MacGregorSailors.com

Well, I have a lot of mods coming up this summer - it's too bad if there is no site because I can tell you right now I am not on Facebook and there is no way I will ever get a Facebook. Not gonna happen - I hate those guys. That' my backyard and i can tell you they are really bad neighbors. Don't want anything to do with them.

I hope some one with web skills wants the site because I have a LOT of mods to share with you guys in 2019.

Preview?

Well, the hot water shower has been up and working now for several trips and it's Admiral Approved! It's works great and is easy to use and store. Detailed plans forthcoming, (should the site survive).

Also to come: in the process of rebuilding my VAN interior all winter I have become quite an expert on Solar Power and the systems. You will really want to see my set up with Lithium Batteries (makes refrigeration a no brainier).
A new wind instrument that is affordable is being installed as i write and also a rudder indicator set up for the helm that is really cheap and easy to install. It's also electric.
I don't need to tell you about the advances in vinyl WOOD flooring over the past year (our carpet was ruined on the last trip to Two Harbors in 20 knot winds due to a toppling porta pottie) and a porta poti mod is coming too.

Not enough you say?

Well, how about a real live reefer right next to the galley under one of the berth cushions? It's now possible with lithium batteries and the custom insulation I scored from a company in San Marcos over here - it's the same mass loaded vinyl the submarines use to stay quiet and the r value is like R90! (I have a 3 CF freezer/refrig in the van now on a compressor that can run for TWO WEEKS on one lithium battery! No charging needed.)
I used the insulation inside the van (it's only 1/4 inch thick) and it made the van virtually silent inside. Oh, and i forgot to mention that the Lithium batteries are a THIRD of the weight of the AGM batteries and charge to 14.6 volts and I have a battery to battery charger that turns any voltage from any alternator or battery at 11.9 or above to 14.6 - and this thing can float at near nothing for power usage to maintain the batteries. The batteries also last FIFTEEN YEARS!
I did a full install in the van already - you gotta see this. On the boat it will be a game changer. I know exactly what equipment to use now.

I have already installed the BWY gas tanks that hold 17 gallons each - that gives me a range of close to 400 miles under power at 5 miles per hour, or over 100 miles at WOT! We are still in the design stage of my new ELECTRIC TRAVELER! This mod will use a drill motor gearing to adjust the traveler from the helm with the push of a button. I also have a design on the table for a self tending GENOA! (Yes, GENOA) that can be furled in to the size of a working jib and use the jib tracks on top of the cabin! (You want to point higher? This thing will do it! - I already tested it!)

Still more you want?

A new dock step is coming that attaches to the genoa track - it's a fast easy operation that is small enough to stow under the helm seat (along with the two fenders that I already have under there!)
There is a transom filler made from the mass loaded vinyl that cuts 80% of the engine noise to the cockpit even at WOT.

There will be pictures, drawings, and bloody knuckles and fingers to boot.

Well, I am still hip deep in the van work but everything I am learning there will result in some pretty stellar mods for the boat. I have discovered a lot of new cool stainless and tile building supplies including light counter top material and an epoxy resin that can make wood surfaces look like glass. These will make the inside of the MAC look like a high end yacht, so if you guys are interested I suggest you keep looking here on this site in the months ahead because you will not see it anywhere else. If the site goes, you will see nothing and I will just have to enjoy all these cool mods by myself.

BOAT - I need details on the van build. The wife and I are will be trading our BMW X3 for either an E350 or a GMC 3500 to use as a boat tugger/RV. Tell me more about that insulation please.

Thanks!
Mike

Boat , I am sure I am not the only one , that has been trying to get the solar and refrigeration mystery. For my boat and now as a replacement for the RV refer that just went bad, have been looking for a better replacement to the gas/elect, high cost system in the camper now. I would like to have the RV and the M26 boat on full battery/ solar. Will be looking forward to seeing your mod's posted.

The mass load vinyl is really neat - it's made by a guy here in San Marcos. I have run into some cheap copies of his product here and there and the cheap copies tear like cardboard and are not as insulating. This stuff is strong enough to hang like a curtain with screws.

In the boat it's main purpose will be to ELIMINATE any noise coming through the hull below the water line - and it WILL DO THAT. I have a really noisy ballast tank too because I am always mooring out in the open (the swells you get on anchor or moored around an island are enough to slosh the ballast). I don't get the noise in a slip or in a bay or harbor - it's when i am sleeping at night in the swells that it bugs me so I am going to cover the ballast tank.

I used it around the new reefer in the van and it made that reefer dead silent from either side - the only way to hear the compressor is to stand in front of the reefer where the upper vent is.

I will show you guys the insulation in the van with pictures - BUT, ONLY if some one commits to take over for Heath - I think Heath has done his bit for God and Country and it's time for some one else to take over. I would assume he is having more trouble monetizing the site also since the factory closed and that eliminated all the dealers - his best advertising clients have all but dried up.

I really don't mind paying a subscription myself - I am willing to support whomever has the skills to be a web master.

Anyways,

Solar has really been changing - the flexible panels are becoming as efficient as the rigid ones - at the rate the flexible panels are evolving they are going to be so thin in the future you will be able to make sails out of them!!

The idea of rolling out a one small portable solar panel on the boat and picking up almost 175 watts of power is almost a reality. They are nearly there. The new MPPT controllers are really great because they can output the higher voltages that a solar panel can easily access from the sun - by not limiting yourself to 12 volts all the time it allows you to ramp up the efficiency of the entire system and use Lithium Batteries that are way way lighter and last 30 times longer. The key is that little difference between 12 volts and 14.6 volts - it makes a huge difference. It makes Solar go much further and provides way more power.

There is so much stuff I will need to post here for weeks to display it all. Not to mention the new ultraviolet solar powered water filtration system that converts used shower water back into potable water you can use for the next shower! It's 95% efficient!! That means you can take a 10 gallon shower and only actually use 9.5 gallons!! The idea is to have one ten gallon tank dedicated to the shower that you probably would not need to refill for weeks. Might not be necessary on the boat but in the van is a game changer (NO GREY WATER TANK USAGE NEEDED FOR THE SHOWER!) That's a big deal if you boondock 80% of the time like we do.

Lots of stuff - I'm on my way now to will call some more insulation from Randy.

Re mystery of solar refrigerator
There is none. Small Dometic brand compressor driven cold box runs off my 150 watt array.

Re lithium batteries
I toasted mine even with a charge controller. Beware. I think I might wait a few years yet.

Re vinyl fabric are you going to recover the whole inside of the hull? How much will that cost?

Ix

I installed a cruise marine fridge. I have 200W solar that charges a 350 amp bank. It keeps up with it if it is full and temp outside is no more than 30C.

I'm in the process of building a 200ah LiFePO4 battery using 66ah prismatic cells, a 30amp BMS and a Genasun charge controller that will power my Mac 26s. This is my second LiFePO4 build.

Ixneigh, I am curious what charge controller you used that cooked the batteries and if you were also using a BMS, and what exactly the failure mechanism was. I've had my current home brewed LiFePO4 battery for a couple of years now and it still charges up like new.

Boat, sounds like we're going a similar direction with our mods.

One clarification when discussing Lithium battery technologies, it's important to specify LiFePO4 or LiPO, they are quite different.

LiPO has a higher peak cell voltage of 4.2 volts in a typical 4S pack the peak charge voltage of 16.8 volts is too high for most "12 volt" items. For LiPO 3.7 volts is considered the nominal cell voltage (14.8 volt 4S pack voltage), which is basically half discharged. A fully charged LiPO battery in a 4S configuration can damage many electronics.

LiFePO4 has a peak cell voltage of 3.6 volts and a nominal voltage of 3.3 volts. This gives a 4S pack a peak voltage of 14.4 volts however, to be kind to your batteries it's best to charge to about 95% of peak (3.42 volts), consequently the LiFePO4 4S pack will have a "fully charged" voltage of ~13.68 volts. This makes it a perfect replacement for lead acid batteries.

The charging methodology however is quite different and a LiFePO4 battery is absolutely NOT a drop in replacement for lead acid. Special consideration must be given to charging the different technology. Chargers for lead acid go through three cycles of charging, bulk, absorption and float. Cycling LiFePO4 batteries through these cycles will wreck them. Using a voltage monitoring charger, these batteries like to be charged to capacity (or better yet, 95% capacity) and then stop.

Without photos it's just words.

Fine, no more words.

I had a compact lithium ion battery hooked to a 20 watt panel with a 10 amp solar controller. After a week of not using the system, battery discharged and would no longer accept a charge. I had set up this system just to try out Lithium batteries. It worked ok while I was using the battery every day, but according to the above poster the charge controller was incorrect. (Lead acid agm controller)

Ix

BOAT wrote:Fine, no more words.

Dang! That's some fine looking wiring dressing. Very nice.

But I'm lost. Can't tell where all that stuff is.


--Russ

Unless he has a van on his boat, there's probably a reason why you're lost...

Beautiful work, as usual, Boat!

Ixneigh wrote:I had a compact lithium ion battery hooked to a 20 watt panel with a 10 amp solar controller. After a week of not using the system, battery discharged and would no longer accept a charge. I had set up this system just to try out Lithium batteries. It worked ok while I was using the battery every day, but according to the above poster the charge controller was incorrect. (Lead acid agm controller)

Ix

Yes, that will definitely damage them pronto.

Lithium technologies are very durable however they do need to be charged in a particularly controlled (voltage monitored) manner. These batteries have very flat discharge and charge curves as compared to lead acid, and consequently the numbers after the decimal point (tenths of a volt) matter a lot when considering the care and feeding of these batteries. But, when well cared for and understood they really can last a very long time.

sturmgewehr wrote:

Ixneigh wrote:I had a compact lithium ion battery hooked to a 20 watt panel with a 10 amp solar controller. After a week of not using the system, battery discharged and would no longer accept a charge. I had set up this system just to try out Lithium batteries. It worked ok while I was using the battery every day, but according to the above poster the charge controller was incorrect. (Lead acid agm controller)

Ix

Yes, that will definitely damage them pronto.

Lithium technologies are very durable however they do need to be charged in a particularly controlled (voltage monitored) manner. These batteries have very flat discharge and charge curves as compared to lead acid, and consequently the numbers after the decimal point (tenths of a volt) matter a lot when considering the care and feeding of these batteries. But, when well cared for and understood they really can last a very long time.