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What do you do to make power?


Nige123

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So a question for live aboard folk....

 

What do you do to make power for your boat?

 

I know about generators, soar, wind turbines, VAWT's even water wheels seem to work well but what do you use?

 

I have found a fork lift truck company manager that has told me he can get thousands of big ass batteries if I need them for scrap costs so look out for a post about them at some point in the future....

 

I once made a VAWT from a steel barrel cut in 2 & welded to a shaft & connected to a car alternator & this was is Southern California a place not know for it's high winds & it would spin in very light winds & make power to keep a battery charged for an electric fence....

 

any mad ideas you have why not tell all we British are good at shed building great ideas like the bouncing bomb Dyson vacuum & the Bayliss wind up radio so lets see if we can find the Smith/Jones boat charger......

 

 

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I have a machine that harnesses warmth from my body while I'm sleeping, and in the morning, the batts are charged for the day :)

 

 

and to be serious.

 

Many use solar.

Many use generators

Many use lots if batts and big alternators

Heat is via coal fires, or diesel heating.

Gas for cooking.

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I have a machine that harnesses warmth from my body while I'm sleeping, and in the morning, the batts are charged for the day smile.png

 

 

and to be serious.

 

Many use solar.

Many use generators

Many use lots if batts and big alternators

Heat is via coal fires, or diesel heating.

Gas for cooking.

Pretty much the same for me:

 

  • Solar first
  • Generator to top up solar shortfall
  • Engine only when cruising
  • Hot water from engine when cruising or via diesel heater when moored
  • Heating from solid fuel stove and/or diesel central heating
  • Gas for cooking
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Much the same:

 

We're off grid so

 

Solar for electricity

Topped up with genny in the winter

Gas for hot water and cooking

Solid fuel stove with gravity fed radiators for space heat

 

Engine only for moving.

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Hi Gang,

Well I am a livaboard,with a fairly high demand for power, and only a mid range Battery bank of 820A/hr (That needs replacing, as just blew one out,3years old) So I tend to use the Eng/ Alternators (Twin 100A) as my primary source of power as I tend to bounce about a few times a week, With my Wind and Solar as a secondary source, that trickles away 24/7 as a fit n forget installation, My Generator as a third source, and ofcourse the occasional plug in to shore per if weather bound, I'll or feeling lazy as a Fourth source.

Edited by Paul's Nulife4-2
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Ok as I thought....

 

So people What is your thoughts on Generators? I had an old Honda from the early 1980's & I used it on sites for many years & it never let me down & always started but it had the old shacking needle thing for Htz so was not the best thing to run electronics & put a pixel out on my tv so was time to flog it..... (£100.00 on ebay & it cost me £25 to buy)

 

Next step was to buy a copy 2kw cheap ass one from ebay & that ran for about 60 seconds & broke so when back & got I an EU10 Honda & life has been fine back to always starting when needed....

 

Now I need to buy another bigger generator & I have seen a Hyundai 2kw with remote start how cool is that or is it just going to be the same old story of buying yet another boat anchor????

 

So has anyone got a Hyundai generator that is older then a year old & is it still running?

 

My thinking is just buy a used Honda what say you?

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Won't have petrol on our boat, LPG is risk enough! That rules out your Hondas etc for the most part.

We have solar, a Travel Power on the engine and the engine alternator. We don't use much power though, a 12V fridge being our biggest electrical load.

In an ideal world I'd add a diesel generator, built into the boat & skin cooled. Have neither space nor money readily available for that though, so the engine gets used a lot for battery charging in winter.

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So a question for live aboard folk....

 

What do you do to make power for your boat?

 

I know about generators, soar, wind turbines, VAWT's even water wheels seem to work well but what do you use?

 

I have found a fork lift truck company manager that has told me he can get thousands of big ass batteries if I need them for scrap costs so look out for a post about them at some point in the future....

 

I once made a VAWT from a steel barrel cut in 2 & welded to a shaft & connected to a car alternator & this was is Southern California a place not know for it's high winds & it would spin in very light winds & make power to keep a battery charged for an electric fence....

 

any mad ideas you have why not tell all we British are good at shed building great ideas like the bouncing bomb Dyson vacuum & the Bayliss wind up radio so lets see if we can find the Smith/Jones boat charger......

 

 

Correction, the Dyson Vac is/was not a great idea.

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'Now I need to buy another bigger generator & I have seen a Hyundai 2kw with remote start how cool is that or is it just going to be the same old story of buying yet another boat anchor????

 

So has anyone got a Hyundai generator that is older then a year old & is it still running?'

 

 

Our Hyundai is still running fine, coming up a year old. Starts on the key like a car ignition just fine the remote can be fussy. Noise level is fine runs low rpm for battery charging and runs washing machine and everything just fine. Only warning if you have to lug it around it is heavy.

Edited by curzons246
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Correction, the Dyson Vac is/was not a great idea.

And Trevor Bayliss did not invent the Wind up Radio,it had existed a long time before he made a crude version and got an electronics company to design and manufacture the product.

Condom awareness in the third world countries to hopefully reduce the AIDS Epidemic was the reason it became a success.

Third world countries do not always have a battery distribution network or any household electricity,so the Wind up radio came into the Mass market.

CT

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Won't have petrol on our boat, LPG is risk enough! That rules out your Hondas etc for the most part.

We have solar, a Travel Power on the engine and the engine alternator. We don't use much power though, a 12V fridge being our biggest electrical load.

In an ideal world I'd add a diesel generator, built into the boat & skin cooled. Have neither space nor money readily available for that though, so the engine gets used a lot for battery charging in winter.

yes petrol can be a danger but most modern generators can be converted to LPG this makes then run for longer, quieter & no sloshing fuel about...

Also my new boat has seats around the back with space under for me to stash a generator with exhaust outlet, air vents & more sound deadening.....

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Correction, the Dyson Vac is/was not a great idea.

I would disagree with that as I still have & use the original Dyson DC01 & in the time I have owned it I have gone through a Vax, Hoover & Mitsubishi & just rebuilt the Dyson & it goes & goes.....

 

'Now I need to buy another bigger generator & I have seen a Hyundai 2kw with remote start how cool is that or is it just going to be the same old story of buying yet another boat anchor????

 

So has anyone got a Hyundai generator that is older then a year old & is it still running?'

 

 

Our Hyundai is still running fine, coming up a year old. Starts on the key like a car ignition just fine the remote can be fussy. Noise level is fine runs low rpm for battery charging and runs washing machine and everything just fine. Only warning if you have to lug it around it is heavy.

The Hyundai does look good but I think I will just buy the new Honda eu30i (the smaller none electric start one)

I take an orange cable and plug it in.

 

Failing that I turn the key in the ignition and set sail.

yes I can do that just my cable is blue....

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And Trevor Bayliss did not invent the Wind up Radio,it had existed a long time before he made a crude version and got an electronics company to design and manufacture the product.

Condom awareness in the third world countries to hopefully reduce the AIDS Epidemic was the reason it became a success.

Third world countries do not always have a battery distribution network or any household electricity,so the Wind up radio came into the Mass market.

CT

so if you bought a radio did you get a free pack of condoms? or if you bought some condoms did you get a free radio? or did they just give away the radios to advertise condoms???? no don't tell me let it be a wonder to me.....

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Ok so just won a Honda Eu30is on ebay for £1250.00 (like new) that has an LPG conversion fitted, this is the LPG only type so it has the float bowl, float, main jet & emulsifier tube removed & a SPUD fitted so you can't run it on petrol EVER... this is the best set up for this type of generator so the experts say as the dual fuel set ups have problems on eco throttle models....

 

It runs very sweet very low noise not as much as my eu10 in fact ran a 2kw fan heater with only a slight upping of the revs....

 

So next on the list is some solar panels & I have seen some semi flexible ones of 100w each so may snag 6 or 8 of them....anyone have any thoughts on this type of panel? I will be fixing the the roof with double sided tape 3 or 4 each side...

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So next on the list is some solar panels & I have seen some semi flexible ones of 100w each so may snag 6 or 8 of them....anyone have any thoughts on this type of panel? I will be fixing the the roof with double sided tape 3 or 4 each side...

 

Some friends of ours had a similar set up and it failed after a few months. Apparently they are designed for fibreglass boats, and if fixed to a steel roof, they overheat in summer.

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