Lifeboat Conversion Ep37: Clearing up damage from Storm Eunice / Franklin & solar panel repair [4K]

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EPISODE 37
Whilst I was abroad, a pair of storms hit the UK. Alan's exterior survived mostly intact, but there was some repair work to do. The new solar panels, not yet mounted properly, were torn off.
Products mentioned:
Dokio 100W flexible solar panels
Model: NME A/S (Husnes, Norway) 7.5m TELB
Engine: Bukh DV48 turbo diesel
Feel free to ask any questions in the comments!
___
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Thanks to vanguardstorage.co.uk/ for warehousing facilities.

[@SirLuke226]

Good to know Alan still gets called Allen all the time. Those solar panels are tougher than I would have thought! I like the failure thinking, best if an easy spot fails first (not that you intend anything to fail!). Keep it up Alex!

[@MCallsen]

Early bird bonus yet again for me! Welcome back and so glad our orange friend did not suffer too much from Eunice...

[@RandomNooby]

For some perspective: I took no damage during these storms on a similar hull to Alan ,but paint scraped off by my fenders. Some of the bigger boats moored around me took damage, and all had more asthetic damage. On Scotlands west coast we had 50mph winds on 4 different days, I found the entire marina had moved to hide behind my tiny boat including, two 40 foot royal navy drone warships and their mothership. Clearly lifeboats have a serious reputation amongst those that live or work at sea. The hull rolled more than anything else except for the grp motor cruisers. Pitch variation was less than sail boats at high wind at both head on and side on winds. My 16 year old son slept through all of it, I spent my time adding ropes to my neighbours boats when their lines snapped. You might find that with Alan, provided he has enough power to make way against the storm, that the only danger is land, and Alan may be safest in storms, when he is mid ocean, far from land. We seem to be moving at a similar pace, I wonder if Alan and grey area will meet in the Arctic circle. FYI Russia has built 300 bases in the Arctic, in the past decade. Up close most are just a tracked vehicle, and a half dozen insulated freight containers. It's Great watching u solve some of my upcoming design issues, with your methodical logic and dry wit. Fair winds, and cheap diesel. @Alex Hibert on damaged solar cells... I have several cells, one of which is the same brand as yours, rated at 160watts, 1 year ago it was ripped off in similar circumstances to you, whilst sitting in a lorry yard, the wiring was snapped at the point where it connects to the panel, and roughly 8% of the cell had suffered delamination. I still use this panel to run a 600watt cheap Chinese lithium solar inverter/battery. It's voltage on an average Scottish spring day is 17.4 volts - A little less than before. I have several relevant degrees, trust me, I'm not a doctor. Your panels are safe and sound.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I'm certainly of the view that land is Alan's enemy in poor weather. It remains to be seem how his thrust performs when fighting both current AND wind. I was impressed last year with control in an area of strong tidal current.

[@soduplosalva]

well done

[@c.a.mcdivitt9722]

If you're interested in how you could un-do those last bits of shoddy cable, you'd set a large piece of copper on the panel-side of the connector to act as a heat sink and keep the rest of the connector cool while you re-solder the cable.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Thank you. I was indeed interested

[@casematecardinal]

Good to see Allen in good shape

[@watchableraven3517]

Alan*

[@casematecardinal]

@@watchableraven3517 grow up

[@watchableraven3517]

@@casematecardinal Hey I was just setting your facts straight, no harm in it. You should learn to take criticism better

[@casematecardinal]

@@watchableraven3517 you should learn the differences between being helpful and being pedantic. Cant believe I had to point that out.

[@PsRohrbaugh]

I suggest you get a diesel water heater, radiator, and have a "coolant circuit" with your engine. This will keep you engine warm when not in use as well as provide heat via the radiator. Alternatively, you can turn off the heater and use the radiator to heat the inside with engine heat in lieu of the seawater heat exchanger while underway.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Yes I've had some enthusiasm for redistributing heat from the engine whilst underway. The cooling system is due for a serious re-working, so stay tuned.

[@pontuswendt2486]

AMAZINGNES!!!

[@solarfunction1847]

Well done, yeah I don't like those MC4 connectors either, perhaps banana connectors are better if you leave a sleeve over both terminal & banana clip. If they come apart then it's as simple as removing the heatshrink tubing sleeve & replacing it onto the cable then plug it back in then heat up the sleeve to seal it to make it waterproof. With the Terminals on the outside they can covered with silicone on the screw terminal & backing plate because all you would use is the banana post that plugs into the middle.

[@fredweyland5725]

Tu fais du super travail. bon courage ☮️ et vive la piraterie

[@XMarkxyz]

Love how things are going to their place one after onother on Alan Since you are back will we have soon the follow up video on insulated flask and how they held on the field?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

You shall!

[@BenMilford]

Woot!

[@joel383]

Never make a splice like this on the exterior of a marine vessel. The silicone cable might be UV stable but the “weather proofing” via heat shrink is certainly not… even in higher latitudes. The heat shrink is also not as flexible, leading to strain on the shrink. I would give this 6mo to a year before it fails, especially if you actually start using the boat in the salt water more.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

It's to be embedded and immobilised as I mentioned.

[@Space_Reptile]

while i dont have an 8k image of the damage, there is definetly a compromised cell at 3:52 , it has cracks and will likely affect the output quite segnificantly if they are wired (inside the panel) in series

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Time will tell. I can easily swap out a dead panel once installed. Not willing to give up on this one yet.

[@Space_Reptile]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals fair, you will probably see reduced amperage if its actually damaged, no way to tell till you get a proper sunny day to test it

[@friedtomatoes4946]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals I posted a comment up above but if you run a small current through the solar cells and look at it with your phone you will be able to see if there's any damage. When powered solar cells emit IR light

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Indeed. If it's curtains once all four are installed, and I can see one panel is holding the system back, I can swap it out.

[@jpsimon206]

I'm too poor too contribute to you, but I was at the retirement home today visiting. So to do my part, I thumbs upped(I wonder what strunk and white would have to say about this) your video from several residents' PCs. If your analytics look weird, please don't waste any time trying to figure out why.

[@jpsimon206]

I'm curious, it's very difficult to get a sense of how the KZbin algorithm works when you don't have a channel. It seems many creators don't quite know. If I had typed in some gibberish as a comment from each resident, does that have a larger impact than the thumbs up? Maybe the best way to phrase my question is: what is the best way for a broke person, who has no ethical qualms where giant corporations are involved, to help KZbin creators I enjoy? Perhaps answering this question would be dodgy in and of itself. Please ignore it if so.

[@alanglen5902]

I noticed that the steps outside the port hatch look a bit slippery for access to the top surface. What about bolting on a bit of bent checker plate to the steps which bends upwards, thus giving some (horizontal) grip when ALAN is heeled over??? otherwise your boot may just slide off, with inconvenient results. What do you think???

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

The anti slip is very effective, but yes this is certainly a good idea

[@friedtomatoes4946]

You can check if a solar cell is damaged by running power through it and looking at it with a phone camera in the dark. If I remember correct, phone cameras can pick up the light they emit. It's good to remember that solar cells are just LEDs that are specialized in capturing light but they actually emmit IR light when powered with like a small battery. If you see parts of the solar cell not lighting up those parts are damaged

[@friedtomatoes4946]

This is actually how professionals check the health of a solar panel

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Interesting

[@jpsimon206]

I was always taught that connectors are inferior to soldering, full stop. Butt connectors are particularly suspect. I don't have firsthand experience with them, but a tool channel I think highly of recently introduced some clear silicone crimping butt connectors that are approved for commercial use. They are capable of very high heat and UV exposure, they have a unique feature I thought might be particularly helpful in your use case. When they are crimped properly, the connection turns bright pink. If something damages the connection (the wire being yanked out was demoed) it immediately turns clear again. If there's a few strands still connected but the resistance is off the charts, they turn clear. I know what it's like trying to do small fiddly tasks on shipboard though not in the cold you are used to. I can't imagine trying to trace a fault in even a capful of weather. Might be a handy diagnostic, being able to quickly glance and greatly narrow down the source of the initial fault.

[@jpsimon206]

My natural inclination would be to have as few brakes in the wire as possible, none more than necessary. I suppose in your position, I would be inclined to add a second one passively just to have as a backup. Then again, I have not entirely understood your need to keep things so lightweight

[@jpsimon206]

These color changing butt connectors are heat resistant silicone on the outside but instead of a traditional copper crimp, it is stranded lead or lead alloy. Supposedly it can stand up to being bent back and forth repeatedly. Again, no direct experience, could be marketing wank, but the guy who exposed me knows his stuff and focuses on trucks in Canada, not completely irrelevant experience

[@joel383]

But connectors are good enough for NASA… probably good enough for most low voltage low amperage situations on a boat

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

They sound very functional. But with every component selection, you make a judgement call about size/price/performance. With an unlimited budget and no weight or size constraints, you'd naturally make different choices.

[@outlawflyer7868]

Why not just build a frame out of angled aluminum, bolts those to a hinge on the deck rails so that if Allen is facing the sun from the either port or starboard, you can angle the panels to face the sun by an electric motor attached to a screw which lowers and raises the panels. That way not just one side or the other is facing the sun. Kinda like flaps on a box. lower one at a 45% and raise the other side at a 45%. when the sun is directly over head, you can adjust the panels flat. Hope I make sense.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

It would really compromise any other use of the deck area, if I understand you fully.

[@joeofnotrades]

Can I give a bit of advice on merch, Stickers! They are so underestimated in merch, they're cheap people with will tend to pick them up in a shop and they're handy for beefing up bundles. You'll be surprised where they end up and handy as a form of gorilla advertising

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Thanks Joey. Certainly worth a think. To be honest I thought them a little purposeless, but that might just be my bias - I don't tend to sticker things up myself, beyond official branding or labels.

[@joeofnotrades]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals I love a good sticker and the daughter loves watching crafty or restoration videos on youtube and the first thing she asks when she finds someone she likes is do they sell stickers

[@fungus6million]

Hi Alex, what backpack is it you're wearing at 1:20?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

A Karrimor - a forces daysack from a past life.

[@jamesheath5043]

Hello Allen, it is my understanding that PV panel wire leads, although less flexible, are much more UV and abrasion resistant. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Alex standing in for Alan whilst he learns to type. High grade silicone cable sheath is pretty UV resistant. It's not as much the sheath that I dislike, as the low strand count of wire inside - this reduces flexibility, and the % of failed strands is higher for each one that might snap from over-flexing.

[@jamesheath5043]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Allen please ask Alex to address abrasion resistance. It is common to mount PV panels on recreational vehicle exterior, at 100 km plus it is comparable to hurricane force winds and a earthquake simultaneously. The dedicated PV wire I am familiar with is 10 awg with identical strand count to 10awg silicone jacketed welding cable.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Understood re: use on vans etc. The strand count I have in these PVs is a fraction of the number in the silicone wire.

[@jamesheath5043]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Understood regarding marine applications: sounds like you have low quality PV panels with less than ideal leads. The MC4 connector commonly accepts 10awg wire with designated MC4 crimp. Is it wise to trade abrasion resistance for soft silicone wire insulation?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Dokio are a reasonable brand. But yes they may have skimped. The silicone will be braced, and vibrations are minimal at this location. I've never worn through them in other applications. Also, I've not got Alan up to 100kph yet.

[@JonMadsen70]

:)

[@Jehty_]

Is it clever to reuse the panels for such a critical use case? Even if they work fine right now maybe there are weak points now inside them which could break at any point. Obviously it's your decision but me personally I probably wouldn't feel comfortable using them for the expedition.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

They are never going to be critical use as the main power generation will be diesel and wind. There's no evidence of imminent failure, they are only two of four panels, and I don't want to throw away hundreds of pounds.

[@Jehty_]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals ah ok, didn't know that they weren't critical (you mentioning Wind power in this video should have been a clue 😅) So I guess the only thing left to do is to knock on wood that the panels still are perfectly healthy 😂🙊

[@Fantic156]

If they haven't been folded and / or creased it's unlikely that they will have suffered. ;)

[@harrismagnum04]

this is a very good series of "how not to" videos

[@joel383]

Especially for marine applications. But at least he isn’t claiming it as a how-to either

[@111elf1]

this, my dear Sir, is an Ex-Panel? 🦶

[@mfreidberg]

Someone had to catch the reference!

[@jackfntwist]

Great. Another channel on pretend solar energy. Lol

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I assure you that both the solar panels and the sun depicted in my episodes are real, and not faked.