One thing a lot of yacht owners will be looking at over the winter is providing more power for their boat batteries.
Today's cruising yachts, with ever more electric and electronic gadgetry, from fridges to navigation systems, are more and more power hungry. Some are more or less addicted to marina shore power - which is fine if their owners and crews want to day sail. But if you like to spend nights at anchor, or want to make overnight or longer passages, a way has to be found of keeping those batteries topped up.
The simplest way is to run the engine. But the whole point of sailing is to get away from engine noise, and in any case, running the engine is not a very efficient way of generating power.
Another approach is to have a generator - either a properly installed diesel model if your boat is big enough, or a little portable petrol one you can put on the foredeck for occasional use.
Again, it's not very green, and it's rather noisy. It won't make you popular in a peaceful anchorage.
Silent fuel cells could well be the way forward, but they're still in relatively early stages of development. If you want reliable, renewable power from sustainable sources, at the moment the two most popular solutions are wind generators and solar panels. So which should you go for?
“There's an element of horses for course,” says Theresa Auciello, sales director of Marlec Renewable Power, the company which makes the well known Rutland range of wind chargers, and also supplies a range of solar panels and accessories.
“One good thing is that the variety of products available in terms of wind power and solar power allows you to be quite flexible and grow the system as your power needs change.
“If you were in the UK we would normally say start with a wind charger, because it is a windy island. You will get more power for your money. On the other hand, it is nice to have some solar panels. You tend to use them more in the summer.”
Managing director Ian Fawkes agreed. “If you can, go for both. It is seasonal. In winter there are short days and low sunlight, but it is generally windier. In summer there are longer days and higher sunlight, but it is not so windy.”
So for all year round power, a wind charger, which works best in the winter, and solar panels, which work best in summer, work well together. And to make such a hybrid system easy to manage, Marlec has just introduced a single regulator that both can be plugged into.
“Plug both into the same regulator and you are away,” said Ian.
“This new regulator has really been developed by listening to our customers,” explained Theresa. “It is easy to wire up. People are doing their own electrics, but don't want to get it wrong.
The regulator has indicators to show whether it is charging or not, and the state of the battery or batteries, as well as a shut down switch.
“Customers want to have a way of stopping the wind charger,” Theresa explained. “There may be a high wind coming. Or they want to do some maintenance on the batteries. This shuts it all down and makes the batteries safe.”
With a variety of wind chargers and solar panels available, it was possible to “mix and match” and find the ideal solution for any boat, she said.
“With a Rutland 913, in a reasonably windy location, say 10-15 knots of wind, you would be putting 30-40 Ah per day into your battery. On a boat, that would be a good contribution to the fridge, lighting and nav equipment. It will reduce engine running time.”
Her advice is: “Start with a wind charger, then add a solar panel when you have become accustomed to what the wind charger can do. You will have the regulator in place already.
Every boat and every user is different. There isn't a single solution.
A 50W solar panel in the summer would put 12-15 Ah per day into the battery, in the winter about a quarter of that, she added. “In the Med, a 50W panel would put about 20-25 Ah in.”
A lot of people put wind and solar power on their boats before taking part in events like the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers), she said.
“The ARC is a perfect case for a hybrid system. Ocean cruisers tend to be fairly power hungry. People buy solar panels by the space they have got available.”
A basic hybrid system, with a wind generator, a solar panel and a refgulator, would cost “about £1,000 if you do a deal at a boat show,” said Theresa.
“Wind chargers vary according to manufacturer. The Rutland 913, which is, known as a good performer in low winds and very quiet, costs £470. A 50W solar panel is about £500. A hybrid controller is about £70 and a mounting kit for the wind charger £110. Through the retailers you could see 10 per cent reduction.”
As for running costs, there aren't any, said Ian.
“Solar panels need an occasional wipe,” agreed Theresa. “We recommend an annual inspection for the wind charger, but we know that realistically it never happens. The solar panel I have suggested is top end of the market, semi flexible. There are cheaper panels available.”
But on a boat it was necessary to choose one that would stand being trodden on, or having things dropped on it. And to make the charging system work efficiently, it was important to have high quality batteries, and avoid letting the charge fall below 11 volts, which would reduce their life, she said.
“It's a good idea to have some sort of voltage indication at a convenient spot - otherwise you can keep depleting it, without realising that you are. Vigilance about battery volts is quite important.
“Expensive leisure batteries need looking after,” agreed Ian. “You can have all the solar panels in the world, but they are no good unless you have got the right batteries.”
For more information visit www.marlec.co.uk
