The Power Grid for a 31-foot Cruising Boat
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- In this video I share what I have learned about powering a boat with solar panels. I talk about solar panels, batteries, dealing with cloudy weather, and possible back-up solutions for solar.
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That's why they invented MPPT charge controllers. (Maximum power point tracking) It takes what ever amount of voltage your panels are making and converts it to a higher voltage which will charge your battery bank even when its cloudy out !
As an electronics technician, the "Junkyard" pains me. :) If I had the time, I'd come down and clean up that mess for free.
His junkyard makes my OCD kicked in
WOW !!!! OUCH !!!! ARG !!!! Gimme a bucket, I gotta throw up, an no I'm not seasick !!
I like the idea of having the charge controllers close to the battery. I'm looking for my first boat and hoping to learn from others.
I learned as I went with the electronics, had little previous experience with such things.
Hi Kevin, watch your videos all the time... I love how you do it old school... no motor and all....
I picked up a 1974 vegabound ketch, after almost dying in a car accident in Feb 2017, I took all my money and bought a boat, been living on her since June of last year, splashed after in April of this year, I plan on going south from where I am currently, Hampton Virginia, I'm thinking Grenada area... I hope to run into you one day, I'm Learning to play the bass, I have 8ea 345watt panels, 12ea 100 amp hour batteries, my fridge and freezer run on a 24 volt bank, powered by 1ea solar panel, even during hurricane Dorian, we had plenty of power, take care, where are you headed next, I'm leaving in a couple of weeks.... fair winds
I'm in Hampton, presently, are you over at Blue Water? Fair winds mate.
I think I would keep a small Honda generator for emergencies but solar definitely works. Great video.
Thank you so much these videos. I binge-watched all your videos about 2 weeks ago and was so excited to see a new one was available.
A sailing channel that's actually about sailing!!! Please can we have a walk through one day. I don't care if it's untidy inside, I wanna see it. Googled and some pictures of your boat and she is beautiful!
Thanks. Yes, I will get around to a boat tour, and yes I'm a little self conscious that my boat looks like a garage on the inside. A long time on a small boat and soon there's no room left for anything.
Thoroughly enjoying your videos Kevin. No nonsense, practical small boat cruising stuff.
Another excellent video. I too have used solar on my boats. Usually had only two batteries , on my 24" Bristol, that was all I needed. I am now fixing up a 26' Bristol and will opt for rigid panels this time. I will also consider AGM batts. I am 81 and this will be my last boat; might as well do it up right!Thanks for sharing, your information is spot on. BUT -------- no T or A ?
Thanks! And I have had good luck with the VMAX batteries, which, at least when I ordered them from Amazon, were much cheaper than the AGM batteries you find in the marine stores.
Carleton Scully brilliant comments,stay safe.
Thanks for your effort in making these thoughtful videos. You have a lot of experience, which gives great credibility. Especially the "think ahead" strategies that a lot of people seem to neglect. We have a lot of the same thinking, I guess its just understanding the forces of nature, where is the wind coming from, where are we going, what happens if a halyard snags, we've got a lee shore there, what if the engine doesn't start? And so forth. Great down to earth tips !
Thanks for watching. Yes, sailing teaches you to think ahead, carelessness can get you into a lot of trouble very fast.
Love it brother so cool !!!! Now I’m a solar expert lol 😂thnx so much dude tc
Thanks for the video, wealth of info including the little details. Checked off notifications so won't miss any future episodes.
Thanks for watching! Fair winds
Thanks a lot Kevin. Great tutorial. Interesting to see how you use solar panels and how they can be placed temporarily in various locations around the boat. Many people with traditional boats want to keep them looking that way.
Yes! Very much agree Warren. I would hate to see a Concordia yawl with a stainless steel jungle gym on it. But the permanent mounts you see on the sterns of many cruising boats are the most practical solution, it must be admitted.
Cool boat, a regular little 'gentlemans cruiser ', I love it
great timing! thank you, we are doing next week our episode on lithium batteries, was great to hear other inputs :-) followed you and hoping to see you on the water (or comments :-) )...fair winds!
excellent video!
Excellent tutorial, thanks!
You make a great video man! Togheder with Emeraldsteel are the most intreasting from the tube. Thanks a lot and greathing from the mediterrane
Thanks Pietro, and fair winds on the Med! (which doesn't always happen, from what I hear ...)
How to Sail Oceans ...Yes man,or much or nothing, but is some place really fantastic and cheap.... Why dont make a sailing tour here? In the w inter I ll bring my westsail32 in Tunisie, the Boat need intense refitting,and there is veryyyy cheep condicion,( one year recover 1000 dollari all inclusive). Anyway fair wind,wherever you sail!
planning to move permanently aboard in the not too distant future, and pursue my voyaging dreams of far and foreign lands. Power is a huge consideration. I was disappointed that you dropped a “teaser” on refrigeration, and left us to hang, but thats how you keep us coming back!
I regard ice as the ultimate battery, and my thinking is “make ice while the sun shines”. Looking forward to that episode.
H.W.
If you are going to install a cold plate in an old icebox I would recommend the Isotherm www.indelwebastomarine.com/us/products/marine-refrigeration-systems/asu-cooling-units/asu-air-cooled-units/
i also inherited a small wind turbine...which help keep power flowing in on those dull days up in the North of England. also giving me power at night. worth considering..but now I have a dual battery system with solar / wind to charge the batteries...but also a separate 'house' bank with its own solar...which also acts as a backup for the electronics if needed
True, solar doesn't work as well up north, especially outside the summer months when the sun is low in the sky.
Glad to see you back in 2018.
Nice thing about solar panels is the tech keeps improving.
And the prices keep going down ...
I have been thinking of adding solar to power a shed. This was timely and gave me some ideas
Good to see the gears turning ...
Thank you for another wonderful video!! I have 70W of solar on my boat and it has really helped!! I plan on increasing to 200W this year and increasing my battery bank. I agree 100% that you need a big enough battery bank to last 3 days with out any power, I am currently not sure if I will go with flooded batteries or AGM. I agree that the AGM batteries are better, but I can buy 3 sets of flooded batteries for the price of AGM.
Check out VMAX AGM batteries. That's what I use and I find the prices on them are similar to lead acid batteries.
Hi Kevin, I just discovered your videos and I'm a great fan! I apppreciate the accurateness and the simplicity of alla your explanations. Your boat makes me dream! Consider this a little tease, but... how comes such an organized sailor as yourself, has an electrical plant looking as messy as my own garage?! Again, no offence, I'm not a very experienced sailor, and my boat is less than 7 meters... Keep up posting your great videos!
Glad to have you dreaming of sailing away! ... thanks for watching. It's amazing how fast the electrical grows into a pile of spaghetti once you start adding systems. She was sweet and simple when I started, but now I need power for computers, cameras, music gear, and of course to keep the beer cold.
Ahoy! Thanks so much for all the vids! Currently restoring a1978 tayana 37, love these old boats, wasn't to keen on a tiller but boy super responsive! Learning a lot from you and really appreciate it, keep up the good work and rock on!
Thanks! Yes, tillers give you a much better sense of the balance, and it doesn't get any more simple.
Tiller is the way to go if you're offshore cruising. Fewer moving parts less to break and your hand is "on the rudder".
I think I recognize one of Benard Montessiers books behind you.Quite the read!Great videos!!
Yes, I have two of them onboard: The Long Way, and A Sea Vagabond's World. He was one of a kind.
Nice video as usual Kevin. Your set-up sounds fine for the sunny south -- at anchor. I think I'd be quite nervous without a permanent structure for long passages, though you have demonstrated it possible to do without bolting all that hardware on. Bravo. I may buy a hydro-generator (like a Watt & Sea) one day to avoid all that structure over the stern. Thanks for triggering the thought process.
Patrick Laine I have been looking at hydro generators also as a option what make of hydros have you been considering
I have been considering a Watt & Sea Bob. They are pretty expensive though..... but a good piece of equipment. Widely used by ocean racers.
Thanks Patrick. I may yet build a techno-tower on the stern, but so far my systems works for me. Solar keeps my batteries charged up on the Chesapeake as well, except during the occasional rainy stretches.
I paid $130 for my entire 135ah 220 watt AGM solar system. $170 if you include the 1" thick- wall stainless solar panel arch. Craigslist. I can go about three days without sun if I'm frugal with usage.
"cruising emerald steel" channel (another gaffer) has a really interesting take on solar charging. They have a bank of 6 t-105's and have 180watts of solar panel, so that at max charge it just does an equalization charge on the batteries, and they are on their third set of batteries in 30 years, of full liveaboard, with no charge controller! They also removed the anti discharge diodes from the pannels, because they measured the loss at night, and it was less than the loss of charging efficiency the diodes caused in the day! When they leave their boat occasionally for like 2 weeks to a month, they cover one of their 2 80w panels, to make up for reduced power usage
Cool boat informative content. Thanks and accurate thoughtful video
Great channel!
Nice Video, great Channel
As usual, very informative video! In the future, I would really enjoy seeing your procedure for setting sail single-handed with a gaff. I know how I would go about managing the throat and peak but have yet to get the chance to put theory to practice!
Ah, that's a good idea ... I have both the throat and peak at 3:1 tackle, so I haul both halyards together until the luff comes taught (gaff approx. horizontal). Belay throat and then haul up peak.
I've heard something about a max of 10 feet to avoid the voltage drop. I've been struggling about how much battery to keep. For me - alone that is - what you have 100 to 125 usable amp-hours is probably good. With my kids I'm unsure. I"m thinking 400 amp-hours total. Maybe even lipo... They have their phones and computers. I can see waking up one morning with dead batteries. AGM can come back from dead once, maybe twice but I don't relish having to fork out 1000 dollars for new batteries because my kids can't sleep some night :) I don't have a fridge but have been thinking of getting one of the Engel cooler/freezers. That would make life a little easier. That and a water-maker and I'm one happy sailor.
Hi Kevin Beautiful stuff.
Good timing. Solar is close to next on my list. Pleased to know that panels can be used without turning my stern into something like that of a fishing trawler. Very useful Kevin, thanks.
Thanks. I should mention that the "techno towers" you see with solar panels on the sterns of many cruising boats are the best solution in so far as minimizing shading and keeping them out of the way.
Hi Kevin,
thank you for your videos, I watched all of them.
What I find especially interesting and attracts me is the fact that you go engineless! The romance, aesthetics and simplicity of pure sailing... I can see that doing long passages and landfall without engine can be done, but would you also choose going engineless for coastal cruising?
My area is the Baltic Sea with many small marinas and anchorages, usually a daysail away.
I would appreciate more and detailed videos about engineless sailing, especially in close quarters like a cramped marina in strong winds, or no wind and a running tide.
Greetings from Germany, Didi
I plan to do more engineless sailing vids. I generally avoid marinas because they are difficult to manage and--especially here in the States--they are expensive. Thanks for watching and fair winds!
Sir, you are easily one of the MOST helpful videographers on CZcams regarding cruising! So...I note that you didn't mention wind generators but went straight to the gas portable generators. Is there a specific reason for this?
I've heard mixed things about wind generators. My biggest problem is where to mount it. The little gas generator is a nice backup.
Hi, have you considered Lithium Iron batteries , such as (LiIo4life or similar) They are more longer lasting, can be charges at a higher voltages so less losses. And you can have a depth of discharge to 10% or lower with out damage or issues. Where you need to keep your depth of discharge at 50%. . you could actually have less battery watt amps.
Yes, probably next battery replacement I will go with LiPo.
well done
Whoa, Kevin!! Never mind the boaty stuff, what about making an episode on giving yourself a haircut?? A cheeky lapse in continuity, might i say. First you don't tell us your a wizard with the Axe, now we find out you're a demon barber. Your live aboard lifestyle know no bounds.
LOL! I didn't shoot this vid all in one sitting ... I went ashore for a haircut in between takes.
How to Sail Oceans Ah, I see. I thought you might have a 12v pair of clippers haha. Which begs the question, is that VOX amp 12v or do you have an inverter? Thanks for the info on solar by the way, but have you seen Patrick’s upload on the methanol charger which I thought was very cool. What do you think?
I use an inverter to power the Vox amp, which, btw, causes an annoying buzz. For recording guitars I have to use my Zoom effects pedal which is powered by a USB cable off the laptop--all DC so no problem with buzzing. Yes, I checked out Patrick's charger, very cool and environmentally friendly. Expensive though. If I recall it goes for about $6K; you can get a gasoline generator for five hundred. The fuel packs looked expensive too. Maybe prices will come down in time as they did with solar.
very informative, thank you
Thanks for stopping by, Gary
Awesome video. One question, why no wind turbine? Not a criticism just honest question. Thanks for sharing and again awesome video
Haven't found a place to mount it, and many of them are really noisy.
i get a small petrol trimmer and i connect a cheap car alternator threw a belt drive system! This charges all my batteries very cheaply. Car alternators a cheap to recondition!
I take it you mean a gasoline powered hedge trimmer. Now that's inventive! I don't know too much about car alternators, with AGM batteries you have to be careful not to overcharge them ... thanks for sharing this.
Car alternators are easy to recondition. Many utube post show you how. It's better then generators as parts for generators are very expensive. If you want simply buy alternator from the car wrecker for around $30. Car altrenators only have two cheap bearing and bushes and four to six diobes. Buy the alternator that have the bushes and diobes built together. Alternator recondition is around $30.
Again, thanks for sharing. A cruiser friend of mine also pointed out these camp generators for a little over $100, though looks like you would still need an a/c charger to charge the batteries with it ...
www.harborfreight.com/engines-generators/gas-engine-generators/900-max-starting700-running-watts-2-hp-63cc-2-cycle-gas-generator-epacarb-63025.html
Hey Kevin nice Vid. Kerosene is expensive so good call.
Convincing for my Buchan 37. Looking to untie the lines this summer . S/V ...Waves
Maybe a solar stove too :) My guitar is acoustic so no power there. Hope you're doing well. Future you is just leaving Miami. :)
Which model of refrigerator do you have (isotherm model ) and did you purchases from defender?
I have a S.C. 31
Dennis
I just paid under $100 delivered for the Renogy panel from Amazon.
My Renogy panels are still cranking out the juice.
Thanks for the video. As always great stuff. Could I request a educational video on your propane setup? I have CNG on my Morgan 323 and I'm contemplating to change it to propane because it is readily available once in the Caribbean. Cheers!
That's a good idea. Yes, propane is not usually too difficult to find.
Searched the questions first. Didn't find my question addressed. Can you recommend a charge controller. Which do you use? Done some reading and there are many out there from dirt cheap to a bit more expensive.
Great video. Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing. Have you considered tow generation?
Haven't looked into it, not sure anyone has come up with one yet that is compact and reliable.
Have you thought about a wind generator
Great video! Realistic observations that the average guy can apply. Good tip about keeping the charge controllers close to the bank! How do you monitor how many amps you are getting into your batteries daily?
I don't have any way to measure amps other than detaching one of the wires from the charge controller and connecting it through my multimeter. So I can only "spot check" current and estimate how much energy the panels produce daily.
Great information! I was wondering about your fridge. You mentioned that it was drawing 6A. Would you say that was fairly typical? Also, how many hours a day on average does it run? (I assume not that many if you're using around 50ah/day in total)
Really enjoying your videos. Thanks.
Thanks. As I have said that's a subject for another vid. During a sunny day it will run in freeze mode for about two hours until it has freezed the fluid in the holding plate inside the icebox. This acts as a thermal battery, so that during the night when the batteries are not getting any charge the compressor does not need to cycle much, and when it does it runs in low power mode, which draws only 4 amps. I do not know how many amp hours it uses, only that typically by early afternoon the battery bank is coming up to full charge again.
Ah, sorry I must've missed the bit where you said you'd cover it in another vid. Thanks for the reply though!
Very eager to see the upcoming refrigeration video! We are trying to determine the best way to go on that subject now.
Where did you mount your new, brighter LED navigation lights? Are you using a masthead tricolor or what?
They are mounted next to the old oil lamps, in the shrouds.
Why no wind power?
Excellent! ☀️=🔌=💡
When I install solar power systems I go for 6 mm2 leads = 0.009 sq inches from panels to controllers and then to batteries. Then you I go with 4 mm2 = 0.006 sq inches from batteries to the loads. I don’t know how these measures are compared to gauges though?
Neither do I, only that you either need very thick wire or very short distances from controller to battery to keep voltage drops from becoming an issue, at least that has been my experience. From the panels to the controllers doesn't seem to be a problem because generally the panels will be around 21volts open circuit, which is quite a bit above 12volts.
Ha, I just found this! 12 gauges is close to 6 mm2 and 13 gauges is close to 4 mm2.
www.rapidtables.com/calc/wire/swg-to-mm.html
I think you should also calculate in power loss (from wire gauge & length) when configuring your wire run from panels to controller if you want to get the most out of your panels. There's good info online for this.
Thanks for the informative vids BTW, I've just come across them (currently trying to catch-up). Unlike so many sailing vlogs, there's actually a considerable amount of knowledge to be gained from yours.
More back in black!
Ha! Angus Young was a riff master..
@@howtosailoceans1423 Apparently that album was recorded in the Bahamas too!
Good information, What's your thoughts on a wind generator as a back up to solar?
If I could figure out where to mount a windmill, I would add that. Also look for one that's not too noisy, some of them really make a racket ...
So why no wind generator as a backup? Chances are if the sun is blocked by clouds due to a storm, the wind is blowing.
Haven't figured out where to mount it yet ...
thanks for the video, about to rewire a hans christian 33 and ill take some of these into account. What kind of boat is this?
The boat is a Gillmer 31, which is the same hull/deck as a Southern Cross31, only she was owner finished--mostly by the previous owner, but myself as well. Not sure I'm best source for wiring advice, my stuff works but I'm sure a trained pro could do a neater job ... thanks for watching.
You might look into using Powerpole connectors get rid of that rat's nest of wiring. They're reliable (silver-plated) and very flexible (polarity but no male or female mismatch). There are numerous CZcams videos on installing them.
www.andersonpower.com/us/en/resources/PowerPoleResourcesPage.html
powerwerx.com/anderson-power-powerpole-sb-connectors
he gets a haircut halfway through
I can't find your web site and I love your music and all your sailing videos. So please what is your web address please
www.boothbyboats.com
please can you say "aaahhm" again , I think I might have missed it