Any ideas about how i can add hot water?

[john61ct]

Not getting into fridge issues here, but had to call this out:

> simple 12 V cigarette lighter plug

Standard ciggie sockets are a dangerous abortion, avoid like the plague for anything important, or that you use regularly. Never more than 5-6A and only for short periods, as in a few minutes. Even then they are risky, an inherently poor design!

Blue Sea has a nice socket design that twist-locks with the matching plug, but will also accept standard ciggie plugs for smaller (<10A) loads.

Also the BMW/ Hella/ Merit/ Powerlet "Euro-style DIN" (ISO 4165) style is very robust.

Anderson plugs for high amps, for me my standard, for almost all power connections.

If you standardize on one of the last two types, there are adapters for guests, temporary use of devices with standard ciggie plugs.

[Boatguy30]

Wow, long thread. I have a Amazon type $100 instant propane and dedicated 1 gpm pressure pump for shower only. Run it off a one pound bottle. No ignition sources in the areas between bulkheads it would possibly leak into if it did.

It's my feeling 1lb or less is of minimal risk unless in the engine room, main bilge or galley.

[GrowleyMonster]

The secret to efficient solar water heating in cool or cold climate is obviously to keep the heat in. If you place your simple black bag water heater inside a transparent enclosure, it will work at much lower ambient temperature and wind conditions. Black hose or pipe coiled or otherwise arranged in a tray system with a clear acrylic cover can be very effective. If you add a small insulation wrapped tank, and tip the solar collector unit and plumb the tank inlet high and the discharge low, it will thermosiphon, though a small DC pump will improve the circulation a lot. Insulating the hot water supply line is important, as well as stationing components for the shortest run possible. Yeah, solar heated water can be too hot. So you need a second tank, painted white, at the same height, and a tee and valves, or mixing valve arrangement.



I lived aboard for about 7 years, mostly in a slip with shore power available. I was familiar with the electric shower head heaters, as I often used them in Belize. Many households have them and I even stayed in a hotel that had them, the sadly misnamed "Luxury" Hotel in the city, which thankfully is now gone. So when I saw a cheap one online rated for 110, I pulled the trigger. Used it for two years of course with a GFCI breaker. I had a dedicated 30a circuit for it, as it sucked a lot of juice while it was running. It burned out and I never replaced it. Something about electricity in the shower that sort of creeps me out, even though it is ran through a GFCI breaker. I always meant to install a small tank style heater for showers when shore power was available, but I never got that far down on my list of things to do, so I either took cold showers, or black garden hose heated showers, (this was in New Orleans) "Ho" baths with stove heated water and a washcloth, or showered ashore in the marina's bathhouse. I did once long ago live in a tent, and set up a solar water heater that worked pretty good, 1/4" copper tubing coiled and painted black in an enclosure made from plywood, 2x4, and plexiglass, with a 12v aquarium pump and a modified pony keg wrapped in about a foot of insulation for storage. Water source was an irrigation canal. Shower stall was built over the same canal. Power source was a couple of car batteries in parallel, charged by a small solar panel. Temperature was regulated by covering the solar collector as needed. Usually there was hot water in the morning at just the right temp if I let the sun in all the previous day, but if I didn't cover the collector it would be too hot for showering by midafternoon. I could also of course just add more canal water to cool it down. A tee on the discharge side of the pump diverted water to the shower head, such as it was, cobbled together out of a flower garden type sprayer. This was out in a colonia outside San Benito, TX, down in the Valley. Didn't get much super cold weather there, either. I have often thought of building sort of a streamlined version of this, for showers at anchor. Trust me... when you keep that outside air away from the black tubing, it gets crazy hot, even in fairly cold conditions, as long as you get good sun exposure. As for the solar bag shower, I saw a plexiglass enclosure used with one once, and the owner swore by it. It would heat water to tolerable temperatures when the outside air temp was in the 40s. I think a double insulated windowpane on a flat coiled tubing collector, with the box insulated as well, would be a worthy project.


BOAT SHOWERS. Yes, showers draining directly into the bilge can cause soap buildup and odors. But it does not have to be so. I learned to only use Head and Shoulders or generic equivelants for shower soap. Make the lather in your head hair, or with a washcloth, and shower. The H&S makes no buildup, and in fact if you don't have an inboard ICE engine at all to continuously ooze and drip oil in there, it will actually clean your bilge. As a bonus, it kept my psoriasis under control. But you can also install a shower sump instead of drain into the bilge.



Cockpit showers are a thing, but not so much a winter thing LOL. You would be surprised at how hot the dock water gets when you run it through 50' of black garden hose flat coiled on the foredeck. Makes cockpit showers bearable down into the 50's if you have some enclosure there. Make sure the hose is charged with water in the morning, and shower in the afternoon, bobs yer uncle.



I am in the process of outfitting my 44' sloop and I will definitely have a small 120v tank type heater for dockside showers, probably some sort of solar arrangement for at anchor, and if Santa thinks I have been a good boy when Christmas rolls around again, some sort of diesel fired solution, and last but not least, hot water from the Westerbeast, our diesel engine. The final resort of a ho bath with cookstove heated water is always an option, but for half the year a cold water shower in New Orleans isn't really unbearably cold. Once you get used to it.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

The secret to efficient solar water heating in cool or cold climate is obviously to keep the heat in. If you place your simple black bag water heater inside a transparent enclosure, it will work at much lower ambient temperature and wind conditions. Black hose or pipe coiled or otherwise arranged in a tray system with a clear acrylic cover can be very effective. If you add a small insulation wrapped tank, and tip the solar collector unit and plumb the tank inlet high and the discharge low, it will thermosiphon, though a small DC pump will improve the circulation a lot. Insulating the hot water supply line is important, as well as stationing components for the shortest run possible. Yeah, solar heated water can be too hot. So you need a second tank, painted white, at the same height, and a tee and valves, or mixing valve arrangement.



I lived aboard for about 7 years, mostly in a slip with shore power available. I was familiar with the electric shower head heaters, as I often used them in Belize. Many households have them and I even stayed in a hotel that had them, the sadly misnamed "Luxury" Hotel in the city, which thankfully is now gone. So when I saw a cheap one online rated for 110, I pulled the trigger. Used it for two years of course with a GFCI breaker. I had a dedicated 30a circuit for it, as it sucked a lot of juice while it was running. It burned out and I never replaced it. Something about electricity in the shower that sort of creeps me out, even though it is ran through a GFCI breaker. I always meant to install a small tank style heater for showers when shore power was available, but I never got that far down on my list of things to do, so I either took cold showers, or black garden hose heated showers, (this was in New Orleans) "Ho" baths with stove heated water and a washcloth, or showered ashore in the marina's bathhouse. I did once long ago live in a tent, and set up a solar water heater that worked pretty good, 1/4" copper tubing coiled and painted black in an enclosure made from plywood, 2x4, and plexiglass, with a 12v aquarium pump and a modified pony keg wrapped in about a foot of insulation for storage. Water source was an irrigation canal. Shower stall was built over the same canal. Power source was a couple of car batteries in parallel, charged by a small solar panel. Temperature was regulated by covering the solar collector as needed. Usually there was hot water in the morning at just the right temp if I let the sun in all the previous day, but if I didn't cover the collector it would be too hot for showering by midafternoon. I could also of course just add more canal water to cool it down. A tee on the discharge side of the pump diverted water to the shower head, such as it was, cobbled together out of a flower garden type sprayer. This was out in a colonia outside San Benito, TX, down in the Valley. Didn't get much super cold weather there, either. I have often thought of building sort of a streamlined version of this, for showers at anchor. Trust me... when you keep that outside air away from the black tubing, it gets crazy hot, even in fairly cold conditions, as long as you get good sun exposure. As for the solar bag shower, I saw a plexiglass enclosure used with one once, and the owner swore by it. It would heat water to tolerable temperatures when the outside air temp was in the 40s. I think a double insulated windowpane on a flat coiled tubing collector, with the box insulated as well, would be a worthy project.


BOAT SHOWERS. Yes, showers draining directly into the bilge can cause soap buildup and odors. But it does not have to be so. I learned to only use Head and Shoulders or generic equivelants for shower soap. Make the lather in your head hair, or with a washcloth, and shower. The H&S makes no buildup, and in fact if you don't have an inboard ICE engine at all to continuously ooze and drip oil in there, it will actually clean your bilge. As a bonus, it kept my psoriasis under control. But you can also install a shower sump instead of drain into the bilge.



Cockpit showers are a thing, but not so much a winter thing LOL. You would be surprised at how hot the dock water gets when you run it through 50' of black garden hose flat coiled on the foredeck. Makes cockpit showers bearable down into the 50's if you have some enclosure there. Make sure the hose is charged with water in the morning, and shower in the afternoon, bobs yer uncle.



I am in the process of outfitting my 44' sloop and I will definitely have a small 120v tank type heater for dockside showers, probably some sort of solar arrangement for at anchor, and if Santa thinks I have been a good boy when Christmas rolls around again, some sort of diesel fired solution, and last but not least, hot water from the Westerbeast, our diesel engine. The final resort of a ho bath with cookstove heated water is always an option, but for half the year a cold water shower in New Orleans isn't really unbearably cold. Once you get used to it.

Growley, I give you a lot of credit for resourcefulness and willingness to endure hardships , however minor, such as cold showers, but I have to say we never wanted to be camping out or going to the trouble of trying to heat water most of the ways you did, to say nothing of having to put away solar heating equipment whenever we wanted to go sailing, which has been pretty frequently as long as we've had this boat.

Instead, on day one, we installed a propane system with an instant propane water heater and for 34 years it has been just like a house. Running hot water in the galley, head, and separate shower. We take it for granted: we go to a tap, turn it: hot water. At the dock, at anchor, while sailing. We spent 10 years living in the north, and the next 25 in the tropics, but hot water is still nice to have.

Our shower has a separate sump and pump and there is no soapy water in the bilge or in the shower sump. I estimate we've taken something like 10,000 hot showers on this boat.

This solution probably won't work for the OP given his limited boat size and equipment, but for a lot of others, if they accept propane. It is sweet.

And in 35 countries, we've never had a problem getting our propane tanks refilled.

[GrowleyMonster]

You are right, of course, Fred. Especially about the big IF... IF one is okay with propane on a boat. For myself, I am definitely not. With one exception... stored and used topside, such as in my Magma grill, which I will admit to using on occasion. I wouldn't mind a diesel water heater, but they are a bit rich for my wallet.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

The secret to efficient solar water heating in cool or cold climate is obviously to keep the heat in. If you place your simple black bag water heater inside a transparent enclosure, it will work at much lower ambient temperature and wind conditions. Black hose or pipe coiled or otherwise arranged in a tray system with a clear acrylic cover can be very effective.

Hmm, my thought too... got one of these for the garden sprayer tank shower last summer...so far, so good.. and not too expensive either!

[warrior 90]

Originally Posted by Shaneesprit

I have plenty of fuel diesel propulsion and Propane cooking, small output Solar 148w ( 2 small house batteries) lights / equipment.
Also have a heater from the coolant of the propulsion engine - also useless to me as I mostly want heat while on the mooring or anchor.
Solar bags don’t work, well not when arriving to the boat in the dark, and not in the beginning and end of the season, I have one and rarely found it useful.
But fridges are a mod con and motors require huge starting current.
But I have another reason for replying and that is maybe people should state their boat size in this discussion? Warrior ?
Mines only a 25ft Cat mainly weekend use occasionally a week and in the UK 🇬🇧

Summer Twins 25´CAT > https://htcca.co.uk/st-25/
* 2) still weight
* 3) the solar is fitted and required as it runs a Bilge pump year round, boat is never removed from the water, or rain, it’s just moved to an isolated tidal mooring ( that happens to be in my dads back garden ) need 6 meter tide to escape

* But I have another reason for replying and that is maybe people should state their boat size in this discussion? Warrior ? Mines only a 25ft Cat mainly weekend use occasionally a week and in the UK 🇬🇧

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ns-210629.html

> The quality of the finish looked excellent and I really liked the layout + overall size (big enough for our crew, but small enough to get into some pretty small tidal havens around the Wash in the UK)
Summer Twins 28 - views appreciated

> Being a catamaran you have to start to become more obsessed by weight than an America's cup skipper, though I have yet to cut toothbrushes in half.
> She dries flat, this gives you so much more choice when cruising, pick up a drying mooring, anchor in the shallows for lunch, stay on a drying wall. Maintenance of the hulls is much easier, lift out to antifoul is just not required.
> The capsize threat, yes it is there, but in context. This is a cruising catamaran, she has a small rig. There has been only one reported capsize of a Heavenly Twins, that was Lottie Warren off Shetland in a full F12.
Narrative of owning a Heavenly Twins catamaran

> There was no 28, instead the designer and builder created the Summer Twins range which addressed a lot of the problems. There were two models, the 25 and the 28 and about 9 of the first and 5 of the second were made. Cats just contain too many compromises sub 35 feet in my opinion, you either have to go for speed and sailability but make big sacrifices to safety and volume or go safety and volume and loose the sailability. But for short trip relaxed coastal cruising the HT is superb, despite its faults we plan on having another HT one day.
> I met a Heavenly Twins 26 cat here some years ago after she had crossed the Atlantic - the crew were a couple with a teenage daughter and a dog, and they certainly appeared to have all of their worldly belongings on board - the underside of the bridge deck was immersed even at anchor...... yet they had an uneventful (and not slow) trip across the Atlantic.
https://forums.ybw.com/index.php?thr...-twins.293421/


Well, time to get back on track

* 2) still weight
* 3) boat is never removed from the water, or rain, it’s just moved to an isolated tidal mooring ( that happens to be in my dads back garden )
need 6 meter tide to escape

* Well, the HOT WATER
with the mentioned Chinese HOT AIR / Water I believe there will be always hot water, no matter what the day looks like.

* But there is still not enough water for a comfortable shower and a bigger tank must be filled and also come with a big weight penalty and need to be in a good location for balance of the boat.

* Then we have the issue with the fridge.

* That all needs plenty of power.

* But on the other side we wanna be budget friendly and it should be easy to install with of the shelf components.

* For power we have an over sized BETA MARINE 25 with a 40 amp alternator

* 3) the solar panels are 160 W and required as they runs a Bilge pump year round, boat is never removed from the water and to keep yje batteries happy.


Well, the Eco Tech alternator would be certainly the ultimate solution but together with the required frames and other modifications certainly not the most budget friendly option.
Let´s go for the option for a second alternator offered by BETA MARINE
That means 40 amp alternator for engine starter battery + 120 amp alternator for house bank. Hope it will fit under the engine cover.


The FRIDGE
Well, as the Dometic CFX series is the only one to my knowlege that can deep freeze down to -22ºC and is portable that allows You to bring a loaded and pre frozen freezer on board it is my choice
FRIDGE SIZE ? = mainly weekend use occasionally a week and in the UK 🇬🇧
The biggest one You can fit in the locker under the cushine of the salon. Certainly the bigger seperate Fridge/Freezer with 2 separate compartments and tops would be the preferable choice as it will also allow to get rid of the old fridge including the whole installation and convert it to a more use full space under the counter top, dedicated to all the little secretes that the chefs need for home sweet home cooking. As the Dometic will not use all the depth of space of the locker there is still room for more food supplies. The rest is a budget question and not forgetting about the weight.
That should give You enough for 1 week and if thought out well it should be enough for cruising all over the UK with a range of stopping only at convenient places.
Dimensions product depth 495 mm
Dimensions product height 472 mm
Dimensions product width 887 mm
Net weight 31 kg
Gross volume 75 l
Storage volume - total 70 l
https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/pro...75dzw-_-139576


THE WATER SUPPLY
That is a HOT topic and it´s also not gonna be cheap.
For sailing of shore in salt water the best and less weight solution with the least power demand and enough production for decent shower is the......
Katadyn Power Survivor 40 E Watermaker Desalinator @ AMAZON 4.295 $

https://www.katadyn.com/downloads/ka...vor-40e_en.pdf

Salt rejection (average) 98.4% (min. 96%)
Output (gal) 1.5 gal/h / 5,4 L (± 15%)
Dimensions (in) 16 x 15 x 7
Weight (oz) 25 = 11,3 Kg
Power requirements 12 V / 4 Amp
That will give You a total capacity of 36 gal/ 130 L per day (+/-15%)
@ max. 96 AH of Your battery capacity
Adding a standard tank ( the biggest You can find to fit) in the locker on the opposite side of the Fridge freezer gives You a good access for the installtion as there is also the head right beside in the hull.

Now You can escape out of Your anchorage with an empty tank and if You do inland navigation where You can´t use the watermaker You can fill the tank where ever it´s convenient.
Once You escaped and out in deep water this way You can also balance the boat and compensate for the added weight in the Dometic fridge/freezer.

Of course that is a big bite in the pocket but sometimes You can find them used for a better price or You could ask at the factory. I heard they also sell rebuilts with factory warranty. Those power survivers are really tough and there are good maintenance kits. If You wanna keep the boat it´s certainly worth while tinking as You can also sell it later with not too much fuzz. People like them because of little power required wich also results in a less need $$$ for a bigger house battery and in Your case that also means less weight.


BATTERY SIZE requirements.
You are still cooking with propane
The smallest "2" compartment/ "2" Top openings Dometic CFX 75DZW ............
Rated input current (DC) 7.9 A - Rated input power (DC) 70 W
Energy consumption (DC@5/32°C) per day 1.309 kWh/24h
Watermaker: let´s say 60 L/day = 12 hours @12Vx4 amp = 576 W
Diesel heater > I believe @ 24 hours @ 12Vx 4 amps per hour = 1.152 W
__________________________________________________ _________________________
Total max required 3 KW every day
+ other consumers Navigation /creature comfort ?.???

choose https://www.ev-power.eu/Winston-12V-sets/

my choice 12V, 3.6kWh LiFeYPO4 set with 300Ah cells, BMS and monitoring
https://www.ev-power.eu/Winston-12V-...onitoring.html
>>>> @ 38,8 Kg - minus the heavy weight of Your actual batteries
https://files.ev-power.eu/inc/_doc/a...-LFP300AHA.pdf

Now You can also monitor Your batteries with the mobile phone
As a second layer of safety add on a Victron BMV battery monitor with set points to protect against Low voltage and Overcharge and You also have visual, installed down below at the electrical panel or in the cockpit for control while motoring.


CHARGING
With the 120 amp altenator You will need aprox 2 hours specific charging every day.
You can down size on the Dometic and adjust on watermaker and AirHeater/Hot water and You will also do some motoring just by getting out on the sea.
But let´s take the 3 KW as orientation. Till now we were talking about the factory set up for the 120 amp alternator.

BUT with the PTO shaft You could also use a bigger pulley to drive the second alternator if You have space.
This way You can drive the alternator at a higher RPM while the engine is still under load in only high idle.

This would require an external regulator to keep the temperatur of the alternator and batteries under control while charging.

When choosing the size of a bigger pulley to charge more efficient @ low RPM of the engine You have to watch the max. RPM allowed for the alternator when engine is at FULL throttle.
The simple solution is a magnetic clutch added on to the pulley/PTO shaft and when motoring and You get to a critical range You simply slow down for a moment and disengage the second alternator by a switch.
Same goes when Your are motoring and the battery is full.
In my opinion this is straight forward, simple and safest for alternator and battery while motoring.
When You are only charging in neutral a set point in the Victron battery monitor will shut down the engine when battery is full.
This way You can run the engine at Your desired RPM/ charge time or noise level.
Cost: Alternator, PTO Shaft, Special Pully For Serpentine Belt, Magnetic Clutch, Regulator, Battery Monitor, ......etc


DRY WEIGHT considerations
We added the

BIG Dometic ......................... 31 Kg
less weight old installation
Watermaker..... 11,3 Kg
Batteries 38,8 Kg
We replaced the old and more heavy batteries

Hot Air/Water Heater ?
Empty water tank ?
2nd alternator,ETC ?
Miscellaneous ?

If You are using a heavy dinghy to get in and out of the boat
Use a light weight Drop Stitch Kayak 19,9 Kg
https://www.ds-kajak.com/airtrek-fle...ct-11665496260
or Similar

Kind of difficult to decide where to start if You want serious hot water. As You can observe everthing is interrelated.
Brings me back to the little crap of gasoline generator@ 179 Pounds to get by for a starter and taste the new atmosphere of creature comfort on board. That will buy You time to check if You are on the right track, hunt bargains and work out all the little details.
Smart throttle sensor automatically adjusts the engine speed to precisely match the load, which allows the generator to run quieter whilst increasing fuel efficiency and lengthening engine life.
Continuous Power 700W
Max Power 900W
https://www.localtoolsales.com/power...trol-generator

That´s enough to get by for the moment no +++$$$$ for batteries, alternator and regulator

No expensive watermaker
Start with a nice job on the water tank and You have Hot shower as soon as You find a place to fill the water tank.

Get a reliable pump for the shower and install a "T" with a connection to the cockpit. This way You can also have hot water there and when it´s time to get back home You dump all the water from the tank over board.

Use Your 40 amp alternator and the 160 W solar panels to charge the batteries and top of with the little GEN set as required

AND just to be on the safe side spend 70 Pounds for one of those....

https://www.audew.com/Audew-20000mAh...-p-100058.html

YES, just to make sure the engine is always starting.


Stage Nº1 all together less then 1000 Pounds and You are back and enjoy SAILING with all the creature comfort on board..... and as time goes by the rest will fall in place

PS: Before I forget
Get a nice million dollar faucet for the shower))) that looks HOT)))
Haha, she´s gonna love it and the dessert will taste sweeter

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by warrior 90

Summer Twins 25´CAT > https://htcca.co.uk/st-25/
* 2) still weight
* 3) the solar is fitted and required as it runs a Bilge pump year round, boat is never removed from the water, or rain, it’s just moved to an isolated tidal mooring ( that happens to be in my dads back garden ) need 6 meter tide to escape

* But I have another reason for replying and that is maybe people should state their boat size in this discussion? Warrior ? Mines only a 25ft Cat mainly weekend use occasionally a week and in the UK 🇬🇧
...
* Well, the HOT WATER

* But there is still not enough water for a comfortable shower and a bigger tank must be filled and also come with a big weight penalty and need to be in a good location for balance of the boat.

* Then we have the issue with the fridge.

* That all needs plenty of power.

* But on the other side we wanna be budget friendly and it should be easy to install with of the shelf components.

* For power we have an over sized BETA MARINE 25 with a 40 amp alternator

* 3) the solar panels are 160 W and required as they runs a Bilge pump year round, boat is never removed from the water and to keep yje batteries happy.

Let´s go for the option for a second alternator offered by BETA MARINE
That means 40 amp alternator for engine starter battery + 120 amp alternator for house bank. Hope it will fit under the engine cover.


The FRIDGE
Well, as the Dometic CFX series is the only one to my knowlege that can deep freeze down to -22ºC...

THE WATER SUPPLY
That is a HOT topic and it´s also not gonna be cheap....
Katadyn Power Survivor 40 E Watermaker Desalinator @ AMAZON 4.295 $

...That will give You a total capacity of 36 gal/ 130 L per day (+/-15%)
@ max. 96 AH of Your battery capacity...

BATTERY SIZE requirements.
You are still cooking with propane
The smallest "2" compartment/ "2" Top openings Dometic CFX 75DZW ............
Rated input current (DC) 7.9 A - Rated input power (DC) 70 W
Energy consumption (DC@5/32°C) per day 1.309 kWh/24h
Watermaker: let´s say 60 L/day = 12 hours @12Vx4 amp = 576 W
Diesel heater > I believe @ 24 hours @ 12Vx 4 amps per hour = 1.152 W
__________________________________________________ _________________________
Total max required 3 KW every day...


CHARGING
With the 120 amp altenator You will need aprox 2 hours specific charging every day....

Get a reliable pump for the shower and install a "T" with a connection to the cockpit. This way You can also have hot water there and when it´s time to get back home You dump all the water from the tank over board.


PS: Before I forget
Get a nice million dollar faucet for the shower))) that looks HOT)))
Haha, she´s gonna love it and the dessert will taste sweeter

Hey warrior 90,

You've been doing a lot of thinking and it's good work.

Let me make some suggestions to simplify your solutions:

First, water maker: you don't need to run it all day. Two hours will satisfy your needs three max. So you run it while charging your batts with the 120 amp alternator (good choice).

Hot water: You already have propane for cooking. Get an instant propane water heater. No tank required, unlimited hot water (subject to your water tank capacity).

You might need a second propane tank to ensure you don't run out.

Alternator: The 120 amp is a good choice, and 400-500 AH house battery. Lithium is better but plain old lead acid will suffice and it is much cheaper, and no special BMS required.

Fridge: small 12v Dometic ice box conversion with oval evaporator plate, You can freeze 12 days worth of meat meals, plus daily ice for a drink or two, and in your climate, 75 ah/day, less than 1000 watts. if you plan your meals you could go a month.

Fresh water: You need a water pump and 100 gallons of water tankage, and keep it topped up with the Katydyn.

Your 160 watts of solar won't do much. Consider doubling that.

Forget the genset, the 3000watt daily elect needs, and the lifepo4 batteries.

Live simply but comfortably.

These solutions, all achievable, and it gives you all the comforts of home.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by warrior 90

BATTERY SIZE requirements.
You are still cooking with propane
The smallest "2" compartment/ "2" Top openings Dometic CFX 75DZW ............
Rated input current (DC) 7.9 A - Rated input power (DC) 70 W
Energy consumption (DC@5/32°C) per day 1.309 kWh/24h
Watermaker: let´s say 60 L/day = 12 hours @12Vx4 amp = 576 W
Diesel heater > I believe @ 24 hours @ 12Vx 4 amps per hour = 1.152 W
__________________________________________________ _________________________
Total max required 3 KW every day
+ other consumers Navigation /creature comfort ?.???

:

Your numbers are not correct.
The fridge at 5 amp draw will likely add up to 50-60ah per day ( they usually have a 50 to 60 % duty cycle.
Watermaker well if you need that much water daily then suggest a spectra not a katadyn
Per gallon amp draw is quite a bit less
As in 30% less
And a watermaker is not actually a necessity.

The diesel heater well you are way off on that .
Mine when run on medium low ( good for 65°f when outside is 35°f) i draw 1.25 amps. About 30ah if run 24 hours a day ( i run about 8 hrs a day. ) not running when im sleeping . Or active on the boat keeping myself warm.
So even being liberal with my power usage figures theres 100ah or so per day.

[warrior 90]

Hey wingsail, did You read ? ...... 25 foot CAT....> Being a catamaran you have to start to become more obsessed by weight than an America's cup skipper, though I have yet to cut toothbrushes in half.......

Nº2-3 need 6 meter tide to escape

You better watch Your steps or one of Your next romantic weekends will not happen as planned. Yes, You might be on the boat but You are not sailing.

Can You imagine ?
I would not want that to happen to anybody after the DIY work on many weekends and spending the hard earned $$$$$$

Originally Posted by newhaul

Your numbers are not correct.

While the numbers can certainly be argued and more so because I went on the high side with average used, but in case of the Dometic Fridge/Freezer 75DZW I went with the manufacturers spec sheet

Rated input current (DC) 7.9 A
Rated input power (DC) 70 W
Energy consumption (DC@5/32°C) per day 1.309 kWh/24h

The 1,309 kWh/24h seems reasonable compared to rated input current and power. While the -22ºC is a number on it´s own there are a lot´s of variables like climate and use and it might come out higher or lower depending on number of crew and size of the menu. In this particular case the situation is very fortunate. There is a lucky man that is hungry and a talented Lady that enjoys to keep it that way. What else can You ask for ? Sounds like heaven on earth

While I am certain You captured the particular situation of this case, again the projected Watermaker:

let´s say 60 L/day = 12 hours @12Vx4 amp = 576 W

are on the high side.
While the energy demand per gal of water produced is in favor of the Spectra, but with more then double the weight and foot print it´s a total different story and also the $$$ is much more then the already outrages expensive choice of the PowerSurviver 40 E due to requirements.

https://www.spectrawatermakers.com/d...ications_1.pdf

The Diesel heater that You project with only 1,25 amps and 30 amps per day would certainly look a lot better. but don´t forget this 25´CAT has a lot more volume then Your boat that could easy be more then double AND ... there are BIG windows

* i run about 8 hrs a day. ) not running when I m sleeping . Or active on the boat keeping myself warm.
Well, I could imagine while fighting 24 hours with Your Defender this might be true but the man said..... mainly weekend use, occasionally a week and in the UK 🇬🇧
I know one thing for myself but again that leaves a lot of room for argues....
If I am working my bud off all week long and then I have the weekend or sometimes I can escape for a little romantic sail with my Lady to a lot of the exciting destinations the UK has to offer, the last thing I would worry about is a few amps more or less. Hahaha, I would simply set the thermostat to "COZY" when on anchor and forget about it.

Would be hard for me to argue. Never had the need for a heater. I run around with a short sleeved shirt 365 days but I remember the nightmare of good old days very well. Had an "A" class Winnebago and in winter time I burned a 80 L propane tank in just a little over a week.
Brrrrrr, can´t stand the arctic sensations.

The 300 amp battery size I choose under consideration of those numbers and a minimum of 24 hours FUll POWER COZY without headaches at anchor when charging and smooth cycling on the batteries with ease of mind.
No doubt with better solar panels You can scratch off a few Watts on good days and in most favorable conditions like summertime they might last 2-3 days. Add on some motoring and most likely the Gen would not be used.

But who would want to play at the limits when doing a creature comfort upgrade ?
I am sure the concept will guarantee a lot of satisfaction for many years and without a lot of headaches.
The values will be there on the day of sale.
There is plenty of room to move $$$$$ budget on the down side and there is an easy start with a clear route

[john61ct]

If you want most people to skip your posts, making each of them really long and covering lots of different topics is very effective.

IOW, short succinct posts each oriented around a single topic

ideally in line with that of the thread as a whole

makes for a much more productive discussion

[warrior 90]

Originally Posted by john61ct

If you want most people to skip your posts, making each of them really long and covering lots of different topics is very effective.

IOW, short succinct posts each oriented around a single topic

ideally in line with that of the thread as a whole

makes for a much more productive discussion

Well, Your opinion

[warrior 90]

As promised

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...ccb51df8HBBKWG

Is it an Ebersbaecher ?
Brand name is CNDE and most likely some BAD BOYS playing with our brains

@ some 300 $ for 1 unit+new Trumpf TAX+Shipping

What do You wanna believe ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4B4IfcoDc8

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by john61ct

If you want most people to skip your posts, making each of them really long and covering lots of different topics is very effective.

IOW, short succinct posts each oriented around a single topic

ideally in line with that of the thread as a whole

makes for a much more productive discussion

There is wisdom here in this post.
I tend to skip read long posts touching the high points . Especially those that seem to wander.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by warrior 90

As promised

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...ccb51df8HBBKWG

Is it an Ebersbaecher ?
Brand name is CNDE and most likely some BAD BOYS playing with our brains

@ some 300 $ for 1 unit+new Trumpf TAX+Shipping

What do You wanna believe ?

What is this. " new trumpf tax"??