me that we get into an inordinate amount of trouble by elevating land to the status of our ultimate possession and investment. Community doesn’t benefit from real estate profit flip.

So I borrow and rent land. Not a lot of it, but a path to and from the sea, some to plant and harvest, and a bit to store parts and build ideas into objects. Even a bit for an office to work out thoughts like these. This may prove a foolish decision in later life, but freedom from debt has certainly made early and midlife nice.

One of the places I borrow is a field of new growth swamp trees. The ground is soft and the trees grow close and tall with out much in way of roots. I think it was a farmed field in the not too distant past. Every year a few of the spindly trees are blown over and if I get to them before the bugs, they make pretty good firewood for my tiny woodstove. One year I struck upon the idea of using the stump hole from a previously uprooted tree as the end location for the proceeds from Charis’s composting head. Since the ash from the stove is part of the carbon source I mix into the compost, it seemed a pretty good full circle sort of solution. Those who are ready to cry environmental foul need not worry. As I have explained elsewhere, I have provided myself with the means to contain and compost waste in isolation from the ground for a minimum of about 10 to 12 months before returning it to the earth. So, lacking a flower bed or shrub base in need of fertilization, and anticipating the scarcity of dinner guests if I used the stuff in my vegetable garden, I simply filled in the stump hole.

Now I don’t have offspring, and many think this speaks well for the intelligence of women as a gender. And lest any should think I’m single for lack of understanding of the mechanisms of carrying on the race, I know this isn’t how it is done. But when I returned to the woods this fall to claim some downed wood, I have to admit to twinges of paternity toward this little holly tree due to where it is growing…

Solar Jack-Tar-O-Lantern

Otherwise known as 101 uses for a solar garden light!

Solar Bilge Buddy

So I have this dinghy dock neighbor. Smart man they tell me. A man of letters, I’m told. Ivy League at that, they say. Yet, as sure as the seasons, his skiff will sink and dunk its shiny new-ish outboard at least once a season. That, “they” don’t have to say. I can generally see it happen. Must get expensive running a boat that way. I know it gets frustrating. I’ve heard the chanty to which the inevitable post-dunk start up is set and it isn’t choir music. As I write, we are getting one of those refreshing summer downpours that is so often the opening curtain on this drama.

There are a few things about living aboard that I would gladly give up. High on the list was going out in the middle of the night to bail the skiff during persistent heavy rains in order to preclude becoming act 2 of the afore mentioned drama. Not that it happens all that often, but once out of a sound sleep and into the cold rain on a work night is enough.

And another thing…I hate asking anyone else to tend my chores. Since I have a tendency to wander for undeclared lengths of time, and as the fleet has expanded to include a pretty little Whitehall pulling boat besides the E-10 gasoline allergic outboard skiff, I wanted a way to take bailing both off everyone’s chore list.

In full conformity with a friend’s assessment that I have the “most complicated simple life he’s ever seen,” I came up with a fix. Presented herein is prototype 2. Prototype 1 works just fine, but isn’t as sleek and svelte. It’s living in the motor skiff. The Whitehall needed a bit more style, even in its' bilge pump.

The fix is this. One small 12 volt bilge pump and standard issue float switch, connected to one 12 volt battery (from one of those kiddie plastic monster trucks at Wal-Mart,) connected in turn to a solar panel and all bundled together with tie wraps in a Tupperware type box. That and an inline fuse holder to protect the sensitive parts from shock, though at this time I cannot say exactly which are the sensitive parts.

I don’t plan to get into wiring instructions. Some legal type would probably eat me alive for it anyway. Suffice it to say that you connect the positives to the positives and the negatives likewise, installing the float switch in between on one side or the other, and set the whole thing in the sun for a while to get the battery charged up. Avoid the rain dance until you are sure it’s full up. If red and black wires get you all confused, write and I’ll build you one. Just don’t expect it to cost less than the parts. Or for that matter, less than one of the several engine repairs it will save you.

Here are a few things I learned in early experiments with the idea.:

Avoid the solar panels intended to be set on a car dashboard and plugged into a cigarette lighter. For one, I don’t know what good those are in a car since every car I ever owned had the lighter socket switch off with the ignition, but that’s outside the scope of this study. The fact is they can’t take getting wet, and the whole premise here is that the thing will eventually get rained on. Here’s what one looks like after a few dunkings……Utterly useless. And for obvious reasons, a downbound spiral that can only end with the whole project submerged and me bailing. An E-bay source delivered the replacement panel today. If it works out I’ll add the link.

Make big holes in the bottom of the plastic box and install both the pump and the float switch to hang down below it so they rest on the dinghy bottom. This way you will get the water down to a couple of scoops of residual instead of a couple of inches.


Come up with a good way to secure the pump hose overboard. It’s a loosing proposition if that hose gets loose and winds up in the bottom of the boat with the pump. No battery will keep up chasing it’s own tail. I have a system with a piece of wood dowel and an oarlock holder, but I suspect almost anyone can beat that idea.

Make sure the assembly stays out from under seats and lifejackets and such enough to charge up the battery. I feel like I shouldn’t have to include that, but I will anyway just so I can say I told you so.

DO NOT try to take this on an airplane. It has far too much in common with an I.E.D. and will not get past security no matter how much 'splainin you do Lucy.




That’s all there is to it. Go forth. Build it and be smug in climbing aboard the one un-swamped dinghy at the dock after the next downpour. Unless you live in Seattle, in which case you may want to consider a wind turbine charged pump……