Projects - SeaBits

Victron + Wakespeed + Battle Born power system

Rendezvous came with a decent power system which I had hoped to use for a year before upgrading. However, performance and other problems cropped up in the first few months of using it, so I moved this project earlier in the list and jumped in.

Projects

Rendezvous internet setup

Having a reliable setup has always been one of my top goals, usually leveraging several technologies. Rendezvous has a similar setup to some of my other boats, but with some modifications and improvements.

Projects

Boat piano and storage

The Yamaha P-125 piano is super light, has an excellent action, a few great piano sounds, and is perfect for my boat. I also built a system to store it in a closet.

Projects

The anchor project

After months and months of troubleshooting problems, changing chain and anchors, and replacing electrical components, I finally have an anchoring system that I feel very confident in. The journey to get here, though, was not quick or easy.

Projects

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.

Projects

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...

Projects

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.

Projects

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.

Projects

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.

Projects

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.

Projects

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.

Projects

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.

Projects

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.

Reviews

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.

Projects

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.

Reviews

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.

Projects

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!

Projects

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.

Projects

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.

Projects

NavPod to PowerPod - saving the helm station

My helm station has always been an area of continued improvement. When I first bought Grace in 2015, she had no chart plotter or other instruments – only older Raymarine ST series depth and wind instruments.

Projects

Replacing the head - the crew's favorite upgrade

One of the most hated bits of the boat is the head. Every boat I have owned has had a unique set of steps required to make sure things “work out” for everyone involved. I replaced the head with a Raritan SeaEra electric model. The crew absolutely loves it, and considers it the best upgrade.

Projects

Haul out, chart plotters, and a sail cover

Time to haul and paint and complete some other projects. Chart plotter installed along with a new Doyle sail cover.

AIS

Grace's updated network for 2017

My sailboat network is quite extensive, and I made a lot of changes in 2017 including a radar arch, new instruments, updates to connectors and more.

Projects

Proper VHF ends are easier than you think

After years of using crimp-on VHF terminals, I found an easy and much higher quality way of creating quality radio connections. Master soldering skills not required!

Projects

USB power solutions are simple to add to your boat

Crew members on the sailboat expect to use their USB devices no matter where. Adding USB power throughout the boat is easy to do, and useful for the captain too.

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