Supply chain

 Anyone who has tried to buy or order almost anything this winter has run into delivery issues, or seriously jacked up prices.  There are still some really quality sources and parts out there, but not many 'deals'.  I made a couple of foundational commitments - I wanted big doors - big enough to disappear a bike into the trailer if needed, so I put my order in to Challenger back in early December.   They came in on Tuesday, actually right on the ¨8¨ of ¨8 to 10¨ weeks.  And even though the packaging was a little sketchy, they came in undamaged and with all parts attached.  I will pull them out when it's warmer and brighter to take a picture of them.  

The other area that I did spend a lot of time overthinking was the electrical. I wanted to make sure I had the parts, and since supply chain shortages haven't really improved, I started ordering the 'big stuff' early.    I have to sit down and draw a schematic (or really - modify someone else's), but I did start ordering components.  And - the things I wanted were actually in stock!  It probably helps that I'm doing 24v instead of 12v.  Most quality 12v stuff is either backordered, or the prices are, ahem, proud...

I will be attaching ~200 watts of flexible panel to the trailer, and will add electrical connections for an additional 200W external/portable to point more directly at the sun.  Batteries are in - 100AH/24v, a 2500
watt pure sine converter, and the solar charge controller.  Yet to acquire - the distribution components, and a shore power charger.

I'll do a whole article on electrical systems, but the reason for 24v is pretty straightforward - wiring.  4ga
wire is a pain to route, a pain to crimp, and a pain to buy.  6ga isn't that much better, but everything is less money, and much easier to route, and a 24-12v converter is inexpensive to power the 12v loads (lighting, device charging, MaxxFan, etc.

The other component I was especially nervous about getting in house before I started nailing up the walls was the heater.  I can go back and add most things,

but I did NOT want to be in the position of trying to shoehorn a heater in thru a hatch in the back of the galley.  So when I started looking for Propex heaters and found that they are on very short supply at most suppliers, I jumped on the chance to get a 2211 from a marine chandler in Seattle.  Now I can mount the heater while I'm assembling the internal bulkheads, poke most of the holes in the right places, put in appropriate insulation/heat isolation for the exhaust.  

I'm still working on the walls, and will have a post later this weekend with progress there.  Hopefully fully assembled wall panels will be ready to bring home to finish and install at the end of the weekend.