We’re Tired of Burning Fuel to Live on Our Boat

After eight months living aboard Alaskan Gypsy, we’ve learned just how much energy it takes to keep our life aboard an 80-foot steel sailboat humming along every day. Refrigeration, freezers, Starlink, lights, electronics and all the ordinary things that make a boat a home need power. Until now, that has meant a lot of generator time, fuel cans and constant power management. Scott is ready to change that. Disclosure: Renogy - an established name in off-grid energy solutions - provided most all the products used in this project at no cost. We are not paid for our opinions or conclusions. Here is their website - https://www.renogy.com/ We’re installing six 200-watt solar panels, lithium batteries, a 3000-watt inverter, charge controller and a new charging system aboard Gypsy, with the goal of becoming more energy independent while living remotely in Southeast Alaska. There’s just one problem: Scott has never built a system like this before. And naturally, he can’t wait long enough to properly install it before he starts hooking things together. Within a day, solar panels are lying loose on the wheelhouse roof, the old wind-generator wiring has been repurposed, the Alaska rain is coming down, and somehow we’re already charging our existing battery bank from the sun. Welcome to another Alaskan Gypsy boat project. #solar #sailboat #liveaboard #alaska #alaskangypsylife