Solar powered Amp Eater

[hoodman]

Looks great, Dave! That lettering will really pop on that transom. An advantage to an inboard design!

[Allen R.]

Hello Capt. Dave. I was just looking over your post and progress on your Amp Eater. I am in the beginning stages of building one also. I hope you want mind me picking your brain on some of this as this is my first build of a boat. Looking forward to hearing from you and watching your progress.

[CaptDave]

My Sister in law and her husband Barry from Lookout Mtn GA. were visiting this weekend. Many of you met them at the last Gathering. They have a side business called Mel's Marine Upholstery which is growing and may soon be their full time occupation. They made my cushions and fitted my boat cover on Saturday. It will be ready to install when I go down that way in in September for the G-11.

I also installed the tiller linkage. I have a little adjustment to do to get it "centered". I installed the charging cable so that I can just plug in the charger and not use the battery clamps. Now that the tiller linkage is in, I can mount the console and install the 4 switches and volt/amp/power meter.

[irie E]

Looking great Capt. Dave!

[CaptDave]

Thanks irie.

The forecast for this weekend is for good boat building. This Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. I have an appointment with the OH division of watercraft for my inspection. Hopefully all will go well and I will get my Hull Identification Number plates and registration number.Then hopefully the following Saturday will be the big day....but.... there is a lot of work to be done between now and then.

[CaptDave]

We got a lot done on the Amp Eater Saturday. Wayne worked hard all day to finish up the wiring.

Wayne working to finish up the wiring

A very neat wiring job

I installed the tiller linkage and all works smoothly. The boat is now drivable.

Rudder linkage installed

[CaptDave]

Boat Inspection Wednesday - Launch planned for Saturday morning.
Comfortable Seats and plenty of Legroom will make for a comfortable ride.

[vupilot]

Nice Dave! That certainly looks like a relaxing boat.

[CaptDave]

I, will run it through some testing this coming Saturday to make sure everything is functioning well before installing the deck. Once the deck is on things in the aft end will be difficult to get to. Once the deck goes on the batteries will have to be removed to get to the back and there will not be much space for a 50 lb overweight old man like me. the raised cowling portion I may make to be removable.

I still need to install the transducer for the Garmin GPS/sonar unit. I'm trying to decide where to run the wire so it won't be too noticeable on the transom. Of course I want to drill the hole in the hull above the waterline but I don't know if I need to go all the way up to the sheer.
I don't want the 1/4" black cable to distract from my graphic on the transom. After I run the wire through I was panning on sealing it with a silicone caulk. I'm not sure what kind of sealer is best for that sort of thing.

The Bimini top and the solar panels will not happen this summer but I am happy that the boat will be in the water.

[CaptDave]

Yesterday I took the boat in for the inspection to obtain the HIN and Register the boat. The Division of Watercraft Officer did say that this was the first electric inboard he had inspected. Of course the main objective is to verify that I indeed built the boat, verify the length by measure and determine the hull type and construction. Since my electric motor was less than 10hp they did not need the motor serial number and info.

ODNR Officer inspects the Amp Eater

The huge horn on the front is only temporary till I find something I like much smaller. It is loud enough to make a freighter look twice.
After I do some in water testing on Saturday and have some long awaited fun in the water, I will begin the deck work Saturday afternoon. Stay tuned for Launch video later this week end.

And just to let you know I haven't forgotten about the title of my thread.... last night I ordered 2 - 100 watt solar panels and a solar charge controller.

[rleete]

The huge horn on the front is only temporary till I find something I like much smaller.

Search for piezoelectric horns. Much smaller, reasonably loud (but kinda tinny) and virtually waterproof. Some have an annoying sound like an alarm clock. But hey, how often do you actually use a horn on a boat?

Looking good so far!

[EnsWayne]

So you have your registration now? Congratulations! Are you still planning your first launch Saturday morning?

Piezos are very efficient for the dB you get for very low power consumption. But the shiny chrome trumpet-style horns look so cool! What is the length of the horn you have? I'm guessing 16"? I saw there are somewhat similar 11" and 9" horns on Amazon or directly from Five Oceans.
https://www.five-oceans.com/listado/ele ... orns/24/32

[CaptDave]

rleete and ensWayne,

Yes the horn is big about 15-16" and loud at 130 db. I am sure a 9" or smaller horn at 110 db will be sufficient even though it will be 1/4 as loud.
Since I will be mounting the horn above deck I will have to see what looks good. Most of the Piezo horns look like below deck or hidden installations. I think I want something stainless steel for that shiny look.
I may consider something like this:

Small Stainless horn about 3.5 x3.25 106 db

Of course it will have to give sufficient joy when the grandsons honk it!

Yes I am planning to launch on Saturday. I think the weather is supposed to be nice. Melissa is a little nervous about it. Whats to be nervous about? I will have my life jacket on. The boat has sufficient flotation foam to keep from going down to the bottom should it leak like a sieve. I will be sure to unstrap it from the trailer etc...
I expect it to float level at the design water line with 2-3 people aboard.
But someone needs to be on the dock to take video....

[gap998]

130 db!! Turn it around & use it for propulsion!

[hoodman]

She's gonna be the belle of the ball, Dave!