The Football

Is plagiarism flattery?

I hope so, because the portable shore-power briefcase is a rip off.  It's true.  I saw the concept executed on John Buchan's Glory, and I shameless ported it over.  Perhaps it was another Evan Walker-ism.

What is this thing lovingly coined, The Football?

I wanted the ability to charge my batteries from shore power, and as well an easy way to have 110AC power when parked or doing repairs.  Rather than weighing down the boat with an inverter, some outlets, and a permanently mounted charger, I decided to build everything into a portable suitcase.

This thing is so handy that it feels like it should be a production product.

Cascade is obsessed with FRC, and is the electronics captain of Bainbridge High School's Spartronics club.  To get the ball rolling, we decided to fashion a proto together in a door skin box, using just a little hot glue and masking tape.  I think we were both pretty excited to test it out, so we bombed down to PMYC, despite it being a school night, and proved the concept at exactly 10:31, June 17th.

With a working prototype, and without a lot of concern for weight, I shifted my focus to making one out G10.  

One of my favorite parts is the handle.  How elegant is that?  I cut some slots with the router, stuffed the webbing in place.  A fold and a quick stitch with the Consew on the backside lock secure it in place.

Finally, here is the prior art, which one can find hanging inside the TP52, Glory.