Your Questions About Best Solar Panels For Sailboats

Henry Dover answers:

Nope, it is not at all like a trailer with free parking.
I live on my sailboat – but it is not free, nor is it cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
What it is. . . Is a great deal “less expensive” then owning a 3,000 sq ft. House on land – and probably very comparable in price to living in a small inexpensive apartment.

Furthermore, as you may soon discover, living on the hook in a 22 footer is not (in my opinion) even a realistic or practical option.
Your plan would require at least a very well equipped 28-30 footer minimum, and a good dinghy. As you need lots & lots of storage for both fresh & waste water. In addition, what are you going to do for electric? TV, Laptop computer, wireless Internet, lights, microwave, coffee pot, refrigerator, air conditioner, – even minimum live a-board conveniences (while on the hook) require a great deal of electric – and living “off the electric grid” requires a great deal of up front costs. You will spend several thousand in solar panels & battery banks and/or a generator.

Last, but certainly not least – if you are doing this in Canada, you are going to have to move your boat to shore (on land) in winter – and then, if you live in your boat you will freeze your dinghy off, or you will have to get another place to live – and as you know, your winters can be 6 months out of the year.
Check out the link below – it has a few pages that will give you an idea of what it takes to live a-board.

Henry Dover answers:

I’m afraid you’ve been reading too much and are attempting to “out tech” yourself and complicate things that should not be complicated.
I’m having three (3) problems with your question:
1st – You don’t mention what you want to power – ie: the boat itself (as in an auxiliary power such as a motor)? Or power for electrical amenities such as electronics, TV, appliances, etc.?
2nd – you ask for “best/cheapest” and then mention “solar/hydro combos” the very most expensive solution on the market.
There are easy solutions to this, but none of it is ‘cheap’. I’ve been living and cruising on my sailboat for years now -
For your vessel’s “auxiliary engine power” – the “best” is a small diesel engine. The cheapest will be a small outboard engine.
For your vessel’s “electrical” needs – the best is an array of solar panels and a couple of ‘banks’ of batteries. The cheapest (up front cost) is a small generator.
I have 5 batteries on my live a-board sailboat. 2 banks of two each, and one (isolated) starter battery. 3 x 185 watt (12-volt) panels, 1 x charge controller, 4 x AGM 12 volt deep cell batteries, 1 x 11 volt inverter, With this, my average solar output is about 200Ah per day, and it all comes with little or no effort on my part, and keeps all my navigation and anchor lights burning bright.

To my benefit – I cruise full-time, and mostly follow the sun. Spending summers in the north, winters in the Caribbean – so “sun” is seldom a problem for more then a day at a time. I have anchored out for up to 6 weeks time. In a typical day I use my laptop for about 4 or more hours and watch my flat screen TV maybe 2 or 3 hours. I also run a DC refrigerator/freezer 24/7 and I have a small cabin ac unit I might run in on really hot days for an hour or two before bed time.

Oh, and the 3rd thing. . . Keep it simple sailor. The more ‘crap’ you put on your vessel, the more troubles you will have.