For all you 76 year olds out there, rather than go to the gym, I suggest you antifoul a boat. Above is the after photo.  There is no before image because the catamaran hulls were in such a terrible, neglected state that a photo is just too embarrassing.  The reason I suggest you could avoid […]

Read more "ESPcat – Why Go to the GYM?"

In this troubled world, there are few sadder sights to see than a neglected bottom. This is how the horrific scene unfolded. I was just about to the annual maintenance haul-out of Borderline in November 2021, when events were overtaken by a family illness that put everything on hold. After 6 months of medical heroics, […]

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The world is closer than ever to a World War III. Russia has Vladimir Putin, a crazy dictator threatening to press his big, red, nuclear button. Russia is supported by China’s Xi Jinping who is a dictator with a big, red nuclear button. It is certain that Putin is crazy. Putin has destroyed the Russian […]

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  Ika Rere Built by the Wellington Electric Boat Building Company She may not be solar powered but Wellington’s new electric ferry is very impressive indeed.  Just look at these specifications: LOA – 19 Meters Speed – 22 knots Passenger  capacity – 135 Engines – twin 350 kw Battery weight – 550 kg Cost – […]

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There was this huge bang and the entire glass apparatus I was using completely disintegrated into a million pieces. There were tiny bits of glass everywhere. Sulphuric acid too! Fortunately neither of those went into my eyes. Those were the days! I remember it was back to my high school years, fooling around with chemicals […]

Read more "ESPcat – DIY Galvanizing – A Huge Bang"

On Battery Day, Elon Musk promised to deliver a new, bigger cylindrical battery called the 4680. Elon promised that his new cell would deliver 5 times the energy of the existing 2170 cells. We know that Musk makes a lot of big promises that are often a bit late arriving but this promise is big […]

Read more "ESPcat – 4680 Big Battery Promises"

Ignoranus (a person who is both stupid and an asshole). (1) It seems that about 4% of the nurses in some of New Zealand’s District Health Boards, are giving up their jobs rather than accepting a vaccination for Covid-19. Something close to 1% of NZ school teachers are doing the same. Ignoranus would surely be […]

Read more "ESPcat – Ignoranus or Genuine Asshole"

So what is it that has got Villi and Manili thinking? You can see just how excited they are! I know that you’re thinking that I don’t know what they are thinking but I think I do. These guys are thinking about the dirty business of making EV batteries. The kind of batteries that are […]

Read more "ESPcat – The Dirty Business of Making Batteries"

My previous blog post “Hydrogen Madness” generated so much controversy that I am forced to clear up a few points before someone starts a riot.(2) I must admit that I have been taken aback by these disagreements. I am used to having people hang on my every word as if it were the Gospel truth. […]

Read more "ESPcat – Hydrogen Madness Part II"

When it comes to electricity, New Zealand finds itself in an enviable position compared to most of the world.  NZ presently gets 79% of its electricity from renewable sources including hydro, wind and geothermal.    The “enviable” part comes from the fact that New Zealand has an aluminum smelter that is scheduled to close in 2024.   […]

Read more "ESPcat – Hydrogen Madness"