Launch Sequence, Poetry in Motion

Launch Sequence. Beautiful Shots. Narrative follows.
A bit windy for a launch but what the heck.

5 new photo voltaics (PVs) added. Their newly connected lines shown uncovered on the roof as she is lowered.

Oh God, thy sea is so great, my boat so small.

Coming into the fairway on her way back to slip number 18.

The twin electric motors make her guidance a single handed delight.

Back in her slip and the final preparations to leave again for the Great Loop with her new additions.

The boat was on the hard, scheduled for a launch between May 20th and the 26th. However the boat yard was filling fast with very large boats requiring long rework periods. Not wanting to be boxed in by other boats for another month or two, the decision to launch was made for Wednesday the 21st of May.

Feverishly the lower hull was completely polished, motors re-rigged, steering set up, batteries watered, solar modules redirected to the remaining PV controller, fenders secured, deck lines re-placed, interior (a mess) cleaned and stowed. Also the yard folks had to paint where the jack stands had been used to help support the boat as well as touching up a few spots of bottom paint.

With that flurry of activity completed, the next order of business was to put her in the Cape Fear River. Darn if the wind wasn’t blowing forcefully and the tide in a run. The trouble was she had to go in quickly because another boat needed to be put on the hard, in the yard, ASAP.

These days the litigious society in which I live does not permit the owner to ride in the boat as the Travel Lift machine launches the boat. No, that would be too simple. Now the boat is moved with no one aboard and then one must scramble down a ladder nearly twenty feet to the side deck of their boat. This is not the yard’s idea, this is the result of nanny-state lawyers messing with boats to protect the insurance companies from lawsuit happy people. Oh well, that is my rant for the week.

Once in the liquid all things settled down to a fine hum. The auxiliary gasoline engine was tested while backing out of the Travel Lift  sling, then down river a bit to the fairway for the entry to the slip. The gear shift was tight, not having been used for a while but loosened up quickly after some shifting practice. The new steering was so very nice, moving all the motors and engine in a coordinated manner that made negotiating the turning and backing seamless.

The switch was then made to the twin electric motors to enter the fairway (the lobby of the slip area). Seamless again, the boat was partnered with the direction of wind and tide to allow a highly controlled entry to the main dock and a cake walk into the slip.

Lines tied to the dock cleats, a feeling of accomplishment coursed through me. A lot had been required to upgrade the ALGEMAC II from last year’s four day Great Loop test and adventure. Now a new adventure to continue the MOG’s Great Loop looms ahead. Our first boat test will be right after installing the new PV controller, weather permitting, by the first of June.

Being late to start anything is not new to me. Time has taught me well, that patience is requisite for the project at hand. I am enjoying (to the extent I can) every moment. The timeline is not a schedule. It is, the time of my life.

Upgrades and Blue Arc Excitement
Additional clamps to hold down the newly added 5 PVs.

Newly added is a steering control for all or any combination of electric motors and auxiliary engine.

A view over the stern of the arrangement for the steering ram and the drag bar linkage to the electric motors.

Burn marks on components after I shot 166 VDC into the Trace 40 controller, meant for a max of 125 VDC. My bad. Blackened component (was all yellow) and two half burnt blue round knobs (now half black and blue) and the blowndisc next to yellow component.

The final push to get the MOG Canal Boat “ALGEMAC II” back into the water has been a blur. To be a bit economical, I had considered using the old Trace C 40 photovoltaic (PV) controller. It was to be used for the second set of 5 PVs newly placed atop the boat (as described in the last blog entry). Instead I decided to use the old controller for a test.

Knowing that there is usually a bit of leeway in the electrical specifications for the PV controller and that the amount of electricity (voltage and current) usually does not exceed the maximum stated values in the PV specifications….The test was made to place the PVs in series, hook up the PV controller and see if the peak voltage is above 125 volts DC. It measured above but that was what is called the open circuit voltage. Long story short, I did cause a voltage spike, not caught by the circuit breaker and knocked the old Trace 40 controller out of commission.

Although the unit was over 10 years old, it was still a valid test. A new one is on order to take the old one’s place (a simple wire for wire reinstall). It was a test and I was correct about being wrong. (Sounds like a good politician  : )

The new five photovoltaic modules are now in parallel instead of series with the offending (too slow) circuit breaker put out to pasture. I have been convinced that the specs, these days, are there for a good reason and should be read well and noted. Chiding aside, it was interesting to see, as I would not have continued to use the old controller, even though Trace (now Xantrax) makes a superb and long lasting unit. Newer is better, at least from a warrantee standpoint.

MOG's upgrades and uplifts... Preparing for the Loop!

Finally I have some good weather, the early monsoons and gales have 

abated here in Wilmington, NC and Bennett Brothers Yachts is humming 

along. The fine folks here have cleaned the boat's hull below the 

water line, skegs have been caulked and the bottom has new Petit 

Trinidad (dark blue) with a revitalized boot stripe. The boot stripe 

had to be moved for the new water line because of the auxiliary 

outboard's weight. The nearly 300 pound setup plus it's start battery 

and gas tanks is a big load for the aft end. I like having the comfort 

factor for the wife and me but my previous trips never used an 

auxiliary engine, just the electric motors to drive the boat. I look 

forward to the engine removal after these new electric motors and 

controllers have been put through their paces. 
(Images at the bottom of this post are terrific complements to the text.) 

Other items on the completion list.....  the expanded battery area to 

18 batteries, expansion of the PV (solar electric photovoltaic 

modules) to 11, added circuit breakers, wiring and bringing a second 

PV controller on line. Not to mention repainting the fore deck and aft 

deck and the roof. The mounting of the 5 additional PVs has been a bit 

nettlesome because the original layout and clamping hardware created  

did not meet the eyeball test. Although quite functional, the added 

PVs broke the roof line in an unlikable set of jaggies. I have 

smoothed the appearance, which demands I fashion new hardware. There 

are times when I feel the job will never get done but I am 

indefatigable and undeterred.

Most of the solar electric work is performed at dusk to alleviate my 

shadow messing up the incoming sun/electricity. This might seem 

trivial but one panel set is a series creating 72 volts DC and the 

other panel is series creating 125 volts DC. Prolonged shadows at full 

sun can literally fry a solar cell in a module, not a good idea cost 

wise. So during the strong day sun I use the electricity to saw, 

drill, shape and sand various pieces of wood and heavy plastics to 

secure the battery sets, create additional storage and make mounts for 

the 5 added PVs. The added PVs can be taken down and stored inside the 

boat (when not needed on the Erie Canal and non-ocean like conditions).

For me this is all great fun, thought provoking and exhilarating work. 

At the end of the day I am tired and hungry. The next day is more 

problems to solve. Thus I proceed on the way to getting onto the Great 

Loop. Surprisingly good progress is being made. We'll get there.

The MOG's "Sea Beard" after one year in the water.

A couple of shots as the MOG is temporarily removed from its
natural element.

In the first shot, the Captain surveys the situation as
the MOG is returned again to its rightful place. 

Note the bow bumper or "Bowmper" 

Solar PV modues laid out on the roof to the bow and stern. Some hardware
changes are required before hook up.

Captain George McNeir looks very much the proud papa.
Note MOG Navy apparel available at mognavystore.qbstores.com

The fore deck gets two coats of grey grit paint as do the aft and side decks.

The new 125 volt DC, 3 pole, circuit breaker for the
5 added PVs atop the roof with the Trace 40 amp
controller to the left and the black
Outback controller to the right.

A bow shot of the painted hull, black 2" wide boot stripe,
and extended Bowmper to protect the bow.

MOG- innovative ideas for all vessels

Innovative ideas for "new", "used", and "build it from scratch" boats.

Questions that interest (or plague) all boaters include... fuel costs? 

draft? air draft? head? full shower? 

Our boat, the 40' MOG Canal Boat, has been a work in progress for nearly 

a quarter century from conception. The MOG is a solar electric yacht with 

an unlimited range and near zero cost of fuel (it does have an 

auxiliary gas outboard engine). There are many ideas that can be applied 

on a used or new boat, as well as for a new build. 

You may want to tour the boat on the site   http://www.mogcanalboat.com/    
and visit the blog   http://www.mognavy.blogspot.com/.
Most+economical+"Loop"+boat+(2-5434-MOGelectric)
George McNeir III,   on AGEMAC II,  Cape Fear Marina, Wilmington, NC

MOG Navy deploys a landing party at Kona, Hawaii!

Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean are introduced to MOG Navy style.
As you see from the smile and the MOG Navy uniform we have landed at Kona, Hawaii to much fanfare and celebration. The MOG Navy embroidered T-Shirt and an obligatory measure of grog (a fine red wine in this case) herald growing recognition of the MOG phenomenon. The MOG Midshipman shown is Bill Proctor, a supporter of the MOG and its innovative approach to the nautical lifestyle. 
The prototype MOG Solar Powered Yacht is currently being provisioned in Wilmington, NC to begin the Great Loop. As preparations to launch continue, the MOG Navy logo is seen in more and more fascinating locales.
MOG Navy apparel and accessories can be found at www.mognavystore.qbstores.com
More information on the MOG is available at http://www.mogcanalboat.com



The landscape below is being considered as a location for the MOG Navy West Coast Division Headquarters, he said tongue-in-cheek.
Would it not be a lovely location for our Hawaii office???