Sail Lifevideo
Sail Life - 3D printer onboard & hike to abandoned tracking station
February 4, 2024 · 21 min · 56K views · Trinidad
What this video covers
A 1987 Trident Warrior sailboat, Athena, utilizes a Prusa Mini 3D printer to fabricate custom parts, including shower hatch screw covers, a trim ring for a nav station structural pole, an Apple TV mount, and an SD card organizer.1:10 The host designs these components using Fusion 360 and Prusa Slicer, printing primarily in PLA filament.1:52 Testing confirms that the boat’s motion in a marina does not negatively affect print quality.10:29 The host also troubleshoots a stuck motorized valve on the boat's water maker auto-flush system by inspecting the electronics and gearbox, finding no mechanical failure before the unit resumes operation.7:13 Separately, the crew hikes to an abandoned Cold War-era radar tracking station and a 1970s plane crash site in the Chaguaramas region of Trinidad.11:18 The host notes that high dockside voltage fluctuations in Trinidad—reaching 130 volts—exceed the input range of the boat's 230-volt isolation transformer, necessitating a future inverter-charger upgrade for better voltage regulation.17:13
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