How to manage electrical power on a sailboat using NO fossil fuels!

[@naimi9584]

This panel can put out close to 100 watts kzbin.infoUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.

[@jeddles2710]

Who on earth would ‘dislike’ such an informative segment?!

[@TheOKellys]

I have my suspicions and have hired a team of investigators. We plan on leaving nasty notes in their lunchboxes. Lol

[@davidnonya7359]

my dislike comes from the highly propagandic and outdated term fossil fuels. but hey a dislike never kills anyone

[@curtjankowski3305]

Future: "Hot tub" 😂 Often it takes me a couple viewings to grasp all the tech talk when it comes to electricity, but Nick always does it in a way an electrically challenged person like me can begin to understand. Thanks guys ❤️🤙

[@TheOKellys]

Thanks Curt!

[@curtjankowski3305]

@@TheOKellys full transparency, I had to watch both episodes of "Top Secret" four times each trying to grasp the details. This video was a more simplistic breakdown 👍

[@Errol.C-nz]

@@TheOKellys The O'Kelly's Im wondering why... you would ditch your generator when Top Secrets your boat envy... why not take the leap... ditch (sell) your diesel drive engines for electric... upgrade you battery bank (Tesla powerbanks) & keep the genset to power you electric drives for longer power cruising... you need to talk to you friend Rean... My thoughts are for 2 x 10kw edrives to run half power for cruising off the genset & tap into the batteries for full power for emergency sutuations that need all the push... then youve got instant quiet drive for all other sailing & docking etc... gotta do it sooner or later... no regrets :-?

[@CalBru]

@The O'Kelly's I'd like your thoughts on Errol's question too. Cost is likely one reason, but if you had to re-power Clarity, would you go that route (or would Nick miss engine maintenance? ;) New to your channel and enjoying it.

[@curtjankowski3305]

@@Errol.C-nz @Carl B. the technology for long passage electric motors just isn't there yet. Hence the reason Rean from "Top Secret" switched out two of his four electric motors back to diesel ...

[@valanz_]

What I like of your channel guys, is it is informative, not a life telling channel like all others. I am 37yo and really considering in my 40s to try something like this, but i have absolutely no idea about boats...thanks for sharing good tips.

[@Sincity6996]

Hey I'm 36 and I'm thinking about starting the boat life next month. I'm in the same boat as you here. So what happened. Did you do it? What boat did you select? I'm thinking Capri 25 or something similar.

[@JamesRolin]

4 years later... did you do it?

[@njsarn]

Thanks for sharing realistic solar number experience. Lithium battery prices coming down. CHINS 300Ah LFP with BMS now ~ $1,100 on Amazon.

[@SirCharles12357]

Nick, just listened to the audio book, "Bound for Distant Seas." I was surprised at the end of the book to see, Nick O'Kelly (Narrator). I thought, "Hey I know that guy!" Great job BTW!

[@TheOKellys]

Thanks Charles! I met James in Brunswick years later by coincidence. Very cool guy

[@JibeTalking]

Great breakout of your power grid and how it benefits your boat. As well, that was a great visual representation of your power grid. These are the types of videos I am looking for and how things are configured and gives me great insight into how to rig our Cat. Be safe and fair winds.

[@VERTICALWisdom]

By far the very best power explanation for a cruiser. Thank you for all the effort that goes into these video. Awesome.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

Agree. Concise and very well informed.

[@mprgscannertours]

Well now it all makes sense thank you. Tried, tested and explained. But using your set up at a reduced size because of the differential in real estate between a mono and cat can you add an addendum that says an coffee maker will empty 1/27th of a batter per brew, an electric fry pan will flatten a fully charged battery in 3 hrs, a portable freezer will use a battery on its own in 16 hrs assuming it is a cloudy day. This knowledge let’s us (the ignorant) work backwards from the appliances we would like compared with the space available. But whatever you do your lessons are real, simple and really entertaining. Thank you.

[@TheOKellys]

Love the idea Brodie. It is so true that that’s how it ends up when you’re using here power hungry appliances.

[@guilhermedantas3200]

Thinking about going on a 4 year ride around the world, ona catamaran, looking at several youtubers I must say you guys are the most straight to the point of everyone else. Keep up the great job :D

[@dentside78]

How's this plan going?

[@adrianthered9876]

Wow I can't believe just how much I wait for these videos than you guys so much

[@sprendergast351]

Nice video Nick, solar only way to go. I have always kept my solar charging separate from start batteries. Never get any issues like that. The Wynns Catamaran is a similar setup to yours and they have proven that you can travel a long distance like that. Thanks again, Steve.

[@TheOKellys]

did not know the wynns had it set that way. I bet Kent at Just Cats had something to do with that. Good stuff. Thanks for the note.

[@mikeferguson2828]

Great video guys, I while on the hard during this lockdown doing upgrades have decided on an all electric galley in my leopard 40. I have managed to find a perfect fit 2 plate induction cook top and and nice small electric oven. I have been using the oven and boy can I not wait to rip out the force 10 gas oven. This electric one is just so efficient and nice to use. Like you i now have fitted 600 amp hours of LiFePo4 batteries and my victron multiplus and mppt controllers are all in sync nicely now. And sunpower panels are the only way to go Nick. Very pricey in our part of the world but reliable and hardy. I ironically have just fitted a small3,5 Iva genset to make sure if the weathers bad I can keep up with the electricity needs but hey as you say personal choices 😊

[@TheOKellys]

Great minds....think alike. Need to find a good cooktop, so let me know the brand and specs!

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

@@jamierodg1 Induction is much safer on a boat and required for commercial ships. It's also much faster and more efficient.

[@runltdan]

Great video. Y’all’s subject matter is important and Useful. Navigating through the solar boat field is a learning curve. I will be moving (4-5?) knots south on the FL portion of the ICW. FL has the more forgiving inland waterways. My boat will be 100% solar and maybe wind. Thanks! You’ll probably saved me a lot of R $ D time. Dan👍

[@timmitchell8784]

Great information, explaining how it works so anyone can understand it, you’re always so good at that. It’s fun to see the systems that keep clarity moving and comfortable. Thanks for another great video Timmy

[@TheOKellys]

Thanks Timmy!

[@JeepersKeepers78]

@TheO'Kelly's THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO. I'm about to switch from condo living to boat life with my wife. We want to avoid dock time AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE because it's a hassle and costly. We are looking at a 50' Concord with tons of space for solar but have no idea about solar setups. We've researched, but the instructions made it more confusing... your video answered A LOT of of our questions. Thanks man!

[@TheOKellys]

That’s awesome. Congrats on making the decision. The new tech with these charge controllers on a network....it’s brilliant. And I’m betting Elon pushes all of these companies to higher levels going forward. We live in amazing times.

[@farbehind3980]

Undisputedly,the best explanation about powering a boat with solar...

[@172GV]

Very informative video. Well done. Few discussions on boat solar / power solutions are as straightforward and practical. I look forward to the next battery breakthrough to get the costs down so it is practical to run AC any time we want off solar.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

Lithium ion battery performance is improving about 7% a year. Progress is very quick, but it's a bit slow to make its way to the marine sector. Electric drive will eventually be very common on boats and cars.

[@N0body247]

Ive seen "portions" of this from other video break downs you have done.. i love each and every one. Because this not only works for boats.. but ANY power needs for a place.. ie cabins, rv's etc. People that live in homes, just look at your electric bill, it tells you your avg daily consumption (at least mine does). i typically run 1200 watts a day.. between central air and electronics i have not to mention my stove is electric. i plan on moving to a boat full time in the future.. which this just preps me and shows me i can make a full solar /wind (i dont mind noise) and make it so i wont need fossil fuels for my power. That interview you did with the owner of Top Secret was awesome. i love all your videos.. but im an i.t. geek.. and i have studied solar for a long time.. and this lets me geek out. lol. Thanks for such great video content and the way you explain it with the tea and jug.

[@TheOKellys]

Awesome! Glad to hear you like the geeky stuff! Man solar is so cool

[@N0body247]

@@TheOKellys Yea an its getting better. Once they finish the full spectrum solar thats going to change the industry. Right now panels convert about 30 percent of the light they get.. imagine being able to do 80+ percent.. your 5-6 hour solar refill will be able to be 30 mins to an hour. because their is WAY more energy in an hr of sun than what we are currently able to capture with current solar tech.

[@exploringlife738]

@@N0body247 This is very much of interest for those of us in 100+ degree cities that may have roaming electrical shut off during wildfire season. We are not interested in a gas generator, but for health and safety, are starting to think about solar+lithium batteries to run A/C and refrigerator/freezers. I've heard someone also mention "soft-starters" in that kind of configuration ... needed to handle the load of starting the appliances on lithium/solar? I'll try to learn more about the full spectrum solar; thanks for the mention.

[@N0body247]

exploring life soft starters are capacitors that go before the electronic that holds the amount of charge to start that device. So if an air conditioner needs 1500 to start then drops to 800 to run you put let’s say a 2k cap to the power and when it needs that draw it pulls it from the cap and then the. Battery recharge the cap for the next use . They do this in automotive as well for the start of the gas vehicle because it easier to pull from a cap vs battery on high draw

[@randito2387]

@@exploringlife738 (disclaimer: not an expert.. just watched a video) @gonewiththewynns does some really nice deep dive sinto "soft-start" stuff. Worth a look.

[@fuatdomanic]

Though I’m not a “sailor” and most probably will never be (a typical famous last words of mine🙈) I espescially love watching your channel. Besides respecting what you accomplish, I appreciate a lot your honest, open attitude. As a loyal viewer of yours please let me offer you a small yet important help as a veteran sound engineer: Your video production’s quality is really good; considering the windy environment you’re almost always in your sound quality is also good (Don’t loose that dead cat! ; ) But I strongly suggest that you must ALWAYS engage a hi-pass eq/filter (a filter/eq setting which reduces the amplitude of very low frequencies starting from 50-60 hertz ) on post production (if not on mic, which yours may have one too) My impression from your videos till this recent one that your open air dialogues are a bit plagued by very low frequency rumble caused by wind which usually requires a decent (ie:expensive) set of loudspeakers/headphones to detect/hear. Apparently, our ancestors relied more on their ability to hear the lions rumble from further away than seeing it from near!🙈 Whish you all the best luck&fun. Than you very much for your kind labor🖖

[@TheOKellys]

Thanks for the tip! Appreciate the feedback. Will try that out. Gotta tell you, we barely get these out the door most weeks. Good audio is soooooo important....but also so time consuming to get right. We need an engineer on staff. It’s a real talent!

[@steveleslie9022]

Well done. One of the best explanations ive heard yet.

[@christhunell1114]

Loved this video! Great simple explanation of a complex topic.

[@blackduck7851]

Nice video. Lovely use of what I hope was iced tea to demonstrate.

[@MrHeavyt56]

You should have done that years ago, but lessons learned I know...I'm not a solar guru but your old config which you figured out was the controllers and thanks for teaching me wind is minimal production. So, on a boat I wouldn't do it. Over time I believe lithium is worth it and capacity loss is very minimal...Good vid guys!

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

I saw a boat that put the wind generator at the top of the mast which is an interesting idea for increasing power and reducing noise, but it might actually get overpowered there too often.

[@SuperPabster]

Excellent tutorial on going green and giving the generator the boot! You have everyone pumped up!

[@GFSanta]

What a creative way to visualize electrical use. Nice work 👍

[@fthurlow]

Another excellent video - clear, concise, and informative. Thanks Nick & Megan!

[@TheOKellys]

Thank you!

[@drklain]

Good update and explanation. It really is a matter of doing a thorough analysis of both supply and demand (i.e., generation and loads). At the end of the day, it is a math problem and understanding what those loads are (both peak/starting and continuous run) is a big part of it, whether talking about a small sailboat of a big warship. You maximize supply and minimize demand to the extent you can. With older boats (and they don't have to be that old) things like replacing lighting with LED lighting can pay HUGE dividends in power loads. Some really odd things can be big electric loads...heating elements (hot water heater for example) can have huge continuous loads while running while big motors (winch for example) can have big peak/start load (current draw). The klystron/magnetron on a radar can be another big load. Older electronics also tend to draw more power than newer, solid state stuff (depends on how old your stuff is). An easystart can also reduce start loads for things like the A/Cs and sometimes make them options on batteries... In planning an electrical configuration upgrade (as you are effectively doing/have done) it helps to map out each item on the boat and what it draws (simple multimeter and lots of switch flipping can help measure things out) and give you an accurate power budget planning input. I am really curious about the going 100% solar option and dumping the generator idea. As you say it gets rid of weight, noise and fuel use but really removes surge capacity unless you use the engines and cross-connect your system. It would seem the air conditioners are the big units that right now you don't have the ability to run for extended periods without supplemental generating power you would lose if you get rid of the genset. Are you thinking you just don't use the a/c that much (and are not likely to in the future) or that you really can cover them with solar? Certainly that is a lot of weight (but capability) that makes the Leopards so comfortable that it would be a shame to lose them. Do you think it's possible to get enough solar generation to also accommodate using the A/C (at least on one side of the boat) most of the time? Maybe with the addition of one or two more Lithium-Ion batteries vice getting rid of one of yours? Curious about your thoughts and appreciate the video!

[@TheOKellys]

We don’t use the AC much when cruising. It’s not good for the interior to cool it down then warm it up over and over in the tropics. You get a lot of condensation and mold. But we can run AC off batteries. Future video topic.

[@drklain]

@@TheOKellys Looking forward to it!

[@johnkeegan6646]

Now that was the electrical overview I have been waiting for! Well done!😁💥👍. Very informative indeed! When you ditch your big gen set, consider a small Honda camping generator for another emergency power source. I like mine.

[@TheOKellys]

Yes we’ve had EU2000s in the past. Wonderful little unit. Highly recommend.

[@edrosenberger6947]

This is an extremely well done report on solar panels and all the components needed to use them! This had to take a bunch of time and effort to put together. Thank you both!!

[@nomadman1196]

Lots of similarities between sailboats and RVs when it comes to Solar. Good video! 👍

[@OliverWolter]

Great video. HydroPower propellers should also be interesting to look at. Might it be a stand alone, or an electric motor with recoperation.

[@jsarno5703]

Once again, LOVE the education you provide. I plan on purchasing in the next 5-6 years so I have actually started an O’Kelly’s notebook full of all the brilliant info you provide. (Hint, I would rather buy your book then make my own). We have sailing advice, anchoring advice, power advice... see where I’m going with this? Lol. Love you guys, please keep it up. Stay safe and send us some video of sailing. We want to fantasize while being stuck at home.

[@TheOKellys]

That’s frigging awesome. And a huge compliment. Thank you. Hope we are still out there when you are!

[@h.v7461]

Thanks for explaining your power system. You certainly simplified the process. Cheers 🍻

[@BennettL-q2l]

I agree...separate those banks. Start battery bank will do just fine if charged solely from alternator.

[@flip0345]

Good video man, like how everything is well organized and explained

[@deankoch7305]

I bought 4 270 watt rigi solar panels. I hope it will be enough for my little 35 foot sailboat? But like you said, those EU generators are easy and quiet and when you put them in your dingy and push them off a hundred feet away with an extension cord connected to it, you can hardly hear it at all. Thanks for the video.

[@Leggir]

With the new bi-facial panels, you could get up to 30% more on the rear panels from reflection, or 450W per panel.

[@TheOKellys]

Yep. Will watch that tech. I like proven stuff.

[@waywardspirit7898]

Great video as always, and very informative. But you just made me crap myself with the whole 2400w idea. :) I have a 38' mono hull and am planning on maxing out at around 600 watts of solar on an arch.. Might be able to squeeze in another couple hundred on a bimini top or dodger. Suffice it to say, now I'm scared !!

[@TheOKellys]

Well, it’s tough to get more than 1000 on most monohulls less than 50’. “Wings” that tilt out, mounted on solid lifeline rail can get you some more real estate. And and arch is a good way to go....but can be spendy. Also, do check out SunPower semi flexible to mount on the dodger. Delos did a good job that way. Otherwise, don’t get me wrong, using high output alternators off the engine is a great solution. With two engines like on this boat, things get more complicated.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

It depends what your energy budget is. Electric appliances., watermaker, air conditioning all add to the energy needed. High power alternators and Lithium ion batteries are becoming very popular too, as Nick notes.

[@ashleywynn4923]

There are pros and cons on the each type of solar panels. Really depends on where you want to place them. Some drastically drop current and efficiency with a little shading. Really look into the types when buying solar panels. Gone with the winds done a good comparison video about solar panels.

[@croninnicholas9063]

In case of need, you also have lots of vertical real estate on the sides to add some panels, and possibly flexible panels to add to the sails. But that’s some budget.

[@Cedandkikisailing]

Thanks for sharing your solar power experience and all the explanations. I’m a newby to solar so this was a great video explainer. Well, now I know I won’t have a/c at anchor! 😋👍👍

[@tom080955]

extremely useful demonstration...wish there was more like this. thx

[@Lana_Warwick]

Hi Guys, I was just researching power requirments, and seen the old flex panels your using. Incase unaware, thought I'd let you know about the "CIGS Flexible Solar Panels" I came across, they don't suffer the same heat & shade issues. Cheers!

[@ryanh4889]

Another great episode! Just a suggestion. Keep the Northern Lights (best quality marine generator made in my opinion) until it breaks down and is too expensive to fix. You can use it for the really hot and humid times in the tropics for the air conditioner and to quickly get your batteries charged during long periods of low sunlight.

[@TheOKellys]

Might just do that. But we really really don’t need it and it weighs a lot. Stay tuned.

[@davidolson7575]

Another super nice video You both are awesome! Power utilization planning is an absolute must before building your system. As long as you have some other alternate source to help charge your battery bag in case something happens like too many days of clouds and rain today and I think you’re probably be just fine without the generator. Save the weight from the battery and add one or two more lithium ion batteries. Have a great week and a great sail

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

They do have a lot of redundancy, even without a generator. An alternative (no pun intended) might be to use larger alternators in place of the generator.

[@travelbygungahlia]

Really enjoying watching the easy conversations giving quality advice. Keep it up and congrats

[@justfly2525]

Awesome video Nick! I understand all of the complicated little gold nuggets in this video because I'm building a house right now. I'm actually clearing the ground for a 16,600 watt array with 20kw of batteries. Living in the Inland Northwest makes it tough to get through the winter on solar!

[@TheOKellys]

Sounds massive. Very cool. Make a video so we can see it. Depending on where you are, wind might work for you too.

[@justfly2525]

@@TheOKellys I never wanted to put a KZbin video up unless it had a unique value. I feel like this one would. In Colville WA we only get 1.25hrs of solar insolation per winter day! So I feel like an "O'Kelly" style video might be very useful as a worst case scenario for people who may be looking into going off of the grid. We are going to be all electric too. No propane which is unusual for off gridders. I guess that heat pump water heaters are a thing now too! Maybe you need one on the boat??? I'll let you know when I get a video of it on KZbin.

[@justfly2525]

@@TheOKellys Oh, and wind power will be coming down the road. You're right on the money. We live on a mountain...

[@TheBeggFamily]

Fascinating how you can get so much power. I bet the output would go down if you visited the UK!

[@joeystiles6764]

That’s how I set our boat up. Although a much smaller scale I don’t want to mess with my cranking batteries while at anchor. I want to keep them separate, fresh, and hot for when I start the motor. You said not many people do that but I like that better than relying on “house” batteries when you’re ready to move. I’m not sure exactly how lithium works but I assume if they are highly discharged you still have the 12 volts needed to fire off the motors.

[@eamongreen]

Excellent explanation, thanks! I'm your newest subscriber!

[@TheOKellys]

Welcome so glad you found us!

[@maus0292]

Love the thought of getting rid of gen set but seen way too many videos now where in that one emergency you need what your removed. I might replace it with newer smaller model if it exists...sounds like the worry is the high hours and weight.

[@bud03038]

Great job explaining your power distribution system!

[@johnkosowski3321]

I am using a Renogy 50A DC to DC charger between each engine bank and the house. It is made to charge LiFePO4 batteries. So, when the engines are running, each one can provide up to 50A of staged , controlled charging to the house.

[@thewaywardsailors]

Thanks guys, we are refitting a 60ft steel mono (all the gear no idea) and are thinking about the best way to repower it, our genny is cooked and we are trying to suss out best solar/ controller set up to go with, this is super handy! Yeow

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

The most brilliant idea I heard for a generator is what Silent Yachts did: connect a standard marine engine only to an electric motor used only as a generator. They used the same type of AC electric motor and controller as their propulsion electric motors. (To be clear, the engine is not connected to a prop in any way, just the electric motor used as a generator.) Even if you don't use electric propulsion, this is a great solution for a generator: standard marine engine parts, support and maintenance, plus highly efficient and relatively low cost electric generator. This should be much cheaper, better supported, more efficient than using a genset. Electric motors for this purpose are widely available in the DIY electric vehicle market. They're a great value, efficient, modern, compact, reliable, etc. Agree with everything the Kelly's recommended in this video. It's great advice.

[@edo870]

Fantastic video. Best explanation of solar I've seen yet.

[@troybabs]

Very well explained and insightful Nick... you could have been a science teacher! 🎓 But glad you're a sailor instead. ⛵️

[@TheOKellys]

That’s very kind of you to say. Hey maybe that’s my next career.

[@timothyrathgeber421]

Watched the video and took lots of notes (I'm a newbie). But I had 2 questions: 1.) 3 -300 amp batteries in parallel = 900 amps. But what's the voltage? To calculate watt hours I multiply 900 amps * xx volts = total watt hours? Watched another video for a home solar application and he recommended running batteries in series (higher voltage) vs parallel (higher amps). 2.) Still fuzzy on invertors and running A/C 120/240v type devices off of batteries. For example if you did want to power your water heater using battery power is that possible???

[@pepperbird6671]

Power consumption seems to grow unlimited nowadays, but looking at the demand for power and not only at the production is another way to self-sufficiency. Is it really necessary to have A/C or a dishwasher or an electric BBQ aboard? KISS - Keep It Small and Simple is our approach, hoping to get independent of fossil fuels with just 400 W of solar (in the Mediterranean). The video, however, is very well-made and insightful. Thanks for that!

[@kennethbyrd3436]

I like the new electric sailboat setups. No combustion engines (no fuel/oil), no solar panels, and no wind generators. Sailing along charges the batteries from the small dual propellers spinning freely.

[@orbiradio2465]

Great as long as you are sailing. But if you stay at one place for a few days, you will run out of energy.

[@Hotzenplotz1]

You forgot about water current generators... They don't make as much noise as wind generators and provide a third source. Maybe not as efficient as solar, but as you told it depends very much on the region you're in.

[@allansparkes6224]

Great information guys, thanks so much for sharing your time, experience and expertise. It really helps, especially when we are looking at options for our boat 👍👍👍

[@TheOKellys]

Thanks Allan. Appreciate the kudos!

[@aal9207]

I understand that you must run your generators at least an hour a day . So u can keep them always in good conditions.

[@TheBelrick]

lots of urban myths abound.

[@tomasboragina]

gracias nic por la explicacion todo muy claro. como esta tu ojo?

[@TheOKellys]

Gracias por preguntar por mi ojo. es mejor ahora. fue sanando lentamente, luego un día, mucho mejor. sigue siendo molesto, pero eso está bien para mí,

[@TommyHolly]

Is this the same video on your other Tech Channel? It’s one of the best videos I’ve seen on the subject.

[@TheOKellys]

It’s a bit different, but a few recycled clips. I think this one is a little better/easier to digest. Thank you for the kudos.

[@LivingHakuna]

Great video guys! very informative 👏🏼 You guys have a ton of solar!! 🤩

[@TheOKellys]

Thanks! Plenty of juice! See you up north!

[@kirk9671]

I live in the cascade foothills. We can go a long time w grey skies. How many days of no sun should I budget for. If u were on passage, and being thoughtful, how long can u go without the sun. (Sunny tropics is what my target is, but the term sunny is purely academic to me. I will believe it when I see it😄)

[@shabbydoris]

Good stuff! Thank you for sharing such meaningful data 🙂 Fair seas and following winds to you.

[@danahawthorne1633]

This is the most practical discussion of a boat power grid I have seen so far. All the detailed analysis approaches have seemed over board (excessive) to me, too much analysis causing paralysis. My knowledge keeps evolving but it seems that one needs to understand the details for safety. Power will usually be limited by space for power conversion or storage devices. That is my simple overview, I will leave it at that. Thanks again :)

[@PaulASmyers]

Ha ha, you're on the same mooring ball we were on when I decided I was done with our 9KW Northern Lights. We have 4x300Ah 12v Relions and 2100w of solar on 3 Victron MPPTs. Get rid of the generator! I've run main engines a couple times in six months for house power, and in retrospect I think I was jumping the gun. We run water heater, washing machine, and on a rare occasion the air conditioner through our 2800w inverter. We also removed our D400 wind generator. There are days I wish we still had the option, but it's pretty rare. My wife keeps talking about having a stowable wind turbine but I'm not convinced it would be worth the hassle.

[@TheOKellys]

Whaaaaat? Crazy coincidence. Are we brothers in another universe? Not reported yet in videos, but having some trouble with our Victron inverter this last week. So, not fully convinced yet, but almost. I’ll bet this summer genset is gone gone gone.

[@PaulASmyers]

Our inverter is a ten year old Magnum 2812. It's been solid the past two years I've owned the boat, but I'm secretly looking forward to replacing it with a Victron (maybe two!). Good luck with the generator removal. I think you won't miss it most days, and probably appreciate the extra space and weight savings.

[@DavidClemens-y3h]

Thank you… finally someone just said it… always wondered.

[@motioncontroller]

Great video! We use those victron inverters for projects at work and they work so well! Have you ever thought of pulling out one of your engines and converting over to an electric sail drive on one side?

[@TheOKellys]

Interesting. No, we’ve got two good diesels at this point, so we will stick with that for now.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

@@TheOKellys I like Andrew's suggestion as a future replacement though. It gives the benefit of retaining dual motors, but gains the advantage of hydrogeneration, silent motoring, etc., while being relatively low risk.

[@tobiasgerber3546]

Good work man. One thing is mixed up. Power (Watt) is shown on refrigerator, lamps, solar etc. But you consuming or producing Energy ... power or Watt multiplied by time E = P x h = U x I x h ... and that's what you have to calculate per day. But keep going. It's good to think and speak about it. Thanks!

[@TheOKellys]

Ooops. Good catch. Electrical can be so confusing!

[@MerchantofVenom]

Good illustration and made simple video. When you mentioned the battery bank I clicked on West Marine to check out how much RELION RB300 Lithium batteries are. Surprised to find out they're almost $3000 a pop! So a battery bank of three is gonna be over $9000 including tax putting it out of the range of the average Joe Blow like me. Nevertheless, the video was very informative. In my case I would just have to use cheaper batteries

[@loganbrown8653]

great job with that solar setup

[@TheOKellys]

Thank you!

[@roberts8783]

How quickly could that generator charge the batteries? Perhaps 70 amps through a multiplus 5000?

[@johnburkey1135]

best presentation i've seen re power consumption and resources - good job

[@keithbigT]

Love your videos. I know absolutely nothing about sailing, but from watching your channel as well as a few others I am becoming very interested. have you considered using a hydro vane?

[@TheOKellys]

Had a hydrovane on Low Pressure, two boats ago. It worked...poorly. Love the concept though.

[@clifflong1203]

Great stuff Nick! Very informative! 👌😎

[@TheOKellys]

Appreciate it Cliff!

[@jassdsu]

Have you figured out that you need a dc to dc charger yet? Id recommend the kisae 1250. I enjoy your videos…

[@dukedirtywork620]

Great episode very informative but I think you should keep the gen for redundancy/emergency

[@TheOKellys]

Maybe.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

@@TheOKellys Or get bigger alternators and use them as generators.

[@JeffreyHarthSailing]

Ugh, let's see. AC means what? Ok, step 1. Draw this diagram... Subscribed!

[@AMG14S]

Could you post a link for the panels and the MPPT's please.

[@BrianPKelly]

Nice! Very informative. In the Seattle area Puget sound, I have seen it cloudy for months at a time. I wonder what system would work for a catamaran in these waters.

[@TheOKellys]

You know the newest MPPT controllers can squeeze a lot more juice from panels than you might think. Up there though, you’ll probably need a genset or some big alternators if you’ve got a big boat and lots of comforts.

[@bill4nier]

In your set up, do you have a washing machine? If not do to the power draw would you need to add an additional panel or two, or additional batteries? Excellent video, thanks for sharing! 😍👍😍👍⛵⛵👍😍👍😍

[@TheOKellys]

Yes, we have a washer. Plenty of power to spare now.

[@zetetimm]

Thank you for the information guys!!! Your experience and knowledge helps a lot!!! I hope that your eye is better nick and that your stress levels have come down :)

[@TheOKellys]

Thanks Tim. Yes, the eye is doing much much better thank you. I’m even more chill than before

[@TheExumRidge]

It seems like the "Victron" charge controllers could incorporate a wind generator also, right? I still see value for wind generator when sailing on cloudy days up north. If i am traveling with engine: the alternator charges, if i am sailing: the wind generator charges. I gotta fund the fridge, instruments and autopilot somehow during trips. Wind generator is better than diesel generator for me at least. So... "Victron"?

[@wscogin7974]

Your so informative about so many things congratulations to you and thank you for sharing all your information for us all,your very appreciated by us all!

[@brianaustin1328]

Great explanation. Curious as to what your RV power set-ups were like. Thank you!

[@jsrac]

when you removed the diesel generator, did you also had to convert motor/engine to electric to compliment the solar based power source?

[@victorspangler3493]

Hey...you are in our "neck-of-the-woods". I see you filmed this in St. Augustine, FL north of the Bridge of Lions. We love going over there and spending time in this beautiful city! :) Thanks for this very informative video on power!

[@TheOKellys]

We love st Augy. Tough to leave!

[@benlindner5285]

Hello O'Kelly's; Nick a great video however you need to explain that cruisers should asses their own energy usage profiles. There are many ways to live on a boat, yours with all the comforts of home and someone like James Baldwin's with no refrigeration or almost any other conveniences are on the extremes. As an alternative example I offer my boat. My refer uses 24 amps a day even in the tropics. While I have an expensive holding plate system the newer "cooler" types of systems are very reasonable in cost and use a similar amount of juice. They have become very popular for that reason. Propane stove and oven. All LED lights very low requirement even sailing at night. Modern Nav systems with radar also not a huge draw. The key is no autopilot that you are tied to, I use self steering with no power required at all! Watermaker you bet, but no long hot water showers, in fact no hot water. It uses 7 amps a gallon, how much water do you want? So my boat got by on 160 watts of solar and a wind generator. Battery bank was 450 amps. In a refit the wind generator was removed, solar increased to 430 watts and battery bank increased to 675 amps. Plenty of power but no hot tub. Instead 85 deg water in the Sea of Cortez and a cold beer, that works for me!

[@TheOKellys]

Thought I made it pretty clear that it’s highly individual. And it is, to the person, to the boat, to the use. Our last boat had no refer and we did great with 400W. Your description makes me think you fall in line with my estimates, though your refer sounds unbelievably efficient....It must have been very small and very well insulated...that’s an average of 2amps/hr. Wow. I know James. Good guy. Agree, no need for a hottub in SOC in summer. In winter....I’d take one, especially after a norther. Be well.

[@bearparts]

Great info and delivery as always! Thanks!!

[@olegkovalenko3924]

Thank you. Your information and experience save time.

[@TheIdontcarewhat]

If you get rid of the genset are you thinking of adding more lion batteris to up your storage capacity?

[@TheOKellys]

Eh, maybe. We don’t need the genset anymore. It’s just a big task to get rid of it.

[@TheKandyGuy]

Hmm ..Solar is the way to go, but you must have a backup system as well,to charge your battery's, running your main engine alternator to charge the battery's should be the 3rd option, in your case 2nd is your generator, how many hours your generator has as of now ? if nothing wrong with it, why not looking for a way to bring the noise down by some insulation setup, cost is the key, for a new generator and making sound prof and go from there... it is always good information watching your videos..keep up the good work and be safe..!!

[@stevewillis2112]

Great info! What brand/model was the color display you show?

[@TheOKellys]

Victron Color Control

[@inneshutton3716]

Hi Guys very informative vid, on a subject many of us boaters think about. I was wondering if you've ever thought about taking electric power a bit further and going for an electric engine ?

[@ianollmann9393]

He has a 2.4 kW solar system. An modest sized electric motor can max out at 100 kW, though obviously much less if you keep the speed down. So, he’s a bit short by a mere factor of 40. Clearly batteries can fill in the gap for short periods, but you do need to charge them. With a factor of 45 difference - actually more because the sun doesn’t shine all day - going solar only for propulsion on his panels might mean you can move the boat under power one day every 6 weeks. So, not with his panels. He is just powering home loads, not propulsion. As to realistic scale, a land based home solar system might be 5-20 kW. If you are off grid and provision for a northern winter, maybe you’ll install 30kW with backup diesel or wood heat. However, fitting more than 10kW on your roof might be challenging, depending on roof. The problem for boats would be where exactly you are going to mount all those panels. Cars have the same issue. Houses get off easy because they don’t move. Our Tesla usually uses more power than our house each day. Some days it is twice as much. Hydrodynamic generation while you are under way with sail power through the prop seems promising, but you are looking at scaling up the battery banks quite a bit too. Much depends on how many engine hours you want to keep in reserve to make sure you can stay off reefs / traverse canals when sail is not an option. I think it is possible, but you are going to have to really design the boat for solar generation first and foremost, cover it prow to stern with panels, and get rid of all those sunny entertainment spaces on deck. (Limiting sun exposure is excellent for your health!) You can keep the covered cockpit in the stern probably. I doubt charter yachts could get away with that, so we are probably talking owner live-in boats exclusively. There are some solar powered power yachts, but they can do maybe 4 knots under sun alone. Really they are solar assisted fossil fueled yachts, in need of way more panels and way more batteries. Because of the shade from rigging you’ll be looking at microinverters. You’ll also need to install a couple thousand lbs of additional batteries below. You’d almost certainly be looking at using the prop to charge batteries while under sail, provided you can get enough that way, because sun alone won’t be enough. Maybe it would work with enough battery if you only sail on weekends.

[@andrewbrown2063]

For a 30 to 40 foot monohull a 10kw electric motor is sufficient.

[@andrewmaccaskey4388]

Super great video thanks for the info. quick question what type a fridge do use AC or DC? Also what is your power consumption total for your boat? I’m in the market for a 40 foot…

[@marty_krygs]

Subject presented brilliantly!