Solar generator for small sailboat?

[furiousgeorge]

Looking for a simple all-in-one-plug-n-play solution for an older Catalina 30. It's got a couple of golf cart batteries in it now and it'll likely have a lot of crappy wiring. I'm looking at something along the lines of the bluetti eb150 just to handle power issues while I potentially rewire the boat. Or maybe it'll just handle all I need without that hassle.

The load will be pretty light - LED lights, phones, instruments, small 12v fridge, and an autopilot.

I'm hoping for input on the 'seaworthiness' of a unit - can it handle the salt air, boat life, etc. So, any suggestions for something similar in scope to the eb150 for a boat would great. Thanks!

 

[sunshine_eggo]

I can't comment on seaworthiness, but...

Find your ACTUAL loads first before you spend a lot of money on something that disappoints you. Those things are neither efficient, nor can they provide a lot of capacity.

Energy Audit spreadsheet in Resources section.

EDIT: meant to mention... When I was in my teens in the 80's, we had a Catalina 22, and I lusted after the Catalina 30.

 

[svsagres]

Looking for a simple all-in-one-plug-n-play solution for an older Catalina 30. It's got a couple of golf cart batteries in it now and it'll likely have a lot of crappy wiring. I'm looking at something along the lines of the bluetti eb150 just to handle power issues while I potentially rewire the boat. Or maybe it'll just handle all I need without that hassle.

The load will be pretty light - LED lights, phones, instruments, small 12v fridge, and an autopilot.

I'm hoping for input on the 'seaworthiness' of a unit - can it handle the salt air, boat life, etc. So, any suggestions for something similar in scope to the eb150 for a boat would great. Thanks!

As @sunshine_eggo said, definitely check out your actual load.

We have a 27' Ericson, while out sailing we tend to go through about 50Ah a day. Between the refrigeration unit, lighting, instrumentation, and keeping our devices charged, it adds up remarkably quickly.

 

[PopDBop]

We have a 27' Ericson, while out sailing we tend to go through about 50Ah a day. Between the refrigeration unit, lighting, instrumentation, and keeping our devices charged, it adds up remarkably quickly.

Yes it does. Couple Q's on your loads. Are you using a 12v portable fridge/cooler, or a regular 120vac fridge? I assume you have at least 600 - 1000 Wh of batteries banked to handle that daily energy consumption? How much solar paneling do you have to recharge batts -- 300W, 600w, more? WIth a 27' boat you don't have a ton of options for placing panels.

 

[furiousgeorge]

Thanks guys. I don't have the actual load yet as it's a new to me boat that I haven't yet taken physical possession of. I'm headed to pick it up in a week or so and sail it home.

I know it's got a couple of brand new deep cycles, but I don't really know about the quality of the system itself. I'm looking at using this all in one thing likely as a temp solution for the first sail and bit of time until I solidify everything. If it happens to work for longer, that's cool, but I expect it'll end up on Craigslist in a few weeks.

 

[svsagres]

Yes it does. Couple Q's on your loads. Are you using a 12v portable fridge/cooler, or a regular 120vac fridge? I assume you have at least 600 - 1000 Wh of batteries banked to handle that daily energy consumption? How much solar paneling do you have to recharge batts -- 300W, 600w, more? WIth a 27' boat you don't have a ton of options for placing panels.

We have a little Dometic 12v icebox conversion unit. It's a proper compressor based refrigeration system, that runs off of 12v.

We're just in the early stages of developing our new power system. At the moment, we run off a pair of 100AH deep cycle FLAs, charged either by shorepower or by burning dead dino juice (engine).

Our plan is to switch to 300-400Ah of LiFePO4, and add about 120W of solar to the top of our dodger, then carry another 120W or so of packed solar that we can put out when at the dock/at anchor. Given that we're setup for single handing, with all lines lead to the cockpit, there's no room on our deck for panels.

However, given that we're in the PNW, the reality is that if we're going around, we're motoring half the time anyway, so plans also include a higher output alternator coupled with an advanced regulator.

 

[jwilson007]

Just wanted to chime in here, I had been pondering using a solar generator as well for a Catalina 25 that we're looking to buy soon. Something like the Bluetti A200P or Max I think would be quite sufficient, plug in some solar (portable if needed for starters) and we could be in business with a very basic solution. At least that was my thought for something to get us rolling until I can finalize plans for something more permanent. And if it didn't work, I'd still have a great large battery pack for the house

Link to the Bluetti models I mentioned:

BLUETTI AC200P Portable Power Station | 2,000W 2,000Wh

Meet all your needs, anywhere, anytime. BLUETTI AC200P solar generator features a massive 2,000Wh capacity to power your equipment, no more worry about power outages interrupting your work.

www.bluettipower.com

BLUETTI AC200MAX Expandable Power Station

AC200MAX is BLUETTI®'s first expandable solar generator that can be connected to B230 or B300 batteries, enabling up to 8,192Wh! Order yours right away!

www.bluettipower.com