Recent content by Tom Hruby

When purchasing a LiFePO4 battery make sure it is listed as having GRADE A cells. If grade is not mentioned it probably is GRADE B. There are a lot of Chinese, inexpensive batteries that are Grade B. Summary from Google: Quality & Standards: Grade A cells are premium, meeting all...

There are options for putting the Li batteries anywhere you want to if you make sure your batteries have a waterproof rating of IP 66 or higher. Unfortunately most Li batteries are rated only to IP65. The other thing you will need is a different connections to the battery (no lugs). I would...

On the solar panels: I would urge you look at the flexible solar panels and attach them to the corrugated plastic for cooling. I attached mine using 3M VHB tape and then taped the front and back edges with butyl rubber RV repair tape. This allows for smooth airflow when trailering. The...

I was able to increase my leg room by replacing the 15-16" wheel with an 11" wheel and a knob. It makes getting into and out of the helm seat much easier.

The "all in one" packs sure look nice and handy, BUT one needs to be careful and check out all the details. Issues with the "all in one" packs: 1. The grade of the LiFePO4 cells is often not mentioned. Grade B cells often have a live span of less than 1000 cycles. If a manufacturer uses Grade...

It is relatively easy if you are handy with working on a hydraulic brake system. First you will need two major components: a trailer brake controller and the hydraulic actuator. The actuator is the expensive part, around $850. If you go to etrailer.com they have a number of options and some...

Bob, I would like to quibble with you a little. Electric cruising is more like sailing. You cannot compare it to cruising with big outboards. Speed is comparable to that of sailing, so one has to carefully plan routes based on tides and currents. I have been cruising Puget Sound, a...

As somebody who cruises a 22' cruiser with only electric outboards I am a firm believer in electric. Before you make that decision however figure out at what speed you would like to move in emergencies and how you would deal with the battery. Some of the smaller e outboards have an internal...

The volume of the cabin in the CD 22 is quite small and I would be hesitant to use any kind of heating/cooking system that uses combustion without very good ventilation. The problem (in addition to carbon monoxide) is carbon dioxide; something most people don't consider. CO2 levels above...

As of 2023 Mr. Ruelos still had the molds and I was in contact with him about potentially building one for me before I chose the C-Dory. Although I agree that the Marinaut is a great boat, I was very dissatisfied with his business model. First, he has the molds but no shop. He would farm out...

I have found that no tape will work, in the long run, on textured surfaces in a boat in areas that are exposed to water. Water will eventually seep into the textured surfaces and loosen the glues used. There are several options I might suggest. 1) get a small can of paint and add "traction"...

I had the same problem. My solution was to buy a small sheet of galvanized flashing and attack it with tin snips until I got the right shape. Final shape was completed with a file.

I should add that all the panels are glued to 4mm corrugated plastic before attaching to the roof. This provides significant air colling under the panels, keeps the cabin cooler, and increases the efficiency of the panels (efficiency drops by 0.3% - 0.5% for every degree C above 77F). I have...

The cabin top of my 22' cruiser has about 12 square feet of space. I have been able to put two 80 watt panels on each side and one 200 watt panel on the top. All are flexible CIGS but of different brands (two Rich Solar 80watt and one Allpower 200W). The two Rich Solar panels provide power to...

I checked out the ICECO website and their model 45 claims to use only 0.4 kWh/24 hrs. To be on the safe side I would use about 0.6 kWh/24 to do the calculations. A 12V 100AH battery stores a maximum 1.2kWh of energy and a lithiumFePO4 has about 1 kWh of usable energy. So the battery would...