M Prod
Well-Known Member
- Oct 6, 2017
- 1,438
- Boat Info
- 2005 Sundancer 340
Zodiac Cadet w/FCT console Yamaha F20
Kohler 5KW Genny
- Engines
- 8.1 Horizons /V Drives
Sounds great were it just me. Not so much for my wife and 4yo son.
Overnight on the hook?
- Thread starter Escapade
- Start date
Sounds great were it just me. Not so much for my wife and 4yo son.
Stee6043
Well-Known Member
If you can hear the gen across the cove...he's probably running a Honda on his swim platform.
I like to relax on the hook just as much as anybody. But I like to do it with cold AC, hot showers and a coffee maker at the ready...
Air flow is poor without the A/C on in the staterooms.
Soulshine
Well-Known Member
I’m with you Man. No TV on the boat and never will.
I can’t do without a hot shower and coffee though. For me the best thing about outings on the hook is a hot shower and shave.
For these things I’ll listen to my genny for an hour.
mquiet
Well-Known Member
Now I'm seeing it. Lol. Y'all are up north. My nights are in the 70's with tons of humidity. I would have to run the heater at night up there in the summer.
- Jul 16, 2020
- 1,890
- Boat Info
- 1999 450 Express Bridge, 9’ Achilles dinghy w/15hp Suzuki EFI
- Engines
- Caterpillar 3126TA
I just did the lithium battery, inverter/charger upgrade on my boat to lower my generator use. Pricey, but no more battery anxiety.
Nice - I'm moving in a similar direction but split phase.
FYI on battery sizes; the battery rating is not the useable capacity. A Group 31 LA battery that has a rating of 100 AH really only has 50 AH useable which is 50% Depth of Discharge (DOD). Which in wattage means you can nominally burn 600 watts for one hour on a fully charged Group 31. For best battery life stay above 12.06 volts which is that 50% DOD. True Deep Cycle batteries can go to a lower DOD due to their plate construction but if you should have a starting battery bank and a deep cycle bank then you should have separate chargers. Regardless in any battery, if you drain below the useable capacity the battery will be permanently damaged and it's life shortened. Secondly, don't underestimate the amount of time it takes to fully charge a LA battery; to bring a fully depleted Group 31 to full charge (float) is around 3 to 4 hours with a good charger.
Typically on our boat the generator starts when we leave the dock and runs continuously. On the hook it shuts down when we go to bed unless we need it for AC through the night. Other than water splashing you can't hear it running outside of the boat. The boat has two 8D AGM's; they manage the overnight load easily which are lighting, bridge refer, fresh water pump, toilets, navigation/monitor systems, Sat TV and any audio. The interesting thing we have found in the anchorages, sail boat generators are the noisiest.
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- Apr 26, 2009
- 5,807
- Boat Info
- '97 330 Sundancer, Raymarine C80 suite with radar, Mercury 310 Hypalon w/8hp Yammie 2stk
- Engines
- 2X 454 carbs w/ vDrives
Totally different needs in climates where AC is needed at night in the south, as compared to more northern areas where the temps at night drop to the comfortable range. I totally understand running it at night in the south, but up here part of the joy of boating is the dead quiet at night. Ya'll probably couldn't get to sleep up here. Too quiet.
Pirate Lady
Well-Known Member
You are right, i was rethinking what i said. When its really hot / humid july and Aug, we stay in transient marinas so we can run the AC. The hook is for spring and fall.
- Jul 16, 2020
- 1,890
- Boat Info
- 1999 450 Express Bridge, 9’ Achilles dinghy w/15hp Suzuki EFI
- Engines
- Caterpillar 3126TA
ttmott,
Here is a neutral assessment of the 31 LiFePO4 I picked up. It can be fully discharged without damage. You are correct that an AGM should not be discharged below the usable capacity, but not true with the safer lithium iron phosphorous used by Battle Born. https://www.batteryequivalents.com/battle-born-100-ah-lifepo4-12-volt-deep-cycle-battery.html
Only time will tell, but the reviewer wrote "as... [a] deep cycle marine battery in dual battery systems and for off-the-grid applications, it is initially expensive choice, but it saves plenty of weight and thanks to really large number of charging/discharging cycles, it pays itself after some time."
M Prod
Well-Known Member
- Oct 6, 2017
- 1,438
- Boat Info
- 2005 Sundancer 340
Zodiac Cadet w/FCT console Yamaha F20
Kohler 5KW Genny
- Engines
- 8.1 Horizons /V Drives
I had a Carver next to me at an anchorage last summer ...generator sounded like a cross between a lawnmower and a gas powered pressure washer. Obnoxiously loud. I think something was not right but he ran it like crazy regardless ...much to the dismay of the entire anchorage.
Also good point on the LA batteries. AGM's (as I'm sure you know) can be safely run down to 20% capacity so they say. Regardless I start getting nervous when I see the voltage dip below 12 but I have had it drop to 11.7 with seemingly no ill effects. (I believe 11.5-11.6 on a loaded AGM is roughly 20%) 4 seasons on these and they're still running strong though.
Battleborn is the direction that I'm going also, primarily because each battery has a BMS so a BMS driven shutdown will not crash the entire bank. We were working with them early last year to develop a solid marine system. The objective is to operate the boat's AC systems through the night without generator. Hopefully, you have done due diligence to protect the engine alternators. Also, at least here in Florida, the batteries will suffer if in the engine room due to temperature so in my case they will be installed behind and under the solon sofa. Below is the design of the system that was to be installed last year but we were still rebuilding from a lightning strike; it's pretty extensive. Regarding the level of discharge on the LiFePo based batteries; the cycle life of the battery assembly starts to reduce when discharging below 70% DOD and significantly reduces when below 90% DOD. The real plus for these batteries is the rate of charge is huge right to full charge; there is no absorption requirement. A beau-hoss charger is required like the Victron you have....
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We're recent new owners of a 1993 400EC. Making some improvements during the off-season, one of which is installing a new battery bank, which is currently pretty haphazard: House bank is 3 mismatched 31 and 27 batteries, and 2 additional 27's connected as well, all of them ready to be retired.
Which is more info than what is needed for the short question: what digital battery monitors did you use? Because our breaker panel has one rocker switch to show the amp-level for either the port or starboard batteries.
Do all of the monitors feed into one display, or each have their own display? Where did you mount the display?
Thanks much for the info!
Attachments
- Jul 16, 2020
- 1,890
- Boat Info
- 1999 450 Express Bridge, 9’ Achilles dinghy w/15hp Suzuki EFI
- Engines
- Caterpillar 3126TA
I'm not sure if my new Victron charger/inverter will work with traditional batteries, but the monitor for it will display each battery bank. My original meters also still work with the rocker switch. I ended up putting the monitor inside the switch panel between the two ignition switches. The Victron also is Bluetooth capable so I can monitor the batteries and set up alerts on my phone.
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Sweet setup. Thanks!
M Prod
Well-Known Member
- Oct 6, 2017
- 1,438
- Boat Info
- 2005 Sundancer 340
Zodiac Cadet w/FCT console Yamaha F20
Kohler 5KW Genny
- Engines
- 8.1 Horizons /V Drives
currently I’ve got these modules on each battery bank:
https://www.amazon.com/ANCEL-BM300-...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
And then there’s an app that goes with them so the voltage is displayed in my phone. Voltage readings are spot on and I use that to calculate how much juice is left approx. I’d like to install something more robust like Shoyrtt’s setup there.
App looks like this:
mdolesh
Active Member
- Dec 18, 2019
- 432
- Boat Info
- 370 Venture 2013
Twin 300 L6 Verados
- Previous boat: 290 Sundancer 2006
- Engines
- ...
Those look awesome! Thanks for sharing. Can you explain how you have them hooked to the bank of batteries? I have 3 batteries. 1 separate and 2 together in a bank.
If you have a NMEA 2000 setup, here is an alternative;
Great info, thanks!
andy2121
New Member
I agree 100%, if its hot I'm running the generator. Those complaining remind me of when I go boon docking at National Park and someone pulls up later and sets up camp 100 feet from me. Then in the morning the guy comes over and says your front door light was shining in my bedroom and my wife said the generator was keeping her awake. My only comment is move your RV.
