Details and photos of LaFarr Stuart's Solar Boat
Last Up date on: 2003 November 14
Recent changes: Moved to new host. I hope links to photos work.
This shows the
Siemens
solar panel. I simply laid it across a
Rubbermaid tote. (Actually, my sleeping bag in the blue
stuff sack is being used to tilt the panel into the sun. I should point out
that I drilled holes in the edges of the panel and put in permanent
loops of rope so I could fasten the panel to the grab lines. It would be
disaster to drop the solar panel over!
Because the edges of the
solar panel were rather sharp I spent some time with a file rounding all
sharp corners. One doesn't want a hole poked in an inflatable.
This is looking from about the middle of the boat to the rear. This
shows the motor, batteries and the rear seat. (The white cloth is the
Sun shade, folded down.)
Between the batteries, and not very distinct in the photo, is a panel that has a cigarette lighter (for powering my Cell Phone charger or GPS) a couple binding posts to connect a volt meter. Also on this panel is a charge controller which is necessary to prevent the batteries from getting over charged.
At the top of the batteries you might be able to make out a red web strap. This went over the batteries and the wood bracket that I made to hold the batteries from sliding around.
You can see the
Minn Kota
motor, and the front of the Sevylor paddle board and paddle. The tow
line is at the right.
This is the wooden bracket that I made to anchor the batteries. It is
very simple and any good carpenter will probably see many ways it should
have been done.
The bolts at the top are actually eye bolts, the eye is underneath, and
go through two holes in the transom that were provided by the Sea Eagle
people.
Here the bracket is turned over, from the above photo, and mounted to the
transom. The darker board at the bottom is actually part of the
transom; the floor boards slip under it. At the bottom of it near
the middle you can make out a darker circle. This is the drain
plug that leaked! That was the only flaw in the boat; and the Sea Eagle
people made good on that!
In over 17 days it did not leak a drop of water. (After I fixed it.)
and I never had to add any air!
This is a side view. My reason for showing this is that I want to call
attention to the fact that the vertical parts with the eyebolts goes
over the board at the bottom. I did this so the tension of the eyebolts,
with washers of course, would hold the bottom board against the transom;
and it leaves a gap for me to thread the web strap that holds the
batteries.
Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the bracket that goes between the batteries.