FINALLY 👏

APPLAUSE IS WELCOME

The condo that had been our 2 decade, 8th floor home on the water (Water Street Center, Wilmington, NC) has been sold to folks who appreciate the design of the 2 bed, 2 bath Cape Fear River view Suite 810.

We wish John and Laura the very best in their new to them home and pray that they have as much fun and enjoyment as did we. We still have a small house in the town as a dirt refuge from which to base our Great Loop Adventure.

Covid did not get to us thank heaven but we did get shots with no ill side effects. A whole year went dead for many Loopers with us included, even though no illness. It prolonged the condo sale, shut down some places from which we were to order foreign made parts, thinned the labor force and brought doubt to getting to other marinas on the Loop.

All told, from the April 2021 blog to this one mid July 2021,  has been a bit sloshy trek. I feel that we should be able to get a bit of salt water time in the September time frame (no hurricanes please) with generally cooler days than the last months.

My first day at the Wrightsville Beach was July 13th for a nice swim, partly cloudy and 80 degree water. I sat on the beach for a few minutes making mental notes of the roof, deck and cockpit painting after a good scrub. That day or two will end with another dip in the salt water.

The paint this time will be a Pettit special grit white polyurethane from West Marine, requiring pressure wash and sanding away the old grey acrylic skid resistant paint. The grey was dark enough to actually scorch feet, prompting the switch to white. The rest of the boat is fairly good but will need a haulout, pressure wash the bottom and new bottom paint (not my job).

I will be sure to show some pictures next month as the ALGEMAC Mog solar boat gets a face lift and life once again returns to some normalcy.

SAFER alternative

COLD COOKING 

And Deleting Propane

Propane possibilities aboard a boat are most unwelcome.

This is an outdoor backyard grill, not intended for marine use.

The video however, does demonstrate what can occur with 

improper installation, use, handling and maintenance.

Although somewhat alarmist, the above video does point up a possibility of fire or even explosion with propane onboard a boat. Just as gasoline/petrol have been replaced on larger boats by diesel fuel, there is a growing need to replace propane in the galley with electricity. Induction cooking plates directly heat the pan/pot if it is ferris (iron) based. No fire or red hot materials are present to ignite combustibles nearby.

Air surrounding the cook plate has much less heat to absorb (the chef stays way cooler). And best of all, no burnt fingers or eyebrows.

Electricity at 240 volts AC or even 120 volts AC can be deadly in a galley, not to mention the grounding system's possibility for corrosion and failure to protect the occupant or nearby swimmer.

What we are doing on the MOG Totally Electric Powered Solar (TEPS) prototype boat, is to utilize available consumer electronics that isolate the end user from harm. Replacing the propane stove/oven with an induction stove and microwave or convection oven can effect a reduction in the possibility of electric shock or even death.

To date we have tested the dual heating induction unit (pictured) using a local 24 volt DC outlet into which a point of use inverter is plugged in the galley. The inverter has its own safety circuit that will interrupt a potential shock to a human. This localization of 120 VAC to each specific electric device for cooking, isolates to the greatest degree 120 VAC shocks. As time goes on, many of the induction and resistance 120 VAC devices will be replaced by consumer 24-28 VDC devices.

A dual heating plate induction unit

 red/black with small 600 watt inverter 

unit to be replaced by a 2000 watt 24 VDC

 inverter. At center is a single portable 

induction plate that can be easily 

used inside or in the aft cockpit.

The need for a very large 10,000 watt inverter(s), ground faulting, long wiring runs, breaker panels and labeling can be reduced with a 24 VDC run just to the galley. 24 VDC hairdryers are also on the market for trucks and large RVs. 

One of many convection ovens that run well on 

24 VDC pure sign inverters, each of which are compact and light weight.

For the oven cooking, a convection oven is fast and thorough. With a 24 VDC run to the aft cockpit, the lightweight oven can be picked up from the galley to cook outside, then slid back under the galley stove.

All of these would have a new lightweight inverter for 120 VAC next to the cooking device to include its ground fault protection. Therefore no unseen long grounding wires running through the bilge where electrical gremlins range at will. Nearly all of the very latest pure sign inverters have added a special ground circuit to their chassis and due diligence is needed to specify the correct unit needed.

More info as tests continue.

Our Name

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

The MOG acronym defined

Marine Off Grid

The three words are chosen carefully. Marine of course, applies to that portion of the world covered by water, about 2/3 of the Earth’s surface. The following word, ‘Off’, describes a civilized lifestyle disconnected from the ‘Grid’, being be any commercial network providing, in this case fuel or energy.

Boats, especially sailboats, have long been utilized as transport and shelter. People could travel while living inside with food, clothing, tools, seeds and even small domesticated animals. While ancient sailboats had no auxiliary engine, they were able spread the world’s population to foreign land masses thousands of years ago. However, as soon as ancient mariners crossed the horizon, visual contact, verbal contact and food contact was lost. With no refrigeration, food sources needed to be live animals, stored water, potted or dried food, supplemented by fishing or hunting if fortunate enough to find land.

Enter renewable energy. 

Solar electricity that is stored, powers refrigeration, A/C, water purifiers, communications, radar, sonar, toilet and above all, small but powerful electric motors driving efficient propellers yielding limitless range. MOG is unlike the typical power boat that requires a support network for oil, fuel, grease, injectors, filters and fire protection. A totally electric powered solar boat regimen therefore consists mainly of haul out, paint, system updates, motor diagnostics and simpler, cleaner maintenance.

Today, a non lethal power level of just 24 volts DC of direct current electricity can provide for purifying water, storing food, cooking food, aids for fishing, cleaning clothes, power tools, air conditioning, computers, medical devices, waste disposal and security.

An amazing fact is, 24 volts DC can also be the drive power to push the 40 foot MOG boat to 7 knots and 4 knots all day depending on storage and solar array size. 

MOG truly liberates the individual to boat any place without continually repurchasing power. A human being that can fully actualize their existence without continuous payment for energy becomes more than liberated, the individual becomes independent and more nearly a nation than a consumer.