Power Hungry. Advice please kind folks :)

[RAI]

I have been advised that there is a history of these units failing. Apparently the clutches are the weak point.

Just as I feared, I was about to order one of their sprocket drives.

 

[Carmel2]

I think aircon needs mains power on a yacht, so only practical in a marina. Carib is anchoring mostly.
Watermakers are surprisingly popular, but rather high maintenance and power hungry. They wouldn't be used in a marina, only in a clean anchorage or at sea.
Complicated, isn't it? I have neither!! But still use nearly 200wts solar which I find plenty for fridge and autohelm and chartplotter and lights and puters and DVD player and windlass and HF radio and playing rock music in the cockpit
In fact in the summer Med where you are often motoring mornings and have dangerous levels of UV all day,power isn't really a problem.
I don't have a blurry windmill either.

Sorry maybe I wasn't clear; if you think you might go down the watermaker route you might want to look into a built-in genset (as well as solar), which could also power air con, and charge your batteries. We have a Ecotec watermaker (70Lt per hour) and in the 3 years we have had it we have had only one problem which was resolved via e-mail with them in Trinidad, they are not as frighting as folk make out.

 

[Oscarpop]

Sorry maybe I wasn't clear; if you think you might go down the watermaker route you might want to look into a built-in genset (as well as solar), which could also power air con, and charge your batteries. We have a Ecotec watermaker (70Lt per hour) and in the 3 years we have had it we have had only one problem which was resolved via e-mail with them in Trinidad, they are not as frighting as folk make out.

We have a watermaker ( Katydyn 80d ) . Installed easily, very very compact and produces 13l/hr for 8 amps. Not the most efficient for us, but space was a major factor

 

[noelex]

Plus an auto-pilot makes no changes at all when the wind changes so you will be out on deck adjusting the sails the whole time, rain, fine, shït or shine.

Wind-steering, adjusts the yacht heading according to the wind and requires very little adjustment.



.

The push of a couple of buttons and voila wind vane mode for your autopilot.
Autopilots really don't use much electricity these days.

If you have any way to fit more solar that is the best long term answer together with making your systems especially the power hungry devices like the fridge as energy effecient as possible.

Generators are an option, but don't tend to be very reliable. They are difficult to fix yourself and many mechanics in remote places struggle as well. If you do fit a marine generator try to have a backup Honda, or at least a "low power mode" so you can still enjoy the boat while waiting for parts, or suitable repair facilities.

 

[Carmel2]

We have a watermaker ( Katydyn 80d ) . Installed easily, very very compact and produces 13l/hr for 8 amps. Not the most efficient for us, but space was a major factor

How do you power that?

 

[Oscarpop]

How do you power that?

either run it when the engine is going or when at anchor and the sun is out or the wind is blowing.

All summer our 200w of solar was putting out 11amps. If we were sunbathing and just had the fridge and stereo on, we had power over to make water.

 

[Carmel2]

Cool sounds like your sorted. As the others have said solar and more solar........have fun

 

[GrahamM376]

The push of a couple of buttons and voila wind vane mode for your autopilot.
Autopilots really don't use much electricity these days.

If you have any way to fit more solar that is the best long term answer together with making your systems especially the power hungry devices like the fridge as energy effecient as possible.

Generators are an option, but don't tend to be very reliable. They are difficult to fix yourself and many mechanics in remote places struggle as well. If you do fit a marine generator try to have a backup Honda, or at least a "low power mode" so you can still enjoy the boat while waiting for parts, or suitable repair facilities.

Agree with the above.

Autohelms don't draw too much power, will also steer to wind and are far more versatile and cheaper than transom mounted wind vanes.

We have 200W + Aerogen4 and recently, with daytime high 30s temps, the solar has had a job keeping up with the fridge (BD50F) running 24/7. Also have a Honds 2.0 genny which is reliable and quiet on low power. May look at adding more solar next layup.

 

[syfuga]

Is there any possibility that the Lewmar autohelm was set up incorrectly, or another problem with the steering overloading the unit?

We have been running on a Raymarine/Autohelm 6000 with linear drive motor... one failure in 10 years in the drive gears.. now replaced with heavy duty ones.

Go along with comments - make sure you have sufficient solar to meet your average daily needs into an MPPT controller. We also have 300W Superwind, but that does need some breeze to drive it. Our diesel generator has done well, but increasingly seen as expensive to install and to maintain, and less reliable, but we still use it. We have a fridge and a freezer though!

 

[Oscarpop]

Is there any possibility that the Lewmar autohelm was set up incorrectly, or another problem with the steering overloading the unit?

I don't think so. It was installed by Northshore/ Southerly and their electrical engineers. Apparently they do this all the time, so I dont think it is a problem with the physical installation .

The motor is possibly overspecced for a 40ft boat, so i dont think it is too small.

Aside from that it is a totally sealed unit with 2 power wires and 2 clutch wires.

I have asked lewmar for a reason why the unit failed , so that I am not left worrying about the reliability of it.

 

[Otter]

We're only very part time liveaboards, about 70 nights a year. This summer we fitted solar panels for the first time, just two 80w units and they are amazing, when/if we go full time liveaboard then it's solar and more solar. Anyone want to buy a Honda 1KW genny - no longer needed

 

[oldvarnish]

We have been running on a Raymarine/Autohelm 6000 with linear drive motor... one failure in 10 years in the drive gears.. now replaced with heavy duty ones.

I'm very pleased to hear it. Others have not been so lucky.

If you set off across an ocean with only an electric autopilot, then you MUST have plans for if it fails. If you have no wind vane, then you will have to steer by hand. As long as you understand that, and accept it, and can cope with it, you will be fine.

 

[Oscarpop]

I'm very pleased to hear it. Others have not been so lucky.

If you set off across an ocean with only an electric autopilot, then you MUST have plans for if it fails. If you have no wind vane, then you will have to steer by hand. As long as you understand that, and accept it, and can cope with it, you will be fine.

im sure I read that a few of this years ARC entries had to divert/turn back with autopilot failures.

I can't remember the source though

 

[Mad Pad]

Divert/Turn back!!......tell that to Joshua Slocum et all.I think maybe I'm too old for the views on these forums.Time for a nightcap and bed.Best Mad Pad

 

[silver-fox]

We are currently in the last stages of fitting out for our long term cruising lifestyle and hope ( sincerely) that we leave the UK next spring. Our plan is to spend one or two seasons cruising the med, then head across the atlantic for tropical cruising.
Hopefully this will turn into a circumnavigation.

My question asks about how long term cruisers receive their power while underway and also at anchor.

We took six weeks to cruise western france this summer and shake the boat down.

at present we have an electronic autopilot, 2 x 100 w solar panels zipped onto the bimini and an air breeze wind generator.

The yacht is a 40ft modern beast ( Southerly 38) and we do like our fridge/home comforts on board, so dont really want to compromise on those things.

The problem is that our ( new ) autopilot motor packed up mid biscay with clutch failure and I am questioning the efficiency of the solar panels after 6 months of use.

So what to do now? And on this I would love advice.

1 .we have discounted self steer until we are ready to cross the atlantic. this will give us a chance to see how the new clutch works. Is this the right thing to do or should we simply bite the bullet? We need a unit we can remove and also offset from centre as the design of the boat does not lend itself to centre mounting.

2. We could install a genset. But it would seem as if we are looking at about £10,000 all in with fitting and bits. However this would provide all our power.

3. We dont have the room to fit a 2nd alternator so thats out.

4. We are looking at watt and sea hydrogenerators but by now the stern is going to look crowded.

What do you use? and what would you suggest in our case?

many thanks.

What helped me through the learning curve on this and many other issues you face was Nigel Calder's "bible" on boat mechanicals and electrics.

I would not go cruising without it - read his section on balanced systems to see how best to match power generation and consumption and the differences between rigid and flexible solar panels. There is interesting info on batteries and their performance too.

http://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-Essential/dp/0071432388/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377637280&sr=1-1

Happy reading!

 

[RAI]

im sure I read that a few of this years ARC entries had to divert/turn back with autopilot failures. I can't remember the source though

More to the point, they have had rudder failures, hence their requirement for an emergency rudder capability. The Hydrovane (for example) provides this capability.

 

[FistralG]

I think aircon needs mains power on a yacht, so only practical in a marina. Carib is anchoring mostly...

Not so....

I chartered a cat with aircon in the BVI's which worked off shore power or the mahoosive diesel genny onboard.

After a couple of nights I realised I really only needed aircon in the warm airless marina.

Out in the anchorages and mooring fields, with the hatches open, the constant breeze made it quite comfortable and we didn't need the aircon, which could be quite noisy.

 

[dslittle]

Plus an auto-pilot makes no changes at all when the wind changes so you will be out on deck adjusting the sails the whole time, rain, fine, shït or shine.

Wind-steering, adjusts the yacht heading according to the wind and requires very little adjustment.



.

I can set my autopilot to sail to the wind...

 

[GHA]

You won't find it unsightly when you're in the middle of the ocean, the autopilot is bust because they always are, the diesel is low, the sun's not shining, and your forward speed in light airs is too slow to use a towed generator - and only 2000 miles to go.

Nor will you want to be getting it out of a locker and trying to fit it in an ocean swell.

+100

Windvane you can fix with bits of string and jubilee clips. One component blows on an autopilot you're handcuffed to the helm for weeks.

 

[TQA]

I have 400 watts of tiltable solar and an MPPT controller. I make ice daily and am a heavy puter user. Quite a few people out here in the Carib have ditched their wind generators in favour of more solar.

But it must not be shaded and to get the benefit you must be able to follow the sun with the panels.

Fix your existing AP get a spare clutch and fit a Hydrovane.