What you need on a swinging mooring?

[Babylon]

I include my website along the same lines as the forum admin seeks more information about the member for background info, I notice that many others, including Searush and Babylon, also do this.

Distinction: I give brief anonymous info about myself in my 'About Babylon' page. I don't push my business or publish a commercial website either here or in my signature strip.

A very tiny minority of people do punt their businesses on the forum, but they tend to be boating-related businesses, and they occupy a grey area which is just about tolerated by most people, probably because they give as much as they take - see below.

this is a great resource even if you can only check it occasionally. I will only actually use this information in April when I return from the Alps and start thinking about my boat so it will still be valid even if I don't look at it for 2 months.

I agree, this is a tremendous resource. It is also a community, a two-way street if you like, whereby people freely contribute advice and feedback based on their experience (see third paragraph of my original reply), as well as ask questions. Like most human interactions, people appreciate a degree of acknowledgement for their contribution. A simple 'thanks' after a few replies is always welcome.

On the other hand, a stunning silence isn't. People understand reasons for intermittent activity on the forum, and many disappear for extended periods, but not before signing off on any threads they've personally started.

Maybe I was having a bad-hair day in my OP and expressed myself a little too pointedly, for which I unreservedly apologise. I hope that my comments here are taken in a constructive way, rather than as a personal attack.

Best wishes,

Babylon

(Currently leaning against piles, bottom scrubbed and prop shiny, waiting for the tide to float my boat before dumping us again for an afternoon's session with the blue paint.)

 

[mateyboy]

Just read this thread in full and belatedly I can say I've really enjoyed it with great advice from all.

 

[ex-Gladys]

I'm on a swinging mooring; have three 100 Ah domestics, a standard non fancy alternator, don't live aboard, and have a Waeco compressor based coolbox. I also have a fancy Wallas cooker that needs a healthy supply of V to start up, and I mainly sail weekends. I fitted two solar panels (Solara SM80M's) for a total of about 46W solar power, and have LED interior lighting. The coolbox runs all the time we're aboard, and with normal motoring (75 hrs a year) I haven't HAD to charge the domestics for all that time. That doesn't mean I ahven't plugged the charger in, but they've popped to fully charged within a few minutes.

 

[William_H]

DC power on a swing mooring

I think it is just fashionable to consider the standard engine alternator and batteries inadequate. I think the OP should simply move to the swing mooring and see how the batteries go. It will depend on the engine being used on a fairly regular basis for a decent time. Enough to warm up the engine as diesels should always be used for a min period to warm up. It also depends on there being no current usage while you are absent and in fact not being absent too long. ie more than a few weeks.
If you are absent for longer then a small solar panel can help just keep the battery topped up. Solar panel may have to be horizontal to cope with boat facing any direction so will be far less efficient than one facing sun. (south).
If you want to have power used while you are away then of course you will need wind or serious solar.
For me I have always been on a swing mooring and with no engine a very small solar panel keeps small battery nicely topped up for occasional lights and radio.
The bit I love about swing mooring is the ability to sail on and off the mooring not needing an engine. I did a sail (training) on sat morning using a friend's boat out of a marina pen with no engine. I admit I was a bit nervous (with trainees) but with a bit of fending off and hoisting sails once we were clear it went very nicely.(especially for mid winter) But I do love a swing mooring. olewill

 

[Reptile Smile]

I have, in the past, not always been as fast to thank people for their advice that I should have been. I'm going to change my sig as a result, but I really want to say how much I admire and appreciate the contributions of so many here. For me, Olewill (and others!) always manages to strike a great balance between hard-earned wisdom and common sense. Thanks, Olewill

 

[RupertW]

I think it is just fashionable to consider the standard engine alternator and batteries inadequate.l

I've felt that sometimes - back in early 90s I had a 24 footer and made sure I had 220AH worth of domestic batteries and for the life of me I can't work out why now. Since then I've had a 31 footer, another 24 footer and and 42 footer all used for weekends and cruising and never upgraded or changed the small engine plus domestic battery. I always buy a battery charger but never plug it in when in a marina as the engine always does plenty.

I was enlightened by a lecture this year with 3 different owners of Liveaboard boats describing three different electrical lifestyles. I can now see why some people really do need all the gear. Amazing.

 

[wotayottie]

20 mins running the engine to get to open water will usually recharge the batteries enough for a days useage, but it does rather depend on how much you use. .

And how!! Let me give you some practical current experience, measured with some care thanks to old habits in the physics labs.

To the OP. My boat is a modern 35 footer on a swinging mooring in the south west. We have internal led lights, listen to music on the phone and for entertainment usually end up playing scrabble though there is TV on the lappy, used maybe half an hour per day. So the only major consumer of leccy is the fridge which takes 6.5 amps when running and runs maybe 50% of the time. That equates to 6.5*24/2 amp hours which is 78 in a 24 hour period.

I'm quite prepared to accept that a 50% duty cycle is not good and the consumption ought to be based on 30% ie 47aH per day.

Now to the charging side. I dont have a wind genny but I do have a 35 watt nominal solar panel. This is enough to keep the batteries up when we are not there but the best I have ever seen from it is 2.4 amps in direct mid day sun light. I estimate that on average it produces maybe 15 aH per day leaving a deficit of 32aH or rather more if you allow for the led lights and the lappy and phone charging etc.

Now to the crunch. The boat has a 60 amp alternator and a Sterling digi regulator. The maximum amps output into the battery than I have seen is 46 amps but within an hour and thanks to rising battery voltage it has dropped to the 10 amp region. It takes almost 6 hours to fully recharge the 200aKH battery bank from 12.2 volts, measuring full charge with a hygrometer. This is in line with what Sterling advise. There is no way that my batteries would be fully recharged in 20 mins unless I never discharged them in the first place.

The answer to your original question depends on your use of the boat. If you are day sailing then you wont use much leccy and a decent solar panel will get you where you want to be without all the junk attached to the back of the boat for a windmill And solar is quiet.

If you are living on board for more than 24 hours then in my experience you will only keep up with the leccy either with engine running of more than an hour per day or a portable genny into a mains battery charger. To do it with wind genny and solar would require big installations of both

 

[dharl]

Just read this thread in full and belatedly I can say I've really enjoyed it with great advice from all.

+1