Water in the Pacific

[2big2small]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

You need to charge with the generator in the morning when you can put some serious amps into the bank, and ideally before Solar really starts putting out, use Solar for the top up, not the generator.

I’m a proponent of solar only. My boat came with a generator but if I had to spec one from scratch I wouldn’t bother with one and use solar exclusively. Right now I have 1,240W of solar and never need to run the generator except for laundry. And I probably wouldn’t even have to do that if I had a beefier inverter. The whole solar installation is less than half the price of a cheap diesel water-cooled genset and takes no space inside the hull. Should I add the most expensive of inverters then it would still be cheaper but I already have the generator so keeping it is most economical.

Extreme weather and latitude sailors may of course still be better off with burning dino juice.

[john61ct]

How big a boat, and can you link to a photo shows how the panels are mounted?

[2big2small]

Originally Posted by john61ct

How big a boat, and can you link to a photo shows how the panels are mounted?

49’ mono, photo later.

[Eder]

Its pretty tough to put a lot of solar on a sailboat without it looking like a vehicle from Mad Max movie. I chose to just attach flexible 100w panels to my bimini top to hide the look. Works fine but I'm capped at 600w total.


Most smaller boats dont have a decent location for a proper gen set and then noise becomes an irritant. I'm glad I had a perfect spot for an install.

[2big2small]

I’m going to have to dig up my laptop for a decent picture and I can’t guarantee I’ll get around doing that but basically it’s 4 310W panels at the back of the boat, roughly 2 m long and 4 wide, same width as the stern. Everything fits behind the boom so it doesn’t throw a shadow on the panels.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by 2big2small

I’m going to have to dig up my laptop for a decent picture and I can’t guarantee I’ll get around doing that but basically it’s 4 310W panels at the back of the boat, roughly 2 m long and 4 wide, same width as the stern. Everything fits behind the boom so it doesn’t throw a shadow on the panels.

wow that should add considerable "lift" to the stern in wind over 40 knots!
the area is slightly smaller than my storm jib on my 60 ft yacht

[2big2small]

Originally Posted by atoll

wow that should add considerable "lift" to the stern in wind over 40 knots!
the area is slightly smaller than my storm jib on my 60 ft yacht

No, it’s a spoiler. It keeps my rudder in the water for better grip. But seriously, it is sloping downward towards the front so that if I can keep facing the wind I should be fine. I’m a windsurfer. I know how to drop a rigged sail on the beach in 30 knots without it flying away. Of course it’s not the same for a boat with wave action etc. and I admit it’s a calculated risk.

By the same logic, all hard top catamarans would have your storm jib equivalent as well. The difference is your jib is vertical and actually catching wind.

And from another perspective, I bet you have sailed with your bimini up in 35+ knots winds without thinking twice about it and my panels aren’t any larger than my bimini was.

[john61ct]

Nice looking setup, but I don't know from windage. How long / far have you had it?

Originally Posted by 2big2small

we have a boat with a 100 liter/h watermaker and we use ridiculous amounts of it

Which model?

How many AH does it consume per hour, and per actual gallon produced?

[atoll]

Originally Posted by 2big2small

No, it’s a spoiler. It keeps my rudder in the water for better grip. But seriously, it is sloping downward towards the front so that if I can keep facing the wind I should be fine. I’m a windsurfer. I know how to drop a rigged sail on the beach in 30 knots without it flying away. Of course it’s not the same for a boat with wave action etc. and I admit it’s a calculated risk.

By the same logic, all hard top catamarans would have your storm jib equivalent as well. The difference is your jib is vertical and actually catching wind.

And from another perspective, I bet you have sailed with your bimini up in 35+ knots winds without thinking twice about it and my panels aren’t any larger than my bimini was.

i would be worried about going alongside any dock or ship at the height of the panels as well,panama canal for example.

biminis are flexible,so bend with the wind untill they explode!",and are fairly easy to take down if it gets too windy

many catamarans have that area of panels but they don't heel,a knock down would most certainly reduce the panel area, laying ahull with the boat heeling at 30-40 degrees also would be interesting

[2big2small]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Nice looking setup, but I don't know from windage. How long / far have you had it?

Which model?

How many AH does it consume per hour, and per actual gallon produced?

It’s a Dessalator Duo D100 that runs on either AC or DC but I use it exclusively on DC. I’ll let you look up the specs to verify but from memory from looking into it about 2 years ago I think it uses 600W which makes for 50 Ah @ 12V. I have the impression it produces slightly less per hour in 12V mode than with AC but nominally it’s 100 l/h when the sea water is at 25 degrees C, less in colder water.

I’ve had the panels for 2 years, nearly 10k miles sailing, hove to once with them for about half an hour letting a particularly nasty front pass.

[2big2small]

Originally Posted by atoll

i would be worried about going alongside any dock or ship at the height of the panels as well,panama canal for example.

biminis are flexible,so bend with the wind untill they explode!",and are fairly easy to take down if it gets too windy

many catamarans have that area of panels but they don't heel,a knock down would most certainly reduce the panel area, laying ahull with the boat heeling at 30-40 degrees also would be interesting

Agree on first two but still decided to install it that way. I knowingly went into this. It’s a compromise. Laying ahull though would never be my strategy, with or without panels.

There are many bad scenarios to imagine with or without panels, the reality is that a skipper who has some experience and isn’t time bound to make it to specific destinations and stays in the right places in the right season, will statistically be near certain to never get into extreme weather. Most recreational sailors will never have sailed even 40 knots of wind in a lifetime of ownership. Hence my willingness to accept the compromise and risk.

[2big2small]

Originally Posted by atoll

they don't hee

Note that the panels are sloping down to the sides as well to not catch wind under normal heeling circumstances (and to catch more sun). The sprayhood is also part of the concept and helps prevent wind funneling underneath. The strategy required for when things get dicey is to hove to but admittedly I don’t expect this to work without damage in a hurricane.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by 2big2small

Note that the panels are sloping down to the sides as well to not catch wind under normal heeling circumstances (and to catch more sun). The sprayhood is also part of the concept and helps prevent wind funneling underneath. The strategy required for when things get dicey is to hove to but admittedly I don’t expect this to work without damage in a hurricane.

sorry not trying to be critical .it was just an observation,the cockpit cover on my yacht was about 4.5m x 3m and it flapped in very strong winds this was with a pvc cover,that has since been replaced with a solid 4mm thick fiberglass cover of the same size,and still flaps a bit in strong winds!

[2big2small]

Originally Posted by atoll

sorry not trying to be critical .it was just an observation,the cockpit cover on my yacht was about 4.5m x 3m and it flapped in very strong winds this was with a pvc cover,that has since been replaced with a solid 4mm thick fiberglass cover of the same size,and still flaps a bit in strong winds!

It’s all fair game. People on this forum are rather exceptionally thoughtful so I don’t take offence. Somebody might even point out something I didn’t think off and then I could preventively modify things. I know the setup isn’t ideal but we’re a family of full time liveaboards and need the energy. If our budget were much higher I’d have another boat and a flush solar setup. But you have to play with the cards in your hand, which is always more fun than not playing at all.

Each solar panel is encased in a 40mm thick frame. They don’t flap at all but the supporting SS framework may wiggle with sudden rolls on larger waves. I’ve been pondering whether to replace it with a stronger, absolutely rigid structure or leave it as is as a way to shed energy. It’s hard to foresee which strategy would be the best for whatever future eventualities. Any thoughts on this choice are welcome but it starts to feel like we’re highjacking the thread.

[john61ct]

Great topic though, copy and paste to start a new thread then link to it?