Liveaboard solar power

[columbia]

hello,

ive read around and searched the forums and internet quite a bit but still am pretty confused on this subject. let me give you a quick background, then ask kindly if anyone could give some information.

im moving aboard my 69 columbia 26 mkII "miss julia anne" within the next month. the boat is ready for me, minus electrical power and a couple small appliances! i will be purchasing solar panels, misc. controllers and a new battery bank within the next week or two. i know the first step is to do an electrical use survey. quite a few of the things i will be using wont be purchased until after installing the solar system during my final shopping trip and last minute purchases online, so i dont have exact figures and this is kinda throwing a wrench in the gears of my solar survey.

basically all I will use electrically is minimal cellular phone charging, a couple hours a day of a small 12v portable tv (12" size range), a couple hours a day of am/fm radio, a couple hours a day of vhf monitoring, minimal bildge pump use, occasionally charging my cordless power tools, the anchor light at night, occasional deck light, 1 or 2 small 12v cabin fans a few hours a day, and a couple small in cabin lights (combined a few hours a day).

aside from that, i may eventually get a laptop to use on the boat so i would need to figure that in also. no fridge and no a/c unless i could figure in a small 12v portable cooler/heater (found a new one on ebay for $75... the kind that keep food 40 degrees less than ambiant... for occasional use)

ok, with that in mind... what wattage, and how many solar panels would be recommended? and how many deep cycle 12v marine batteries would i need to setup? i have found some pretty decent prices on ebay for new solar systems (panel, wire + controller) and could buy the batteries locally (walmart... etc.).

i have not been able to find any detailed "how to" guides for setting up this system either... i would hate to setup this expensive system just to fry it because of some shady internet how-to guide!!

im sorry for the long post, and for needing so much information but i have no previous knowledge on solar power and have not been able to find the information that i need yet, online or in person. i can learn this stuff quickly if i can only get the initial help and/or reading material that relates to this.

thank you very much for your time and in advance for your replies.

-jd