June 2, 2016
Patience 11
Thursday
The final cosmetic change planned for the hull was to add a cove stripe near the gunwale. The owner selected black to match the name, and I installed the new stripe so it was even with the top of the name, which was 5″ down from the edge of the gunwale above–or, more specifically, two strips of 2″ masking tape and one of 1″ . I created a series of these tick marks along the length of the hull as required to give me a guideline for the new vinyl striping.
I left a 3″ space between the name and the stripe on each side, and ended the stripe 12″ ahead of the transom, and 36″ aft of the stem, and applied the striping to both sides, following my alignment marks and fairing the actual tape installation by eye accordingly.
Late in the day, some supplies I needed for the final job arrived. To help keep a fully-charged battery topped off while the boat was not in use, the owner requested a small solar panel, with a portable, removable installation. This 14W rollable panel seemed to fit the bill for the minimal electrical needs of the boat (mainly ensuring the battery stayed fresh for the new and improved automatic bilge pump system), and taking into account budget and portability requirements. It wouldn’t light the charging world on fire with its performance, but would be up to the task of maintaining the state of the battery. The panel could be placed just about anywhere, but on the coachroof tied to the handrails seemed a generally convenient spot despite some loss of production likely from boom shading when the boat was rigged. The portable nature of the panel, and the non-permanent nature of its eventual wiring, meant that it could be moved around as needed.
To be sure the panel wouldn’t have any negative effects on the battery from overcharging–not likely, but still–I specified a small solar controller, which I thought would also provide a convenient place to hook and unhook the panel wiring, which the owner wished led through the companionway. I spent a little time mulling over possible ways I could install the internal wiring to the battery in a pleasing, useful, and safe way, keeping in mind the need to remove the panel and its wire when not in use. I’d finish up the installation next time.
Total time billed on this job today: 1.75 hours
0600 Weather Observation:
45°, sunny. Forecast for the day: mainly sunny, increasing clouds late in the afternoon, high in the low 60s