One of the biggest hurdles folks come across when taking on an elderly boat project is that it’s hard to get a handle on the big picture when most all of the information available is minutia in what is always a large project. For instance, a detailed how to install a watermaker article seldom, if ever, discusses how the process will affect the existing electrical, plumbing, and design parameters of the project boat. Which is why a lot of folks have problems because it’s not just the watermaker, but a whole boat hack.
A successful installation of any new system on a boat needs to fit in to the overall boat ecology. If you don’t have the big picture of how it is going to work, you might find yourself doing the chaotic two-step or worse.
Of late, I’ve seen no shortage of articles or videos hyping electric propulsion, electric stoves and any number of expensive electrical systems that are considered needful. Then again, I don’t see a whole lot of information on how to actually power these power-hungry systems other than what some might call magical thinking.
Lithium being the current translation of Abracadabra, right?
Of course, living in a consumerist society, the answer to all problems is simply to buy stuff and spend more. Install an electric stove and just buy more batteries then buy more solar, a hydro generation unit, or genset. Now, if that doesn’t work, just buy a bigger boat (catamaran preferred) that can support a humongous solar array. All you need is a shit load of cash.
Maybe it’s me being Mr Cheap Seats, but maybe we should be designing our systems to work around what we need and can sustain within our budget. Being led around by the nose to serve as an income stream for someone who cares little about you or your needs is not what cruising is about at all.
Oh yeah, on another tack, here’s an interesting post about just the sorta class we need more of.