Looking for a low windage, low maintenance, simple electrical system solution

[chrisncate]

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[btrayfors]

What are your cruising plans? What area?

Will you spend most of the time at anchor? In a marina with shorepower?

Solar is much lower maintenance than any other solution. Panels can be mounted above the bimini and, with a good MPPT controller, will put out reliable power.

However, you really need to do an estimate of your daily power consumption. Use one of those MacBooks to figure it out (with a spreadsheet).

You didn't mention refrigeration.

From what you described, sounds like about 100 amp hours to me, so you'd want to have a system capable of regularly delivering that much power.

RE: batteries, you'd want a minimum of 300AH capacity if you're regularly using 100AH per day.

Bill

[Izzy1414]

Ditch the macbook requirement, Chris. Give yourself (and us) a break, at least while you're out there sailing.

[GaryHLucas]

Originally Posted by Izzy1414

Ditch the macbook requirement, Chris. Give yourself (and us) a break, at least while you're out there sailing.

Sounds to me like this guy is working with his Mac Books and phones, and you want him to be unemployed too?

Gary H. Lucas

[tdw]

Methinks yon Izzy taketh the piss !!

I was also going to ask about refrigeration. No mention of it on your site Chris. If you do intend having refrigeration it makes a huge difference to your power bill.

I'm not questioning your decision but why do you need the two MacBooks ? If you could get away with only the one, again a big saving in power. Same goes for phones to some extent.

Right now you have one 80w panel, correct ? Either you are going to have to double that or get a wind generator, maybe even both. Do as Bill says and make up that spreadsheet. You are going to have to get this right cos without that engine there is no quick top up available to you.


ps - pics on your site show pressure water .. you sticking with that or going manual ? What if anything are you doing for hot water ?

pps - not on the power consumption subject but is that really a non gimballed stove ?

[Izzy1414]

Hehe, I was only being partly facetious .... the (and us) part. The computers and phones do add to (complicate) Chris' requirements significantly enough to question how much he needs those trappings of society on a vessel that most of us use to escape said trappings ..... OK, I've made my practical point, now I'll step down from my soapbox. Carry on ...

[chrisncate]

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[chrisncate]

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[mitiempo]

You should have a battery bank capable of supplying lasting 2 days without charging as a minimum, maybe 3 days. Only half of your AH are usable. If your daily usage is 100 AH, that means a 400 to 600 AH battery bank giving you 200 ti 300 AH usable.
The best affordable way to achieve this and end up with a long lasting durable bank is with golf cart batteries. 4 6 volt in series/parallel will give you a 450 AH bank, 6 will give a bank of 675 AH.

Solar is the low maintenance quiet solution. You don't say where you are going to be which will make a difference. In a climate like Florida 2 135 watt panels should almost give you 100 AH per day based on 5 hours at full output.
Someone with real world solar experience may post the real numbers.

If you bought one netbook and saved the Macbooks for when on shorepower it would make a huge difference to the energy budget.

[chrisncate]

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