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Old 02-20-2021, 05:46 PM   #58
FlyWright
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City: California Delta
Vessel Name: FlyWright
Vessel Model: 1977 Marshall Californian 34 LRC
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 13,728
Quote:
Originally Posted by AKDoug View Post
I don't have an inverter, I use propane to cook and a french press to make coffee. The 100 amp aftermarket alternator tops off my batteries in normally less than an hour after a night on the hook, two hours after a couple of days without moving. I don't have roof space for solar panels, it's dedicated to my stand up paddle boards and shrimp pots.

Air conditioning up here means opening a window or two, so the total power demand is not much. I am NEVER on shore power, and don't care to have a generator running to disrupt my solitude. I don't understand why anyone would be tied to a dock when they could be anchored out, and who wants to hear a generator when you're rafted up?

I replaced the microwave and two burner electric with a three burner Mediterranean with an oven, so cooking is done in silence and without a draw on my batteries. I mounted a 7 gallon horizontal aluminum propane tank on the cabin roof, never used more than 2 gallons in a season. Better too much than not enough :-) Different needs, different solutions, I think it's cool that we all share what we do and commonly offer up why we did it that way.

My two 4D's are as much battery as I can fit, with a group 31 start battery, and lack of access to them made me go with Lifeline AGM's. There is about 2" of clearance over the tops under the cabin sole, so it has to be maintenance free. The RO unit I put in last year took the monkey off my back for my fresh water supply. I suppose I could abandon one tank for space, but often am in silty glacier drainage where I wouldn't want to run the RO unit.

30' means choices, definitely can't take it all with you!
Great post, AKD! No two boats, budgets, environments and missions are alike. Each brings it's own challenges and solutions. I enjoy seeing other's solutions to similar challenges. In the end, I always learn something.

Last summer, I mounted my 400W solar on my fwd rails bc I didn't have other 'clean' real estate. Don't know how it would survive in the salty and icy elements out there, but it seems to be working quite well in the relatively benign, warm and sunny environment of the CA Delta.

I've always sought simple solutions. This was as simple as I could get with $1BU.
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