Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Amp draw on lights.......

14 lights in total (5 Alpenglow traditional +  9 LED).  Total draw  6 amps. (12v).

9 LED only, total draw 2.2 amps (12v).

The traditional Alpenglow still draw approx .8 amp each but I like the mellow light.  As they fail I will convert the fitting over to LED.

 

  

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Blowboater priced video monitor......

The Whitby/Brewer has a large engine room, very large by sailboat standards.  I, like all prudent sailors, carry out an engine room inspection every two hours, while motoring.    Well..., kind of, sorta, when I not seasick, tired etc..  I always check when I smell something burning.

I have always planned to install some sort of video camera and knew that they had to be a cheaper option than the Marine branded ones for $400+.  What about truck reversing cameras?  Bingo. 

Esky EC170-08 Waterproof Night Vision HD

If you have a MFD with a video input, you are good to go;

  
I already have White/Red lights in the engine room and will install a remote switch near the plotter.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Crap by design - die-cast zinc, monkey metal, white metal.........

The biggest sinner in this area, in the marine industry is the ubiquitous Perko.  Even if they coat their zinc products in Chrome, IMHO they are still crap.  On some of their zinc plated products you used to see "for freshwater use only", I haven't seen that for a while.  You will recognize these products by their acne like appearance.   Here are the examples on your standard Whitby/Brewer interior doors.




And these horrendous devices aren't cheap.  The one above has a retail price of $107, even though you can get it online from $65.

I spend a lot of time looking for a replacement and finally found one.  Its also not cheap, the brass version is $120.

Whitechapel Ltd

They fit on my W42 with very minor alterations to the screw holes.  I am happy to support quality products.

 They come with a set of shims.