Ugh. Okay, so this has been a week of progress and setbacks and frustrations and triumphs and not nearly enough alcohol. Let me say this up front: If you were ever considering it (and I know I've spoken kindly of them in a couple posts a few months ago) I don't recommend you do business with WildernessEV. We purchased most of the drive components from them, and are regretting it now. With the exception of some wire connectors and the motor itself (which was shipped from the factory directly), everything we received from them was a piece of utter crap. The motor controller, on careful examination, had been used and mounted before, and when we wired it up, it simply wouldn't power up. The throttle control had been wired with used speaker wire--no, I'm not kidding--and we never received the reversing contactor for which we paid, despite assurances from them. Now they won't answer emails or phone calls.
Live and learn. There's several hundred dollars I'll never see again.
So I bit the bullet and ordered a new motor controller and while we were waiting I figured I would go ahead and pull and mount the lug connectors on the 4ga power cables we need to power the motor. So right in the middle of doing that, there was a pop and a fizz and the smell of something burning and we suddenly didn't have a working 12 V system.
Sigh.
This boat has been rewired something like three times, and each time the former owner LEFT ALL THE FREAKING WIRES IN PLACE FROM THE PREVIOUS WIRING JOB. As a result, in places there are wrist-thick bundles of wire. Somewhere in there is one you need. Get the picture?
I finally got pissed off, and we dragged half of our stuff out of the lazarettes and storage cubbies, ripped out lots of dead wire, and ran new, color coded cables for our 12v system. In the midst of that we discovered that the step down transformer that drops our 48V system to 12 volts for interior lighting, navigation, etc., was the WRONG UNIT, which is why it fried.
Sigh again.
So I've spent the last three sweaty days crawling through bulkheads and under cabinets running new wire. My knuckles look like I've been prizefighting and everything else hurts, but now we have working lights, working running lights, a working radio and depth finder, some lovely 12V and USB outlets in the cockpit, and a wiring system that can be comprehended in an emergency.
Ah well.
There is some good news. The new motor controller arrives tomorrow, and we got the motor mounts (big chunky neoprene things intended for an air conditioner compressor) yesterday. We'll be running a test of the motor and controller and then, the gods of electronics cooperating, we'll be doing the install of the motor and it's mount, for which I'll supply full details and pictures.
Today, since stuff was still in shipment, we took the day off. We went for about three or four miles of kayak ride down the Middle River (visiting our old shantyboat Floating Empire in the process, but I'll save that for another day), and tonight I'll be grilling some bison burgers with fresh local corn from Zahradka's farm and a tomato salad and a nice red wine.
Sometimes we have to remind ourselves why we do this.
More shortly,
and more stuff over at Life, Art, Water
M
 |
| See this lovely motor? It's the only goddam thing they sent me that worked. |
Live and learn. There's several hundred dollars I'll never see again.
So I bit the bullet and ordered a new motor controller and while we were waiting I figured I would go ahead and pull and mount the lug connectors on the 4ga power cables we need to power the motor. So right in the middle of doing that, there was a pop and a fizz and the smell of something burning and we suddenly didn't have a working 12 V system.
Sigh.
 |
| Place is a wreck while we drag new wiring. |
This boat has been rewired something like three times, and each time the former owner LEFT ALL THE FREAKING WIRES IN PLACE FROM THE PREVIOUS WIRING JOB. As a result, in places there are wrist-thick bundles of wire. Somewhere in there is one you need. Get the picture?
I finally got pissed off, and we dragged half of our stuff out of the lazarettes and storage cubbies, ripped out lots of dead wire, and ran new, color coded cables for our 12v system. In the midst of that we discovered that the step down transformer that drops our 48V system to 12 volts for interior lighting, navigation, etc., was the WRONG UNIT, which is why it fried.
Sigh again.
So I've spent the last three sweaty days crawling through bulkheads and under cabinets running new wire. My knuckles look like I've been prizefighting and everything else hurts, but now we have working lights, working running lights, a working radio and depth finder, some lovely 12V and USB outlets in the cockpit, and a wiring system that can be comprehended in an emergency.
 |
| Finally got the Chartplotter mounted. |
Ah well.
There is some good news. The new motor controller arrives tomorrow, and we got the motor mounts (big chunky neoprene things intended for an air conditioner compressor) yesterday. We'll be running a test of the motor and controller and then, the gods of electronics cooperating, we'll be doing the install of the motor and it's mount, for which I'll supply full details and pictures.
Today, since stuff was still in shipment, we took the day off. We went for about three or four miles of kayak ride down the Middle River (visiting our old shantyboat Floating Empire in the process, but I'll save that for another day), and tonight I'll be grilling some bison burgers with fresh local corn from Zahradka's farm and a tomato salad and a nice red wine.
Sometimes we have to remind ourselves why we do this.
 |
| The river at nightfall. |
More shortly,
and more stuff over at Life, Art, Water
M
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