Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Help with jet boat exhaust
Above is a picture of the transom exhaust that came with my Berkley jet and engine. I am looking for help finding the portion that is designed to go through the transom and connect the pictured rubber fittings with the exhaust hose. Also in the picture is one of two ball valves attached to the cooling water feed into the the log. Where are they normally plumbed to? They are connected to a tee and with the valve wide open, would starve the log of cooling water.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
The Arch-Druid Energy Contest
The following press release is part of ArchDruid Greers
competition on completely reasonable energy sources that can easily power civilization to an eternally enduring
future among the stars
For accredited investors only, this investment opportunity
is for those high net worth individuals that are not legally obligated to
follow SCC rules.
Today, Lockheed-Martin and Monsanto corporation announce
their joint venture limited liability corporation, Space Tree Elevator and
Power corp. The scientists at STEP have bio-engineered GMO spiders that can spin
carbon fibre webs, and Lockheed-Martin has contributed patented nanobot weaving technology originally designed to
produce bullet proof stealth aircraft armour into new honeycomb sandwich load
bearing tubes. These tubes will be woven into a 22,000 foot high structure
reaching into geo-synchronous orbit.
The structure will form a number of spacious tubes from the
sea floor just off an undisclosed equatorial country to orbit, and provide for
a electric elevator to easily transport construction material into space. At
the orbital end of the structure, large mirrors made of Mylar, each several
kilometres across, will direct sunlight down similar tubes lined with a mirror
finish, and boil seawater at the base of the structure. The resulting steam
will be fed through turbo-generators to generate electricity, and the waste
steam will be directed up more tubes to high altitude where it will be
condensed into pure water. This water will flow back down to more hydro turbines,
before being captured and sold to those areas needing drinking water. Valves
will be designed to regulate the flow so that power is available 24/7.
The mirrors will be able to be independently aimed, enabling
defence of the structure against foreign control, and the ability to enhance
sunlight levels on terrestrial targets to conditions that prevent human
encroachment or interference.
Initial profits will come from carbon capture grants from
various governments, due to the amount of carbon that will be incorporated in
the carbon fibre structure, then once the space elevator is functioning, from
ongoing tariffs on transported freight, and power and water sales inherent in
the design. A series of these towers will be built around the equator, to provide
ideal communications platforms with serviceable electronic bays.
Future plans will include superconducting heat pipes to transport
excess heat from the tropics out to space, and the corresponding grants from
those governments interested in combating global warming.
Minimum initial investment is US$ 10,000,000. Once regime
change has been completed it the target country, existing reserves in the
national treasury will be accounted for and an additional US$ 15,000,000 to US$
20,000,000 will be required. Complimentary senior military ranks and or
knighthoods will be bestowed as requested.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
The 2014 sailboat update
The 2014 Sailboat Update, or yes I actually made progress
OK, the progress is almost all prep work, but it has to get
done. Note I did waste a lot of time maintaining employment, and installing
brick siding on the house, which still isn't complete.
Major items: I have a place to build now! I have cleared
space in my old barn, so have an open 16x40 foot space, with the ceiling between
10' on one edge and 8' on the other. I had originally dismissed this an
appropriate location because the garage door is only 7' high, but while
contemplating how to repair the wall it is in I realized I need to remove that
section of wall to do it right anyways, so I will wait until it is time to
remove the boat before I attempt that repair (remove wall, pull out boat, re-install
repaired wall) I am also clearing space in the other side of the barn to set up
the table saw and radial arm saw, as well as any other miscellaneous tools.
I also managed to take my Mayflower sailing dingy out for a
few spins, and sat down on my birthday and wrote (and passed) my boat licence
exam (required in Canada for anyone in control of a boat with any type of motor
on it)
I am still going to
copy most of Dave Zieger's excellent Triloboat plans, as every post
he makes on his build causes me to adjust my plans, usually closer to what he
has built. Most of the boat will be the same T8x32, with the exceptions being
the galley and adding an engine. There are also plumbing and access differences to enable the use of
the boat while still on the trailer, and while sailing in "No Discharge
Zones"
The galley will go from Dave's minimalist approach to being closer to a regular RV one. I am
planning on making the sole with a 12 inch elevation, and 2 steps down to the
saloon. The is an adjustment from Dave because I am 5'7 and Sherri is 5'3, much
shorter than Dave and Anke. The outboard space under the sole/counters, will be
for water tanks, I think that a 50 gallon tank on both sides is doable. I will
copy Dave's head design, but will put down a grating and have a shower sump
pump. Under the grating there will be room for a thru-hull with strainer and
pump, to allow lake or sea water to be used in the sink and on deck as a wash
down water supply. The trial composting toilet will also go in this space, with
minor modifications. The kitchen sink will go beside the flip up counter, and a tankless water heater
will be set up such that the hot water can be used for washing dishes or having
a shower (I don't anticipate simultaneous use here) Still deciding on the model
of heater, as the cheaper outdoor shower heaters would need to be mounted
outside on the cabin bulkhead, making temperature adjustment more difficult. I
could install a mixing valve to regulate the temperature like in a regular
shower :)
I like the idea of a wood burning stove, but have not
decided on which model. I found a really cute one, a "Little Cod" as watching
a fire is more important than using an oven for what we do.
I will build a top opening super insulated fridge freezer
box, and install the guts of a 120 volt fridge in it. I am looking at buying a
new fridge for the house kitchen and sacrificing the existing 2002 kitchen
fridge, as the outside plastic trim is cracked and we would like an all-fridge
fridge for that location anyways. The existing fridge/freezer was the most
energy efficient consumer level one I could find when I bought it, and I just
did power measurements so I know what it draws. The max running watts once the
350w defrost was off was only 150w, and
that dropped down to 120w near the end of it's cycle. I need to see if it runs
off my little 400w inverter or if I need to use the big 2500w one. I will put a
switch on the defrost so it could only work while on shore power, or just
unplug to defrost manually (more likely).
A combo microwave toaster oven will likely be installed as
that is how we warm things up when travelling, and am looking for a 2 burner
propane stove top for the rest of the cooking appliances. We run the microwave
in the RV right now off the 2500w inverter, and for how long it actually draws
power the batteries have no problem with it. I currently run 3 group 27 deep
cycle batteries in the RV, but they are over 10 years old so will purchase four
6v golf cart batteries to replace them.
Below the cockpit and back will be the biggest differences,
As I intend to install an engine. I wanted something that would not interfere
with the shoal draft, and came down to either multiple electric trolling motors
or a jet pump. Dave recommended avoiding the jet due to fuel consumption, but I realized that by simply limiting the run
time, I could control the fuel consumption best. If I really need the power
assist, I can make the call on if the 2.5G/10l an hour consumption is worth it
(estimated from highway speed mileage figures, actual numbers in the real world
to be determined) The other factor was cost and being able to reuse stuff I
already had. The more powerful trolling motors are 24v or 36v. I have a 12v
trolling motor, and my 2500w inverter and house bank batteries are all 12v. The
price of a used Berkley jet pump, with a fully marineized 350in Oldsmobile gas
motor, was less than a single new 24v electric trolling motor, and I believe I
can take enough of the marine bits off the 350 and use them
to make a marine version out of my old 2.4l diesel Mercedes project car
(abandoned as a bio-diesel project due to excessive body and frame rust).
Anyways, I bought the jet and motor and it's home now, so I can set it up and
take measurements in order to figure out how to mount it.
Going with the jet pump, I need to either offset the rudder
enough that the pump spray doesn't damage it, and or make a dual rudder system
(it adds redundancy, but also cost) Also, does a single rudder offset really
matter, since the heel angle in a boat like this will likely never get it out
of the water regardless of which tack I am on?
The accessory to be added last is a set of davits to lift a
tender out of the water, fitted on the back of the boat. This same structure
will provide a place to put solar panels and a block for the aft sail sheets to
go through.
My plan for 2015 is to go and buy some appropriate plywood
and stuff and start assembly, not sure how far I will get, but if I don't
start, I will never finish
Dennis Donohue
Labels:
boat,
bucket toilet,
composting toilet,
DIY,
sailboat,
triloboat
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
