Battery Plans and Boat Tour - Electric Sailboat Conversion (Ep. 31)

[@johnlittle3410]

For back up, get charts, a very accurate timepiece, and a navigational sextant. Not only look cool but over 250 years of tried and true navigation.

[@DonovanCYoung]

Please, please, please document your boat rebuild! Even if it's via a separate channel. You bring a unique perspective, and I'm sure I'm not alone in being intrigued about the good, the bad, and the ugly bits of your electric conversion process.

[@DieselHopeless]

You did a great job highlighting the vessel and all the reasons it will be perfect for your needs!

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Thanks, Diesel! ^_^

[@immrnoidall]

Yes less holes in a boat seems like a plus.

[@CaptainShack]

This project is super interesting to me. We picked up a 33ft Catamaran last year. An old prout and I'd love to go electric. Thank you for sharing this experience with the world. I know how much extra effort it takes to take on a project then add making content about that project can be. Its apricated!

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Oooooh, convert to electric! I'd say "join the dark side" but really, we're the ones with lights when everyone else goes dark. :P Ya, making content slows things down a lot, but it's also allowed me to meet people I don't think I would have otherwise, so well worth the extra effort. If you do convert, please let me know! I love hearing about others doing EV conversions of their own boats.

[@lukefarmer5391]

I love the idea of your boat renovation. I would love to see the removal of the motor,installation of the electrical, and all the mods. It will with out a doubt be a hit. People are interested in both of these with great passion.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Thanks! I've been learning about sailing over the summer. I plan to start up again with the project soon.

[@briangately8104]

I saw you recently (April,2023) on Acorn To Arabella. I'm a boat guy and just got into your channel. I like your style and enjoy your fast paced communication. Good luck with your boat conversion. I'll be avidly following. I hope KZbin doesn't force you to go more battery than boat - but that's just me. Keep up the good work!

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Thanks for following along, Brian! I've decided that the videos will follow whatever I am working on, and what youtube will do, youtube will do. So long as some people seem to enjoy the videos, I'll keep making 'em. :)

[@MarkSpohr]

Love your engineering logic. Full electric is the way to go.

[@loucinci3922]

Nice tour. What an undertaking. Maybe hire a captain to sail her home. Once taxes paid etc, then you can dry-dock and begin proper refit. Or lower mast and trailer home (no idea if feasible)? I agree about the genny. Don't need. Also consider wind turbine for trickle power. Happy happy! Thanks for sharing

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I'm pushing hard to develop the skills to bring her home myself, but hiring a captain is a fall-back. I would need a transport truck to get her home, which would be over $5k to do. So the hope is to sail her as long as I can, unstep the mast for the Erie Canal system (low bridges), and motor her rest of the way home. Then trailer her to a storage place close to my house for the winter repower.

[@bahaiwebsites]

Appreciate your plans. I am wanting an electric boat very soon

[@zjzozn]

So enjoyable to watch. Hope your project is going well 👍⭐️🌲

[@ivegotwood3553]

I found your channel because I was looking for information about DIY large batteries to repower a sailboat. I got extra excited when you announced your plans to purchase a boat and do the same. I look forward to all the battery and electrical videos as well as sailboat refits, conversions, and especially your Raspberry PI plans.

[@sl0rion]

Hey Madi, lovely vessel you got yourself there. I came for the battery stuff but find myself very intrigued by the plans you have for her, and not just the electrical. I'll be watching!

[@Muppet_Interfector]

Madi, great to see you so happy with your boat. It is great to have a goal like you have with this boat. While I originally came here through the battery/solar connection I also enjoy a bit of DIY. I watch your boat work, let us know if you go off and create another channel. Good luck with your sailing lessons, you should take to it like a duck to water.

[@r.b.l.5841]

Super loved the vid, I worked in the Canadian Arctic for 7 years, the time of year with :all day sun, the sun is nearly straight above you all day. ie the PV will not really need to tilt or not a lot for this situation at least. Great discussion

[@TheAncientMarinersBlog]

Its is great to see how happy you are with the boat One question: at 110v (or even 220v) how long will it take you to recharge the main bank from shorepower? When estimating motoring range, don't forget to factor in the current draw from your water heater, cooker and any space heating - it all adds up 🙂

[@macunknown]

What a huge and wonderful project

[@lukefarmer5391]

Nice boat, congratulations. I closed up my through hulls for my head because I didn’t want that worry of water coming in. I went with a composting toilet. One of the best things we did.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I've got a new Airhead sitting in a box in the v-berth!

[@pbrantley9496]

Quick tip about the water tanks. Get one gallon of 30-50% hydrogen peroxide(online or at local chemical store) for each tank(overkill). Fill the tanks and put the H2O2 in and let work for at least a day or two. Then flush the tanks. If they are dirty, you will see it in the water. When the H2O2 is done, it breaks down to hydrogen and water(nontoxic). We use this for our commercial well that we have to test annually to achieve the Health Department sanitation compliance. We where using chlorine. My wife was having to repeat treatments several times to gain compliance. This was by direction of the Health Dept. I got tired of doing it, so I said we were going to use H2O2 and not mention how we got the great results(I'm a chemist/microbiologist). We only do one treatment a year and we always are in compliance. You can do this to your water tanks as you travel. Just reduce the amount you use to a half to a whole liter. If there is any low level residual H2O2, it is beneficial to ingest. Just taste a little funky. If you treat one tank at a time, and let it cook for a week or so while you travel, there will be virtually no residual. That way you you can keep your tanks squeaky clean. It also removes hydrogen sulfide(rotten egg smell). If you install the water maker(RO), once a year will be fine. If you get your water from a questionable source, just put a small amount of H2O2 in to sterilize the water. The H2O2 at the pharmacy is 4%. Not strong enough. I am a sailing captain with solar background. Not an electronics guru like yourself. I do have some additional thoughts concerning your projects. Consider Dyneema for standing rigging and life lines. Less weight, more strength, long life and it does not hide its deficiencies. More hints if you like.

[@captainobvious9188]

How well does chlorine dioxide work?

[@alexgemmell7629]

Love your channel, and can't wait to see your renovations! I lived on a 36' Cape Dory for fifteen years. If you want cheaper mooring lines or running rigging learn how to splice (double braid is tough, but three stand is easy as pie) Keep up the good work!

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

15 years! I'm aiming for 5, but I wonder often if I'll stay longer or not. I do plan to learn how to do my own splices, if for no other reason that offshore repairs.

[@chrishuxley7634]

Brief comments. 1. film everything, publish what you think is right, can't publish what you do not have. 2. Equipment below the engine, don't do it, at some point sea water will slosh around in there and the last thing you want is your inverter getting wet. Imagine a small amount of water in rough sea. Keep that equipment as high as you can, not even in the engine compartment at all. Wish you every success.

[@tine8849]

Yeah this is going to be an awesome project.

[@fuzzyx2face]

So cool Madison! Looks awesome! You’ll have great adventures in this boat!

[@inmyimage1081]

Looks like the boat has lots of potential, expensive potential but potential all the same. The trailer we are living in with our awe-tistic son (YT has the word flagged due to it being equivalent to the new “R” word, for good reason) is roughly 430 square feet. We downsized from a 4500’ish house, it’s kind of amazing how quickly you discover that you really don’t need much space to love comfortably when you are content with the freedom you happily exchange for that big ass house and it’s bog ass mortgage. Added bonus, no more yard work, HOA crap, and whenever you aren’t happy with your neighbors you just move to a new location 👍 You might want to consider a small dual fuel inverter generator. They can run on propane so you don’t have to deal with gas or diesel which is especially convenient if you are going to have a propane stove. They are really small, relatively light and have a range of roughly 1400-2000 watts of steady state output. Most can run at steady state off a 20lb propane tank for 12-14 hours. I do notice that you talk about living on the boat in a singular verbiage but we know you have a daughter and the picture on the wall by your work table is of a tween girl. Are you taking her with you or is that picture old and she will be starting her own young adult life before you pull up anchor? I was surprised when you said you were going to have a desiccating head because composing toilets are pretty heavily regulated here in most states when it comes to off-grid living because it’s considered biohazards waste and has to be disposed of according to state regulations even if you are using or dumping the composting product on your property. I did some research on the issue and was also surprised that these things are becoming popular on boats and I couldn’t find many examples of it being a problem other Annapolis, MD, Georgia and possibly CA. As these things really grow in popularity states are eventually going to take notice and enforcing state regulations already on the books for composting/desiccating toilets and it’s going to be a real headache, especially given the cost of the fancy buckets. You might want to check with your potential harbor master in ON about the law regarding the requirements for pleasure craft to have properly operating waste disposal systems, I did see someone say that they do inspect boats and require a traditional pump-outable toilet. Note, I completely understand all the arguments people are making regarding the comparison to diapers, feminine hygiene products and dog waste but the disposal of none of those things are specially regulated by the states (at least to my knowledge), most do heavily regulate composting toilets though and at the end of the day laws don’t care about what people think makes sense. I also noticed that none of the discussions I found related to these toilets mentioned any international experience or knowledge about potential issues for them in other countries so you might want to look into it for each specific country you plan to visit. Also, don’t forget that the desiccating media for the toilets can take up significant room. A block of coco coir is roughly 3”x 8”x18” if I recall correctly from the last time I used some and I assume you’ll need several on board so you can change it out, in addition to the fact that for long voyages you may need to be able to store a used bucket until you can properly dump it or avoid that by dumping it overboard (which I personally feel is perfectly fine once you are a good distance from shore, I’m pretty sure it’s what cruise ships do.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I knew the boat was going to be an investment, so when I looked, making sure her hull and deck were sound was my priority. She's got rod rigging, so I knew when I bought her I'd be facing down a re-rig, but that also means the rigging will be effectively a new boat and sound. I'm hoping my daughter, nieces and nephew (and older family) will join me on trips, but I don't expect any to live on the boat with me. Part of the key criteria for selecting a boat was one that was big enough to have people with me, but small enough to sail single-handed. The idea of being able to move, for whatever reason, is a huge benefit I am sooooo looking forward to. :) The desiccating heads are fairly easy to live with, from all I've heard. Mine is still sitting in the box, but there are several around who have them, and disposal has never been an issue. Once the ... waste ... is dried out and mixed with something like coconut fiber, it can be disposed of in the normal trash. So I'm not too worried. They biggest concern with waste on a boat is not letting it go overboard within a distance of the land. The Airhead that I got is designed for boats, and so long as you follow proper disposal, it's not a concern. Perhaps it's different on land because years of dumping in the same place is a concern? I'm guessing.

[@inmyimage1081]

@@TheDigitalMermaid Out of curiosity, did you get the discounted 2nd offer you gave them after finding out the inspected condition boat get accepted or dod you end up having to pay what they originally asked? As for the toilet, yep I’m familiar with them and the real ease of use including the potential of “humanure” after it has had the necessary time to compost properly. In no way am I trying to be argumentative or negative but as for the legality of just dumping it in a dumpster on land… In most states the laws extend to the coast and some distance into the waters beyond. Generally it’s illegal because it takes a year or more for the bacteria and pathogens to be completely killed off and it takes longer than most people need to empty the system for everything to be 100% dried up. One of the most transmission methods of disease is via fecal matter and some states get really hopped up about them being used by people living off-grid and ensuring that the waste doesn’t end up being disposed in any way that could affect neighbors or public property and waterways. Another channel I watch is a homesteader in NY and the county he loves in found out he was using one and forced him to install a septic system. Eventually states are going to crack down on the marinas that allow people to dump the waste in their dumpsters and also fine anyone they directly catch doing it. Hopefully you’ll be traveling too much for it to affect you either way 👍

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

@@inmyimage1081 I negotiated a bit off asking, ya. Not as much as my broker thought I should, but enough that I was happy. You asked and I forgot to answer about a diesel generator; I considered it, originally had it in my plans, but decided I wanted the space and weight for more batteries. So no fuel of any type will be on the boat, save for (char)coal for the stove.

[@inmyimage1081]

@@TheDigitalMermaid Sorry, I may have mistyped then, I meant a small propane generator. An example would be the Champion Model #100745. Definitely understand your decision to dump the diesel generator but a small propane genny might be worth a look, but space and weight are always a consideration in the tiny home arena regardless of whether it’s an RV or a boat 😉

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

@@inmyimage1081 I'm pulling out my propane tanks and repurposing the locker, which is why I need (want) to convert my galley to all electric. I don't want anything liquid or gas on the boat, except for my farts. :P

[@patchmack4469]

the more i binge watch the more sense this is making to do - what an amazing project to undertake and congrats on getting the boat something i hadn't really considered until now, is that the vast space under the cockpit for the engine and other ancillary parts for the boat take up a lot of space, in what i might call the dirty wet and noisy zone - once changed out for the electrics it could easily become such a nice clean open space, i wonder if your washing machine and other services could be moved back here, and you probably wouldn't need to have the area so closed off from the rest of the boat with the noise from the old engine, could be really neat - i wonder how much you might be able to open up the area and make more accessible, so the engine compartment and companionway open up as one area, i understand hiding all the mess, but having things easy accessible is possibly just as important especially if you need to work under harsh conditions - be very interested to see what you do with the space

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Oh if only it was so big! It's surprisingly tight back there, it's one of the big differences between modern and classic sailboats. It will be a LOT cleaner, but it's still going to be well packed, particularly given how many batteries I'm adding.

[@patchmack4469]

@@TheDigitalMermaid indeed, just seen next video 100 wowza

[@MatWalter-q3h]

One year old video.... wonder how far you have come on the boat? I have watched a few and see you are in up to your eyes on the batteries these days.. The boat looks good. AS in solid well built and not that neglected. Good self furling sails and well appointed anchors system. For the most looks like a great platform for your project. It is not dirty or moldy or greasey. It might have some of each but it is "clean" as far a neglected sail boat goes. As mentioned else where be sure to weigh all that stuff you take out and make notes as to about where it sits as you are going to screw up the C of G and that can not be ignored. I am in BC spent 30 years on Vancouver island. I am in the Kootenays now. When my house sells in spring I am going world traveling on a boat. Perhaps I will come out "east" and give you a hand refitting that girl. Its a lot of work. The entire project is one I have contemplated a great deal. Mostly because a sail boat with a foot of water in it and seized motor is cheap. No matter how much money was spent on it last year if it sat with water in it all winter it is 10 cents on the dollar Steady on. Good to see "a doer" doing things. cheers

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I sailed the boat 730 nautical miles home, it was an adventure for sure, but I learned a lot. I had the pre-purchase surveyor focus on the core moisture of the deck and hull and it was very dry for it's age, so a good platform to build on. She needs work, but everthing that's needed are things I can handle. I'm very lucky and have help from a naval architect to help make sure I don't screw up the weight. I mean, I will anyway, but I am confident I can get her into trim after the repower is done. Good luck on your boat hunt, it's a grand way to live.

[@roaridse]

Have you been watching the channel sailing Uma? They have done their own conversion into all electric, and been into the arctic with the boat... They ended up with a small honda generator as a backup...

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Yup! They're why I've added Svalbard to my destination list. :)

[@dukeallen6562]

Your videos are getting better. Keep up the good work

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Thank you! ^_^

[@MarkRose1337]

Have you planned on crusing the Trent-Severn Waterway? Your boat should fit. It has some epic locks and lifts on it.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I had not, but it would be an easy detour on my way out to the Atlantic. I've added it to my list, thanks!

[@rickytapper9779]

Fantastic! Good for you! Totally electric! I went that way and haven't looked back.

[@josepeixoto3384]

what do you do when the batteries run out? how many hp?

[@rickytapper9779]

@@josepeixoto3384 My batteries do not run out. It is a sailboat, I sail. I only use the motor for in/out of marinas and anchorages. I can go 29 nautical miles without totally recharging. I have a 20Kw battery bank devoted to my engine. It is a 20Kw engine. 20Kw is 48V, 440Ah. I have a separate bank for the house. My charging sources are 1600W solar, 400 wind, and the engine also provide hydro-regeneration when sailing about 4Kn.

[@edwardvanhazendonk]

Also maybe some propellor when sailing can generate power, will work during the night also!

[@struc5810]

Fascinating! I support whatever your decision is on future videos (could always start a new channel). Absolutely want to see as much as I can of the whole project, despite joining because of the battery process. Can't wait to see your progress!

[@captainobvious9188]

I would look at small heat pumps for heating and cooling. There are a lot of options from a DIY perspective, from adapting stuff to tailor made systems. What models of propulsion pods are you looking at? I am rather enjoying hearing every side of your experience, even though YT recommended it to me because of the batteries. I have always wanted to learn more about boats and sailboats.

[@boganbbq4171]

I'm not sure if someone's told you yet (and I hope you see this message), but the overwhelming reason not to use a pod motor over a prop shaft is that if you have an underwater collision, it'll rip the pod off or even just leaver-action tear a hole the hull, and sink the boat. If it's behind a big keel on a sailing yacht it's less of an issue than a cat, but submerged logs in the open ocean are a legit thing that can bounce around a keel, and it's very hard to bash a prop shaft off. The other issue is that seals get compromised, your prop shaft seal leak in your first yacht video is a good example. It's only a matter of time until salt ingress touches the motor. If you have a prop shaft, you elevate the motor above the shaft so it's never going to touch the salt, even if you have a leaking shaft seal. Unless your boat is sinking of course, then you have bigger problems lol. I've been looking at the ME1616, it's liquid cooled but you can look into setting up a radiator system or something for it.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

The pod motor will be behind the keel. If something rips the pod off, I'm already abandoning ship. As for leaks, a moving shaft in a shaft log / stuffing box is a greater risk of leaking that a static mounted device bedded well.

[@alan-sk7ky]

Madi, have you given much thought to boat heating, as you have intent to sailing northern waters? Maybe a diesel drip heater of the Refleks type not forgetting their handy little hot plate to take care of water boiling too :-)

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Dickenson wood burner is the plan.

[@surfreadjumpsleep]

You didn't mention it but the Sailing Uma channel is charging their batteries with their motor as they sail too. Seems to work well for them.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Aye, though they're using OceanVolt. When I reached out to them, they told me they would not charge my batteries, only their own batteries. I'm guessing they helped Uma because of the size of their channel. I want to do this project so that others can repeat it, so that wouldn't work for me, even if OceanVolt made an exception for me as well.

[@DonovanCYoung]

Thanks for the tour! I do love your boat... and I'm so jealous!

[@dan2304]

A small fresh water tank that is used as the heat sink for the cooling for the refidgation and aircon also supplies warm hot water. I presume you will be converting to all electric cooking.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Huh, using the hot water tank as a heat sink for the fridge and AC is brilliant, I'll have to look into that more, thanks for the idea!

[@MYNautiGirl]

Congrats on the boat, that's very exciting! I just picked up a 41' Concorde Motor yacht, I'm replacing the two 454 gas engines with 12kW electric motors and 100kWh of batteries (most likely 304Ah cells). It seems we have a similar parts list with 6 banks of LiFePo4 cells at 48v and the Victron charger/inverter. I'm very interested to see where your build goes. One big difference is mine will be inboard, and you're doing pods. Are the pods going to be able to rotate, or are they fixed? With less rolling resistance than shafts, you should be able to harness quite a lot of power while under sail, maybe several kilowatts.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Oh that sounds like a kick-ass project! Will you be documenting it? I thought really hard about the 304Ah, but the cost-per-kwh just didn't make sense. The EVE280K cells were a better deal (shhh, don't tell anyone I've ordered them yet, that'll come in a future video ^_^). The engine I am replacing is a 30hp diesel (Yanmar 3QM30), and the 12kw is rated as being (roughly) "25hp equiv". So slightly under powered. By going with a pod, my thinking goes, I'll save on the v-drive, transmission, stuffing box and stern gland losses. Also, the motor will be parallel with the water, so more efficient. I am hoping those off-set any reduction in power. My pod is fixed, and it's notable that I'll lose prop-walk, but that should be manageable. I'll still have prop-wash to help with steering in small spaces.

[@MYNautiGirl]

@@TheDigitalMermaid It's gonna be a big project for sure, there are very few cabin cruiser type yachts I've seen converted to electric. The Yanmar you're replacing is probably about equivalent in power to the electric motor. As you mentioned, your pod motor will be far more efficient. However my gas motors total nearly 660hp, and my hull is designed as a planing hull, it can hit over 20 knots, which is kind of insane for 25k pounds displacement. I will obviously not be striving for those figures, I hope to hit 5kn at around 9kw from each motor. Of course my calculations are all basic and theoretical, so I could be way off and end up running them near max power just to putter around. A sailboat hull makes far more sense but I prioritized cabin height and room over speed. I might just document the process although I am terrible at filming and editing. What did you calculate the price per kWh is with the 280's versus the 304? Also what BMS are you planning to use? MOSFET or something with a solenoid/relay kinda deal? I can't find any MOSFET ones over 100A max draw, but that should be enough with 6 banks. Also since you have a single engine and lots of juice on tap, have you considered a bow thruster as a later upgrade?

[@josepeixoto3384]

@@TheDigitalMermaid hmmm...i learn for the first time that prop walk (sideways?) can be an advantage, this after you learn and practice letting the stern more sideways?

[@edwardvanhazendonk]

Great progress Madi, maybe a small windmill can have some charge during the nights (but remember they are not as efficiënt as solar)

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

but hydro generation under sail is more efficient ... Sailing Uma found that out...once out of high latitudes...solar and sail keeps them going.

[@edwardvanhazendonk]

Maybe when thinking about your travel, could you use an AC unit for heating instead of just an elwctric heater, saves a ton in efficiency, especially in cold weather it might be usefull as all electricity is the sparse.

[@millzee60]

You make a good point about running out of diesel. However, although tilting the panels towards the sun will help, at higher latitudes the solar energy per square metre is much less because of the angle at which the suns rays strike the surface of the earth. And you will need some way of staying warm too.

[@vbdaniel4]

Most interested in the boat part. Sure, battery is why I found the way to your chanel, but that is your unique thing! Keep us posted on all the work you put in your boat please! Too bad, I'm from Germany. Would have offered to sail the boat to Kanada with you. Most likely a nice advanture, since the boat looks a "bit" out of shape :) Hope you find a way to bring the boat home ASAP and start all the cleaning and refitting! keep it up.

[@vbdaniel4]

Oh, and will you be able to charge the battery, by putting the motor int the water while sailing? Must have in my opinion.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

@@vbdaniel4 I chose the pod motor I did because it will generate power when I'm under sail.

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

Desiccating heads are ok on RVs but can be more of a problem to dispose of ..offshore. Dynema rigging is cheaper lighter and saves a lot of weight.

[@wimclinckspoor5731]

Hi, nice boat and big project, I started allmost the same with my sailboat 3 years ago and it’s now allmost finished 🙂. The sailboat is all electric, no diesel, no propane or gas, only solar power and shorepower. I have a total of 32kWh of lithum batteries reused from 4 BMW X-5 cars. The Nom. Voltage is 56V and the engine is a bellmarine async motor of 15kW, more then enough, at top speed I can reach 7.5knots, not bad for a 41 feet sailboat. The thing where you can gain al lot of efficiency is the prop, I have changed it to autprop 3 blad self pitching version. On my solar arch, also a bimini I have 2 sunpower 395Wp panels that are working realy great, the max power per panel can be more the 470W, I use a victron smart solar mppt for each solar panel, the sunpower delivers more then 72Vnom and that is perfect for 56V bat. Also using a separate 12V LFP 608Ah battery for regular boat stuff like nav, freezer, fridge, anchorwinch, lights, radar etc. All works fine and I’m very pleased with it. Good luck with the refit to electric it’s a very satisfying project. Best regards, Wim

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

32kwh is huge! I'm planning to run a second 12v bank as well, had originally hoped to do 24v, but 12v means I can integrate with what I have now. That bank will be at least 580Ah. What boat do you have? What's the displacement and LWL?

[@wimclinckspoor5731]

@@TheDigitalMermaid My 12 V LFP are EVE cells of 304Ah In 4S2P configuartion with daly bms. Works great 🙂

[@jadu79]

The things I think about are both heating and cooling so it is possible to live on the boat but heat in the first place as it requires a lot of energy (with direct-acting electricity / heating elements) so I would probably think of petrol / diesel both for heat source and as emergency energy , it is also possible to use a heat pump for both cooling and heating and is significantly more energy efficient. The other thing I thought about is that regenerating electric motor requires good speed before they start to provide energy (thought a power plant like honda 2000i and gasoline heaters that caravans use) as a Canadian, you know that cold can be difficult, but it also depends on when you intend to be in different places like Svalbard during the winter or near the equator during the winter). Finally, I wonder why it is not possible to drive the boat up to Canada by truck then you can get the boat home much faster or it will be too high with a deep keel?

[@geezenslaw]

Very good boat tour. I don't fill my galley sinks. I use 2 spray bottles: one filled with Dawn and R.O. water and a second filled with Star San and R.O. water for rinse. N.B. I don't understand how you get 86kwh from 6 batteries. Fair Winds...

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Each battery is 48v (51.2) at 280Ah each

[@upnorthandpersonal]

That's going to be a fun project!

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

It will! Not as grand as your offgrid home project, but I'll do my best to keep it as grand and as fun as possible. :)

[@Browneye2566]

@@TheDigitalMermaid Another DIY project this could spawn might be a sea hydro generator. There's bought ones available, of course, but I bet you could improvise one. That would give you another string in your power generation bow for times when the solar panels aren't doing much.

[@geraldkoth654]

Bikini shots? Can we get bikini shots? LOL. One of the things we discovered for my son's boat are the Rule Low Profile bilge pumps. They fit at the very bottom of a vee in the bilge, have a built in check valve, and use very little power. Getting as much water out of the bilge as possible helps keep down odors and weight. That teak wood on the exterior can be finished a number of ways. Oil is really good looking when first applied. Oil is not good for even a year. Then there is varnish. A whole lot of work to prepare the wood and do the finishing in many coats. That will be good for maybe two years. I used Cetol for my teak. On my boat in the sun in Maryland, it lasted for six years and was still good when I got rid of the boat. I had Garmin on my offshore boat. Great stuff with a caveat. Interoperability with other electronics, or things like autopilots. I replaced Raymarine equipment that had wire damage from squirrels. Raymarine now is a mess. We tried to get the Sonar GPS unit working ona a buddies boat. It had already been back to the dealer and Raymarine. Things buried in submenus and pages one would never guess were the place for what ever it was you wanted to access. We put Furuno on my son's boat when he first outfitted it. We soon found that it is truly professional gear. 70 pages in the manual on how to adjust and read the radar. YIKES. We switched out to Simrad, which is part of a larger family which includes Lowrance, B&G, Northstar, Navico, etc. The availability of modules and the ease of networking is unmatched. The newest Halo radar in a 20 inch dome is better than the big 48 inch rotating arm types. Overlays are seamless. I would suggest Simrad because the display is sunlight viewable and crisp. Good luck.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Nope!

[@dboboc]

I don’t think you’d want bikini shots….

[@scrhall]

please! record everything you can / want about the restoration of the boat even if it is not about the electrical issue, at least I will be very very interested

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

Have you considered a pair of pod motors .... It would also give you Cat like manoeuvrability close in ..

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I did, when I was looking at a larger boat. On of the problems is, when heeled, one is the motors could get closer to the surface or fine out of the water entirely. Also, more complexity means more failure points. If I was looking at converting a flatter hulled boat with twin rudders, it might make more sense.

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

@@TheDigitalMermaid The offset between the motors doesnt have to be that great .. to be heeled over that far you are only going to be under sail or reduced sail . Larger pod or rim driven motors are coming along all the time.. search for Plug boat ⛵ on line. Theres a Dutch company doing a rim driven outboard e motor that has more power. Might be interesting to compare. Meantime you might be interested to see how some Polish friends on Sailing Oceans channel go about converting Poly their Trimaran to Electric.

[@davebutler3905]

What sort of motor do you plan to fit in your boat? Have you looked into "the lynch motor"?

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Leaning towards E-Tech, waiting on some tech questions to be answered. Lynch doesn't sell pods, and I need to use a pod, so they're not an option. Cheers

[@pmacgowan]

Good luck Maddi, you need to watch sailing melody youtube, they are also restoring and old boat

[@warrenharston5886]

Love your videos. Can't wait to see the progress 👍

[@adrianrobertson6548]

What about a lightning strike?

[@xanderlutz7856]

Nice boat

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Thank you, I quite love her, faults and all. :)

[@sniper.g1796]

Hi dear I need some help to connect jk bms between inverter and batteries 🙏

[@mohamadismail3753]

I have 2 sets of batteries, each with bms 48V 230 Ah, can I connect them in parallel so that I have 460Ah/48V

[@darylpederson2178]

Hi Madi Love your videos and presentation I have an issue which you may be able to help me with as you are obviously smarter than me with the technical aspects of the victron inverter I have been trying to connect a generator to my quattro 8000 24v and i think the issue you had with the ohm meter on the + and - when setting up is causing my generator to trip the earth leakage . The generator runs for about a 60 seconds before this happens . I am in australia so my quattro is a 240 volt unit but i think that is the only difference .

[@tx75e94]

Hi Madi, Just a comment regarding the rig. My boat also had rod rigging. I switched over to Dyform rig. Almost as stiff but way lower price and longer durability.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Interesting about the stiffness. Well with the prices I was quoted, and the border issues, I'll have lots of time to consider it. I won't do anything (baring a failure) until I get her home.

[@tx75e94]

@@TheDigitalMermaid The riggers that that did the work for me said it was 50% of the price 80% of the stiffness and 150% of durability of rod rig. Have had it a couple of years now and are still happy with it. Prices may have changed since then all things have gotten crazy expensive and it was not cheat to start with.. :) The reason for my change was the forestay rod broke and it is as you said it goes without any warning..

[@martinpugh9700]

Show the boat stuff too, lots of battery stuff out there, not a ton of electric boat stuff. Have you seen Sailing Uma? They went north with their all electric boat… ended up getting a small Honda generator because you can go weeks without seeing sun.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Uma is why I added Svalbard on my list of destinations. :) I quite like their videos, but they didn't go into a lot of detail on the build, where for me that will be the main topic.

[@MrEnginears]

Hey you :) Just saw your video on bendy busbars - totally answered my 1st question. Thank you. 2nd question: I'm just about to install & fire up a power system. I have 4 x Victron LiFePO4s (non-smart) 160AH each. 1st. & 2nd batteries. about 4 years old, out of a holiday home install. (light use) 3rd battery. Also out of the same install, but one cell was dead, which I've replaced, with an age related cell, fully tested by the manufacturer. (Batterys 4 cells are top balanced to 3.6v, 0.6A on the 10A lab PSU. is that enough? 4th battery. bought separately, but similar age, and all good. Should I crack the lids of all batteries, and rig them ALL up in parallel, and give the whole lot a top balance simultaneiously before install? or top balance each one separately? or will the (soon to arrive) VEbus BMS balance them all up for me? Charging will be from an Orion DC-DC 24v (17A) (Alternator charge) The battery bank will be wired 2S2P for 24v, same as the vehicle. (hense the 24/24 orion) I do have a bluesmart charger too, 12v/15A/3output. The guy selling the victron orion, VEbus & smartshunt said I should just charge them all up separately on the blue-smart, but there's loads of Utube vids saying I 'have to' top balance them all, so I now don't know what to do. I do have all the bits to make up the 20odd flexi-busbar things like yours, but would probably wire diagonal XX for parallel, rather than dismantling all the batteries. Thanks. :)

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I've not played with Victron lifepo4 batteries, but I believe they each have balancers (but not BMSes) inside. So if you use your bench charger set to constant voltage at (3.6 * # cells) and wait for the current to drop off, you can top balance without opening the packs. This is just a (sorta informed) guess.

[@MrEnginears]

@@TheDigitalMermaid Thanks. That makes sense why the victron guy said that then, while all the Utube videos (non victron) say to top balance. And explains what the little circuit things are inside. Thank you.

[@SpectrumDIY]

It looks so good!!! Heck yeah

[@surfreadjumpsleep]

a lot of boats are registered on these little islands that have little or no taxes. Maybe that is something you could do too? Dunno where you plan to use the boat.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

All over the world. I'm ok paying taxes, Canada's services are not perfect, but they're really good. I'm proud of my country and I want to fly it's flag.

[@mohamadismail3753]

Hello, do you have a bmc 16S/51V installation map, thanks

[@PGodin54]

Good video, very nice boat, lots of work awaits. Sailing Uma youtube channel have an all electric sailboat, still needed a small honda generator to sail the artic. Will keep watching your videos, I have the same goals. 👍🇨🇦

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

The other option is the E motor from a Nissan leaf.. or toyota Prius. 135bhp equiv. And torque to beat that.

[@MarkSpohr]

Look into Dynema rigging.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I have, I also looked at steel wire. I've decided to stay rod given then rigidity and (very) long life of it.

[@chrisfairbrother9197]

Listening to your electric boat conversion, you do not mention how you will heat the boat when it is cold. Electric heating will put a very large load on your batteries, particularly when there is little solar. I like your enthusiasm 😊

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Back when this video was recorded, the plan had been to have a Dickinson Newport solid fuel heater. I still plan to have that, but now as auxiliary heating. I've decided to keep the diesel tank, and install a diesel hydronic heater as primary heat. That heats a glycol loop that I can send to heater cores to heat the cabin, but also to heat the hot water tank, and to heat a passive radiator under the batteries to get maximum capacity from them in the cold.

[@chrisfairbrother9197]

@@TheDigitalMermaid Mads has a hydronic heater on Athena I believe. Another form of heating is good for redundancy. The more redundancy you can build into your boat, the less worry you will have 😁

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

@@chrisfairbrother9197 He does! His heats the air directly though, iirc?

[@mozismobile]

Looks as though some of that wiring is fairly new, I assume/hope you'll add it to your pile of stuff that might be useful one day :)

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I've seen far worse, sure. However I'm going to upgrade to 48v for most things, and I want to change where some things are. So starting over makes sense to me.

[@johnclinton9728]

You didn't mention thinking about this, but you may want to consider leaving the boat in its current condition and have the boat trucked home. A non-working sailboat will be worth less to the tax man and might balance the cost of trucking the boat... might come out ahead, might not (this may be a silly idea), but it is worth doing the computation before you increase the boat's value at all.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I considered that option quite seriously, actually. However, I want to learn to sail as much as I can, so I left it in the US, but will sail her and give her systems a good shakedown in the meantime. I'll just not do anything unnecessary to increase her value.

[@dstevens7614]

Very nice. I wonder if in calm seas you could blue tooth the controls to the galley . This will allow you comforts and multi task at the same time.🤔. Well I wish you calm seas and gentle winds😁😉

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

The goal is to be able to run everything with a tablet, with physical interfaces somewhere in the main saloon as a backup.

[@reindrescher9092]

Madi, have you considered dynema for standing rigging? Check out the KZbin channel Freerange Sailing, which changed their rigging recently. 👍🏻

[@RechargeableLithium]

The Rigging Doctor is one of the sources the Free Range folks consulted. They have surpassed the first lifetime of stainless rigging with dyneema so far. FYI

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I have, and I haven't ruled it out yet, so the reasons you and @RechargeableLithium mention below. I doubt I'd go to stainless wire though, so it'll be rod (current first choice) or dynema.

[@reindrescher9092]

@@TheDigitalMermaid also check out your fellow Canadian Dan & Kika on Sailing Uma as the sailing electric pioneers

[@hkastelein5141]

What about heating in winter

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Planning to have a Dickenson wood/coal stove.

[@hkastelein5141]

@@TheDigitalMermaid that is a good solution👍👍👍wish you all the best

[@djsmiley01]

That hot water tank might be re-usable. If there is a heat exchanger inside you can get rid of the engine and hook it up to a solar collector. If needed you can use electricity for addtional heating, but those collectors are rather effective. The taxing system... that's not only for canada. Here in NL if you import a (damaged) car, the taxes are much lower. There are people who just replace good panels and so with stuff from scrap yard, import it as a repair-vehicle, and replace the panels and parts back again (which his buddy has in the trunk of the car.....).

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Ha! That door trick is funny. I could reuse the tank, the reason I am replacing it is that I want more hot water capacity... If I can't have a bath, I at least want a nice long hot shower. So the biggest driver will be the want to make a custom tank that makes best use of the space.

[@jeffcurrent5593]

If you go to the arctic I would think heating the boat is a bigger issue than solar panel efficiency. Electric heaters have to big a draw (amps) and don’t work for all electric boats I would imagine….then there are many places to travel by sail boat which are not cold. :)

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I'll have a wood burning stove.

[@martinspedding3510]

set target speed for 5 knots max carry a suitcase generator your consumption est will be 5 hours run 6 knots 3.5 hours run time 7 knots 1.5 hour as the speed goese above 5 knots you loose massive amouts of power to push 3 knots above 5 check out the above 5 knot push you can cruise a lot longer by a lower speed the nine knots is quite high

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

The O kellys might be helpful to speak to.

[@immrnoidall]

IDEA; roll out solar that floats on the water surface. Someone might get some "used" 2-Pack Uni-solar PVL-144 144w Amorphous Flexible Solar Panels at battery hook-ups for $190. 2 of these in sereis 48 volts, would put out 6- 8 amps in sun .They meant to sit on a roof through sun, ice ,snow, rain, so they are self contained and water tight already. They might float on some foam board. If sea is too rough, they could be rolled back to the boat and strapped down to the back. Cooled by the water ,I bet they would do well. These are rugged.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I actually played with that idea, and I think a few folks have tried it actually. For me, storing it or dealing with it when I was close to docks/marinas, or keeping it from causing trouble in heavy seas, seems to make it hard to justify.

[@johnlittle3410]

to cool

[@texasgreentea1]

The most compelling complaint I've heard from sailors against going full-EV is... "I wouldn't be able to escape sudden squalls anymore." It's true that diesel efficiency peaks at higher speed than electric does. If you crank the throttle wide open to dodge a storm, they worry about eating the whole battery before reaching safety. It's the last stand of the range anxiety argument, I guess. But I suspect it's plenty big enough to put all range anxiety to bed.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Well, with 14+ hours of 50% power, 7+ hours at full power, I think I could escape squalls. That's the difference with the size of battery bank I am building.

[@texasgreentea1]

@@TheDigitalMermaid I look forward to seeing the performance when your build is done. I didn't do any math, but off the top of my brain 14+ sounds about right for 50%. At 100% throttle though, I believe you'll see the range fall off a bit more exponentially. But there's so little data on this stuff. I can't wait to see what your boat can do!

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

@@texasgreentea1 Don't confuse runtime with distance covered. At 50% throttle, I'll do 5 kts for 14+ hours. At 100%, I'll do about 7 kts for 7+ hours, resulting in much lower range, but still traveling for 7+ hours.

[@texasgreentea1]

@@TheDigitalMermaid My bad, you are correct.

[@thomasgriffin4714]

We don't drink the water in our travel trailer tanks, we just use bottled water. We do sterilize the tanks periodically, but we prefer the safety of bottled wster.

[@SkypowerwithKarl]

I implore you to not get rid of a Diesel power source, one or the other. An engine can be fitted with a larger 48volt marine alternator or so can a generator. On a boat, especially a sail boat, solar energy should be thought of as an unreliable bonus and not dependent upon. Solar area, solar hours, weather, sailing direction and obstructive rigging greatly will reduce your expectations. Also plan on a solar charge control for each panel, no panels in series because of ANY shade on one will greatly devastate the output of a series. Being dependent on harbor power wherever you go is a bad idea. First, you have to find a dock, not a much, much cheaper mooring ball. Once you get a guest dock, many don’t have power or it’s of questionable capacity. If the harbor master realizes your charging a massive battery, he may have kittens. Having that massive battery bank is a great idea for many reasons. For air conditioning, consider a small inverter mini split. These much cheaper to purchase, run and maintain than the best marine heat pump. Marine was the best in the past because of the water temperature advantage but marine growth and system clogging just makes it a pain. The new mini splits are so damned efficient and cheap the only concern is where you want to hang the small condenser. You can also get a water maker with that much power. I realize you want to go green and reduce your footprint but remember the power that’s made for the harbor probably wasn’t green. The most green form of transport is a sailboat. Next to that is a sailboat, diesel electric hybrid. Having many boats in the past, remember this; the upgrades you do, you do for yourself. The resale market is based on condition and age, modification and upgrades have surprisingly little effect unless you luckily find the one in ten million buyer. Good luck and fair seas, I enjoy all your videos.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I spent a fair bit of time thinking about converting the existing engine to be a generator, or installing a genset. Either option would dramatically reduce my battery capacity. I know about shading with series, and I've been watching the market for panels that would put out >60v, and only recently found a viable option. I'll keep waiting in case new, better options become available before I need them. I don't plan to be dependent on shore power most of the time. The idea behind such a large capacity bank is to have a large reserve for just those times when I don't get solar or need to run long times. Most of the time, I expect the battery to near full. When I do run it down, it's likely I'll have no issue if it takes days or even weeks to recharge, I can still use the battery while at a low SoC. I appreciate the concern, but I am confident I'll be OK.

[@dennisbrok9335]

Even with tilting solar panals you’re boat won’t be pointing at the sun it will be facing in the wind and shore power is fun if you’re calculations are good you will be using about 2 kw per kilometer in Europe that’s 50 cents per km to recharge so if you wanna go 20 km a day and that’s not really far it will be a pricey hobby

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

It's not like diesel is that cheap anymore... Also, that would only be needed while my mast is unstepped, something I don't plan to do often.

[@wimclinckspoor5731]

Hi, marinas don’t charge per kWh, more like 24 hours of an AC 230 outlet (Europe) that can deliver most of the time 10 to 16 Amp. More the, enough to charge. Battery bank.

[@dennisbrok9335]

Just for me I’m here for the battery side of things but also for the boat side of things refitting an old Dutch boat from 1882 and the plan is also to go all electric

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

1882! That's an old girl, good luck on the refit!

[@MatWalter-q3h]

oh... wanted to mention you want only batteries below deck. All the charge controllers inverters ect need to be above deck in the mail salon to keep humidity out of them. I doubt an inverter would last a year underdeck. The driest boat in the world is still 100% humidity below deck and condensation will kill your electronics.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Where things go is going to be depending mostly on where I can fit it. That said, it's all stuff designed for marine environments, so it'll last as long as anything can on a boat.

[@concretehousebuildinginph1488]

TDM, My filipina wife has a saying about housekeeping. "I may be lazy but I am not shameless"

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Well I am lazy and also shameless. :P

[@concretehousebuildinginph1488]

@@TheDigitalMermaid That's fine since you look good doing it.

[@concretehousebuildinginph1488]

Caution, don't flip a hobicat in the open ocean over 5000 feet of water, makes for a long 2 days.

[@MatWalter-q3h]

Why not simply leave the boat registered in the US.? Up date registration yes but dont import it to Canada. Given where you live I doubt that will be an issue. In my experience it is not "where" the boat is reg. that matters so long as the owner is on the boat and is qualified to operated it.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

I'm Canadian, and so when I start travelling, by being Canadian Flagged, if I run into trouble the country will help me. Also, I'm just happy to be Canadian and want to fly my country's flag as I travel.

[@xoclutch]

I think it's a very bad idea not to have a generator. A) you don't always have wind. B) gas has a way way way way higher energy to weight ratio. C) you can get disssel on a dingy in Anchorages. D) your range will be drastically increased 120 miles or whatever your getting is not much at all. E) you need to consider emergencies. Even if it's a portable generator and keep Jerry cans on deck... I highly don't recommend not having anything but solar. Your going to find you use a lot of electricity for other things besides motoring and solar is going to struggle to keep your batteries full. F) how do you plan to run a heater or ac? It uses dissels or electricity and a lot of it. I like what ur doing but battery tech is very far behind gas when it comes to energy to weight ratio. You can't beat it. Sometimes when your boating it's not always ok to be stuck somewhere. You might not think it's a big deal to not have wind. But what if a storm or hurricane is barreling down on you and it's cloudy. And u gotta motor 500 miles or more etc. Etc... You need to take into account emergencies. I think your going to be surprised at how mucbp powe a water maker, heater or ac, cooking etc. It's not easy to find enough area to have enough solar to keep up with that and cloudy days are common. Please consider a generator, even if like I said it's portable. Plan for worse case scenario incase of an emergency. People still die on the Ocean and in storms and stuff if they arnt properly prepared. An engine in a storm can keep you from sinking. I fear a lot of your estimate on power usage are much lower than you are expecting. I'm not trying to be mean or troll or anything I love your videos but I just want to be sure you take into account safety issues. Your quotes saying that people can run out of dissel doesn't make much sense. Boats that run off disssel up north plan ahead of time how much dissel they need and then add a ton of extra diesel. Solar panels arnt guaranteed to produce power every day and don't work at night. A engine will always work. U can't always sail , u can't always produce power but with an engine it will always work anytime.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

The thing is, if I get a generator, I lose a lot of battery space, which means i'd need a bigger generator, etc. I can always grab a little Honda generator if I really needed it, but I'll deal with that if it ever comes to pass.

[@xoclutch]

@@TheDigitalMermaid right I understand, I think at a bare minimum you should have a portable one on deck with Jerry cans... Most cruisers attach a row of Jerry cans on deck. And then you can store a little portable generator anywhere you want. I think it gives u the best of both worlds. That way if u run into an issue u can just start that sucker up on deck and charge your batteries right away under any conditions. The only problem is it may not be able to charge as fast as you use it (I'd your boat is in motion depending on size) but at least I'll have the ability to take control of a situation if it's cloudy out and ur stuck in the middle of the Ocean and a storm is bearing down or something. It's just something to consider. I think electric is great and I would want a huge battery bank also and they are good for driving around a bay but when crossing oceans that's a bigger deal. Sometimes you can afford to be stuck.

[@xoclutch]

Plus if your running your ac which most people say is a requirement in the Bahamas it's going to be really hard to power that with only solar. I'm still behind on your videos but I'm interested in seeing how much solar you are able to add to your boat. I'm wanting to get 1-2kw of solar added to the boat I'm buying so I'm very interested. No spoilers I'm still behind on your videos ;)

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

​@@xoclutch I appreciate the arguments about the state of electric propulsion in boats, and your concerns are not without merit. However, compromising battery capacity for a generator doesn't make sense for me. With the power I expect to, having the bank size I do should be enough. The goal is to be able to have enough capacity so that if I have days of poor solar or little regen from wind, I have the raw capacity to get through it. It's a risk and a trade-off, but as I see it, it's a similar argument to using a heavy displacement full keel beast versus a plastic fantastic production boat to cross an ocean. Obviously the former is ideal, and the crossing itself will be more comfortable and safer in the heavy beast of a boat, but that's only a small percentage of the boat's use. Going with a lighter, more nimble boat means you'll have an easier time in marinas, can island hope with most other boats, etc. So there's an argument that the lighter boat on a crossing isn't as safe or comfortable, but it can do it, and the majority of the time when you're not actively crossing, your life is better. I see the all-electric vs hybrid argument in sailing in a similar light. There will be times when I don't have enough power, but I'll deal with it for the majority of the time being totally silent running. Trying to get the best of both worlds can be useful at times, but it's also generally how you get an overall crappier experience. That said, like all compromises in boating, what makes sense for one rarely makes sense for another.

[@xoclutch]

@@TheDigitalMermaid your right it's always a risk vs reward math problem. I'm just saying to make sure you consider situations like if you hurt yourself and need to get to shore to a hospital fast, or some other kind of emergency. Sometimes it's not always possible to take your time in situations. I just want to be sure your considering all situations not just the good ones. I try to plan for the worst because the worst happens more often than we want. If your able to keep a decent charge at all times or stay closer to marines maybe that's a better alternative than a generator. Just make sure you have some kind of plan for when shit hits the fan. I've been reading so many stories of boating dying at sea recently it's a good reminder that the Ocean is still dangerous even in modern times. Even have a weaker motor can be dangerous if current is to strong and you lose control of your boat. Etc. The ocean can be unforgiving. Now days weather reporting and property planning allows us to have cheaper boats or need to take less precautions but that assumes you property plan. Whatever you decide just be careful and I wish you the best of luck. I'm really interested in seeing you starting to put your boat together! I hope to see those videos out soon! Keep up the good work. I have strongly been considering a similar build some day in the future.

[@davidkettell6236]

i cannot imagine why you would ever need that much water but it will make for good ballast. Someone should invent solar sails ? Sailing lessons most likely a good idea ? Came for the batteries and stayed for your personality.

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

As I understand the math; 10lt/day/person, two people, 540%20 = 27 days of water, crossings can take 2~3 weeks, plus a buffer.

[@WiSeNhEiMeR-1369]

HOWdy D-M, BORDER CROSSINGS are the WORST = especially your BOAT's 1st crossing !!! Import TAXES = a CATCH-22 G@@D LUCK COOP ...

[@davidf2767]

Remove the engine and fuel tank before you go back to Canada. That should reduce value of boat. Sell the engine and tank as well. Taxes are stupid!!!

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

If I was trucking it, that would be a great idea. I'm planning to sail her home though.

[@mohamadismail3753]

I have 2 sets of batteries, each with bms 48V 230 Ah, can I connect them in parallel so that I have 460Ah/48V

[@TheDigitalMermaid]

Yup. Watch that the lengths of cables are fairly equal so that the draw from the batteries are balanced. Note also that if one shuts down, the other will take the full load. If one battery can't take the full load, be sure you have a good circuit breaker.

[@mohamadismail3753]

thank you