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Donald Tyson
Joined: 24 Jul 2023
Posts: 588
Photos: Thistle
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 Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2025 10:47 pm Post subject: |
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I'll digest these comments on Wednesday. Seems like the solar panel isn't so bad but it is not wired into the banks but just clipped with alligator clips (I'm slowly learning what I'm looking at.
They found that a GFCI is bad. None of the 110V outlets work. All accessories are hooked to the main starting battery.
Tomorrow |
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Donald Tyson
Joined: 24 Jul 2023
Posts: 588
Photos: Thistle
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 12:55 pm Post subject: |
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Yes! Solar products have really changed over the years
| ssobol wrote: | | If the solar panel is more than a couple of years old, you might want to look into installing a newer one. Prices are down, technology has improved, and can solar panels degrade over time. |
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Donald Tyson
Joined: 24 Jul 2023
Posts: 588
Photos: Thistle
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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Tom, If this doesn't cost me my marriage I don't know what will. I've used up all the bread by toasting it. I used up all the gasoline and blew through 13 pots of coffee and I still don't have a boat.
Seriously when they get it back to me later in week I will return to this topic.
Bob,
I'll look into the twin forties and the find out what their potential is for charging.
So later in week I'll come back to this.
| Tom Hruby wrote: | Don, 1 kWh of storage can be a lot or little depending on your power use. As a starting point a 12 V 100AH battery stores a maximum of 1.2 kWh of energy (12 V x 100 A = 1.2 kWh). However, a 12V High end lead acid battery only stores about 0.7 kWh of energy because they should not be drained below about 60% of capacity without seriously affecting their longevity. This is for the more expensive lead acid batteries. The less expensive ones have a limit of 50% of capacity. Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries on the other hand can be taken down to 10% of their capacity without affecting their longevity.
I have been giving presentations on electric propulsion at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival for several years and have collected some fun information.
1 kWh of energy stored is equal to the energy stored in:
3/4 of a loaf of bread
2.7 oz of gasoline
What can you do with 1kWh of energy:
Toast 89 slice of toast
Run a modern kitchen fridge for 20 hours
brew 12 pots of coffee
AND on a boat:
Run a small portable fridge that draws 5 A for about 2 days
Run your cabin lights and running lights also for about 2 days if you have LEDs.
run my C-Dory for 2.5 miles at 5 mph
So if you have a solar panel, it can be used to supplement your house battery, and if the sun cooperates even keep it topped off. Since your starting battery is usually connected to the alternator on your motor, the motor should be adequate to keep it charged up.
Regarding a back up generator:
It all depends on how much time you spend motoring relative to anchoring and whether your outboard has a stator or alternator. In either case the output is about 25-40 amps depending on the motor size. So at 12V and 30 Amps it puts out 360 watts/hour (0.36 kWh). To get 1 kWh into the battery will require you to run the outboard for almost 3 hours. |
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