This year we launched from Blind River and immediately had to
depart for Spanish. The marina at Blind River was still in the
process of rebuilding the docks and try as we might we could not
secure a dock for the week we needed to commission Tuglet.
While on the hard in Blind River we did, however, manage to
install:
1. a new 100 Ah Lithium Ion battery and DC-DC controller as
our house battery setup replacing a 240 AH wet cell battery setup.
2. a new solar controller
3. a propane sensor and supply valve cutoff
4. a new Jabsco head
5. a new AM/FM radio
6. a new primary inverter
7. a connection to our AIS and a PC not the chart plotter.
There is a mismatch between the data structure required by our
chart plotter and that supplied by the AIS unit that requires a
$400 converter to fix.
The system works fine using the AIS, an old PC and some freeware
(OpenCPN).
8. The next iteration of our water bladder installation this
one using quick disconnect fittings.
9. replaced the bilge pump switch (again)
10. added additional wire to the solar array controller. Using 11
gauge as recommended,
11. tried to make sense of the gauge of the alternator wiring
12. replaced the exterior wash down hoses with solid hose instead
of expanding hose which fails.
13. Replaced the complex air horn install with an even more
complex one. At least it works
14, resealed the aft access cover. This turns out to be critical
in retrospect.
All in all a busy time before splash. Once underway and at the
dock in Spanish the real fun began.
1. We decided to use our water bladder first then switch to
our main tanks just to test out the system. The system leaked and
the bladder could not be emptied to save whatever water was
left. We needed a total rethink on how to install the extra
water storage.
2. The promise of Lithium Ion batteries is somewhat
overstated. Yes they can be discharged to max but don't you dare
go below 80% otherwise getting them back to full performance can
really bite,
Don't trust your AH metre unless is is calibrated and trustworthy.
The Li batteries show full voltage until they die. A good AH metre
is required to monitor the use of the battery unless you install
one of the new Blue Tooth capable batteries that can provide data
on the actual condition of the battery.
3. I wired up the shore power charger, the 40 Amp alternator,
starter battery, dc-dc converter and the Li as shown in the
manual. In the mix was the solar controller wired directly to the
Li battery as recommended. After a week of motoring/cruising it
became apparent that the starter battery was not being charged. It
turns out that our alternator was not producing enough power to
charge an Li and our starter battery. A quick rewire of the solar
controller to the starter battery and a sunny day allowed us to
start the engine. It seems that the Li presents an infinite sink
and our small alternator is not able to cope. A DTDT switch will
fix the problem by allowing us to select which battery the solar
panels will charge.
4. The echo charger that worked with our flooded batteries did not
work with the Li and had to be removed
5. Replaced our port side VHF antenna and repaired the old one for
use with our AIS.
6. Spent many hours measuring voltages from the solar panels
and configuring the solar charger to produce the required voltage
at the battery to maximize performance. Turns out that the wire
gauge recommendation is too small for the distance covered.
7. The engine has been hard to start because the starter has been
malfunctioning. I thought it was a starter solenoid issue and
decided to replace the starter with our spare. Once I removed the
old starter the real problem became apparent. A bit of history ...
Tuglet had been stored "inside" in Michigan during the pandemic
since we could not travel into the US. Turns out that "inside" did
not mean out of the weather. Tuglet did not have a drain plug for
some reason, the large deck opening in the aft did not have a
waterproof seal, the batteries were disconnected and it rained.
Water inside rose to the level of the engine starter and found its
way into the flywheel area. It took a can of WD-40 to open up the
drain hole in the flywheel cover. Next spring will tell if the
problem is solved.
It was a wonder that we actually had some cruising time. Our
voyages included visits to the following places:
All dates given are for arrival since no-one dares travel at night
in the North Channel due to rocks and unlit nav aids.
Blind River
<------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>
Little Current <----------------------> McGregor
| June 10 - Launch Blind River , |  |
| June 10 - Spanish , | |
| June 12 - Hotham Island , clay bottom, pike |
 |
| June 19 - East Rous Island, clay bottom , pike |
 |
| June 20 - Little Current (Spider Bay), |  |
| June 22 - Heywood Island , no fish |
 |
| June 23 - McGregor Bay (East Channel), pike |
 |
| June 27 - McGregor Bay (Usual Reasons Bay), pike |
 |
| July 3 - Heywood Island, no fish | |
| July 5 - Little Current (Spider Bay), | |
| July 7 - McGregor Bay (Usual Reasons Bay), bass |
|
| July 10 - Heywood Island, no fish | |
| July 11 - East Rous Island, pike |
|
| July 13 - Hotham Island, pike, bass |
 |
| July 15 - Bear Drop Island, pike bass |
 |
| July 18 - Blind River , | |
| Toronto Trip, |
A second set of changes was made after we returned from
Toronto with additional parts. 2. AED battery installed 3. Water bladder reinstalled and tested (it seems to work now) 4. Propane tank refilled 5. House and Starter switches reworked 6. Galley 12 volt wiring redone to reduce voltage drop 7. VHF/AM/FM splitter removed from the starboard antenna since it did not work. Both VHF radios and the AIS have their own VHF antenna since none of the splitters I have tried seem to work 8. DPDT switch installed on console to direct solar power between house and starter batteries 9. Solar controller parms changed to ABS - 14.6, Float - 14 due to line loss using 11 gauge wire. |
| July 31 - Bear Drop Island, pike, bass |
|
| August 2 - Laurier Island, no fish |  |
| August 4 - Hotham Island, pike |
|
| August 6 - Bedford Island, bass |
 |
| August 7 - East Rous Island, bass |
|
| August 9 - Little Current (Spider Bay), | |
| August 10 - McGregor Bay (Usual Reasons Bay), bass |
|
| August 14 - McGregor Bay (Crooked Arc Bay), pike |
 |
| August 17 - Frazer Point, no fish |  |
| August 18 - Horseshoe Bay, bass |
 |
| August 19 - Haywood Island, no fish | |
| August 20 - Covered Portage Cove, no fish |  |
| August 22 - Haywood Island, no fish | |
| August 23 - Little Current (Spider Bay), | |
| August 24 - East Rous Island, bass |
|
| August 27 - Hotham Island, pike, bass |
|
| August 29 - Laurier Island, pike |
|
| September 1 - Spanish, | |
| September 2 - Bear Drop Island, pike, bass |
|
| September 5 - Long Point Cove, no fish |  |
| September 8 - Turnbull Island, no fish |  |
| September 11 - Blind River for Haul Out, |
All in all a short summer for cruising Once we were hauled out a garboard plug was installed as
well as the usual pre-storage activities.
81.41 engine hours, 405 Nm and 82 imp gallons of fuel or
1 imp gal/hr at cruising speed The engine was not
used for charging the battery. |