On Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 04:09:50AM -0700, Arby bernt wrote:
>
> Dear Ben,
>
> While I can understand WFCO's position (I too have spent some quality time with
> their engineering department), you should consider that most of the currently
> installed e-drives do not meet Coast Guard regulations, specifically having
> open brushes in the bilge.
[blink] I'm sorry... you seem to have misunderstood what I wrote.
Perhaps I phrased it badly. In any case, I'll try to clarify: *I* wasn't
saying "DEAR GOD, KEEP YOUR INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS CONVERTER AWAY FROM ME
- IT'S NOT MARINE CERTIFIED!!!" Instead, the *WFCO engineer* was saying
that the CG will "make me take it off the boat". Which is about as crazy
as snake suspenders.
> I told
> them the boat was a time bomb. One pin-hole propane leak, and the whole thing
> would crater.
Wouldn't that be true of _any_ boat with propane on board? Spark sources
- whether starter motors or someone lighting a cigarette - are plentiful
on board. Shouldn't this be an argument for prohibiting _propane_ on
board?
> When I found out, I called the Coast Guard, and told them the boat had open
> brushes in the bilge which presented a clear and present danger.
I'm sorry... would you mind citing the relevant law? One pertaining to
non-commercial yachts, that is? I'd appreciate knowing about it. You
see, I just searched the USCG site, then the entire Net - and I'm quite
good at that, since that's one of the things I teach - and have found
absolutely nothing related to "open brush" or "open brushes" combined
with "Coast Guard" (other than their regulations on cutting down "grass
and open brush" on CG property.) This would be a very important thing
for the e-boats community to know, wouldn't you agree?
> That was just
> what the Coast Guard needed to act. A cutter was dispatched, the boat was towed
> to port, and condemned, based on the open brushes. A diesel motor was fitted,
> the Coast Guard approved it, and the boat continued to Mexico.
I must say that, if I was the owner of that boat, I would not have
thanked you. In fact - even though I'm not at all of a litigious turn of
mind - I would have sued you for every penny of the refit cost as well
as all the collateral damages (lost time, etc.) That would have been an
essentially open-and-shut case, with a long tail of results for you -
possibly resulting in further lawsuits or even criminal charges.
You see, it's easy to panic watchdog agencies like the police or the
Coast Guard - see the recent "blinking LED" debacle in Boston, or the
"dihydrogen monoxide" panic (which almost resulted in a law banning this
"dangerous substance" in Aliso Viejo, CA), but people that do so can
then suffer quite serious consequences. As, in my opinion, they should -
just like anyone yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater.
Worse yet, someone in *real* trouble may have died because of your
action, since that CG resource was committed to the "incident" that you
reported, and was not available to handle other, actual life-threatening
cases. You may want to think long and hard before ever doing anything
like that again.
> So, Ben, you tell me. How many e-boats have open brushes in the bilge?
Arby... is there a reason you're asking me this question? Because, you
see, I have no dog in this fight. I'm not even a bystander: just a
passer-by who is, frankly, not all that interested in the specifics of
brushed vs. non- (or whatever it happens to be.) If you thought I was
taking up a stand for one side or the other, then you've made a mistake.
> I've had several Coast Guard officers visit my installs, and they
> all love them.
As private persons, they are of course welcome to any opinion they'd
care to have. In their official role, they can have _no_ opinion that
bears on the matter, since it's not within their scope of jurisdiction
any more than your choice of toilet paper would be.
> The WFCO power converters are never mounted in the motor
> compartments, as I feel the lack of a "marine" rating means they shouldn't be
> exposed to open water. Instead, we mount them in the cabins, using fuses at
> both ends, far away from any splashing water. As far as the 11v operational
> threshold, just turn off the motor for a few minutes, and the batteries will
> come up to 11v just resting. Why would you ever run a battery down to under 11v
> anyway?
Again, you appear to have misunderstood what I wrote. I wasn't arguing
about how horrible and unfit for existence this WFCO unit was; *their
engineer* was telling *me* why it was The Wrong Thing to put on a boat.
> One boat has two 55a 900w converters which have been run for
> many hours off a 2kw Honda with no problem. I have yet to see a charger that
> can deliver that kind of current, save a forklift charging station.
Here you are - the unit I just ordered.
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_1954332_-1
60A output, very high power factor (in the 90%+ range), up to an 8-stage
charge cycle including battery conditioning. As I mentioned, the
off-the-grid folks seem to love these.
> Pardon the "rant".
Not a problem... but please do realize that most of the points you've
made in it do not apply to - much less counter - anything I've said. I
had simply pointed out, with some amusement, that at least one of the
engineers at the Cheng company was preloaded for an "oh my god not on a
boat" rant, and would fire it off no matter what the actual question
was.
I'm glad that your experience with the WFCO units has been so positive
that you feel like defending them.
Regards,
--
Ben Okopnik
-=-=-=-=-=-
No comments:
Post a Comment