The post-shorepower era

[Jammer]

Alternative energy, batteries, inverters, and charging systems have improved dramatically over the last, say, 20 years.

Have we reached the point where shore power systems are no longer worth having? Space, weight, cost, safety, maintenance, compatibility with various connectors and voltages, are all a problem. Shore power is necessary for running air conditioning while at a marina, but is there any other situation where a properly equipped cruising boat needs it?

[CaptTom]

"Needs" is a pretty strong word.

The big loads are refrigeration and heating or cooling the cabin. Heating water is pretty power-hungry, too. Battery charging is probably something you want to be able to do even when the sun doesn't shine. Electric tools, coffeepot, hair dryer, etc are all nice to have.

Can you do it all without shore power? Sure. Don't use air conditioning. Heat the cabin with diesel or solid fuel. Take showers ashore or use a solar warming bag. Buy ice ashore, make coffee over a gas range or buy a 12V coffee maker. Install a huge solar array and lots of batteries. You're not saving much weight or complexity though.

Even if you're away from shore power most of the time, the convenience of plugging in when you do finally tie up is hard to beat. For me, the air conditioner can be more than just a convenience. After a few days of heat, humidity and sweat, running an air conditioner dries the air, even if it's only a little cooler. It makes a world of difference in your comfort and energy level.

[spearfish3]

I would not own a boat that could not at least be charged on shore power. Can you go without it? Sure. You could also go with composting heads, manual watermaker, and basic electronics; but, those are not choices I would want. A lot comes down to the size of the boat, the desired level of finish and amenities, and resale.

I love the idea of energy independence in cruising, but I also want a backup for the times when the boat is left unattended or the weather is not cooperating for renewable sources. It is also good to equalize your batteries from time to time and shore power is a huge help here.

[thomm225]

If you are a coastal cruiser, weekend warrior, vacation type sailor/cruiser, you probably don't need shore power if your systems are minimal. Over time, you may be able to adjust for longer term cruising as well depending.....

I have very simple systems: autopilot, GPS, Depth, lights, ac inverter, VHF, etc and I haven't hooked up to shore power in a few years. (but do have the cable, adapter, and a battery charger on board should I need it) When I am out "cruising" though, I don't stay at marinas.

I have a 60 watt solar panel that charges two 12 volts batteries (thru a Windy Nation Controller) which are in parallel. I also have two more 20 watt panels and extra controllers that I have yet to hook up

I have a propane hot plate for cooking and coffee making.

I have a Mr Heater Buddy (that uses propane) so I don't freeze if out on cold nights

[zeehag]

when you need to repair your boat, shorepower is a handy thing to have, i ripped mine out and then re installed as a result. oopsy. is expensive to reinstall, so i s easier to let it be. you WILL use it despite your decision at this time not to use it.
saving the 60 pounds of weight is not going to do anything to your handling or sail efficiency or load trim..

[valhalla360]

Can it be done...sure but you either give up amenities or pay for a really expensive system that still can't do everything.

Now if the boat comes with a really nice non-shore power system and no shore power, I might hold off to see if it works for me but if the boat comes with shore power, I see zero advantage in getting rid of it. If nothing else, leave it alone so when you go to sell, people aren't knocking thousands off on the assumption they will be installing shore power.

[Suijin]

Equipping your boat for shore power is comparatively cheap, particularly if you don't have a built in inverter. And on a smaller boat with no generator it's almost mandatory if you want to use various AC stuff like tools when at the dock.

[rom]

Some boat builders still make it complicated (manual) to switch from shore to batt/inverter. In my case shore power is just a plug and a cable going to the victron multiplus. Rebuilding the system without the plug, cable, and using a Phoenix instead of a multiplus would save maybe 5 kg, 200 euro, close to 0 complexity. I am not interested.

[tanglewood]

In general I think the answer is no. Running a house off grid is very viable - I have one and it has worked great for approaching 20 years now. But that's because there is lots of space for lots of solar panels. About 3200W in total. We run the house like any other, including a full work shop. The backup generator starts and stops automatically and runs maybe 12 times a year, with solar covering everything else.

But it's different on a boat because you typically don't have anywhere near that much space for solar. If you can fit 1000 or 1500W, you a have a really big array for a boat. So you would be looking at a lot more generator time to offset the smaller solar. It could be done, but probably not with tradeoffs that most people wouldn't want to make.

[Jim Cate]

It's all a matter of your energy usage. We only have 340 watts of solar plus an Air-X turbine, but during the summer months we live at anchor without need of a gen set (which we do not have!). We have a modest refrigerator, no air con and no other big energy hogs when at rest. Under way our auto pilot can be hungry under some conditions.

So, with that background, when we make our occasional forays into a marina, we often do not bother plugging in our primitive shore power system... which consists of a battery charger and one outlet for an electric kettle. All our AC needs are met by a pair of 600 watt inverters, one 110 v, one 240 v, needed because we're still using a lot of stuff we left the States with 31 years ago, but have later purchased various local 240 volt bits.

In the winter months, with lower sun angles and shorter days we are mostly in the tropics, but fall a bit short of solar independence. Usually charging via the alternator whilst moving about fills the gaps, but sometimes dedicated engine runs are made. Makes me grumpy, so one day soon (?) I'll add some more solar.

Thus, I reckon that the "post shore power era" has arrived... if you want to join it.

Jim

[Pegu Club]

Not yet, maybe twenty to fifty years out, unless something changes in the way of alternative energy production and storage.

Basically we are one of those no shore power folk you may have heard of😜
We use a composting head, what most would call minimum electrics, although we use a chart plotter, wind instrument, depth, speed, and temp. We use foot or hand pumps for water, and a Monitor wind steering vain, Sobian solar panels w/ firefly batteries. But... We do have the shore power adaptor that one plugs an extension cord into. Our motivation is to keep expenses down to a dull roar as it were, or as the admiral says keeping the fun to suck ratio under control. Because the more systems, and the more complex those systems are the more they cost to purchase fix or replace. The need for a shore power plug or two on the boat become imperative for a high electric draw style of boating. We like to be out on the hook the vast majority of the time, but are currently in a slip, this has forced us to become much better at docking 😀

In eight months we are retirering and sailing south (Caribbean) 🌴⛵️🌴 And anchoring 99% of the time.

The day alternative energy production and storage are so good that the need for shore power as we know it becomes extinct will be a great day for humans world wide.

[Paul L]

If we are stopping in a marina for just a few days, as we are now, we don't usually plug in. But this is in an area with lots of sun. If we are in a slip longer term then I take the time to figure out the right plugs and conversion. It isn't always sunny and wind gens are even less reliable.

[smac999]

you pretty much need shore power to fully charge batteries. which should be done weekly or so. 95% of people not plugging in, are likely never hitting 100% SOC.

also here we have electric heaters on boats ~5 months a year.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by smac999

you pretty much need shore power to fully charge batteries. which should be done weekly or so. 95% of people not plugging in, are likely never hitting 100% SOC.

.......

This statement gets made a lot on CF, or one close to it. I don't think it is very accurate when dealing with full time cruisers. We haven't been plugged in for near 8 months. Solar, engine charge, genset all contribute as needed to getting to 100%, along with good conservation. We get to an honest 100% 3+ times a week, usually on solar only.

[Mike OReilly]

As usual, the answer is: “It depends…”

In my case we’re pretty much self sufficient with solar and wind when away from the dock. No air-con, no hot water, no electricity for heating. Biggest energy hog is the old fridge, but 400 watts solar, and 400 watt windy (SilentWind) does the job 95% of the time.

However… at the dock I have limited control over solar exposure. At anchor I can position ourselves to maximize the sun, but at the dock we’re sometimes placed in a location with poor exposure. Even though our wind generator is pretty quiet, I prefer not to run it at the dock, so sometimes hooking up to shore power is needed.