Complete Lithium Installation Engineers Near Plymouth

[KeelsonGraham]

Hi Jonathon,

Thank you for such a thoughtful and comprehensive post. Here’s the detail of my problem.

My boat is a Catalina 34 Mk II. She’s great for weekend sailing and even the occasional 5-day excursion into true blue water. But being a low-freeboard design, she lacks vertical space to mount large components such as the Multiplus 2. I can easily find space for 2 x 200 ah Victron lithium batteries or even the 330ah version, and somewhere for the BMS. But not for the inverter charger - at least not anywhere within 2m of the battery bank. The Multiplus 2 is a beast and needs a further 10 cm of clear air all around it. On a Catalina 34 that would take out an entire hanging locker. (probably the one that already contains the AIS 700 and AC200h (heat/interference issues?): then there’s the issue of a small tight engine compartment with few options to change to a nice big externally regulated Balmar. I could stick with my existing OEM 80 amp thing and use a Victron CL 12/100 to control it (I think) but again the issue is space to mount it.

On the other had, the advantage of a small boat is that it doesn’t have much kit. Just one fridge. So at anchor, even in the UK, our 175w solar panel covers all our needs. A/P and nav kit when under way during daylight is also mostly covered.

In the Caribbean with two more panels on the new bimini we should be good for most things bar hot water.

So that leaves watermaking. The 12v option is just too puny to deliver the quanity of water we’d like to live comfortably. (At least 15 litres pp per day in the tropics) hence option for larger solutions.

I could buy a Honda 22i plus AC rainmain which would offer additional functions such as power tools but again, limited space to put all that stuff.

then there’s the question of what to do with the 0N 1 2 OFF Switch

The petrol PSU fits into the lazarette, powers the high output membranes and will push out 144 ph litres for 77 dB. so neighbours at max will be slightly disturbed late morning every four of 5 days.

it’s all compromises on a small boat, but my Oyter 87 fund has only reached four £4, 1$ and 36 rupees.

 

[Neeves]

Hi Jonathon,

Thank you for such a thoughtful and comprehensive post. Here’s the detail of my problem.

My boat is a Catalina 34 Mk II. She’s great for weekend sailing and even the occasional 5-day excursion into true blue water. But being a low-freeboard design, she lacks vertical space to mount large components such as the Multiplus 2. I can easily find space for 2 x 200 ah Victron lithium batteries or even the 330ah version, and somewhere for the BMS. But not for the inverter charger - at least not anywhere within 2m of the battery bank. The Multiplus 2 is a beast and needs a further 10 cm of clear air all around it. On a Catalina 34 that would take out an entire hanging locker. (probably the one that already contains the AIS 700 and AC200h (heat/interference issues?): then there’s the issue of a small tight engine compartment with few options to change to a nice big externally regulated Balmar. I could stick with my existing OEM 80 amp thing and use a Victron CL 12/100 to control it (I think) but again the issue is space to mount it.

On the other had, the advantage of a small boat is that it doesn’t have much kit. Just one fridge. So at anchor, even in the UK, our 175w solar panel covers all our needs. A/P and nav kit when under way during daylight is also mostly covered.

In the Caribbean with two more panels on the new bimini we should be good for most things bar hot water.

So that leaves watermaking. The 12v option is just too puny to deliver the quanity of water we’d like to live comfortably. (At least 15 litres pp per day in the tropics) hence option for larger solutions.

I could buy a Honda 22i plus AC rainmain which would offer additional functions such as power tools but again, limited space to put all that stuff.

then there’s the question of what to do with the 0N 1 2 OFF Switch

The petrol PSU fits into the lazarette, powers the high output membranes and will push out 144 ph litres for 77 dB. so neighbours at max will be slightly disturbed late morning every four of 5 days.

it’s all compromises on a small boat, but my Oyter 87 fund has only reached four £4, 1$ and 36 rupees.

Hopefully you will enjoy more learned posts (with corrections) to my comments.

I suspect you will not have an inverter charger but a B2B, battery to battery charger, with the existing alternator charging your engine start battery and the engine start battery charging a Lithium, house, bank. A small B2B (25amps) has a size of approx 15x10x4 cm - about the size of a small box of choclates and a 1500 W inverter will be a bit bigger at 22x33x7cm but only 1500 watts (a rather more generous box of chocolates). I suspect you will want a bigger B2B....? Your shunt will be tiny and a visual display of your battery state will be a skinny meter 2.5cm in diameter and maybe 20mm deep. Components can, or do, become warm and instead of a generous airspace you can simply add a computer fan and suck the warm air out (and maybe duct to the engine bay - adding another computer fan to suck all the air out of the engine bay - preferably ducted over the stern. Your lithium batteries will be half the size of the Trojans - so if you can house the Trojans you can house Lithiums, the inverter, B2B and MPPT controllers. If you have spare space - invest in bigger Lithiums.

I've never crossed the Atlantic, our blue water sailing was confined to HK- Manilla and then coastal cruising in the Tasman Sea, Bass Strait and Southern Ocean but I think you will find your AP, Fridge, Nav equipment (which you need to manage the AP) and lights will have a voracious appetite and your solars offering less than generous yield. The options are hair shirts, hand steering or much more solar and bigger batteries.

I don't deny the 'fad' demand for Lithium, its the latest gizmo etc etc - but on a small yacht (we crossed the China Sea in a much smaller yacht than your palatial Catalina 34 (which is why we bought a 38' catamaran (recently sold). But to maximise best use of your limited space you can better justify Lithium and a search of the 'ancillaries' might result in more optimum sized kit.


Having sold our cat I took up the option of building a Lithium 'power station' (which sits in a box in front of the house). My idea was/is to build a power storage unit that can be easily moved to another yacht or an off grid 'facility' - and currently we use it to run our kitchen 24/7. We have 2 x 150 watt solar panels on the roof, 200 amps of Lithium, inverter, B2B, MPPT controller, shunt, meter. I've made mistakes, better to learn now than when crossing Bass Strait - the inverter is too small (for us)(runs air fryer or induction stove and simultaneously a large, 60l, ice/freezer box - and re-charges all the essential electronics for the 21st Century). Part of my motivation was the idea of having a usable investment - whatever we decided to do. I have been persuaded to invest in a new battery with a blue tooth BMS and we need a bigger inverter (we can only run one induction hob - so a bit restrictive for a house) and 25 amp B2B is also too small. We cannot run a domestic washing machine

I have taken it for a run (I specifically built it to be mobile), powering the Lithium from a 4x4 car battery - it all works - but a 25 amp B2B is a bit parsimonious.

I'm lucky - I can afford an expensive working 'toy' - and I appreciate others are not so lucky.

Not a marine installation - which engendered much mirth and criticism (but no indication why 'my' build needs changes (other than those I mention) to fit on our future yacht. I find it contradictory that people ARE investing in working Lithium house banks on yachts - and many of these sit idle in marinas - not feeding the grid. Australia has generous investment on roof solar, feeding the grid, but this has not crossed to marine installations. I am aware that marina spaces include power, part of the monthly costs - I have not heard of marinas offering rebates for a feed from Lithium marine/yacht house banks.

I may have set the wrong tone - as if trying to persuade you - I just like to share. . Altruism is till fashionable in some quarters. . I don't sell anything, I'm not marketing 'me' - and I can take the mirth I have a thick skin.

Jonathan