Countdown is flying past. Down to eleven days now. The goal is to get off the dock, go sailing out in the bay, anchor out for a couple days to make sure everything is working as it should be, then grab some good weather and head to the Marquesas.
The last couple of days were spent installing new batteries. I had been planning to upgrade to lithium batteries. It’s all the rage these days, and for a lot of good reasons, the main two being that they have more usable capacity than normal batteries, and the other being that they weigh considerably less.
If I were in the States and time wasn’t an issue, this would be a no-brainer project for me. It’s a different consideration down here. The already considerable cost is pretty much doubled. I contacted the main battery guy here in Puerto Vallarta and he came out to the boat. We talked about different choices, what would need to be done, what other things would need to be changed to accommodate the lithium, etc.. He got back to me with a couple of quotes. $18k, and $14k. This would be a really nice upgrade, but would take some time, and some troubleshooting.
In the end I just couldn’t justify it. For one thing, I was hesitant about the timetable for getting it done and ensuring that everything was working properly. For another thing, we’ve been cruising along just fine and dandy for twenty years on old technology. I ended up replacing the batteries with exactly what was in there already. For $3k all I had to do was lift the six, eight-year-old Lifeline batteries out of the tray, drop the new ones in, and I was done. In addition, there was space for three more, so I built a battery tray for those out of what I had handy, and we upped our battery capacity by 50%. $4,400 all in, and the project only took about two hours. And there is no reason at all they shouldn’t last as long as we own this boat.
I bounced around similar questions regarding our solar. The current setup has 8 German-made flat panels that work very well and total 920 watts of solar. I had room on the roof for a few more of those, but when I priced them out, I found that they cost about $1,200 each. Solar panel costs have come down through the years to the point that I expect to pay about $1/watt. So, $10/watt for these fancy solar panels just seemed way over the top. I went back and forth a hundred times trying to decide what I wanted to do before finally deciding simple and inexpensive was the way to go for now. I’m adding another 400 watts worth of Renogy panels. In the States these would be $1/watt, but here in Mexico they were $2. So at the end of the day we’ll have increased solar and battery capacity by about 50%, which should do pretty well for us.
I didn’t want to use normal mounting hardware on the panels because that would have had brackets and screws on the outside edges of the panel into the roof and would have been an eyesore. I decided instead to place blocks at the corners and along the edges that would be secured to the roof on the inside of the panels, then I’ll screw through the panel into the blocks. The panels will also be bolted together themselves. I was trying to think of something to use as blocks and eventually landed on the idea of buying a nice thick kitchen cutting board. One-inch thick high-quality plastic that the screws really grab tight. Easy to cut up with the jigsaw to make any size block I need, too. Not to mention dirt cheap on Amazon.
I’ve figured out the jib furler’s problem and how to get it off. Now I just need another set of hands to help me ensure I don’t drop the entire rig on the boat and also that I don’t lose any bits and pieces overboard. It’s heavy and awkward, so I have a guy coming out to give me a hand, rather than risk Ali’s life and limbs.
We are finding it impossible to get our AIS or our epirb registered in our names thanks to them both being BVI registered previously. This is a pain in the butt we’ve not had to deal with in the past when our boats were all from the US.
In the midst of everything else, we surprised the kids with a trip to Petco. We pulled up and walked in without telling them what we were doing. When they finally asked, I told them, “I just wanted to get some stuff for the engine that’s cheaper here than at the regular store.” That stupid answer didn’t even phase them. Coming from me it seemed perfectly plausible.
Eventually we reached the hamster display, where we would find our new buddy, and the truth became clear.
The hamster cost less than $3. The stuff for the hamster cost $150. Following more research (Ali’s specialty) we spent another $100 a few days later. What I found humorous was when they gave us an official looking document giving us a three-month warranty (i.e. life insurance policy) for our fifty-peso pet. No surprise Petco wants to make sure you always have a pet to take care of. That is an incredible business model.
Georgie.
Small metal shavings belong on the end of the dock, not on the boat’s deck.
Ali took the kids to the Crocodile sanctuary here in town.
I wonder how many tourists realize these beasts are lurking around the area.
These connectors must be a European thing, as I’d never seen them before on any of our other boats/vehicles. I now love them. So much easier than crimping wires. Flip the orange lever up, plug in the spliced wire, flip the orange lever down. Done.
You know things are getting real when you start seeing this stuff coming out of your shopping bags.
You can see the jib sail is off the boat. While we’re working on the jib furler itself, the sail is in getting restitched and having a couple of small tears (on the sail cover, not the sail itself) repaired.
Quick and easy. Rotisserie chicken, pico de gallo, a pot of rice, and tortillas.
Afternoons on the beach—and a surfboard even if the waves are too small—is always a nice escape from the boat prep grind.
Cockpit table sent off for a couple coats of varnish. It’s the only thing on this boat that requires varnish, and hopefully not very often.
Off to the dealer for a new Yamaha 15hp 2-stroke. The only dinghy engine we like to own. We had gone to the shop a few months ago, but ended up putting it off. The same shop we’d gone to way back in our monohull days. When we returned the other day, after all these years, the shop was boarded up. Fortunately, we were able to track them down, in a new warehouse down the road.
17 Comments on “Off the Hamster Wheel”
Lithium do perform better, but with all the auto batteries having so many problems shorting out I think you did right. A neighbor had a fender bender with her Tesla. Broke the headlight unit and pushed the metal about 2 inches back at the passenger side wheelwell (the car was still drive-able). They totaled the the car with 9K miles on it. Said the impact might cause the batteries to short and cause a fire. That technology is just too new to trust going off like you guys like to do. I also just read another Youtuber Beau and Brandy just had a short in their lithium batteries that could have burned their boat. About that last picture. Is that “the look”?
Pat: Just wondering which Lifelines you used? We have the 8D 255Ah ones, but yours look smaller? We are going through the whole battery replacement thing now, replacing our 10 yo starter and 7 yo house banks, so 6 8Ds all together – and, yes, it’s way more expensive to do it in Mexico (we are in La Paz). I agree that a changeover to Lithium would be great, but it usually involves changing out a number of other components, so not a “drop-in” solution if done correctly. However, the Li battery chemistry usually used in boats and RV’s (LiFePO4) is not the same as used in Teslas and other EV’s and is much safer, so with a properly built system the worry about fires and other meltdowns is significantly minimized. Emphasis on “properly built” (meaning $$$$). Still, not sure that recreational vessel Li systems are yet ready for prime time, especially for cruising in more “exotic” areas.
When we left La Cruz a couple of weeks ago there were lots of vessels just waiting for the right forecast to head out on the puddle jump, so sounds like there will be quite a fleet heading west soon!
Safe Travels!
Lawrence Talbot
N50017 “Northern Ranger II”
Currently lying Marina Costa Baja, La Paz, BCS. MX
I was going to move up to the 8Ds, but our steel battery tray was custom built to hold the Series 31 batteries, so in the end I just stuck with those.
Yes, people are leaving all the time now. Bunch of boats left two weeks ago and got beat up on the way. More seem to be leaving this week. And forecast looks like there will be plenty of good opportunities in the coming weeks.
I do batteries for a living, have been for 30 years. Lots of Lithium experience. My boat has lead acid batteries, too.
haha, good to know.
I discovered those electrical connectors on a youtube vid and found them at the Mendards in Richfield, MN. They are a major electrical game changer.
Woop Woop 😄.
It’s real!
Goodonyas!
Ali, I would love to see your grocery list. Wow!
Surprised that solar panels cost double in Mexico, seems large panels are now in the 60 cents/watt range before shipping. That was some quote for LiFePo house battery bank- one issue seems to be having SLA starting bats and Lithium house bank- if you decide to switch at some point take a look at Ytuber Emily & Clark’s Adventure where guy invented a $380 device that allows both types of bats to work together nicely. The other day I was on Ytube and saw where young couple bought a Jaguar36 cat- as I recall that was your first cat many yrs ago.
Jaguar 36 was built by the same builders (the ones that went to jail while taking money for a bunch of those boats and delivering only a handful of them), but ours was before the Jaguar, a Wildcat 35.
The guys on Parlay Revival said Yamaha dingy engines are prized by thieves so they spray painted the engine cover to make it look generic lessening it’s desirability.
Yeah, everyone thinks that. I’m not at all convinced dinghy motor thieves are so stupid they can’t distinguish a spray-painted Yamaha, though. Whatever makes people feel better, I guess. A decent lock and lifting the dinghy out of the water at night are pretty much the only things that will really help. When the dinghy is ashore there isn’t anything you can do but count on the inherent goodness of people.
We have a Yamaha Two Stroke on our boat. Bride was all atwitter about it.
Been a scooter rider for decades. I just smiled. All good scooters are two stroke.
That crocodile “sanctuary” looks deplorable.
This is your home, not a pleasure craft. At some point I expect you’ll switch over to lithium batteries. Most around the world full time cruisers are on lithium batteries and love them. Some have given up on any propane use and have gone electric because of the solar panels and lithium battery banks. Fair winds.
Home = Lithium
Pleasure Craft = AGM
Just making a little cheat sheet to try and remember.
Pat,
The electrical connectors are awesome and I use them all the time in my house wiring. The current iteration is made by Wago and are listed as Wago 221 Lever Nuts. Available on Amazon. They have anywhere from two conductor connectors and all the way up to five depending on your needs. Reusable too.
Maybe you can pick some up before you have to head out.