My Girl, Show & Tell

Since our docks don't have shore power, this is how we keep the 2 starting and 1 deep cycle house battery charged. Each panel is a 40w unit that sits on the bow and charges them all week when we're not at the boat. I string a rope through the feet and tie them off against the railing to prevent them from falling into the water if the weather picks up when we are not there. This image was taken at anchor when we were out for the weekend.

By using them while at anchor I find that it doesn't charge the batteries up but it does prevent them from draining too much while we use them. I bought 25' extension cords from Amazon that let me reach all the way back to the "trunk" where I installed the battery connections and charge controllers. They are also small enough to store nicely in the trunk.

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Sandbar said:
Since our docks don't have shore power, this is how we keep the 2 starting and 1 deep cycle house battery charged. Each panel is a 40w unit that sits on the bow and charges them all week when we're not at the boat. I string a rope through the feet and tie them off against the railing to prevent them from falling into the water if the weather picks up when we are not there. This image was taken at anchor when we were out for the weekend.

By using them while at anchor I find that it doesn't charge the batteries up but it does prevent them from draining too much while we use them. I bought 25' extension cords from Amazon that let me reach all the way back to the "trunk" where I installed the battery connections and charge controllers. They are also small enough to store nicely in the trunk.

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Very nice
 
30th shake down cruise tomorrow for me and my girl. Mother Nature is going to be in one of her better moods.:smile4:
 
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Doc said:
Good luck. Hope all goes well.
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All went well, she is in perfect health. Only issues were getting me to remember what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. It was like the term, ridding a bicycle again. I fill up on land and got a little sticker shock today, I paid $1 more per gallon for 89 octane then I did at my last fill up the previous year. Years ago, 89 oct was always 10 cents more then 87 oct, today it was 27 cents higher, I have seen it as much as 40 cents higher. My father-in-law use to say, the only thing that comes down, is rain. But, hey, I got to do a little fishing and my girl took me for a ride today, :thumbup: and all is good.
 
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Newest addition to keep my girl clean. When we go fishing, there is always a mess to clean up, and there is nothing harder to remove then fish scales. So I designed and installed panels that snap in. I can take them out, lay them on the ground and hose them off. And now my girl doesn't smell like fish.
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Sandbar said:
Since our docks don't have shore power, this is how we keep the 2 starting and 1 deep cycle house battery charged. Each panel is a 40w unit that sits on the bow and charges them all week when we're not at the boat. I string a rope through the feet and tie them off against the railing to prevent them from falling into the water if the weather picks up when we are not there. This image was taken at anchor when we were out for the weekend.

By using them while at anchor I find that it doesn't charge the batteries up but it does prevent them from draining too much while we use them. I bought 25' extension cords from Amazon that let me reach all the way back to the "trunk" where I installed the battery connections and charge controllers. They are also small enough to store nicely in the trunk.

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Curious, what water way is that?
I just love the Canadian shore line, and I sure do miss it, and all the memories it has given me.
 
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While talking with Doc, It reminded me of an other addition, to make it easier to retrieve my girl.
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Well, after 30 yrs of service , my girl's power inverter finally bit the dust, so I got her another one.
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Looks like a good replacement.
I'm curious what you use the power inverter for? I have a very small one but have never had reason to use it.
 
Doc said:
Looks like a good replacement.
I'm curious what you use the power inverter for? I have a very small one but have never had reason to use it.
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I use it to run my microwave, and small George Forman grille, (one at a time) also sometimes my refrigerator when needed. And a couple of other small 110V items once in a while. No more ice and cooler, and grille and propane.
The one I had before was an Xantrex, they make a good product. I like it for cooking something hot when out on the hook. Especially when out fishing in the fall.
How big is yours, and why did you get it?
 
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I bought a small one off of one of those daily deal sites. We were getting ready for an extended trip out west with the possiblity of sleeping in the SUV and I thought I might find a need for it. As it turned out we never stayed in the SUV overnight and I never needed to run anything on it. I was afraid of how much pull it would do on the battery. If you can run a grill and microwave long enough to cook with one and still have enough to start your engine that is awesome. Good to know.
 
Denny said:
Curious, what water way is that?
I just love the Canadian shore line, and I sure do miss it, and all the memories it has given me.
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We are docked at the military base, Garrison Petawawa. It's on the Ottawa River. That's the river that opened up North America to the French explorers and fur traders back in the 1600's. It runs from Lake Temiskaming in northern Ontario all the way to Montreal where it empties into the St. Lawrence. While a good part of the that river is rocks and trees to the water's edge (typical Canadian shield), we have the nicest leg of that entire river system with many beautiful sand beaches.

The pic I posted is showing the view from Gibraltar island looking across a narrow channel at one of the many islands in that area just slightly upstream from the Garrison. Spent the night anchored there (as we often do) enjoying some good company, good rum, campfires and guitars. No marinas, docks, shorepower. You need to be comfortable with being self sufficient. Wilderness boating at its best with just you, a few other overnight boaters and the call of loons!
 
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Sandbar said:
We are docked at the military base, Garrison Petawawa. It's on the Ottawa River. That's the river that opened up North America to the French explorers and fur traders back in the 1600's. It runs from Lake Temiskaming in northern Ontario all the way to Montreal where it empties into the St. Lawrence. While a good part of the that river is rocks and trees to the water's edge (typical Canadian shield), we have the nicest leg of that entire river system with many beautiful sand beaches.

The pic I posted is showing the view from Gibraltar island looking across a narrow channel at one of the many islands in that area just slightly upstream from the Garrison. Spent the night anchored there (as we often do) enjoying some good company, good rum, campfires and guitars. No marinas, docks, shorepower. You need to be comfortable with being self sufficient. Wilderness boating at its best with just you, a few other overnight boaters and the call of loons!
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That is what I love about the Canadian shore line (Mother Nature at her best).
Have experienced Northern Lake Superior from Georgian Bay to Thunder Bay. Words can not describe the beauty of it.
In 2012 while we were there we took a short ride on the French River, that also has a lot of history. And while there we went ashore and erected a safe passage Totem.
Would love to go back to see if it is still standing, in fact I would just love to go back.

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I never knew that’s what those were called, nor did I know the meaning behind them. That’s awesome! I’m gonna have my kiddos build one at the lake house on Huron!
 
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unplugged said:
I never knew that’s what those were called, nor did I know the meaning behind them. That’s awesome! I’m gonna have my kiddos build one at the lake house on Huron!
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They come in many shapes and sizes, some are just some rocks stacked on top of each other.
If you use your imagination, my son found a rock that kind of looked like a parrot, so he put it on it's left shoulder.
 
Well I'm back again with some new items for my girl. The first after 30 years of spilling oil all over my bulge, this layup I added a remote oil filter.
I also added a fresh water wash down unit.
And a 2 battery isolator, that is hidden by the oil filter.
Finally a flag pole that was made for me by a good friend from the Chap forum, Hatem. So could fly my new nautical flag.

 
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Denny said:
Well I'm back again with some new items for my girl. The first after 30 years of spilling oil all over my bulge, this layup I added a remote oil filter.
I also added a fresh water wash down unit.
And a 2 battery isolator, that is hidden by the oil filter.
Finally a flag pole that was made for me by a good friend from the Chap forum, Hatem. So could fly my new nautical flag.

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Denny,
How long before your girl looks like the wheel well of a 737? [That's a compliment by the way(y)]. You love to tinker.
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SST said:
Denny,
How long before your girl looks like the wheel well of a 737? [That's a compliment by the way(y)]. You love to tinker.
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Ya, it is getting to get a little cluttered back there. LoL
Yes. I do love to tinker, and when you have been working with your hands for 50 years, it is hard to stop. You have no idea how hard it was to find a place to put that stuff. The next person is either going to have fun trying to figure out how to use all of it or removing it. LoL
 
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