Blackbird nesting on the pulpit

A (couple of) blackbird(s) decided to build a nest on the pulpit of the boat. Two out of four chicks are still alive and well. I’ve tried to do as little work as possible on the forward part of the boat and the birds seem to have gotten used to me, so I hope they make it.

Here are some pictures

Edit 25-4: The little birds seem to have left the nest. I hope they are well! I’ve removed the nest, just in case the mother decides to have another go..

Posted in Waarschip | 2 Comments

Homemade solar panels

First solar panel for the electric boat.

DIY solar panel

I bought some PV cells on e-bay and put the first panel together this morning. This is my first DIY solar project, so I started out a bit shaky, first breaking a cell and then heating one up too much while soldering, which caused the conductive layer to come off, but after that, things went smoothly and I have completed three of these panels now.

Next, I intend to encapsulate the cells in resin, but I haven’t quite figured out what type to use yet. I get the impression 2-component silicone is best, but It is rather expensive and I wonder if it is hard enough when it is the only protection. I prefer not to use anything else like glass or so. Many industrial cells are encapsulated in epoxy, but I haven’t found one (yet) that is UV resistant and won’t discolor.

Posted in Electric Drive | 2 Comments

Electric motor and genset

The electric motor and generator for the electric propulsion system that I am planning to install on my boat this spring, have arrived this week!

Motor and Genset

The motor is a Motenergy (Mars Electric) ME0907 and the genset is a Kipor IG1000 1Kw 4 stroke petrol generator.

Posted in Electric Drive | 2 Comments

Just installed

Just installed wordpress to replace my old plain html website. I hope to be able to put stuff online easier this way. Hold on while I try to figure out how this all works…

Posted in Personal | Leave a comment