Guide Post - A Simple Electrical System for the Herreshoff S-class Sloop Mischief
...rticles are great. I hope you post many more of them. One question on this electrical system though. Is it not an ABYC requirement to have a fuse located within 7" of the battery in positive wire leading to the switch? Andrew Klapp Can you please tell me the manufacturer of the fuse block? Thanks for the great videos. Andy Klapp john russnogle Good question? Answer? Jim Hansen Nigel Calder, on p. 188 of his Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Ma...
Video - Marine Diesel Engines, Part 9 – Belt & Electrical System
...When it comes to the electrical system – it’s not always clear what is really causing your problem....
Video - How to Wire a Bilge Pump – Marine Electrical Systems
...Figuring out how to wire a bilge pump to your battery doesn’t have to be a chore to put off any longer. Follow Don Eley as he takes us step by step through the process and get some pretty handy tips along the way....
Video - Boat Wiring, Part 4 – Making Good Connections
...can also click on this yourself on the "videos" page, by clicking "Marine Electrical Systems" under the "browse by category" listing. https://www.offcenterharbor.com/category/marine-electrical-systems/?ref=1 Karen Marciano Thanks! Richard Marsiglia Could you tell me any special things about grounding the electrical systems on a wooden boat or any boat for that matter. I want to make sure I don't have any stray current that would ruin my running g...
Video - Boat Wiring, Part 2 – Marine Battery Cables
Marine electrical systems can be scary, mysterious stuff. In this video series, we asked Professor Don Eley to show us what we need to know to untangle our own boat wiring. We’re continuing this series here in Part 2 with a look at marine battery cables, since they get the power from the source to where it needs to go. Learn about choosing the right marine battery cables, connecting terminal ends, crimping & sealing. Getting this part right could...
Video - Boat Wiring, Part 1 – How Lead Acid Batteries Work – Wet Cell, Gel Cell, Absorbed Glass Mat
...Electrical systems on boats can be scary, mysterious stuff. It’s little wonder that batteries come in black boxes. In this video series, we asked Professor Don Eley to show us what we need to know to untangle our own boat wiring. We’re starting here in Part 1 with the power source… batteries. Professor Eley gives us a full walk through of lead acid batteries and how they work, including Wet Cell, Gel Cell and Absorbed Glass Mat technologies....
Video - Boat Wiring, Part 3 – Wire & Electricity
...Don presents a clear way to determine the proper type and gauge of wire to use on your next boat wiring job as well as the basics on amperage, voltage, and resistance in this video on proper boat wiring. Watch Boat Wiring, Part 4 – Making Good Connections or… See all 6 parts of our Boat Wiring Series...
Video - Boat Wiring, Part 5 – Overcurrent Protection
...Fire in a wire. This graphic presentation shows what can happen when too much juice flows through too small a wire and how the situation can be prevented with overcurrent protection. Even if your boat has little more than running lights or even just a bilge pump, you gotta see this one. This video series concludes in Part 6 – The Two Battery System – Be sure to check it out. See all 6 parts of our Boat Wiring Series...
Video - Boat Wiring, Part 6 – The Two Battery System
...After enlightening us all on every aspect of a simple marine electrical system, Don Eley brings it all together by laying out his simple two battery system. Don even adds a new wrinkle — a new and improved switching system that reduces the risk of having two dead batteries....
Video - VEGA – An Electrified Classic Wooden Launch
...Vega is a classic launch with a twist; she is powered by solar panels and an electric motor....
Video - A Visit Aboard OCEAN PEARL, Part 2 – Below Deck
...Matching new wood with old wood and keeping new systems behind closed doors is what keeps a weathered yacht feeling like she did when she was new....
Video - Boat Storage, The Brownell Boat Stand System
...h sizes, floor space layouts/requirements, lighting, ventilation, storage, electrical requirements, etc. An inexpensive, covered, backyard enclosure for working on a boat during the fall/winter/spring. Costs, materials, best location, putting it together. How to properly cover a boat, from exposure from the elements, while the boat is still in the water, for working on it. Electrical wiring and systems. Mechanical Systems installation and maintena...
Video - How to Make a Boat Mooring System – with Wayne Hamilton
...Wayne Hamilton has spent his working life keeping boats secure against the elements in Searsport, Maine’s open harbor. In doing so, he has gained immense practical knowledge about how to construct effective, durable moorings. A mooring should never be a second thought – something as small as the right shackle can save your boat. Wayne shares his best practices for how to make a boat mooring system....
Video - Outboard Powerboat Handling, Part 1 – How to Dock A Boat
...: https://www.offcenterharbor.com/category/seamanship-skills/?ref=1 Marine Electrical Systems: https://www.offcenterharbor.com/category/marine-electrical-systems/?ref=1 Marine Engines: https://www.offcenterharbor.com/category/engines/?ref=1 Enjoy and best of luck, Dustin alan carlisle Would appreciate an illustration of the same challenge with a fixed engine and rudder .. perhaps down the road... The island ferry boat Captain (10 passengers) does...
Video - The Yacht Design Spiral – Will Sturdy on the Eggemoggin 47
...A fascinating look and listen as yacht designer Will Sturdy, walks us through transforming a spirit of tradition racing yacht, for new sailing grounds, while maintaining her pedigree....
Video - Worldwide Classic Boat Show Presentation – Electric Propulsion & Solar Cruising
...The future is now – three pros talk about the actualities of cruising with the power of the sun....
Guide Post - Learning from Experience; My Biggest Disaster and What it Taught Me.
...edeck with a flashlight, I could see that the rubber dome that covered the electrical foot switch had degraded in the sun, and had a crack in it. Precisely, Dr. Watson, an electrical short circuit! The pea soup fog had provided the moisture, abetted by the salt atmosphere. So, the motto is clear. Keep and eye on those foot switches, and turn off the circuit breaker whenever the windlass is not in use. And never underestimate the value of good luck...
Boats for Sale - SOLD – 30′ Garden Custom Cruising Tug
...s Steel centerline tank New 2014 15 gallon Holding Tank Plastic under head Electrical: 30 Amp Blue Seas shore power to AC panel in hanging locker new 2014 Magnum MM series 1,200 watt inverter, 70 Amp charger 2013 Xantrex Trucharge 20 shorepower battery charger 2009 4 AGM house batteries group 31 12V 420AH 2013 1 AGM engine start battery Group 31 105AH 2013 Engine alternator 100A 12V DC Blue Seas panel at helm for all DC loads. New 2014 Main Batter...
Video - Wooden Boat Building Techniques: Steam Bending Oak Frames
Watching hot oak timbers go into a boat is fascinating. Join Maynard Bray as he describes how Brian Larkin reframes the Herreshoff S-boat MISCHIEF being restored at Brooklin Boat Yard. With a few tips, the daunting task of steam bending is demystified, and an amazing boat is brought back to life. This was the very first video created by Maynard and Steve Stone, and so it was one of the primary inspirations behind the creation of OffCenterHarbor.c...
Video - An Electrifiying Twist To The Gunning Dory: G.E.M.A. – The Gentleman’s Electric Mess-About
...G.E.M.A, otherwise known as the Gentleman’s Electric Mess-About, has an electrifying new twist on the classic Chamberlain/John Gardner Gunning Dory. She was designed and built by Eric Jacobssen, Owner and Master Builder at North Brooklin Boats, in 2014. She is propelled by oar and an Aquamot A20 electric motor....
Video - A Visit Aboard OCEAN PEARL, Part 3 – The Engine (& Systems) Room
...At the center of this 62′ ketch is an engine & systems room housing an array of systems only to be dreamed of when she was built back in 1958....
Video - A Visit Aboard Ocean Pearl, Part 1 – Above Deck
...Ocean Pearl was a great boat with aging systems and a definite need of refurbishment. Her owner had the good fortune to engage a couple of young boatbuilders, John O’Donovan and Patrick Dole, to do the job and the results are quite amazing....
Guide Post - Inadvertently Green, The Budget Cruising Dividend
This article originally appeared in the October 2011 issue of Ocean Navigator magazine. With its focus on minimalist boating, I thought it might be of interest to the OCH readership. When my husband Seth and I started cruising aboard our Westphal 38Heretic, being “green” wasn’t on our radar. But sailing on a shoestring was. We were trying to outfit a 40-year-old boat for a round-the-world voyage; we had to make our money last for the next few yea...
Video - John Lockwood – The Building Of Pygmy Boats
...John Lockwood’s life story, on the way to the founding of his company, Pygmy Boats, is as compelling as the kayaks he designs and builds....
Video - 7 Basic Boating Knots for Sailing — Taut Line Hitch, Cleat Knot, Sheet Bend, Bowline, Square Knot, Clove Hitch & Two Half Hitches
...Geoff Kerr shows us the seven basic boating knots that sailors use for voyages around the globe. These knots are part of our video on Basic Boat Handling for Beach Cruising, but we thought they warranted their own video as well. Boating Knots Covered Include: Taut Line Hitch 0:25 Cleating Off 1:21 Sheet Bend 2:05 Bowline 3:02 Square Knot 3:32 Clove Hitch 3:55 Two Half Hitches 4:17 ...
Guide Post - CREEK CRAWLER, A Simple Trailerable Houseboat by Havilah Hawkins
...a keys. I have a 2KW Honda quiet generator that would easily meet my small electrical needs on board. If at some later date if I wished to go off grid and had the means she could easily be powered with solar & wind. Presently I own a 33' cat ketch and a10' glass Bahama dinghy. Not being as young and spry as I once was I think a change is in the offering and it would while simple, still satisfy my urge to sail. Thank you for sharing some great prac...
Video - Marine Diesel Engines, Part 2 – Trouble-Shooting the Raw Water System
...Your engine is running too hot; here’s how to think through the stages of the raw water system and then solve your problem....
Video - Marine Diesel Engines, Part 3 – Changing the Impeller
...The rubber impeller in the raw water pump pushes water through the cooling system. Learn how to inspect this critical part and how to change an impeller if necessary....
Video - Marine Electronics for Every Size Boat, Part 1 – Handheld GPS Chartplotter (vs. Smart Phone)
...ic compass because it always works. Several experiences with total loss of electrical power make a battery powered GPS an VHF (whether primary or back-up) very valuable indeed. Especially so when 100 miles south of Monhegan in the fog, at night. Everyone has opinions, based upon experiences. Am glad to hear yours have been positive. They're about 180 degrees from mine! Am patiently waiting for 5G as the impetus to upgrade into a waterproof device...
Guide Post - JUNE BUG, A Cat Schooner by Bill Garden
...ter completing the interior fit out and installation of the mechanical and electrical systems including a one cylinder diesel engine. I hope to build the spars and sails this winter and launch her next summer. As an aside while I was researching June bug, I learned that Ruben Trane, who designed the Hen series of boats (Marsh Hen, Peep Hen, Bay Hen for construction in Fiberglass by Florida Bay Boats) based Marsh Hen the first boat in the Hen serie...
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