How do you configure your boat when you are away from it?

I live two hours away from my boat, I get to play on it about every two weeks, sometimes I will go three weeks without a visit to check on things.*


Its a late 70's steel 55 foot *DeFever, basically a stretched 48. It has four water tight compartments each with an automatic bilge pump(all are 32v). The DC electrical system is made up of 32v and 12v banks, each with two battery banks plus a 24v bank for the bow thruster for a total of 5 separate battery banks. The AC system is 220v and 110v. The 32v and 12v battery chargers are 110v. The thruster 24v bank is a D.C. To D.C. 12v charger. It has a sea chest and I always close all through hulls when I leave. All four bilge pumps are powered via a single breaker on the 32v panel but the audio alarm associated with the bilge pumps are powered by 12v breaker. Both AC and DC power panels are set up so just about everything has its own breaker/power supply. And the refrigerator is 110 or 12v.*


The two 32v battery banks are identical, same make and model of 8v battery, *but I bought them 8 months apart. The 12v banks are different, *bank one is two group 29 and bank 2 is two 8 D batteries.*


My slip neighbors and marina staff are nice and keep an eye on things, *its a large marnia and people are always around.*


My concerns are safety and equipment longevity.*


How would you leave the boat configured when you leave? *Battery chargers on or off... Battery select switches set to off, 1, 2 or both. Frig on or off, 110 or 12v..*


After a few responses I will tell you what I do and why... I just want to check my logic.*

I leave my 110 volt charger on, but it's a smart Stirling model that idles at 13 Volts Maintenance mode. battery selector on "1" (my start bank), so the House bank doesn't get toasted if something goes amiss..
Fridge on 110 Volts so if someone disconnects me it doesn't take out a battery bank....all I lose is jar of mayonaise...

Greetings,
Mr. T. Battery switches on all. Fridge (110v) on. Inverter/charger on. Cabin outlets on to operate the oscillating fans that are in every compartment. Water heater and water pump off. Seacocks closed and "Warning" signs posted at helm.

I am in a similar situation--the boat gets used every two or three weeks without a visit. I am very concerned about a boat fire so my shore power is always disconnected when I am away: battery charger and AC/dehumidifer are off. The bilge pumps and bilge high water alarm run directly off the batteries (fused of course). Main breaker is off and the battery switch is in the "off position". Bilge is always bone dry so the bilge pumps aren't running unless there is a problem.

All three sea-cocks are closed as well. Fortunately, we have live aboard neighbors who have my numbers and the marina keeps a decent watch.

I am contemplating solar battery chargers to keep the batteries charged when I am away.

I leave shore power connected, chargers on, fridge on. Water pump and heater off. I close the raw water seacocks and put the engine keys on one of their handles.

I think disconnecting from shore power while away is a bad idea.

I discount the power, close the seacock, and make sure the bilge pumps are turned off whenever I leave the boat.



I also make sure to close the door and turn the lights off.

Ted

LOL Ted.

We are on our boat every weekend (about 30 mins away). Although I used to close thru-hulls a long time ago, we now leave them open. Tied to the dock, shore power connected. The only 110 AC circuits left on are for the outlet in the saloon that runs our little humidifier and air purifier, the battery charger, and the fridge (which is set to AC only so it won't kill the batteries if shore power goes out - happened once and learned that lesson). Only DC circuit on (aside from the dedicated bilge circuits on a separate breaker panel) are cabin lights in case we get to the boat after dark. In winter, we also run two marine bilge heaters - one in the ER and one in the main cabin.

I'm almost 2 hours away but use the boat every weekend.
Batt charger on, all batts on, 120 v fridge on, inverter on (in case the dock power goes out) hot water heater off, water pressure off.
Seacocks always open, key in ignition (in case boat needs to be moved for whatever reason), flybridge enclosure closed, flag furled and in its cover, doors closed. (I hate locks)

If I have a pumpout scheduled I leave $5 clipped to my power inlet.

I leave mine plugged in. The DC panel is all off. AC panel is mostly off, except for fridge, outlets and battery charger. I leave a small fan on in the cabin.

I always check my bilge pumps and float switches before I leave for an extended period. I stow the canvas enclosure, and roll up the Bimini. I leave the cockpit cover on. I leave the keys in the ignition, in the hopes that someone will steal it someday.

Shore power is on, smart charger on and 110vac only frig on, every other breaker off, all DC breakers off, we have separate circuits for 3 bilge pumps.

Might want to think about one of those security camera's to check in on it yourself?

We are only 5 min from our dock. Last year the marina had some shorepower issues so we lost our 30A SP several times. Turns out it was one pole of the pedestal breaker that went bad. I leave the battery charger on, which when fully charged goes into standby mode, and the refrig with the DC breaker off. The Auto-bilge pumps are independently fused from the battery switch. Everything else is off. If I do lose power, the house batt does not get drawn down flat by the frig. Since my current draw is only a couple amps at most, I use a normal 14/3 outdoor extension cord with adapter to plug into a 15A GCFI recept on the dock. We don't leave anything in the frig that will spoil more than a couple days. No stray current issues and they don't charge me for power.
The boat is on the hard when gone for the summer. All batteries are disconnected and a drain is open if any rainwater gets in. When I arrive in the fall, I check the battery volts. All have been >12.4 after 6 months.

DC off completely. AC on powering the three stage battery charger, the AC/DC refrigerator, and in winter cabin and engine room heaters. Propane tanks off. All seacocks closed except main engines raw water intake.

All DC circuits off, except bilge pumps. AC has bat charger and refrig, all others are off. In summer I leave one air conditioner running at 78*. Disconnect pedestal water supply.

Timber boat, so bilge pumps and flooding alarms on, shore cable plugged in and battery chargers running.
Seacocks open.

I leave my seacocks closed (all 4). My bilge pumps are on in automatic mode. All switches are off and I do not have shore power. I was on the boat today after not being aboard since Sunday. Both battery banks were at 100% charge (thank you solar panels). The only thing I have on other than bilge pumps is the solar panel controller. I haven't hooked the batteries up to a charger since 2011 when I installed them.

Wayfarer said:

I leave the keys in the ignition, in the hopes that someone will steal it someday.

Click to expand...

Where exactly do you berth your boat, Wayfarer????

3 Seacocks - OPEN
ER Lights - OFF
Battery Charger - ON
Pressure Water - OFF
Water Heater - OFF
Horn Air - OFF
Inverter - OFF
120V Fridge - ON/EMPTY
12v/120V Fridge - ON
120V Countertop Fan - ON
Winter ER 120V Heater - ON
Winter Cabin 120V Ceramic Heater - ON
Winter Dri-Z-Air Dispensers - FILLED

All other AC and DC circuits remain powered in my absence.

bilge pumps on
shore power on
charger on
refrigerator on
everything else off
thru hulls open: engine, auto bilge pumps, sinks
thru hulls closed: blackwater, manual bilge pump, shower water

operate boat at least every two weeks or less

I'm only 3km from the dock, an easy bicycle ride if I don't drive down. I visit the boat every other day even if just for a coffee but usually do something else as well. So I tend to leave everything the same as I would at anchor, except I have shore power connected as well. I can go down, hop on board and have hot water available, and switch TV on from standby as Satellite dish is also on and tracking.

While I'm waiting for the coffee maker to warm up I'll check the battery SOC and run the diaphragm pump in the bilge. It usually pumped a little water out, but it was never high enough level to trigger the bilge pumps themselves. A few days ago I tightened the packing gland on the starboard shaft so now even the diaphragm doesn't have anything to pump out.

Then its time to just sit for a bit with the coffee and reflect on how nice a place the world can be .....

I borrowed Al's list and modified it for what I do....


All 6 Seacocks - CLOSED
Seacock strainers-DRAINED
All power panel switches - OFF EXCEPT FOR THOSE NEEDED TO POWER THE 6 HEATERS INSIDE THE BOAT AND 1 IN THE ENGINE ROOM.
Battery Charger - ON
Batteries -ALL ON (6 FOR THE HOUSE, ENGINES & GENSET, 6 FOR THE INVERTER, 4 FOR THE THRUSTER)
Inverter - ON
50A/120V & 50A/240V Shore power - ON
Pressure Water - DRAINED AND LINES BLOWN OUT.
Water Heater - OFF AND DRAINED
Inverter - ON
120V Fridge & Freezer- ON/EMPTY
Fly Bridge Freezer & Refrig-OFF
6 120V heaters - ON AND SET TO 750 Watt SETTING
Winter ER 120V Heater - ON (BOATSAFE HEATER)
Safety "DO NOT START" tags-HANGING ON ENGINE SWITCHES AND POWER PANEL SWITCHES TO REMIND ME THAT SEA COCKS ARE CLOSED.


I also hang a 120V bulb up in the fly bridge, hanging from one of the stainless supports for the bimini. This bulb is bright green so everyone can see if it is on or off. Dock mates all know to keep an eye out for it.


I also have an excellent mechanic that's 5 minutes from the boat. He has a key to it and whenever he's around the marina working on another boat he goes by and checks my boat.

AC power on
Charger on
Fridge on if there is food in it, if no trip coming up, turn it off and clean it out.
Four bilge pumps in auto, two per batt bank.
Sea cocks open
Aircons off
Everything else off.

In the winter we leave the boat 3 to 4 months at a time. We leave the boat the same as when we live on the boat. All seacocks below the water line are closed the seacocks above the water are open. A/C electric is on except the water heater, heat set for 70 degrees, and lights likes are left on. Dc domestic water is turned of. So when we get back the boat the lights are on and the boat is warm.

I installed a Boatnanny security alarm the send a text status every day and if an alarm goes off. It monitors two bilge floats, temperature in the bilge and salon, sound, motion, AC electricity, and I can call for a status report or listen. So if a bilge, smoke, fire, CO, propane alarm goes off the sound sends a message. So thousands of miles away, I can monitor the boat.

Wow!

I leave every thing on, but close the sea cocks.

The hold n treat goes to "no discharge" mode

Except...

In the winter I leave one of the diesel furnaces on freeze protect mode. Keeps the boat above freezing, and dry inside so no mold come spring. Burns about a hundred gallons of diesel during the 5 month lay up.

I also set two of the 750 watt electric built in heaters to 35 degrees.

and I turn the water pump and vacuflush heads off.

Yes the boat is fully winterized, and yes I hire a boat watch company to check on it weekly, which includes a interior walk through.

I also have a alarm system that alerts me if there is a problem, and several cameras I stare at longingly daily.

I've thought long and hard about each of these settings. No guarantee my thinking is right. Of course, each boat and berth is different and each decision depends on one's own circumstances, but here's what I came up with:

3 Seacocks - OPEN

I have replaced all the hoses and all are in excellent shape. My hull is notorious for being overbuilt. My seacocks are in great shape and get exercised quarterly. My greatest risk here is forgetting to open the seacocks before departure. I choose to take the risk with the hose over my own 'pilot error'.

ER Lights - OFF

I operate them ON/OFF from a CB at the main panel. I have a switch in the ER, but prefer them ON when using the ER video cameras. This way I can operate them from the helm, not needing to climb into the ER to turn them off.

Battery Charger - ON

I experimented for a period with leaving the start battery off the charger while away. (I left the house charger on at all times.) Shortly after I started this test, the start batt began to drop. One cell was bogging down a bit. About the same time, my charger died, so I bought a new one with a 4th stage of charging...the equalization stage. I returned the start batt to the charger schedule and it has recovered beautifully.

I thought I'd have to replace the start batt, but now it's fine. Lesson learned: Use 4 stage charging to lengthen the life of the batts.

Pressure Water - OFF

If a water line fails, I don't want the fresh water pump running nonstop.

Water Heater - OFF

If a line fails and drains the water tank, I don't want the water heater powered and burning up.

Horn Air - OFF

If an air line breaks, I don't want the air pump running non-stop.

Inverter - OFF

All my A needs are met with shore power. In the event of a shore AC failure, the only critical item is a fridge full of bait or food. (see fridge comments)

120V Fridge - ON/EMPTY

One time my diver left my boat unplugged. Fortunately, I returned the next day and caught the error. I still lost the salmon roe bait in the 120V freezer, but no real problem. Now, I leave all my bait in the 12V freezer with the food and beer there, too.

12v/120V Fridge - ON

If the 120V fails, the 12V kicks in an keeps the food/bait/beer cold.

120V Countertop Fan - ON

The improved circulation helps with boat smells and retards mold growth. I really haven't had a problem with either, but I chalk that up to keeping the air moving.

Winter ER 120V Heater - ON

I do this at the recommendation of my friend, Giggitoni. When I kept my boat in the CA Delta, I never had an issue with high humidity levels in the ER. When I moved to the Bay area fringe zone, I was cautioned that it can be a problem. So I moved my oil-filled radiator style heater to the ER for winter duty.

Winter Cabin 120V Ceramic Heater - ON

The warmer the air is, the less moisture settles on the boat's interior surfaces. Keeping my boat warm eliminates mold threat and makes it a whole lot more comfortable when I show up.

Winter Dri-Z-Air Dispensers - FILLED

These gems remove lots of moisture from the air and keep mold at bay.

All other AC and DC circuits remain powered in my absence.

I want power to my outlets, bilge pumps, and lights. I could selectively turn off many breakers, but I don't see the sense in that. If it's not a problem with driving motors or pumps in the event of a failure, they stay powered.

At the same latitude (and marina) as Al, we haven't noticed any negative effects from alleged raised humidity, if any, during winter or otherwise. So we don't run a heater when not in the boat (or rarely when we are.)

Water and air pumps are definitely "off" when we're not onboard as well as radar, gps plotter, fish finder, and such. Any flags are taken down too.

FlyWright said:

Where exactly do you berth your boat, Wayfarer????

Click to expand...

Slip #45. You can't miss it. I keep one of these on the dock:

Wayfarer said:

Slip #45. You can't miss it. I keep one of these on the dock:

Click to expand...

LOL!! I should be able to find it then!

No shore power , so 2 8-D batts with 85W solar and two bilge pumps , one higher than the other.

I had a list, but I lost it. So now I just wing it(to borrow a term), normally I remember to turn off the engines before I hit the dock, well mostly.

I won't forget to turn the BBQ off after last time, the club rang and said my BBQ cover was smoking,still it needed replacing anyway.

Seacocks, I had no idea you could close them, as I said to my surveyor before they told me not to bother sending them any more money each year, that has saved a bit.

Lights, you can't beat a dozen or so candles, just watch out for the curtains, and remember to blow them out before hoping off, or buy some of those fire resistant ones, the type they use in the cinemas(ever since that dreadful accident)

Isn't it great growing old with your boat, trouble is remembering where you left it sometimes.Still that's what wives are for.

3 thru hulls with ball valves left open--AC, generator, toilet inlet.

1 real seacock on main left open

I have been leaving the AC on dehumidify mode lately. Seems to work OK. So AC RW pump is left on.

DC only fridge and freezer left on so battery charger stays on. However, if the AC at the dock goes out for some reason it will kill my new, expensive, AGM house bank so not sure that a good idea. Does AC at the dock go out often?

All other DC switches off.

All 12V off
120V on
charger on
AC off but cheap fans on
At times I have added a dehumidifier this is FL


In cooler weather I have left cabin doors open and disconnected power cord.


Well paid up insurance []