Affordable Lithium Batteries for Boats? Installing Lithium Cruising to Alaska| A&J Sailing + Li Time

Exploring far reaching fjords & remote anchorages of the Inside Passage charting a course North to Alaska (slowly), we're a Canadian Aussie duo documenting an adventure-based alternative life off-grid on a small 'no-frills' sailboat, Uintah! Adventuring off the beaten path with the purpose of living a more sustainable, self-sufficient life connected to nature. SUBSCRIBE! Join us on the journey North!
LINKS TO PRODUCTS IN THIS VIDEO
► LiTime 12V 200Ah self-heating LiFePO4 Battery ca.litime.com/...
► WEGO SOLAR Panels & Victron Gear www.wegosolar.com
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Ahoy! We're Allison & James 👋 a Canadian Aussie duo who left the conventional life behind to live an adventure-based alternative lifestyle here in the Pacific Northwest! Continually chasing our dreams of adventuring off the beaten path & living a more sustainable, self-sufficient life.
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[@barberamcisaac1633]

Love the techie side of you James. Yes Lithium is the way go. So unfortunately some insurance companies don’t understand the new power source or just looking for an excuse to drop coverage. Great job on the pros and cons ♥️

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Thanks Barbie! Insurance companies are always just trying to get outta the deal, they just want your monies $$

[@ronshillum4897]

Thank you for the seriously understandable explanation of your LeFePo4 battery system. I have been following the talking heads on a marine Facebook group… and get lost in their nerdy flotsam. ~ Some of the comments & replies also offer some great food for thought. ~ I like your narrative style… also reflected by your really neat and systematic rewiring of your sailboat!

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Cheers Mate! Those Facebook groups are a wealth of knowledge but man o man can the waffle on! Thanks for watching!

[@tomelerding1399]

21st century sailors now! Congratulations! Easy access to electrical power will make your lives better.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

weoo we've finally arrived in the 21st! It's been an absolute game changer, we're thrilled!

[@c.a.mcneil7599]

Meets the abyc standards. Humm I thought wire that’s tinned is in that standard. Could be wrong but if I am right do as I say don’t do as I do.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

I do believe tinned wire is included in the abyc standards…. But we could both be wrong about that! Standards are exactly that, just standards, take them for what they’re worth to you. Breakers, fuses and wire sizes are all very important for safety and so is tinned wire. It corrodes slower, builds up internal resistance slower and generally needs to be replaced less often. Inevitably all wire eventually requires replacement though. This video certainly is not intended to be a ‘how to’ instructional video, you’re welcome to wire your boat how ever the heck you’d like.

[@matttremblay77]

I did almost the exact install, and had zero issues! I put in two 280 amp hour, 12.8 volt. Charges with 600 watt solar in 1.5 hours. “Sunny day” in Campbell River I use a 3000 watt inverter, running starlink, ice machine, bar sized fridge, and 32 inch tv. Never gets below 70% of the bank capacity. Just so you get an idea of potential power. Great informative video!

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

That sounds like an awesome system, stoked that it’s working so well for you! We will likely increase our solar sometime in the future but so far we’ve been enjoying the heck outta the power!

[@rodneyallen5003]

Great to see these electrical upgrades and of course looking forward to watching your adventurous journey to Alaska. Catch you on next week’s episode. 🤙🏼

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Thanks so much friend! Eager to share the Alaska adventure, cheers!

[@maritimetees2315]

I have Li Time in my cruising boat, and they are great. I also have the dc to dc charger from them. Great brand! Originally, I was skeptical, but the past year has been uneventful. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

That’s awesome! Stoked you’re having a great experience with them! Likewise ours have been holding up fantastically so far!

[@solartime8983]

🌅Smart move A & J! ⛵I worked & was trained* in Sol PV systems for Islanders & mostly transient Sailors while living on Guam 1994-1997. Do u plan trip to Micronesia? *by famous Micronesian HF Broadcaster (was 9.159 Hz?) Bruce Best 🏝️

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Cheers, at this point we don’t have plans for Micronesia, it’s a little far south for us ;)

[@michaelphilip3919]

Emily and Clark have developed a battery bank manager that allows the combining of Lithium and Lead Acid. I am going to give that a shot

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Yes we're interested in that as well. Let us know how it works out! Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@kevinworth7739]

Excellent, just installed 2x250 lithium batteries in my off grid cabin. Your information helped me out so much. Cheers From Great Barrier Island, NZ

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Glad you enjoyed it! Great Barrier island looks beautiful!

[@Coyotehello]

Very nice installation and video. I like the "no drama" straight to the point format for this type of video. I am still in the middle of our DC reno project on s/v Laysan. New DC panel, VHF, AIS etc etc, new wiring from the batteries to the panel. The LiFePO4 will be the last thing purchased as they keep coming out with new format and lower prices. Laysan is DC only. Depending how your wiring is done the LA battery can also protect your alternator when the LiPo are fully charged and the BMS cut them off sending your alternator current to infinity. As for the cell themselves most LiPo are made using Samsung 18650 cells, but it is mostly the quality of the BMS that makes a difference. I would not trust building LiPo myself, but the main issue is that the boat becomes practically un-insurable. Cheers, a.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Cheers Coyotehello, best of luck with the rest of your wiring project. The nano batteries that they’re coming out with look super cool, more energy in a smaller footprint, that’s a sailors dream right there!

[@bobschick2943]

Great informative video! I'm pretty sure I've watched some of the same "battery dissection" videos that you've watched - good stuff. Really looking forward to the next episodes of your adventures 😀 Thanks!

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Cheers Bob! We’ve very excited to start releasing our next season!

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

When you have the CATLE As probably the the worlds largest single batery producer in the world... their products are going to end up in a lot of products. They are as safe as as lead .. but without the corrosive acid to wory over just pad them against slamming and strap or bolt them down to stop them getting mechanically damaged. Your boats contents show thats just common sence at least in a monohull 😂 🧙🏻‍♂️ 🇬🇧 Theres a new short blade cell form of Li Fe cells comming to market with a class record breaking capacity and a safety and environmental tollerence factors. 5 Simultanious nails pushed through a fully charged cell and left for an hour .... no flames. Next step go full electric hybrid charging. 😉 Good sailing.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Haha they’re definitely strapped down! It’s the other essentials (like onions and potatoes) that find their way flying about when we’re beating to windward. I’ll keep my eye out for the short blade cell form LiFe, they sounds really cool! Fair winds!

[@ylemoine1]

Love to hear / see more on the alternator charging setup and connection to the lead acid to 12v/12v charge controller and then to the LiPO4 batteries. Do the LiPO4 batteries back charge the Lead Acid through the same controller when on shore/solar charging or are you charging everything through the Lead Acid and a charge controller? A video on this and maybe option appreciated. I like the idea of keeping at least my LA starter. Excellent video and great pace. A little more detail on the products and connections might be helpful, but not sure that’s what you’re going for in your vlog. Thanks and cheers.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Thanks for the suggestion, we’ll plan to make a video down the track explaining more about the alternator side of things. Blended chemistry battery electrical systems aren’t nearly as scary as folk mate out!

[@gregsage1605]

Well done! Is there "still" a fishing boat on the rocks across from the harbor in Petersburg? There are several really nice anchorages just outside of the harbor where you can enjoy some really good nature watching. Enjoy!

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

There is indeed! We really enjoyed our time there, super neat place and so close to such amazing wilderness!

[@MrHogadog]

Cool vid guys! I get a laugh out of your puns. Nice batteries too! That's on my list at some time. I have agm now but will swap over at some stage. Good advice in your vid.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Haha cheers, we really tried to wire in the shock factor with some puns on this one, just didn’t want to come across as fried!

[@basildraws]

Congrats on the conversion. We’re surviving on 2 group27s pretty comfortably, and would love to go LiFePo, but the cost!

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

It’s been a game changer for us! If your group 27 kick the bucket I wouldn’t hesitate to go Lithium, but if they’re still going strong and your comfortable, I’d imagine the cost is going to continue to go down over the next few years.

[@basildraws]

@@AllisonandJamesSailing that’s the hope. If they can last 3 years, we’ll convert then. If not, we may be forced to replace 1-for-1 with lead…. For now.

[@StormSignal]

🤠👍

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Yeehaw powered up and ready to go!

[@DrTofutybeast]

Thank 🐦 you for good info.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

So glad it was helpful for folks, cheers!

[@rachelhgibbs]

You two are freakin hilarious!! 😂😂😂😂

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Hahaha cheers mate! We really tried to bring some high voltage energy to this one!

[@rachelhgibbs]

@@AllisonandJamesSailing Well, it was certainly illuminating!

[@mikemcauliffe4786]

Very informative! Thank you, love your channel. Looking forward to what lies ahead for you!

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Thanks so much Mike! Stoked to share recent expeditions up here in AK, cheers!

[@F1ComputerServicesWestKelowna]

Boy, you guys are amped up 😅. I am not sure I like your new editing style. I hope your latest videos are back to your laid-back, chill vibe. You know, turn down the voltage a little bit😮. Your explanations and visuals were excellent. I had never thought about a charging profile before. It gives me more stuff to research, but thank you. Stay safe, you two. I look forward to meeting you on the water someday water, someday.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

We had fun making this one! A lot of the videos we’ve watched about the topic are pretty dry/talking heads. We tried to do something a bit different and bring the energy, bit tongue-in-cheek. Glad you appreciated the explanations and visuals and found some of the information interesting, cheers! P.S. great puns! Love em, they’re electrifying!

[@sergueiothonucci1638]

😔😓

[@SailSmileReDo]

James) You have EARNED these "FREE" batteries ))))) Good on You) As always, I'm impressed with your high quality content. Fair winds and following seas

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Cheers mate! Glad you enjoyed it video, we had a fun time making this one!

[@allynonderdonk7577]

Oh you can keep your lead acid maintained by hooking up a solar charge controller and fuses on the DC/DC charger terminals. The lithium van float charge the lead acid using the lithium batteries like a solar source. My lead acid have lasted ten years and are standard cheap automotive. The lithium when being charged by solar or having enough energy float charge the lead acid. Typically like 13v which is about perfect when the lithium batteries are drained a bit. It's so far been safe for me to use on the same circuit. Also if you leave lights on, etc and are draining the lead acid then the solar charger will take up a small load and prevent a discharge. For less than $20 you can make sure to double the life of your lead acid and prevent a discharge condition.

[@basildraws]

Good advice. My only criticism is that typically cheap $20 controllers are terrible. They fail, they run outside their nominal profiles, and injustice don’t trust them after my 1st two failed in under a month. Replaced with a correctly rated Victron and alls well.

[@curtkuhns]

Sorry guys. I'm a retired Mech Engr. Can't help you. In fact, I could electrocute myself with a flashlight. Other members in my group would say, "Don't let Curt near an oscilloscope!!"...LOL

[@allynonderdonk7577]

@@basildrawsMine has been running for 9 years. Pwm and it was actually $6 at the time. I think now they are $9 or $10. I know what you mean, but basically if it does fail generally as long as it doesn't catch fire significantly all is well. No need to drop $130 on something that will most of the time put in a 100th of an amp. I've had some times when the engine didn't start and that little 5 amp charger recharged the starting battery in just a little while without me having to do anything. Generally the solar charger won't even pull an amp out of the lithium/solar system a day. So they don't have to really work hard enough to burn out. If the alternator is charging the charge controller does nothing because the battery is sensed as being beyond full at 14.4v usually. Typically the controller will only start maintaining after the engine shuts off and the lead acid comes down to a voltage level that the differential in voltages allows a maintenance current to pass to the lead acid battery. In fact in this role the pwm excels because it can't over voltage the battery as easily with a higher maintenance/float current. 13.8 volts on a fully charged lead acid is death for it and an mppt charger like the Victron might do just that as it can get those higher voltages. My pwm controller will only do 12.9 to 13.3 which is pretty much ideal for just allowing them to avoid sulfation.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

Thanks for the advise Allyn!

[@wayneneuhofel6744]

One of the Punniest episodes ever. LiFePo is the way to go for a house battery. I'm doing the nerdy thing too and making mine from individual cells. Can't wait to see the following episodes.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

We do like a good pun! That’s amazing! Best of luck with the construction of your own batteries!

[@curtkuhns]

Wow!!! She's a thoroughly modern Millie!!!

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

She sure is! Blasting off into icey Northern territory!

[@curtkuhns]

I was on Kodiak Island for a job for the Coast Guard once. Big country. Wild too! Not at all uncommon to see a grizzly ambling down the main street. -Curt

[@curtkuhns]

You guys are too smart for a couple of raggety assed sailors. But I love you!!❤❤

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

haha Proud members of the dirtbag cruising club! We love you Curt, cheers!

[@DennisMacdonald-r7d]

Turning into a five star sailboat awesome, tyvm 4 the video.

[@AllisonandJamesSailing]

We're a little tongue in cheek with this vid, but this upgrade has completely changed how we travel on the boat! Thank you for being here!