Real-Life Power Consumption Numbers

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by daletournier

Its the extented passages that eat up the power, it compounds. Trying to get the bank back up is difficult with power hogs like the autopilot. I tend to start the engine each morning to whack a big chunk in while underway.
A64, I also have always struggled with having a perfectly good battery sitting there doing nothing and combine both banks regularly, when in a area that assures me I don't be stuck, obviously the danger is the whole bank going down and not having a way to start the engine, what is your plan regarding this?

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I have 1000 W of Solar, If I find a way to kill the bank so bad I can't even start the generator or main engine, then I can isolate a couple of good batteries and the Solar will charge them up enough to crank the motor. I may buy another Honda to save hours on the Diesel gen set too, undecided there.
My 4-JHE can easily be started with a lawnmower battery I'm sure, it doesn't take much power to start, it's not like it was a big DD or something.
I haven't tried, but bet I could get it going with my Milwaukee angle drill I use on my winches.

[barnakiel]

It is interesting you find the AP a hog. I sail boats for money at times and found that on most big and sensible boats the fridges and the plasmas make for about 80% of the power budget.

b.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

It is interesting you find the AP a hog. I sail boats for money at times and found that on most big and sensible boats the fridges and the plasmas make for about 80% of the power budget.

b.

I wonder if sail balance is an issue. There are a lot of things you can do to lighten the load that you don't think about when day sailing. For example, if reaching deep, use more head sail and less main.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

It is interesting you find the AP a hog. I sail boats for money at times and found that on most big and sensible boats the fridges and the plasmas make for about 80% of the power budget.

b.

I've only done a couple of overnighters on this new to me boat, both times were with rolly following seas with 20+ knots, and I had the autopilot on a higher response level, its a 47 foot boat, I guesstimate its drawing 5 amps. The fridge as always is a hog thats manageable BUT combined with the autopilot running 24hr its alot. As I mentioned in another thread ive solved the autopilot pilot power issue by getting my hydrovane working well saving me approx 90-130 amp. Now that's no big deal on short passages but I plan on having a couple of 10day passages this year, it becomes substantial then, accumulative, batteries slowly creeping down. Combine this with some overcast weather and its worse.

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[daletournier]

Originally Posted by thinwater

I wonder if sail balance is an issue. There are a lot of things you can do to lighten the load that you don't think about when day sailing. For example, if reaching deep, use more head sail and less main.

Sail balance matters obviously, but running deep at 190 ish just using genoa it isnt the issue, sea state is more the issue in developed trade wind conditions. If you have 20-30k that have been happening for days in relatively shallow coastal water the following sea or just off your quarter is hard on the autopilot.
Take it this boat is new to me so still learning and this could be part of the issue.

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[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I may buy another Honda to save hours on the Diesel gen set too, undecided there.

Can't imagine that being useful. The diesel genset should be good for a bazillion hours, and "use it or lose it" generally applies. What would be your gain? The genset lasts for 5 lifetimes beyond your own?



-Chris

[sailjumanji]

Just to update this, because someone just pulled this up on another forum. When I originally posted these numbers, we owned a Seawind 1000. The system and current draw numbers are all for that boat. We have since upsized to a Seawind 1160 Lite, with completely different systems. As that is the boat we own now, that is what shows up under our boat ownership info. And it makes it look like the numbers I posted back in 2017 were for a Lite. They were for the Seawind 1000.