Jump to content

Advice on buying a liveaboard


Alan Gawthorpe

Featured Posts

So, I fancy this narrow boat life but I am new to boating.  What advice would you give a newbie looking to buy a boat?

 

Things I think I want/need to consider:

  • Between 50' and 60'
  • Survey before buying - what red flags (e.g. thin hull steel)?
  • Reverse or conventional layout?
  • Engine - what's important?
  • Heating - radiators plus stove
  • I have heard coal/wood stoves are very messy - should I go for diesel?
  • I need to work so need enough power through the year for laptop/computer/internet

 

Anything else - what do you wish you had known when you bought your first boat?

 

Many thanks,

Alan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you intending to continuously cruise, or have a permanent mooring (with power hookup)? That will make a huge difference in terms of having enough power for laptop/computer/internet as well as domestic needs, particularly during the winter months when solar will provide b*gger all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Alan Gawthorpe said:

So, I fancy this narrow boat life but I am new to boating.  What advice would you give a newbie looking to buy a boat?

Stop being "new to boating" before even considering buying your own boat, let alone living on one. Then, if boating gets old as quickly as it does for many, you're not screwed! :)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Alan Gawthorpe said:

So, I fancy this narrow boat life but I am new to boating.  What advice would you give a newbie looking to buy a boat?

 

Things I think I want/need to consider:

  • Between 50' and 60' Reasonable
  • Survey before buying - what red flags (e.g. thin hull steel)? Yes definitely.  Biggest red flag is evidence of a lack of maintenance and care.  All steel hulls corrode and can be replated, I'd sooner have that and know what I'm in for, than buy a generally neglected boat which will lead to years of problems which weren't apparent when buying.
  • Reverse or conventional layout? Depends.  Go and have a look at some.  See what you think.  I have a reverse layout and that suits me well.  Cruiser sterns lend themselves to reverse layout.  Trad sterns, not so much.  My winter mooring has my boat reversed up against the bank, perpendicular to it, not alongside.  Thus it's very handy that the main entrance is at the stern.
  • Engine - what's important?  That it's been serviced properly.  Start it up.  Does it start easily from cold?  Is there lots of smoke?  Dpes it make worrying noises?
  • Heating - radiators plus stove Best to have 2 sources of heat, so Stove + some kind of boiler.  Boilers are either diesel (Eberspacher, Webasto etc.), or LPG (Alde).
  • I have heard coal/wood stoves are very messy - should I go for diesel? Most liveaboards have solid fuel.  Because it's far more reliable, and cheaper to run.  Everyone I know with a diesel stove is often tinkering with it to make it go.
  • I need to work so need enough power through the year for laptop/computer/internet  Simple answer:  Lots of solar for spring summer autumn (500w+).  Hook-up for winter.  March and October you will probably need to run your engine a bit too (or a generator) to charge your batteries.  The same is true in summer if you're moored under trees.

 

Anything else - what do you wish you had known when you bought your first boat?

 

Many thanks,

Alan

 

 

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hire a boat (during the autumn / winter) for a couple of weeks - keep a notepad handy, list everything you wished you had plus everything you had but didn't want / like / use. List all the pros and cons.

Then when you start the buying hunt, you will probably recoup the hire fee in savings on what you eventually buy. That's if you decide it really is for you without the rose-tinted specs.

  • Greenie 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, David Mack said:

 during the winter months when solar will provide b*gger all.

That's a bit harsh.

 

My wife and I lived on a boat for 4 years where there was no mains electricity, we were 100% off grid. We had 4 solar panels with a joint maximum output of a bit under 1Kw on a bright sunny summer's day, and on those days it powered everything, with some left over to heat the water in our calorifier.

 

In the depths of winter, we turned off the freezer to save energy, but kept the fridge, TV, laptops, phones, heated under-blanket, lights, various pumps etc and only had to fire up a generator perhaps twice in a winter for a few hours to supplement the solar panels.

 

I should say that we did tilt the panels to the optimum angle, and that does make a huge difference. However, a narrowboat may have room for a great deal more than 4 panels, which would make life much easier.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

That's a bit harsh.

 

My wife and I lived on a boat for 4 years where there was no mains electricity, we were 100% off grid. We had 4 solar panels with a joint maximum output of a bit under 1Kw on a bright sunny summer's day, and on those days it powered everything, with some left over to heat the water in our calorifier.

 

In the depths of winter, we turned off the freezer to save energy, but kept the fridge, TV, laptops, phones, heated under-blanket, lights, various pumps etc and only had to fire up a generator perhaps twice in a winter for a few hours to supplement the solar panels.

 

I should say that we did tilt the panels to the optimum angle, and that does make a huge difference. However, a narrowboat may have room for a great deal more than 4 panels, which would make life much easier.

 

 

Experiences vary.  I can assume that your mooring was not shaded at all.  And I can also assume that your electricity usage was low overall.  Running a laptop + monitor for home working is a major power draw.  Even with 1000w of solar I'd be amazed if you could put more than 40ah in your batteries on an overcast december day, and that's being generous.  40ah is barely enough to run a 12v fridge.  In other words, I'm skeptical of your claim.  For example, if I had a fridge and a freezer, it's the fridge I'd turn off in winter while keeping the freezer on.  Makes a lot more sense.

 

I would agree with David Mack that solar does the sum of bugger all in winter.  At least that's the best advice to give a newbie.  Better for them to have low expectations which are then surpassed, then to give false hope.  Everyone I know who lives aboard with out hook-up in winter uses their engine or a genny for their primary power source.  Solar just gives a welcome small extra top-up.

Edited by doratheexplorer
  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would pay attention to the living space you have in the saloon. You may have to spend most of your time in that area. Mine is about 17', on a narrow boat. During wet days, it could be useful to have a raised area, similar to a dinette, that allows you to sit at a window. I prefer landscape windows, to give more light. The downside of these windows is in the space they use, reducing the areas of the internal cabin side walls for fixtures. Portholes do tend to make a boat potentially more secure, but reduce daylight.

 

Running a smokeless fuel or wood burning stove can seem a bit like hard work, with ash and the like to cope with, but in my experience, it is silent. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Higgs
  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing I’ve seen less of on narrow boats since I started boating 20 years ago is wind turbines.  At the time I seem to recall that solar was quite rare.  

 

Just a thought, when solar output drops in the winter months, can a wind turbine provide enough power to keep batteries topped up if you have no access to a landline.?  One upside of wind is that it can be harnessed at night too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, davem399 said:

One thing I’ve seen less of on narrow boats since I started boating 20 years ago is wind turbines.  At the time I seem to recall that solar was quite rare.  

 

Just a thought, when solar output drops in the winter months, can a wind turbine provide enough power to keep batteries topped up if you have no access to a landline.?  One upside of wind is that it can be harnessed at night too.

People threw them away because they generate bugger all, and drive the owners mad with noise and vibration.

  • Greenie 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:

People threw them away because they generate bugger all, and drive the owners mad with noise and vibration.

Indeed. Although possibly of value in putting enough into batteries to counter the self-discharge on a boat that is left unoccupied during the winter months.

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, davem399 said:

One thing I’ve seen less of on narrow boats since I started boating 20 years ago is wind turbines.  At the time I seem to recall that solar was quite rare.  

 

Just a thought, when solar output drops in the winter months, can a wind turbine provide enough power to keep batteries topped up if you have no access to a landline.?  One upside of wind is that it can be harnessed at night too.

The price of solar panels dropped through the floor in the last 20 years. Mass production happened for grid installation and boaters benefited. The similar price crash for wind turbines only works if you want to buy one several hundred feet high! Small wind turbines are badly affected by any trees, buildings, tall people standing nearby. Also noise and vibration as @doratheexplorer said. For most people, the advantages/disadvantages/cost just don't add up right.

Jen

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

Experiences vary.  I can assume that your mooring was not shaded at all.  And I can also assume that your electricity usage was low overall.  Running a laptop + monitor for home working is a major power draw.  Even with 1000w of solar I'd be amazed if you could put more than 40ah in your batteries on an overcast december day, and that's being generous.  40ah is barely enough to run a 12v fridge.  In other words, I'm skeptical of your claim.  For example, if I had a fridge and a freezer, it's the fridge I'd turn off in winter while keeping the freezer on.  Makes a lot more sense.

 

I would agree with David Mack that solar does the sum of bugger all in winter.  At least that's the best advice to give a newbie.  Better for them to have low expectations which are then surpassed, then to give false hope.  Everyone I know who lives aboard with out hook-up in winter uses their engine or a genny for their primary power source.  Solar just gives a welcome small extra top-up.

I thought that a real life experience might helpful, so I'll try to answer the points made.

 

Firstly, we were totally off grid, there was no option of mains hook up as we were on a salt marsh nearly 1/4 of a mile from shore. 

 

When you are off grid and reliant on solar panels, it wouldn't be wise to moor where there was any shade and  we didn't.

 

We had 4 X 235w panels, wired in pairs through two mppt charge regulators. Our storage was 6x 4 volt Rolls deep cycle lead acid batteries wired to deliver 12v.

 

As I'm sure you would expect from a couple living off grid, everything electric was low energy. Our Squirrel stove supplied most of the heat, although we had two Wallas cabin heaters as backup that hardly used any 12v. We cooked on gas and had a Morco instantaneous water heater that supplied the galley and shower. All led lighting of course plus all the other items listed in my previous post and we had a 47 inch TV that to my utter shame was on in the background all day and until late in the evening which I'm sure used more power than a laptop.

 

We had to keep the fridge on during the winter because the Squirrel stove made the saloon very hot and we don't like liquid butter. We turned the freezer off because it was power hungry and there was nothing frozen that we couldn't do without; we prefer fresh.

 

As we anyway had our inverter on 24hrs a day, we dumped the 12v fridge when it packed up after two years and replaced it with a high efficiency mains one.

 

As already mentioned, tilting ones solar panels  at the optimum angle for the time of year will vastly increase their output, which we did. However, there are people on the forum with 8 or more panels and there are many panels with a much higher output than ours had, so with determination and a small generator for prolonged dull periods, I can tell you from personal experience, living off grid absolutely  does work.

 

I've just looked at Bimble Solar where we got our panels from and they do panels with an output of 540w for just £161.54 plus vat. Just imagine, 8 panels at 540w compared to our 4 panels at 235w.

 

We did have a 12v generator that I home built from a Kubota diesel engine coupled to a 200A alternator geared down so it delivered 120A at the engines most efficient speed, but the thing could wake the dead, so we hardly ever fired it up; a couple of times each winter for a few hours each time but no more. We absolutely never used the ship's engine to charge the batteries, due to the effect this practice has on the cylinder bores.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you say "all the people I know" it suggests that you have not experienced off grid living yourself and it would appear that the people you know haven't done all that's necessary to make off grid living work in the way that it can.

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Bargebuilder said:

I thought that a real life experience might helpful, so I'll try to answer the points made.

 

Firstly, we were totally off grid, there was no option of mains hook up as we were on a salt marsh nearly 1/4 of a mile from shore. 

 

When you are off grid and reliant on solar panels, it wouldn't be wise to moor where there was any shade and  we didn't.

 

We had 4 X 235w panels, wired in pairs through two mppt charge regulators. Our storage was 6x 4 volt Rolls deep cycle lead acid batteries wired to deliver 12v.

 

As I'm sure you would expect from a couple living off grid, everything electric was low energy. Our Squirrel stove supplied most of the heat, although we had two Wallas cabin heaters as backup that hardly used any 12v. We cooked on gas and had a Morco instantaneous water heater that supplied the galley and shower. All led lighting of course plus all the other items listed in my previous post and we had a 47 inch TV that to my utter shame was on in the background all day and until late in the evening which I'm sure used more power than a laptop.

 

We had to keep the fridge on during the winter because the Squirrel stove made the saloon very hot and we don't like liquid butter. We turned the freezer off because it was power hungry and there was nothing frozen that we couldn't do without; we prefer fresh.

 

As we anyway had our inverter on 24hrs a day, we dumped the 12v fridge when it packed up after two years and replaced it with a high efficiency mains one.

 

As already mentioned, tilting ones solar panels  at the optimum angle for the time of year will vastly increase their output, which we did. However, there are people on the forum with 8 or more panels and there are many panels with a much higher output than ours had, so with determination and a small generator for prolonged dull periods, I can tell you from personal experience, living off grid absolutely  does work.

 

I've just looked at Bimble Solar where we got our panels from and they do panels with an output of 540w for just £161.54 plus vat. Just imagine, 8 panels at 540w compared to our 4 panels at 235w.

 

We did have a 12v generator that I home built from a Kubota diesel engine coupled to a 200A alternator geared down so it delivered 120A at the engines most efficient speed, but the thing could wake the dead, so we hardly ever fired it up; a couple of times each winter for a few hours each time but no more. We absolutely never used the ship's engine to charge the batteries, due to the effect this practice has on the cylinder bores.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you say "all the people I know" it suggests that you have not experienced off grid living yourself and it would appear that the people you know haven't done all that's necessary to make off grid living work in the way that it can.

You assume wrongly as I currently live off-grid, on a narrowboat, on a canal.  Have you?  My experience is directly applicable to the OPs?  Is yours?

 

I note your example is presumably not a narrowboat, nor is it canal related.  As a continuous cruiser, shaded moorings are a fact of life from time to time.  There's also the practicality of 1000w of panels to consider.  My boat is 55', it's a cruiser stern with a front cratch, making my cabin top more like 40'.  On my roof are 3 x 175w panels, a plank, hook and pole, the chimney for my stove, the chimney for my boiler, a hose reel, a perry-buoy, a pair of outdoor folding chairs and the sliding rear hatch.  In winter I might have around 15 bags of coal on the roof too.  I single-hand so I need to ensure enough of my roof is clear for walking along.  I might be able to squeeze another panel on my roof but it would be awkward.  Spending my days shuffling my panels around to face the sun would also be awkward, and also doesn't work with the majority of panel brackets which only tilt side-to-side, so only really benefit when you're moored in a east-west configuration. Sadly canals don't all go straight from east-to-west.  To make things work the way you have in the past, I'd need a permanent mooring, on an east-west line, with no shading at all.  And even then, as you say, I'd still need a generator from time to time. 

 

So I stick with my 500w of panels which give me most of the power I need for most of the year.  I used to be off-grid all year round, and just accepted that I needed to charge my batteries without relying on solar.  It wasn't a hardship, and the genny is so quiet I can't really hear it over the radio.  And far preferable than spending my time cruising around looking for an elusive 'perfect' mooring.  Now I go to a mooring with hook-up for the darkest 4 months, problem solved.

Edited by doratheexplorer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

You assume wrongly as I currently live off-grid, on a narrowboat, on a canal.  Have you?  My experience is directly applicable to the OPs?  Is yours?

 

I note your example is presumably not a narrowboat, nor is it canal related.  As a continuous cruiser, shaded moorings are a fact of life from time to time.  There's also the practicality of 1000w of panels to consider.  My boat is 55', it's a cruiser stern with a front cratch, making my cabin top more like 40'.  On my roof are 3 x 175w panels, a plank, hook and pole, the chimney for my stove, the chimney for my boiler, a hose reel, a perry-buoy, a pair of outdoor folding chairs and the sliding rear hatch.  In winter I might have around 15 bags of coal on the roof too.  I single-hand so I need to ensure enough of my roof is clear for walking along.  I might be able to squeeze another panel on my roof but it would be awkward.  Spending my days shuffling my panels around to face the sun would also be awkward, and also doesn't work with the majority of panel brackets which only tilt side-to-side, so only really benefit when you're moored in a east-west configuration. Sadly canals don't all go straight from east-to-west.  To make things work the way you have in the past, I'd need a permanent mooring, on an east-west line, with no shading at all.  And even then, as you say, I'd still need a generator from time to time. 

 

So I stick with my 500w of panels which give me most of the power I need for most of the year.  I used to be off-grid all year round, and just accepted that I needed to change my batteries without relying on solar.  I'd wasn't a hardship, and the genny is so quiet I can't really hear it over the radio.  And far preferable than spending my time cruising around looking for an elusive 'perfect' mooring.  Now I go to a mooring with hook-up for the darkest 4 months, problem solved.

A good rule of thumb for an unshaded boat is that on average you get a daily energy yield of about 4x the panel rating in summer -- so panels rated at 1000W would average about 4kWh/day, more on sunny days, less on cloudy ones. In spring and autumn this roughly halves to about 2kWh/day (depending on month). In the depths of winter it drops right off to below 1kWh/day or even lower.

 

Assuming we're talking about standard size panels (1.8m x 1.05m) because these are usually the best value, 380W panels like this are probably the sweet spot nowadays for cost vs. output.

 

https://www.bimblesolar.com/solar/large-panels/380W-JA-solar

 

If like Dora you have a lot of stuff on your roof and can only fit 3 in, you'd get roughly the power figures I gave above. If you have a largely clear roof and can get 6 panels in you'd get double this.

 

This is for flat-mounted panels (tilting doesn't make much difference) and assumes that the boat isn't moored in the shade, which will obviously reduce output even further.

 

[the 540W panels that Bargebuilder mentioned are another option if they'll fit, but they're 2.3m x 1.15m which leaves even less room to walk down the edge of the roof]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:

You assume wrongly as I currently live off-grid, on a narrowboat, on a canal.  Have you?  My experience is directly applicable to the OPs?  Is yours?

 

I note your example is presumably not a narrowboat, nor is it canal related.  As a continuous cruiser, shaded moorings are a fact of life from time to time.  There's also the practicality of 1000w of panels to consider.  My boat is 55', it's a cruiser stern with a front cratch, making my cabin top more like 40'.  On my roof are 3 x 175w panels, a plank, hook and pole, the chimney for my stove, the chimney for my boiler, a hose reel, a perry-buoy, a pair of outdoor folding chairs and the sliding rear hatch.  In winter I might have around 15 bags of coal on the roof too.  I single-hand so I need to ensure enough of my roof is clear for walking along.  I might be able to squeeze another panel on my roof but it would be awkward.  Spending my days shuffling my panels around to face the sun would also be awkward, and also doesn't work with the majority of panel brackets which only tilt side-to-side, so only really benefit when you're moored in a east-west configuration. Sadly canals don't all go straight from east-to-west.  To make things work the way you have in the past, I'd need a permanent mooring, on an east-west line, with no shading at all.  And even then, as you say, I'd still need a generator from time to time. 

 

So I stick with my 500w of panels which give me most of the power I need for most of the year.  I used to be off-grid all year round, and just accepted that I needed to charge my batteries without relying on solar.  It wasn't a hardship, and the genny is so quiet I can't really hear it over the radio.  And far preferable than spending my time cruising around looking for an elusive 'perfect' mooring.  Now I go to a mooring with hook-up for the darkest 4 months, problem solved.

As you will have read, I was completely open, describing what worked for us as off-grid live-aboards. 

 

I'm sure that the poster of the question will know how much room he will have on his roof for panels, the orientation of his mooring if he has one and to what extent it's shaded from the sun.

 

When cruising the cut, as we are doing as I write, we only stop in open spots, never under trees, apart from a couple of weeks ago when we needed some shade from the heat. In fact, during the heatwave, it was extremely difficult to find shady moorings, as the half decent ones were already occupied.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/08/2021 at 10:15, Mike Tee said:

Hire a boat (during the autumn / winter) for a couple of weeks - keep a notepad handy, list everything you wished you had plus everything you had but didn't want / like / use. List all the pros and cons.

Then when you start the buying hunt, you will probably recoup the hire fee in savings on what you eventually buy. That's if you decide it really is for you without the rose-tinted specs.

+1.

If you hire with a friend (which you may have to), try operating it single-handed for a day or two, including at locks.

Perhaps only take a few days' food, so you have to face the logistics of resupply.

Remember the services provided by the hire company, which as an owner you will have to do /arrange for yourself:  emptying the waste tank, replenishing gas/fuel supplies, servicing the engine, regular  maintenance/blacking, all repairs, etc.

Consider whether you will manage without a car, or the difficulties in keeping one within an accessible range.

Factor in other services, such as post, GP, ...

 

Nothing insurmountable, but all worth considering in advance of purchase.

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

 

This is for flat-mounted panels (tilting doesn't make much difference) and assumes that the boat isn't moored in the shade, which will obviously reduce output even further.

 

 

As you say, tilting doesn't make much difference, but only on overcast days when the light gathered by the panel is diffused. It's also true that the tilting brackets on many narrowboats in the main don't allow a sufficient angle to help a great deal, even in direct sunshine. 

 

I would add though, that when the sun is very low in the sky, it's rays will hit a flat panel at such a slight angle that much of the potential power is lost. 

 

I used a clamp meter to watch power output and we could change the angle from horizontal for when we were cruising, right up to 23 degrees from vertical for December when we didn't cruise but needed every scrap of solar power that we could harvest. I can assure you that it did make a difference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

As you will have read, I was completely open, describing what worked for us as off-grid live-aboards. 

 

I'm sure that the poster of the question will know how much room he will have on his roof for panels, the orientation of his mooring if he has one and to what extent it's shaded from the sun.

 

When cruising the cut, as we are doing as I write, we only stop in open spots, never under trees, apart from a couple of weeks ago when we needed some shade from the heat. In fact, during the heatwave, it was extremely difficult to find shady moorings, as the half decent ones were already occupied.

Now I'm curious as to where you go cruising?  For example, I've just come off the south Oxford where for a lot of the canal, open, non-shaded spots can be like hen's teeth. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Bargebuilder said:

As you say, tilting doesn't make much difference, but only on overcast days when the light gathered by the panel is diffused. It's also true that the tilting brackets on many narrowboats in the main don't allow a sufficient angle to help a great deal, even in direct sunshine. 

 

I would add though, that when the sun is very low in the sky, it's rays will hit a flat panel at such a slight angle that much of the potential power is lost. 

 

I used a clamp meter to watch power output and we could change the angle from horizontal for when we were cruising, right up to 23 degrees from vertical for December when we didn't cruise but needed every scrap of solar power that we could harvest. I can assure you that it did make a difference.

It will make a difference in December (when the sun is shining) if you're *really* desperate for every last watt; tilting (assuming you can face the panels south) improves the output from terrible to just awful...

 

Also it only makes a significant difference when the sun is shining, which is not that common in December -- when it's cloudy the light is diffuse and panel angle makes almost no difference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

I would add though, that when the sun is very low in the sky, it's rays will hit a flat panel at such a slight angle that much of the potential power is lost. 

 

I bought some panles a few years ago from Bimble. The were panels especially designed for use in Northern latitudes (Scandinavia) and were called "Low Light panels", not because they worked any better in low light levels, but because they worked far better than normal panels where the angle of incidence of the light was 'low' (the Sun low in the sky, as in Winter time, or Low in the sky because of latitude)

 

Work well for me, but still can struggle to get 5% of rated output when you have a week or two of continuous rain or snow  or very cloudy conditions in the Winter.

 

It is not only that the light is 'poor' in Winter, but when it is dark at 08:00 and again by 16:00 there are not many hours of productive sunlight.

 

You maybe get 6 hours (on a good day) of poor quality sunlight compared to 18 hours of 'good quality sunlight' in Summer.

 

Far better to say that you cannot reply on anything from Solar November to March, and, if you do get a bit take it as a bonus.

 

Single 170 watt 120 volt 'low-light' panel in February - on a 'good day' (1200 ah bank - batteries full)

 

 

 

 

 

 

18-2-18.jpg

Edited by Alan de Enfield
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This summer we've cruised the Shroppie, the Trent and Mersey, a week on the Weaver, the Soar and the Leicester section of the Grand Union.

 

We do between 10 and 20 miles a day and usually have no problem finding a nice open spot to moor; not always of course.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I bought some panles a few years ago from Bimble. The were panels especially designed for use in Northern latitudes (Scandinavia) and were called "Low Light panels", not because they worked any better in low light levels, but because they worked far better than normal panels where the angle of incidence of the light was 'low' (the Sun low in the sky, as in Winter time, or Low in the sky because of latitude)

 

Work well for me, but still can struggle to get 5% of rated output when you have a week or two of continuous rain or snow  or very cloudy conditions in the Winter.

 

Far better to say that you cannot reply on anything from Solar November to March, and, if you do get a bit take it as a bonus.

 

Single 170 watt 120 volt 'low-light' panel in February - on a 'good day' (1200 ah bank - batteries full)

 

 

 

 

 

 

18-2-18.jpg

There is, or certainly was, a panel on the market that's surface was 'pimply', it being claimed that the tiny pimples grabbed light from shallow angles that might otherwise have bounced off of the surface of a smooth flat sheet. I suppose it might have helped a bit, but nothing like as well as lifting the panel so the sun's rays are perpendicular to the surface.

 

When you live, as my wife and I did, off grid, you soon learn that electrical power is far easier to save than to generate, particularly in the winter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I bought some panles a few years ago from Bimble. The were panels especially designed for use in Northern latitudes (Scandinavia) and were called "Low Light panels", not because they worked any better in low light levels, but because they worked far better than normal panels where the angle of incidence of the light was 'low' (the Sun low in the sky, as in Winter time, or Low in the sky because of latitude)

 

Work well for me, but still can struggle to get 5% of rated output when you have a week or two of continuous rain or snow  or very cloudy conditions in the Winter.

 

It is not only that the light is 'poor' in Winter, but when it is dark at 08:00 and again by 16:00 there are not many hours of productive sunlight.

 

You maybe get 6 hours (on a good day) of poor quality sunlight compared to 18 hours of 'good quality sunlight' in Summer.

 

Far better to say that you cannot reply on anything from Solar November to March, and, if you do get a bit take it as a bonus.

 

Single 170 watt 120 volt 'low-light' panel in February - on a 'good day' (1200 ah bank - batteries full)

 

 

 

 

 

 

18-2-18.jpg

And on a bad day in December you'd get a fraction of that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.