Installing Solar on my Sailboat ~ Hillbilly Solar! ~ Ep. 130

[@tcsadventures]

Initially I mistakenly referred to the controller as “30 watt”. Later I refer to it as “30 amp”. It is a 30 amp controller.

[@briantaylor2534]

Very informative

[@tcsadventures]

Thank you for watching!

[@joebrush4324]

As always thanks for taking the time to make these videos. My 1991 30T does not have a washdown or a refrigerator. Were yours factory options, or did you install them?

[@tcsadventures]

I bought the boat in 2001, so the boat was 10 years old when I got it. I would guess that the frig was a factory option. The frig top is the same material as the rest of the counter. The wash down could have easily been after market, but it would have had to been put in early on because it was old. I replaced it several years ago.

[@84Rabbitz]

Cant you mount them to the deck? I thought you could walk on those panels.

[@tcsadventures]

Yes. I included a clip where I had the 100w on the bow deck. But the 175w is much larger and I don’t have a good space for it on the bow. I don’t have a lot of deck space - particularly deck that isn’t shaded by the boom and the sun shade.

[@84Rabbitz]

@@tcsadventures I have a 1982 Catalina 30. But we have a solar arch that makes it easy for panels. Just installed a 400 amp hour lithium with 600 watts of panels and a 3000watt inverter. It definitely made life at sea more comfy.

[@tcsadventures]

Wow! That’s a lot of capacity! What do you use the energy on?

[@84Rabbitz]

@@tcsadventures we are going to be living on board , so we will have the fridge freezer, TV, starlink and a diesel furnace with a space heater as backup. And it gets pretty cold on Vancouver Island.

[@tcsadventures]

Living on aboard, a setup like that makes a lot of sense. Sounds like fun!