I love working on projects – I usually have 10 or so in process at any given time both on the boat, and at home. Many of these projects turn into reviews of various products or technology, which I also enjoy. Almost all of the projects are driven to make our lives on the boat and elsewhere more comfortable or safe, and are cataloged here.
Final project push before summer trips
A sneak peek at some of the projects I am finishing up. Includes a new LiFePO4 battery bank, water pump, lights, and more.
Rendezvous initial networks
In the last 4 months, I have been developing my overall network on board Rendezvous. I wanted a good WiFi/Ethernet network to connect me to the outside world, as well as a well developed NMEA 2000 network for marine equipment while underway. So far, here's what I have…
Diesel tank monitoring with Maretron TLM
Monitoring my diesel tank level is much easier now that I've installed a Maretron TLM ultrasonic tank sensor.
Seaview – more than just mounts
As part of the project to update Rendezvous electronics, I planned on replacing the older Furuno open-array radar, which required looking for a new mounting solution on my arch. I started searching for mounts, and came across a lot of solutions.
New LED lighting everywhere
Updating your boat to LED lighting is an easy way to make it feel more updated, livable and safe. MarineBeam, SuperBrightLEDs and Dr. LED converted me fully to LED.
Installing and using a Victron LiFePO4 energy system
With my LiFePO4 power design complete, I was excited to install and use the new system for most of this sailing season. The installation took longer than a traditional battery installation, and had more complexity, but turned out to be a fantastic setup for the longer trips I went on this summer.
Correcting the list – LiFePO4 power system design
Due to weight and features, I decided to convert my sailboat power system to LiFePO4. This article covers the design which settled on Victron components.
Improvements with a new propeller
Grace came with a factory prop when I purchased her – it was OK, but after 3 years of using that prop, I felt that I could get better speed and potentially other benefits.
Major mast work
In the last year I have had a number of issues with items in or on Grace's mast. During a recent trip to Blake Island, the anchor light stopped working, and that was the last straw. It was time to dig deeper into fixing all of the issues.
Modular, cheaper boat internet solution via Netgear and MikroTik
I've written a lot about my boat network, and in particular, Peplink products that offer a ton of functionality and features. For the last 6 months, I have been playing with configurations and hardware that cost less, but still provide flexibility and features that more expensive solutions offer.
Using an Intel NUC as a powerful boat server
I use an Intel NUC as a boat linux computer to run Grafana, SignalK, Zabbix and many more tools.
Best LTE antenna and booster for the boat
For almost two years I have been testing, re-testing, and re-wiring my setup on Grace in an effort to find the best LTE antenna configuration.
Completed navigation panel
I redesigned my nav and electrical panel, and finally got the parts to put it all together. A fun and beautiful project!
Redesigning the nav and electrical panel
My navigation and electrical panel has been in need of an update for a while. In addition, I have never liked the electrical circuit layout, and am out of DC circuits. I have a general design of what I would like, but still have not settled on a final solution for the electrical panel.
Raymarine ITC-5 simplifies older ST instruments
I am always on the look out for ways to make my instruments more reliable. I came across the Raymarine ITC-5. It seemed perfect to help increase the quality of my network while replacing some old pieces.
