Setting up your boat for life away from the dock with reliable power and refrigeration is a game changer. I almost never plug in shore power (however never use Air Cond at anchor and avoid anchoring where people do that). I almost live on my boat during June, July and Aug. Crash course on what works. The following has my needs more than covered so cloudy days are not a concern, however it will not do Air Cond. I imagine in Florida if you calculate Air Cond power X 1.5 - 2 you would be well covered to run the Air. I initially planned two X 100AH Lipo house batt and was going to add 2 X 100AH if needed. Due to a supplier error I ended up paying for two X 200AH. Glad I did. For my 1999 35' Chris Carft boat this is a near perfect system for two people. We have never been close to running out of 12V and we use 80% capacity as the lower limit for the lithiums. However we cook with propane outdoors. Typically house batt are fully charged by 10-11AM and solar runs one 12V fridge 24"W X 34" H, and one 12V freezer (about half the fridge size) during the hot part of the day. 90min before sunset solar is pretty much done and batt take over. Added addl insulation around the fridge cavities helped cut power use a lot. LiPo for house batteries. 400AH (modest needs) 800AH would likely do a bigger TV and late nights, big fridge, electric cooking etc.). 400W solar or more charging per 400AH of batteries works for me. Double that for 800AH. Two 30A DC - DC chargers for engines that use the stock alternators around 65A each. Once starting batteries are charged, excess power goes to the lithiums without overloading the alternators. Engine charging is slow using stock alternators but while underway you may as well top-up house batt. Calculate 50% of the max alt output as the max AMPS you can realistically get out. Math would have you believe you would get 60A lithium charging. Best I see is maybe 40A between two engines when they are howling. Victron have very robust easy to use gear that works very well together. A 12V adapter for the laptops is also a power saver rather than using an inverter and A/C adapter. Lead acid starting batteries are totally separate. On my 1999 twin engine boat, one engine battery also supplies the 12V anchor winch ( luxury that is another game changer for single handing) and the other engine batt supplies the generator starter. A convenient "boost' button on the dash combines starting batteries if one or both are low for some reason. But since they don't do any real deep cycle work, they are always pretty full. I never used the generator all summer in Georgian Bay Ontario Canada and was out for about 12 weeks only going in for pump out, fuel, food and water, maybe every 10 - 12 days. sophisticated monitors to properly calculate % of power remaining because of phantom drain, anti-galvanic systems, common grounds, etc.
Glad you're getting to enjoy the boat. I can sympathize with your issues, but can't relate, as my 40+yrs of boating was done on LI Sound, and before the modern conveniences. It gets hot up there, but not as humid of course, but we never had AC. We spent the days in the water and the nights were cool enough. We never had a refrigerator. We had an icebox. One block would get us 2 nites/3days and we'd go into whatever harbor was closest for another block if required. Electricity was battery only, and really only got used for Mom to cook or to use the head. Otherwise we survived on citronella candles. BUT...we also never lived aboard, so good for you having and/or learning the ins and outs of all the different systems at your disposal. You'll never have a dull moment! 👍
Very much enjoyed your time at sea. In the old days I had a sailboat: No fridge- used an ice chest and did a little planning like pre freezing some meals I planned for later on. No electricity- used an alcohol stove for cooking and some battery power for lights. Oil lamp for anchor light. No AC - opened front hatch for ventilation at anchor. I was in NJ however not Fla. so heat was a little less intense. Great video- interesting as always.
Glad you had a great weekend! Yes being out on the water by yourself gives you a chance to unwind and recharge your mind. Hopefully the generator will be an easy fix and then you will have all the modern comforts. Thanks for the invite on the weekend!
Thanks for making these videos, very cool to see! I can't wait till my boat is ready to do the same. I'm currently installing 12kWh of lithium batteries I assembled myself into my 43' boat. If you want any links and suggestions for parts, I'd be glad to provide them. Total cost was about $3,000 for the batteries. The upside of going with batteries over a generator is no sounds or worries about carbon monoxide (especially since I assume your generator is gasoline powered). They also tend to be far more reliable. I have a 5000W inverter and it can provide power for my electric stove, fridge, oven, lights no problem. It can run the heat, but only for a few hours, so during a three day trip I'd use the heat or AC sparingly. However, being in Florida, if you went and got 500-1000W of solar, you could probably offset a fair bit of the loss running the AC.
Mr. Cullen- I feel this was a great series of videos!!! I'm looking forward to more. Thanks for taking us along! It is so enjoyable seeing you discover and grow as you expand your knowledge and skills on the boat! This is such a excellent vessel, based on size, affordability, form & function. I admire you've done much of the mechanical work yourself, are growing your abilities, and understanding of all the working systems on the ship. Yes, getting the electrical system re-vamped appears to be the next series of projects to tackle. As your channel grows, other boating channels have partnered with external suppliers. I hope other companies, like BattleBorn (batteries) and other nautical suppliers will provide sponsorships so we can watch your boat system improvements (and cheer on!) along side the personal growth. Lastly, clearly your love of the water is building for you. I'm hopeful you'll consider becoming a certified scuba diver. That will open a whole new world for you and expand the satisfaction and joy you get from "Good News". Thanks again, Mo-
Repairing the generator could solve several options. However, having a 12 v optional refrigerator would be a benefit as well. As you could run the motor to charge batteries, refrigerator and phone. I’d still start with the genset. 👍
the genny is probably as old as the boat remember the power demands of the 70ds is not the same as now and repairing the old would cost more than replacing depending on what the issue with it is.
So happy you enjoyed your long weekend getaway on the boat... I miss the days when I had a larger boat to do that sort of thing.. My advice on pulling an anchor, just to make it easier for you, is use the boats power to pull the anchor out in the opposite direction that you had originally set it, then pull it up.... And start saving up for a power windlass.. just to make life easier.. Next is doing something about your generator, either get it fixed or get a new one, or good used one... Deals can be found. The other options I'm thinking about can get very pricey, so I won't even mention them.... Another option and cheaper, is to buy yourself a small Honda portable generator.. but that would have to be run outside on the deck or cockpit and is kind of noisy... Personally, I would replace the generator you have or repair if it's feasible... Finally, great choice of food...lol filet mignon is my favorite..❤️
Good advice! Most marinas in this part of the world have banned generators that aren't specifically marine-rated. So I'll have to repair this one most likely.
@@karaDee2363 not necessarily... Many marinas in town are owned by the city and have either no power jacks or ones charged by the day. That's why the rule has to exist.
That's a good rule. A woman in Marathon (in the Florida Keys) last year burned her boat to the water when she spilled a little bit of fuel onto her portable generator while refueling it because she didn't wait for it to cool down. She went up in an instant fireball and had to jump overboard to put herself out. The boat didn't last long. If she had been in a marina all the boats around her would have burned too but she was out on anchor and the nearby boats were far enough away. Carbon-monoxide poisoning is also a problem with portable generators if they are not situated far enough away from ports or used in the cockpit.
Hey Cullen, I have the same boat. Your Genny needs to be pumping water out the port side mid ship. If not you most likely need to replace the impeller.(also draws it's water thru the port sea stainer) It's super easy. A new one is around $20-30. As far as fuel consumption it's a few gallons a day and it only draws from the port tank. You should definitely add some 12 v power sources for phone chargers,fans and definitely a 12v inverter to run some 120v accessories.
Another option would be to get a small generator not installed as a part of the boat. For example, an inverter-style 2,000 watt Honda generator. You can get some refrigeration off the unit along with charging your electronic devices. It could quietly run on the fly bridge while you sleep below deck. It isn't the quiet of nature kind of experience but it will give you some needed technology power. However, A/C will likely be unsupported. Even with your main generator fixed, it will provide you with a backup option.
That is a good idea, but many marinas do not allow "external generators" Only things designed up to marine standards of spark resistance to avoid gas explosions.
Definitely think you could upgrade/update your generator with some newer tech. So glad you had a great time. This means that more cool trips are sure to happen! 👍
Fear of anchor swing, drag, grounding, and collision keep me from anchoring out. I know I am missing something by being a harbor hopper. Glad I found a channel that showed the rigor of single handed anchoring without a windlass. I do not have a windlass or a consistent crew. Would like to see more!
this is why you always have a backup generator. i live in a camper that has a generator built in and i still have 2 other generators just in case the one built into the camper fails. also you need to run a generator at least once a year just to make sure it still works so when you do need it your not without the power you need
I think one of your next boat job’s should be a windlass even a second hand one would be a big help when you are single-handed mate I take my princess 470 out on my own but I do need a windlass or my bad back would play up big time , hope your enjoying and keep up the videos from Wayne in uk 😊
Living on s boat is fun. It looks like you had a great adventure. Maybe you will decide to spend more time away from the marina in the future. We live full time on our sailboat and spend the majority of the time on anchor and generally stay out of marinas unless we need to do work or projects we can't do on the hook. During the COVID lockdowns that first spring and summer we spent 4 months straight anchored off of Beaufort SC in one spot without ever moving the anchor or starting the engine once and we don't have a generator. A nearby marina sent out a pumpout boat for us every couple of weeks and let us dinghy in for water for a fee. You really need an anchor windlass. We have a Lewmar Pro 2000 and they run about.$1000 plus installation materials. I can not imagine going without a windlass. Our anchor is a 45lb Mantus and we run 8mm chain which is a tad bit bigger than 5/16". Pulling up the anchor by hand would not be fun. We actually used our windlass so much that we wore out the bearings so I had to replace those this past year. Better the bearings than my body! Get yourself a bunch of solar panels and get rid of most of the 120v stuff on the boat. Rewire for all 12v Marine grade and RV systems and start from.scratch. Everything on an older boat is probably 120v and old-fashioned. Even older 12v non-LED lights are dinosaurs. Put in all the highest effeciency LED fixtures and built-in USB chargers for electronics like phones. Get a 12v adapter for any laptops and a 12v TV if you must have a boob tube aboard (we don't -we watch the occasional movie or show on a tablet.) If you must have an inverter use it sparingly and turn it off totally when it isn't needed. We have a few tools and a blender we occasionally use along with a tiny shop vac and that is about it for 120v wasteful appliances. We only vacuum on sunny days when we have excess power to waste. Our inverter is 2000w so it runs tools and a wet vac but is murder on the batteries. We run 4 lead acid 6v golf cart batteries and those run almost everything else on our boat with solar panels and a wind turbine for when it is dark and stormy. We have a 12v refrigerator icebox conversion from Ozefridge that is super efficient since it freezes a tank of eutectic fluid inside the icebox and only needs to run a few times a day -usually when the sun is shining and then coasts through the night to be easy on the batteries. Lithium is powerful technology but it is very expensive and many boat insurance companies really don't like it and may drop you if they learn you have installed it. It is hard enough finding affordable insurance for older boats. The secret to 12v systems is to make them small and efficient as possible. Get rid of power hog things and only have super efficient LED lights and high-efficiency fans like the Caframo 747 series that have a bare plastic safety blade. AC is going to require a generator so we simply live without it. A scoop for the hatches on the bow helps funnels wind right through the boat while on anchor since the bow naturally always points into the wind unless there is a big current on a river. We also get the hell out of Florida in the summer and head far north to beat the heat (and hurricanes) but if you have a land job that ties you in one place this is probably not possible. One summer we went as far north as Montreal Canada where the temps were mild and comfortable. The 1000-islands were beautiful too as were the NY canals and Lake Champlain. On a sailboat it doesn't cost us much in fuel to be in Canada or New England for the summer then be in the Florida keys for the winter with an option to head over to the Bahamas if we like. But we have a bunch of friends who winter over on their boats in Florida. I'd rather be there in winter. The last time we were in Jacksonville was over 4 years ago and it got down to 30 degrees on Christmas so we now like to be at least as far South as St. Augustine by thanksgiving if we can help it. The secret of living on a boat on the East Coast is to adjust your latitude to the time of year so you can always br wearing shorts and T-shirts no matter what month it is. The downside of that is this requires moving a few thousand miles every year to accomplish that.
Glad you had a greatweekend Cullen! I know those 12v fridges are not cheap but when I was a trucker I had a 12v cooler I plugged in. It worked for many years and it was quiet too. Another thought is would an ice maker be cheaper and just use it to keep a regular cooler filled with ice?
If you are planning on more anchoring, you might want to get a windless. As to your phone you could buy a small solar charger. As to refrigeration if it is just for weekend trips a small 12 volt cooler might run off of solar and a car battery.
Cullen, Chuck Pierce from Marin County,California . Sounds like you are learning a lot. Have you thought about a portable Honda generator? You can use it for boating and camping. You can lease them or buy them. In California, we are beginning to have brown outs, so many boaters have portable generators to use for their homes or apartments and boats. A Honda generator are ideal for boating applications. I think you can get them for gas and diesel fuels. Regarding the anchor, they are so hard to get unstuck. Also, portable generators are easy to sell too. I think a Honda 2000 might work but check with a boat mechanic. When you take your boat out, always have a backup for your cellphone. Of. Course, you have channel 16 for emergencies (at least in California) but U.S. Coast Guard can be slow in getting to you unless life threatening emergency. You may have Boat U.S.A. For towing. Well worth the membership fees.I pay about $80 per year. Been towed in three (3) times. First it was a fuel pump,then it was a fan belt, and the third was a faulty sensor on oil monitors.
Nice video ,glad u you got to get out on the water. Maybe some type of go fund me or something to help you get a windless, I would contribute, thx for sharing
Hi Cullen. I made this comment last week but it got deleted somehow. Any way, you were discussing bottom cleaning a while back and I suggested a dive compressor but had no idea where to find one. The subject popped up on the Tube the other day and I wanted to pass on to you the info I found. They call them hookas ( thought that was a water bong but what do I know ) and there are a number of manufacturers out there as well as diy videos. The Blu3 ( pronounced blue ) was the most intriguing one I saw. It reaches 30 - 35 ft and is self contained. Others could support up to 4 divers. There are choices out there. Check them out. A couple of bottom cleanings would pay for one these days and you can't take them spearfishing on the reef.
note to you #1you have an old boat it was a top of the line ,not a yacht,not a live aboard,unless tyed to a dock Yes a weekender I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT CARBS YOU HAVE on those engines if they are rochesters you only need to push the thr0ttles forward once to engage the choke ,pumping them 3 or 4 times is adding a lot of fuel to a cold eng not good.if it has been modified to electric choke get rid of it, if the choke is or has a tube from the manifold good keep it carter carbs are diff they can be a pain in the ass Note 2 get a winch save the decks and your back. note 3 calm down you seem to be always hyper you only need to be that wayif you are in the saloon ankle deep in water.
You can get a small portable generator from harbor freight or even used on eBay for Facebook that would be able to power your ac and a fridge no problem and sip on gas. Just make sure it’s a 240v generator and get an adapter to plug it into your shore power port.
Would it be an option to get solar ? I know you have a covered slip , so you may not have room for solar panels on top ? I brought my 50 foot chris craft constellation from Maryland to Ohio, it took 20 days. I was not sure if we would anchor at any part of the trip , so I bought a small cell phone solar block that I keep in my boat window . Although I have a working generator, you just never know when or if something will break. That solar block also had a USB port . Anyway . Just my 2 cents .
Mr. Cullen, Let me know if I have your incorrect. I wanted to let you know that I agree that your best choice would be to repair the generator. Or replace it if you feel it is beyond repair. But buying a new refrigerator is not fixing the problem. Btw is the generator problem mechanical or an electrical issue? I wish you the best of luck with your issues. Btw did you sustain any damage from the bad weather there in Florida?
@@CullenCraft I’m quite sure. The F15 has vertical tails and the EF18 has angled tails. And the engine nozzles in the 18 protrude further, . The F15E is a multi role fighter primarily used in air interdiction and Close air Support, but is also capable in air-to-air.
When does the windlass get installed? Did the boat originally have a windlass? Surprised you haven't dug in to the generator and fixed it. Compared to the rebuild you did on the engines, the generator would be easy!
The boat didn't even have this anchor, roller, and chain for nearly 45 years. Just an emergency folding anchor with a rope and no permanent launching point
Yessir, I tried to film a video but got too busy with chores getting ready for the storm. I'll definitely have a video about the experience when it happens.
@@CullenCraft I guess it is the Physicist in me - are you an academic or in the music industry? The ones that we have in our lab have much larger baffles and you stand on a mesh.
