Advice please

[DavidofMersea]

I have just bought my first cruiser. The previous owner kept her in a marina, and "plugged in" whilst he was away. I plan to keep her on a mooring, and I need some advice about keeping the battery charged.

If we assume that I sail on average no more than twice a week, perhaps less, and only use instruments and occasionally Autohelm, my electricity usage will not be great. My engine helps charging, but I don't like engines, so this can be discounted.

I wonder if a fully charged battery will last all season, or even with a mid season re-charge.

If this is not enough, it seems that my options are either solar power or a wind generator - but which is best.

Wind generators have moving parts, which in time will fail, also wind generators cost more than solar power. Solar power would seem to be the best option

There would seem to be some very cheap solar panels - for example Force 4 are selling small ones at £69.95, are they any good?

Is there someone out there that can speak from experience?

 

[Talbot]

solar panels cheaper than wind power - I dont think so. You need to compare like with like (i.e. charging ability) The panel you are talking about will be just a trickle charge, and except on really sunny days is going to be struggling to make up for a lot of battery use. You need to quantify your battery useage and then work out just how big a system you require, or whether getting an extra battery and swapping them round every week + a charger at home would be the best solution.

 

[sailorman]

my Aerogen 4 is now at least 12 yrs old (changed bearings once) for mooring their great. always had full batts every friday on arrival

 

[DavidofMersea]

Thank you for your advice Talbot. You are saying "You need to quantify your battery useage" and "The panel you are talking about will be just a trickle charge".

I said that I would just be using instruments, and sometimes a little Autohelm about twice a week - my question was "was a trickle charge from a cheap solar panel enough?"

 

[Mirelle]

Frankly, I would not bother even with that.

I've kept a boat on moorings for most of my life and never bothered with either a solar panel or wind generator.

I use the engine very little, incidentally, but that little - say two or three hours in a weekend - is enough to keep the batteries (2 x 110 a/h - 50 amp alternator) charged.

 

[Talbot]

Quantify means work out how much amp/hours you actually use per week i.e. so many hours of autohelm at so many amps, etc etc for all electrical gadgets onboard. e.g. 10w interior light on for 3 hours per day = 3 amp hours (approx), 4 hours of tricolour at 25w bulb = 8 amp/hrs. add it all up, check the daily expected power output from the solar panel divide it by 3 (even more if in scotland) and see if it is enough.

 

[VicS]

My 5 watt panel keeps a small leisure battery topped up. My electical needs are small. I seldom sail at night, perhaps down the harbour on a friday evening to anchor ready for an early start on saturday (oil lamp as anchor light), one or two cabin lights during the evening Vhf on standby echo sounder only when needed (negligible anyway) but autohelm on practically all the time.

I would not go smaller than 5 watt though but I can't fit anything larger.

If you have the shore power capability you can at least use it to recharge in marinas you visit but the battery will not last the whole season without charging and if a mid season charge means taking it ashore in a small dinghy then that's a real pain. Also bad for batteries to be left partly discharged.

Solar panels are also silent.

 

[billcowan]

Yep, engine is cheapest and best for battery charging,
Christ, you canpractically BUY a new engine for the price of a big panel or even a decent sized wind thing.

If you dont have an engine in your boat, you might consider one of those very cheap generators & a battery charger. Much cheaper than the other things, and 100% charging when you want it, even when there is no sun and no wind.

 

[DavidofMersea]

Thanks VicS, your type of sailing is just what I propose to do. I don't expect to have "autohelm on practically all the time" or cabin lights and VHF on standby, so if 5 watt is ok for you, a 6 watt solar trickle charger for £69.95 from Force 4, should be OK for me - thanks

 

[LadyInBed]

You could always carry a Gel emergency starter battery to and from the boat with you, just in case.

 

[Neil_M]

Likewise. Keep mine on a swinging mooring with no battery charging other than short engine hours at the weekend and no problems. As long as you don't run lots of electrics you should have no difficulty.

 

[ex-Gladys]

Amber has a 15w panel not well positioned on the aft cockpit locker lid, and has been moored at MErsea for two years. The batteries NEVER need charging. Very good piece of kit for a weekend used boat when combined with engine runs for in and out of the channels

 

[VicS]

I should perhaps have added that I don't have an inboard engine, just a rope started outboard, so I do not have to be concerned that the battery is able to start it. On the other hand the amount of electrcal power I get from it is very small but if necessary it will power the nav lights.

Also my panel is permanently mounted on the sloping cabin front. It is just about the right angle but of course it does not always face the sun as the boat swings with wind and tide. The tides at the mooring are not strong so it tends to be wind rode, and facing SW, for a good proportion of the time.

 

[reginaldon]

I use a non-charging outboard; my solar panel (9W) cost 29 quid on Ebay, brought my battery up from 12.4v to 13.4v two wintry bright days 2 weeks ago - and that was measured 24 hours later. I don't leave it on charge - don't want to damage the battery.

 

[Evadne]

I've never had any form of charging except the engine, a small diesel inboard. It starts ok and then runs for between 20 minutes to an hour to get us out out of the creek or the harbour, until we can get the sails up. That seems to be more than sufficient to keep it charged. Instrumentation is minimal and electric cabin lamps are not used much.