Thoughts on solar installs on 23's.

[HeaveToo]

The one picture with the gray sky and you can tell that it had been raining....I had just had a storm with 30 knots winds, or better, blow through the anchorage.

Speaking of windspeed, I would love to put one those Raymarine wireless wind instrument on the boat but that is pretty expensive stuff.  Maybe in a few years after I start running out of other upgrades.  LOL

[Shawn]

"Speaking of windspeed, I would love to put one those Raymarine wireless wind instrument on the boat but that is pretty expensive stuff."

NASA Marine Instruments has a comparable model for about 1/3 the cost of the Raymarine. I had the wired NASA wind instrument and it was wonderful. They have a wireless version as well. I may eventually put one of them on my Sabre.

Shawn

[HeaveToo]

Holy Crap, that is really reasonable.  I want one!!!

How did you wire in the transducer through the mast?  Can you make the wire detachable so you can take down the mast and detach the transducer at the base of the mast?

[Shawn]

I ran the wire through the mast when it was down. I raised the mast and fed the wire through the wiring gooseneck and ran the bundle of wires into the V berth compartment on starboard. Down there I cut the wire and used a 5 pole terminal block to connect the ends of the wire to each other. At the start/end of the season I would just disconnect the mast side wiring from the terminal block and feed it back out of the boat. That kept the connection in a nice dry place to avoid any chance of corrosion.

The wind instrument was *wonderful* when sailing with the bimini up. The only bummer with the wired wind instrument was that its NEMA output wasn't in a format my tillerpilot could understand. I was going to write some software for hardware I designed to convert it but never got around to it. The more advanced chartplotter I am putting in the Sabre will understand the NASAs output and can do really cool things like VMG to Wind as well as controlling the autopilot to wind.

Shawn

[Shawn]

" Gotta assume you are located in a cooler clime with you packing a heater!? "

Sailing in Narragansett Bay. Heater is nice for sleeping on the water and extending the season a bit. I'm putting an Espar in my Sabre.

"I like you hatch mount but was thinking i might wish a little more than 40 watts."

The 40w always there is probably better than a larger panel that isn't always out in the sun. In 4 years I never had to recharge my battery. During daylight I could run the tillerpilot and GPS and not really use anything but solar power. As long as you watch your energy usage 40w will do quite a bit. Serenity had all LED lighting to remove that dramatic drain.

If you wanted to go bigger you could probably put a 60 or 100 w panel lengthwise behind the mast but that would be pretty much always in the way when raising/lowering/reefing the main. Maybe if you were thinking about major power (for a fridge) the 40w on the hatch permanently in place and then a 40 or 50w flexible panel for supplemental charging when at anchor?

Shawn

[Mas]

Well, the end result of not being sure what to do is that you do nothing. Interestingly the battery monitor indicated 12.6 volts on 2 AGM batteries that have-not seen a charge in a month. Not much juice being demanded as it sits on a trailer, but going to yank em as winter closes in. I am pondering many things about solar but it probably makes sense to see how much the diesel will accomplish if used a little. I otta give it some use as 356 hours on a 1990 Yanmar says use me!

The bimini spot is the current leading location. Flexible panel for it's storability (under settee or v berth cushions) is a big plus. There is jus only so much real estate on these little boats. I do see us with a boom tent/tarp/dodger or something over the companionway as that is the standing headroom on her. that would limit the companionway panel's sun.

Another option is a more capable alternator for the diesel if needed. Less time running, more charging. We are not going to be on the hook a lot the first season as we figure our way around these cruising grounds and her power needs. Do know we have plans to be on the hook several days at a time eventually. Want to have her off-grid by then!

Who knows, maybe by then they will have such small high powered panels that i can wear on my wrist and have it wirelessly transmit the power......hmmm...too many sci fi movies.Keep the ideas coming!

[Shawn]

Kind of last minute but if anyone was looking for the 100w Renogy hard solar panel that I mentioned earlier, Amazon has them as a lightning deal right now for $115 delivered. Deal will expire in about an hour. My charge controller can handle 20 amps.... decisions decisions.....

Shawn

[Mas]

Hey Shawn, just saw this but thanks for the heads up anyway. Now that there is a chart plotter installed that needed the batteries to be declared functional, I am going to the boat again in next couple weeks to fetch the batteries, plotter, and a few misc. items to bring them home for the winter. The cover that came with her i guess was stored so that it dry rotted. so no cover this year. Too bad. That'll give me some time to consider my next steps for solar. Gotta admit, I have been impressed that the AGM batteries have kept their charge so well with zero charging since October 25. Time to get them topped off and kept that way though.

Know this is a solar thread and wanna keep it that way, but Shawn did i see some pics of your 23's winter cover and frame? Maybe a for sale pic? If so would love to hear your experience with a cover. Hmmm...maybe a new thread!

[Shawn]

As another lightning deal Amazon has a 10w panel with charge controller for $32.

http://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-Polycrystalline-System-Controller-Battery/dp/B00PFG56ZS/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1449108372&sr=8-7&keywords=eco-worthy+solar

That should be pretty decent to keep a battery fully charged over the winter.

Shawn

[Mas]

Thanks, seems to be out of stock with no date posted as to when in stock. Would it be better to leave AGM type batteries on boat with such a charger knowing that only so much charging can happen in the short daylight hours but virtually no drain, or bring them home charge them fully and maybe once a month top off the charge. That works well for our land yacht batteries, as it lives indoors solar can't happen for storage. I usually remember to pull ground if for long blocks of time with no use on the van.

I guess cold weather is tough on electrical needs like starting but probably good for storage? If i bring them home they will have reasonable climate control. Never colder than 55, usually warmer. Regular room temp if i am working out there.

Thanks Shawn

[HeaveToo]

No Mas,
I would go with a trickle charger for the winter.  Pretty cheap but it will keep things up:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sunforce-5-Watt-Solar-Battery-Trickle-Charger-50022/202218718

[Mas]

Thanx HeaveToo, looks like a small panel like that doesn't need a controller. Know it will not charge discharged batteries but is intended to keep them charged. Still have to go to boat for a few items, including the new plotter so pulling the batteries for the season is no big deal, but do you think they are better off left in place with a solar charge or bring home and keep charged?

I am going to pull the trigger on a controller before I get any panels and size it to handle 100+ watts based on all of the advice tenured here. Still unsure on type and/or placement of panel(s). Love the panels you have recommended but you are correct, pretty pricey.

[Shawn]

HeaveToo,

Even with a 5w panel I think you should have a charge controller. A lead acid battery will loose somewhere around 5% a month. Say you have an 80 amp/hour deep cycle that means you loose about 4 amp/hours a month. A 5w panel can put in .33 amp per hour in full sun so you will get between 1-2 amp/hours into the battery per day. With no load and no charge controller you will overcharge the battery which will decrease life. This would be worse with gel or AGM batteries due to the lower self discharge and lower charge voltage.

Shawn

[Shawn]

No Mas,

"I am going to pull the trigger on a controller before I get any panels and size it to handle 100+ watts based on all of the advice tenured here. Still unsure on type and/or placement of panel(s)."

I've used SunSaver controllers on Serenity and Chouchou. They are good PWM controllers and reasonably priced. A 10 amp unit (more than enough for a 100w panel) is $50 or just under $60 if you also want low voltage disconnect function. I have my bilge pump wired to the LVD. If the float ever sticks on the LVD will keep that from killing my battery.

Shawn

[Mas]

Thanks Shawn. will check into those. I am going to pull the batteries till I figure out my solar system. Easy enough to keep them in good shape at home. May play with a controller here and a trickle charge panel before I install on boat. You think a 10 amp controller will be enough if i go over 100w panel? Physical size will limit my ultimate choice. Sure appreciate all of the advice and links given here.