1) Understanding your energy needs is essential to determine how much solar you need. Start by making an "energy budget". List all your consumers and their daily usage. For example, if your LED lights use 1W per bulb and you have eight bulbs on for 5 hours a day, that would be 8 Watts for 5 hours or (8x5) 40 Wh (Watt hours). I like to use kWh to keep things consistent. 40 Wh = 0.040 kWh. It's a good idea to list what you're using while at anchor and another list of what you're using while underway (for instance, you don't use your autopilot at anchor). Remember to list everything: fridge, freezer, watermaker, autopilot, nav lights, chart plotters, etc. For example, here aboard Athena, with an electric galley, fridge, freezer, watermaker, two computers, etc, we use an average of 5.5 kWh per day. 2) To give you a quick estimate, use https://globalsolaratlas.info/ to find "Global horizontal irradiation" per day for your location. Take your daily energy consumption from step 1 and divide that by the number of solar hours. In the case of Athena, located in the Caribbean, that would be 5.5kWh per day / 5 sun hours = 1.1 kW solar array. Keep in mind that this is a theoretical number that does not take into account the shading or degradation of the panels over time. Let's add 30%. 1.1 x 1.3 = 1.43 kW. You can now divide that number by the panel's Nominal Power output. In the case of Athena, our panels are 400W SunPower panels. 1430W / 400W = 3.6 panels needed to cover our 5.5 kWh per day consumption. 3) Understand that the amount of solar you can install on a small sailboat is limited by the size of the boat and heavily influenced by shading and, of course, the boat's location. The size of the panels might also be defined by the height of your stanchions or the size of an existing solar arch. Figure out where you're able and willing to install panels. That will dictate the size and number of panels. 4) Use Victron Energy's MPPT Calculator to calculate what MPPT is ideally sized for your solar panels and expected output based on location. Based on our experience in the Caribbean, the estimate provided by the guide is reasonable. https://www.victronenergy.com/mppt-calculator. Remember that it's best practice to avoid combining panels with different specs on the same MPPT. #sailboat #sailboatproject #boatwork #saillife #liveaboard #liveaboardlife #saltlife #sailing #sailingadventure #travel ingcouple #livingonaboat #solar #sailboatsolar

0

0

0

18,950

For more review, test, performance data, captain reports and more about Yamaha 242 Limited S, go to http://www.boattest.com/boats/boat_video.aspx?ID=3211&ref=YT The Yamaha Watercraft Group has brought several innovations to the market with its 2015 240 Series of jet boats which includes the 242 Limited S. One of the items that shined during our test and evaluation was the way in which this model drove and handled. An entirely new hull and deck design along with an “Articulating Keel” delivered a crisp, responsive ride that completely changes the way a boater will look at jet boats. Our report will also look at the Connext Helm Control System, Yamaha’s Quiet Cruise, and her additional key features.

0

0

0

9,823

Special thanks to all the Yachtmaster community for this amazing year 5 appointment worldwide more than 300 people attending Stay tuned to discover next year Calendar!

0

0

0

178

Imagine the pleasure of boarding a luxury catamaran as you embark on the ideal sailing charter. We are the largest and most exclusive catamaran in the Bay of Sunny Beach, Bulgaria. Our boat is characterized by its comfort and spaciousness. We have a large sun deck with six areas of nets where you can relax in the sun while sailing. We also have a central shaded area with comfortable seats and a bar where you can order your drinks. Place: Sunny Beach, Bulgaria Book now: Website: https://www.go-bulgaria.com/book Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VIPcatamaran Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vip_catamaran

0

0

0

1,094