Pete7

Came from Sterling Power, same folk who make inverters and chargers etc. Max power is 1500w, but you will just burn stuff at that setting. We use 200w for simmering pasta and rice once its boiled (use a lid on the pan). Bacon and steak when seared 600 > 800w. We have started using 1mm thick silicone mats off Amazon, so the pan doesn't slide on the glass top when another boat goes by. Pete

Agreed, the problem on a yacht is the gas lockers are sized for calor 4.5kg or 3.9kg cylinders. The larger calor and some smaller flo Gas won't fit. Whilst there will always be gas I think there will be a shortage this summer for these smaller sized cylinders, though hopefully Calor's big u turn will mitigate this somewhat in the short term. So the choice is larger cylinders if they fit, or extensive modifications. Decanting from larger cylinders, or go at least partial electric cooking.

Yes we do lots. It's a yacht, but many of the ideas from canal boat owners apply to yachts. During the summer we will either use a yacht club or marina for showers, oh and swimming in the sea 😃. A combination of electric kettle, induction hob and remoska plus occasionally sandwich maker and slow cooker give us all the options we need to cook well on electric. We didn't plan to go fully electric cooking, merely have the option when Calor became difficult to obtain after the first lockdown. However, we liked cooking on sunshine so just carried on and expanded the solar from 300w to 600w this past winter. A bit more Lithium would be nice for the hybrid bank, but 600w of solar should be more than sufficient for all domestic needs like VHF, Chart plotter and auto pilot etc and cooking. It's hard steering a canal boat hour after hour as we found out on the Langollen, the auto pilot makes light work of the steering. What's next? water heating by using surplus solar power via the inverter to run the calorifier. This might need a bit more solar and we could mount another 300w on the yachts life lines. Life is good. . Because we don't need to. Exchanging a single camping gaz cylinder every couple of years isn't going to break the bank. .

Sadly I think the petrol station LPG pumps are being withdrawn and replaced with EV charging points over the next couple of years. https://www.petrolprices.com/news/mfg-is-planning-to-end-the-sale-of-auto-lpg-on-its-forecourts/ Despite diving with mixed gasses for many years, I'm not inclined to fill my own gas cylinders. We used about 1.5kg of gas last year and having doubled the solar panels from 300w to 600w, don't think we need much gas. It's very much a fall back plan hence only carrying 1 x 907 and 1 x 904.

Calor Gas's huge u turn is interesting. Wonder if its because their suppliers have ditched them in place of firms like Flo Gas? Certainly a number of coastal marina's have made the switch. Whilst it may not be a long term solution, perhaps relieve the demand this summer until other firms can step up. Would I trust Calor again? nah and we have already made the switch the electric cooking with gas only as a back up.

Good grief no, sailing season starts at Easter.

Thanks. Now back to the serious subject, these were cooked with sunshine 🤪 We have ditched the Calor bottles and switched to Camping Gaz though we will probably only use a kg or two each year. Pete

I am, what's wrong with Moody yachts 😲 Anyway we are all going electric cooking so canal boat owners can have some gas. Don't you have a smoky coal fired stove on a canal boat to cook on 😉

Perhaps some numbers might be useful. The yacht is 31ft but not that much difference with energy usage. Lights, small fridge, navigation equipment and VHF, tv in the evenings and an autopilot for steering at sea. The batteries were one engine start battery and initially a pair of 110Ah leisure batteries. When these finally failed after 8 years I replaced them with a pair of 12v 85AH batteries, deep cycle Trojans. Our first real test was at anchor (no shore power) in Alderney harbour for a week in great sunshine. We left with full batteries from 80w +45w solar panels. After someone crashed another yacht into the 80w panel I replaced it with a 150w solar panel on an arch on the stern. Now we were cooking on gas, well electricity actually when we added a slow cooker, Aldi 1.5 litres and uses 110w which is a tiny amount. The slow cooker once up to temperature uses about half the start up load, so 5Ah for the majority of the time as it cycles on and off like a fridge. Hooked on solar and wanting a portable freezer, I swopped out the 150w solar for 300w in January and added a 20 litre freezer. Brilliant we now have ice for the Gin and ice cream for the summer. Prices of large panels have dropped significantly over the past two years. Its actually cheaper to buy 300w panels over 100w panels, so if you are thinking of upgrading go big. No one ever said they had too much solar. Add a nice Victron MPPT and job done. Stuck on a budget? there were 250w second hand panels on FB marketplace last week for £65 each, select your own from a big stack. 3 of those and you will be delighted with the output from Spring to Autumn, however forget it during the winter, the sun just doesn't rise high enough. Height of the summer, you will be running around the boat wondering what to charge up next with the surplus power. However, this magical power source is addictive ? Pete

Her name is Lola. Took us a 10 hour round trip to collect her from Wales. Do you know how many names you can discuss with your other half in 10 hours. Murph is a perfect sized doggie for a boat. Pete

Ok, thats enuff about boats, were is the doggie photo ? Ours, rescued from puppy farm via Many Tears doggie charity.

Strangely I seem to have moved to the starboard side of the boat whilst we crossed that aqueduct, oh and Mrs 7 went and hid for a while. Pete

{Pretty standard for yachts too, people just give up, but then expect the full value of all the extras they have added over the years ?

Oh that looks rather nice and well looked after, great choice ? You must be single, there is only one wine glass and its huge ?

Sounds sensible because it means you have access to shorepower to supplement any existing heating you have on board. Showers, loos and a washing machine ashore also useful. Life then becomes quite comfortable. Pete