Solar panel and AC advice

[moseriw]

I tried the lounge chairs at the pool those nights, but it didn't help.

one trick may be to stay at sea on anchor as there is almost always wind.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by Leo Ticheli

"Fool, it's hot! I told you again! Were you born on the sun? It's damn hot!"

Great movie reference! Mark it an 8, dude!

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by aDemilich

Thanks! It says 130 watts on the charger- I'm not sure if it continually draws that much, but I was surprised too that it needs that much power. Unfortunately, my work requires that I use this laptop in order to connect to their VPN.

The charger itself is probably very inefficient. Rather than simply plugging in the regular mains charger into an inverter driven 120v AC outlet, which also has significant inefficiencies, I would find a 12v adapter that plugs right into the laptop. That is going to be a much more efficient way to power the laptop.

Also, I wound consider cutting off any "cigarette lighter" type plug on the end and wiring a dedicated sealed connector and a separately fused dedicated outlet. That 12v adapter will become corroded over time, and generally they are pretty crappy.

I'm not far enough along in my own research on this to recommend a connector yet, perhaps there is a specific type recommended by ABYC or similar I'm not sure. There are way smarter people on here than me who probably know the answer to that.

[OneKoolCat]

I have a catamaran with space for solar. Last year I had 720w of permanent panels( I will have more this year). I also have 1200 watts of cheap foldable panels that I can tie down around the boat. For a house bank I have 1600ah (well 1760 technically but I cap the top and bottom ranges) of lithium in a custom bank.

My wife does not like sleeping in a hot boat. I can run the A/C off of the inverter for 8 hours or more in the aft cabins when we are sleeping assuming that I have near a full charge. I also run the water heater for showers (not all the time just for an hour for everyone's showers). I think the A/C it is about 8k BTU because it pulls 600-1000watts when cooling depending on where in its cycle it is. Usually once it is near the right temp it coasts for a periods, so it does not run hard the whole time and only draws about 100 watts when it is just blowing without the compressor.

We don't run it during the day, and if it starts getting late and there has not been enough sun I can kick on the engine to top off the batteries, but so far on days when we have needed the A/C I have not needed to. I would also add I am not a full time live aboard. I just pretend during the summer.

At home on land I got my wife a Chilipad which lets her control temperature if she is too hot or cold. They say it averages 80 watts, I can throw a meter on it if anyone is interested. That might be a great option for Projectfreedom if the goal is a good nights sleep in the heat. Fans do wonders at night as well.

As someone mentioned there are plenty of loads on the boat. More solar is better and everyone's situation is different.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by thomm225

You have a boat and you live in Florida and you don't know?

It gets real fricking hot.

When we lost power in July in Pensacola after a hurricane, you learn real fast.

I don't mind being hot but when you are trying to sleep it's tough.

I tried the lounge chairs at the pool those nights, but it didn't help.

Another night slept on the tramp of my beach cat, but it was still super hot and I was wet with sweat a 2 am.

It is hot in Mexico also. In the summer when the heat and humidity go up we switch on the air conditioning using the marina mains for power. Without AC life in the marina would be pretty intolerable. If we lost power the first thing I would do is move to the nearby anchorage. Air flow makes things easier. Of course our nearby mountians help. The nighttime downflow of cool air from the mountains is refreshing. In the day time the sea breeze also helps.

I think the bottom line though is to live in a region where the climate is more moderate. Humans have decided that we can live in a hot and humid place but keep it cool (with plenty of power). That is a very expensive decision in many ways, and pretty hard to do in a small boat.

The solution is to adapt to the environment, not change it.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by OneKoolCat

I have a catamaran with space for solar. Last year I had 720w of permanent panels( I will have more this year). I also have 1200 watts of cheap foldable panels that I can tie down around the boat. For a house bank I have 1600ah (well 1760 technically but I cap the top and bottom ranges) of lithium in a custom bank.



My wife does not like sleeping in a hot boat. I can run the A/C off of the inverter for 8 hours or more in the aft cabins when we are sleeping assuming that I have near a full charge. I also run the water heater for showers (not all the time just for an hour for everyone's showers). I think the A/C it is about 8k BTU because it pulls 600-1000watts when cooling depending on where in its cycle it is. Usually once it is near the right temp it coasts for a periods, so it does not run hard the whole time and only draws about 100 watts when it is just blowing without the compressor.



We don't run it during the day, and if it starts getting late and there has not been enough sun I can kick on the engine to top off the batteries, but so far on days when we have needed the A/C I have not needed to. I would also add I am not a full time live aboard. I just pretend during the summer.



At home on land I got my wife a Chilipad which lets her control temperature if she is too hot or cold. They say it averages 80 watts, I can throw a meter on it if anyone is interested. That might be a great option for Projectfreedom if the goal is a good nights sleep in the heat. Fans do wonders at night as well.



As someone mentioned there are plenty of loads on the boat. More solar is better and everyone's situation is different.

You’ve got almost 2kw of solar.....

Referenced to the OP’s desire for this in a 35’ boat.....well, as was ssid up thread. More than you can fit.

[OneKoolCat]

Sailmonkey,

Yep I get that. I guess my thinking is with a big battery and extra solar spread about like an awning over the boom when at anchor there are options to make the OPs boat what he wants. I don't have that much when not at anchor though I wish I did.

A generator might be more practical on a 35 foot mono. There are also other options besides A/C. It depends what his priorities and situation are.

[_LifeInTheWild_]

When I was younger I lived on a 24 footer in Florida. I went out one night with some friends and had way too much to drink. At around 4am I got back to my boat and passed out. I had an AC unit over the top of my vberth hatch. It was amazing until the dock power was turned off at the marina for several hours due to some repair work that was being done. I had that boat sealed up as tight as a cucumber and it didn't take long for it to get HOT. I think that is the closest to death that I have ever come. I woke up drenched. When I sat up my vision swam and I stumbled to the companion way and opened it up. I managed out to the cockpit, scooped some water up, and soaked my head and torso. I laid in the cockpit and cooled off by the sea breeze until I was able to make my way to a cold marina shower. AC or no AC I started sleeping with the companion way open. The cool air blowing down on me was enough.

[Gerrycooper56]

Maybe the first step for comfortable living is to invest in decent awnings.

[rapanui 2]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Overkill, just a Honda EU2200

jobless, houseless, clueless, living on a boat and cruising around somewhere
are you not tired of your joke/quote????

[cr180]

While as some have said, it is possible, but in my experience not practical to attempt to run air conditioning in a monohull sailboat in Florida in the summer. Sorry for the bad news. The good news is that cruising in the winter months, actually through mid May, is delightful. No air conditioning required.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by Gerrycooper56

Maybe the first step for comfortable living is to invest in decent awnings.

I agree. Keeping the deck in the shade does wonders to keep the boat cooler in the tropics and the cost is a fraction of air conditioning and associated expenses (batteries, solar panels etc.). Also, large deck hatches that open forward will keep the air flowing through the boat. My boat is cool inside, even when it's 40 degrees outside.

[LargeMarge]

Originally Posted by Projectfreedom

.
[ edited for brevity ]
.
sailboat...Florida summer...how many solar panels will I need and how many batteries will I need to pump my cabin with AC for at least 8 hours...

.
.
2003, we converted a 1997 Ford CF8000 commercial truck to our concept of an ExpeditionVehicle.

After a couple-three days of full-time live-aboard experimentation, we discovered The Key to staying cool in summer temperatures -- parking in shade.

The other The Key?
Around north America, we go north for summers, south for winters.
.
We hope this helps!

[moseriw]

Originally Posted by OneKoolCat

Sailmonkey,

Yep I get that. I guess my thinking is with a big battery and extra solar spread about like an awning over the boom when at anchor there are options to make the OPs boat what he wants. I don't have that much when not at anchor though I wish I did.

A generator might be more practical on a 35 foot mono. There are also other options besides A/C. It depends what his priorities and situation are.

Maybe someone can create a raft for the solar panels that we can use like a trailer?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by rapanui 2

jobless, houseless, clueless, living on a boat and cruising around somewhere
are you not tired of your joke/quote????

not anymore since I now know it is bugs you!