On 6/29/19 6:32 AM, Ian Black wrote:

Great idea John! In saw your business at the bottom of your email. Any suggestions on best solar charging for your battery?

Yep - for small systems like we'd have on our small boats, this charge controller (assuming lead-acid chemistry, not lithium): http://www.flexcharge.com/pv7d%20features.htm FlexCharge is a niche company, around for many decades, actually designed and made in USA. Their circuit design and charging method is patented, different than any others. Much better for your battery, more charge with less stress on battery and way less power used by the controller. If you understand battery chemistry you can read about it on the web site. Units are all potted/sealed, marine and harsh environment ready. I used their NCHC and NC25A controllers on various client systems, and my own home system, when I lived in Hawai'i and did off-grid solar system work. I installed this PV7D unit on a few sailboats and a hippie-bus-home system. My source was John Drake, AKA "Solarseller," looks like he's still in bizness, here's the page with the controller on his rather primitive web site: http://solarseller.com/seelye_ses_flexcharge_charge_controllers_controller.h... This guy is old school. Answers his own phone, or if someone else answers and you have questions you end up talking to him. Runs a small biz selling specialty/niche solar, off-grid, related parts & pieces. Best prices I found for FlexCharge products. cheers, John

Ian Black Seaweeble M-17 Judi B. M-15

Sent from my iPad

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On Jun 28, 2019, at 1:25 PM, John Schinnerer <john@eco-living.net> wrote:

Hi all,

Someone asked me about this off-list and I was just finishing up the fabrication...a mast gate for my M17. My mast has the cut-away (milled out) mast gate, which makes a big opening, both sides of track.

So I made a fixed plate for port side, and a removable plate for starboard (arbitrary, except that I normally am on starboard side of mast when attaching boom and/or mainsail, and I'd heave to on starboard tack if I had to mess with the gate for any reason). They're basically identical, except for the thumbscrews on the removable side.

Here's a few pix (not necessarily in order as attached) that show the gate pieces ready to install, the fixed side installed, and both sides installed.

Material is salvaged/reused 1/8" aluminum plate. 10-32 for the big screws (gate to mast), 6-32 for the small ones (filler piece to attachment piece).

cheers, John

-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com <P6170044.jpeg> <P6180050.jpeg> <P6170043.jpeg> <P6170038.jpeg> <P6180052.jpeg>

-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com