380 S2: A Couple of Questions for L380 Owners

[SvLetitgo]

Careka you said that it wont handle any more than 3 or 4 batteries?

Will not have enough power other than drip charge would take hours to bring them back to full and you will kill them in the long run

Also isnt there a battery monitor supplied as standard?

Didn't in ours and no shunt


I notice you have the 2000i SvL.

Go for the 2000 the 1000 no real price difference around here at least

will the 40amp charger handle 460w solar + windgen 60w max, as well as the generator when needed, or will I need to bite the bullet and replace it imediately? I just hate the thought of ditching a $700 item if I dont need to. Theres always ebay I guess..

Charger doesn't handle the solar and Gen they have their own controller and link direct to battery

And you don't remove the original charger you install the new one in parallel redundancy

[careka]

Originally Posted by SvLetitgo

Careka you said that it wont handle any more than 3 or 4 batteries?
Not sure that i understand the quest ?

Will not have enough power other than drip charge would take hours to bring them back to full and you will kill them in the long run

Also isnt there a battery monitor supplied as standard?
There is one telling you Volts on all batts, and how much Amps is being used, but no "amp" left in bank or Total used frojm bank.
and when i comp, it to Victron it does not show the correct Volt. there is a diff. and i belive the Victron is better. so i use them both


Didn't in ours and no shunt


I notice you have the 2000i SvL.

Go for the 2000 the 1000 no real price difference around here at least

And if you sail via Carib home to aussy land Monte then there is a lot of stuff/Cheaper good batts to get over there, better prices then i europa.

[SvLetitgo]

Careka you said that it wont handle any more than 3 or 4 batteries?
Not sure that i understand the quest ?

Will not have enough power other than drip charge would take hours to bring them back to full and you will kill them in the long run



Let's rephrase

The question was would a 40amp charger handle a 560 AMP or more bank

It could of course but the time to charge would be longer,

560 Amp can accept around 100 Amp in ideal situation so 40 amp will pain to provide the influx needed. So you need to run the engine longer or will not top them up enough and kill them early.

[monte]

shlt.

[monte]

ok so the charger will only charge up to 40A but the solar and wind use their own charger anyway so...the charger only gets used if I use shore power or the generator. So heres the initial plan B or G or H I might be up to now...

Stick with the

[careka]

Originally Posted by SvLetitgo

The question was would a 40amp charger handle a 560 AMP or more bank

It could of course but the time to charge would be longer,

Yes, then i did get it

upgrade your system in the Carib, when you get there monthe, Get Solar and wind if you want wind in Europa befor you leave, and change batts/charger in carib befor entering the nexst big seas, on your way home.

[Huggi21]

Hi ,
I thought you may like to see what i fiited on my Lagoon 440 to supply power ,we have 6 x 90 w Solar panels , i used these as they are 4 x 2 ft in size so on my frame this was perfect ,they are very efficient Monocrystalline,also not to heavy,remembering that you some times get shading so this allows most of the panels to be working having 6 of them,my best output to date is 37.2 amps per hour ,the best day is 232 amps,i also fitted 4 x wind generators , 2 x Rutland 913 and 2 x Rutland 504 ,i chose these mainly for there low noise level,everything else drives you crazy ,they put in around 100 amps per day combined,good point is when the batteries are nearly full they will each shut down leaving just leaving one of the 504's trickle charging into the batteries,really helps to keep them in top shape,each wind generator has its own controller, for the solar regulator i went with a Flexmax 80 MPPT , fantastic piece of equipment and great service from the company.Batteries have just been fitted ,went with Deka 198 AGM ,x 6 , these should be good for around 250-300 amp's draw per day and last 6-8 years with no maintenance .
If you would like any more photo's of the installation send me a message,
Good luck.
o

[monte]

oops it posted before I finished typing
ok I noticed you redid your power budget so it prompted me to make a preliminary one. How does this plan seem.
ok so the charger will only charge up to 40A but the solar and wind use their own charger anyway so...the charger only gets used if I use shore power or the generator. So heres the initial plan B or G or H I might be up to now...

Stick with the existing batteries and charger and add 1 140Ah Battery to give a total of 4/140Ah (560Ah Total) Add 460W solar panels plus the MMPT controller plus wind generator. Options going forward would be to buy a honda generator, HO alternator, etc etc.

[monte]

thanks careka for the suggestions on the carribean. Ill keep that in mind.

thanks huggi, nice setup and very self sufficient by the looks of it. You wouldnt bother rolling out a shorepower cable even in a marina I guess. Your Ah figures seem pretty much in line with what I read re solar (take total watts, subtract 10% and halve for approx daily Amp output) (540-54)/2 = 248amps.

[SvLetitgo]

Monte,

Huggi show 100amp for 4 wind generator so count on 25 amp for one this would be more accurate.

The charger also get used when the engine is on not only shore power.

Except if you outfit with a Alternator directly connected via external regulator but on our engine no go.

It's all in the balance that the art of electric system never easy to achieve, not even the balance on the pocket book.

[monte]

Thanks Sv.. had a bit more of a look at your blog as well...LOTS of info there !
as far as solar...is that the same deal,..too much amps in can congest at the MMPT controller which can only handle so many amps at once? I will probbaly add another 200W solar on the solid biminii as well to total about 680w. Hopefully the solar controller can handle thatt output as well as the wind Gen. The wind gen I was planning on was tested as below (Airbreeze) so Ill allow 50w at this stage. I guess it will only be needed for passagemaking anyway. Hmm come to think of it..what about hot water for showers. how long do you have to run the engines to heat the water? and I guess excess from the solar can do that as well, but how? Does it heat from the battery bank or does it need an inverter or somthing?

[SvLetitgo]

as far as solar...is that the same deal,..too much amps in can congest at the MMPT controller which can only handle so many amps at once?
Again need to be balance they are design for specific needs so use the proper one for the flow of AMP check blue sky website

. Hopefully the solar controller can handle thatt output as well as the wind Gen.
Some maybe able but would not put all my egg in the same basket





what about hot water for showers. how long do you have to run the engines to heat the water?

About 15 minute starboard side

and I guess excess from the solar can do that as well, but how?

You have some resistance that accept the extra energy once the battery are full instead of transform into heat

Does it heat from the battery bank or does it need an inverter or somthing?

Separate system like those Submersible 12 volt water heater horse heater stop Cold Weather Colicing dog Colic voltage 24V stock VDC tank 24 cattle 12V waterheater 24v HotWater 48 volt systems RITCHIE animal Miraco lilspring Miraco livestock I know one is made specifically to divert the surplus but can't remember but somebody will here

[Meerkat10948]

Hi Monte

I fear I am new to this forum, but I hope the following thoughts may be helpful.

So far as usage/battery capacity is concerned, I suspect your usage will be dominated by the use of the autopilot and the fridge. Nothing else uses significant power, apart from the windlass, when you will always be running the engines. So far as the fridge is concerned, I can tell you that a L380 I chartered in the Leeward Isles in Jan of this year had a pumped watercooled condenser which was really good. and hardly seemed to use any power. I have since bought my own L380 - don't worry, it really is a great boat - which has the standard aircooled condenser, which in my view is near useless in a hot climate - I cruise in the Mediterranean. I would go for a keelcooled or a pumped watercooled condenser. Look at the Frigoboat website. You will find hand steering the boat to be very tedious. Not for nothing is it referred to as "the tyranny of the wheel"! Calculate the power usage of the autopilot for the hours you will be sailing - pretty substantial if you are in the trades - So think about the power demands of the autopilot.

You won't need a fitted inverter for the laptop, phones, and other chargers etc. You can get portable 200w inverters which will do the job perfectly well which will plug into the 12v socket on the electric panel. We have fitted a huge 2000w inverter at huge expense mainly so that the ladies can run their hairdryers and straighteners! It has proved itself time and time again!! Keep the ladies happy and you have a totally happy ship on your hands! At a guess, I would wait and see what happens. Boats are unpredictable things. I agree that a couple of 120w(ish) solar panels on the davits and a couple of panels on the bimini roof would be good and may do the job without fiddling about with high power alternators, which may interfere with the warranty on the engines. Wind generator? I'd suggest wait and see if you really need it. They are irritating noisy things. With all those Solar panels, I doubt you will find you need it.

Gennaker? Just go and get one. You'll need it with all those batteries on board! I would avoid the standard sails by Incidences. I'd suggest your friendly local sailmaker. You get what you pay for in sails. Maybe a good cruising sailmaker like Doyles. There are still some good sailmakers in the UK.

Do a lot of research on the watermaker part of the project, particularly on the power demands. I'd suggest a 60l/hr setup, either a Shencker if you want a modern low power system or a Desolater for an agricultural but arguably more robust but high power usage system. Look at the agent system in the area you will be going. You'll need it for spares. You pays your money and takes your choice!

Hope some of this is helpful

[careka]

i copy this from
The INTERVIEW WITH A CRUISER Project: 10 Questions for African Innovation


And note this:
Is there something you wish you had bought or installed before starting cruising?
More solar panels. I thought 430 watts would be enough, because I also had a Seabreeze wind gen, but boy was I wrong. Several times I contemplated sawing the pole off that held the wind gen and throwing the whole thing into the ocean, because it was such a disappointment. The solar panels on the other hand were silent, efficient and never let me down. It depends on where you sail, but in warm areas with lots of sun I would do without a wind gen (in a heart-beat) and add solar panels.

Once I got into the Pacific I wished I had an SSB to keep in touch with other boats over longer distances (using a sat phone becomes very expensive) and a larger dinghy with a more powerful outboard to increase my range from an anchorage, especially when thinking about exploring and fishing.

[monte]

haha thats great Careka! thanks for the link and yeah thats the way Im leaning as per below ... nice interview too, seems like somme real pearls of wisdom in there...

thanks a lot meerkat

yes it seeems passagemaking uses the most power so I guess if its just a few day passage then stop for a day or so the solar should keep up fine. Its the longer Atlantic and pacific crossings for 3-4 weeks each I am trying to cover as much as possible. I think I will add 600W solar on the davits similar to linocats pic below for starters. I'll consider trying those for starters, I guess its easy enough to add wind gen, especially if I have the controller already installed. Im not sure but it seems this controller will handle 'up to 40 amps in 12 volt system' . Im wondering if that is the figure I need to look at for suitability. I guess the calculation is somthing like 40a x 12v is maximum input in W , ie 480 panels are the maximum it will accept. or does it use higher voltage for the panels like 40a x 17 v = 680 w max panel size?
Regarding the fridge, it does come with a 12V upgraded refrigerator unit, water cooled, so I hope this is suitable.Im going to add a 40L or so engel as well for freezing or additional fridging under the cockpits seat.
I'll take your advice with the portable type inverter for now I think and try keep most things 12v.
Gennaker - yep ill get one for sure..thinking of rolly tasker from thailand but I need to check the specifics (and decide on a color!)

Watermakers im considering these 2 at the moment but havnt delved too deeply into that department. To me its really about survival, not luxury. I would be happy with 4l a day just for drinking water. The rest is luxury anyway. I bought a little hand operated one for grab bag and backup.

Spectra Ventura 150 / MPC 5000 Controller - 12V
$7000 but fully automatic. or $5000 without controler (option?)
half the current draw of the Katadyn models

KATADYN
PowerSurvivor 40E Watermaker $3000