Thank you for this reality check. Saved me lots of time and headache. 🎉

Good job 👍🦘

Thanks guys, great to see y'all. Stay safe, we love y'all.👍🏻💕🐾

Where did Amy get that headband LED headlight? I love it!

@OutChasingStars

Жыл бұрын

They're called "Lightbar Headlamps". And they are awesome!

I know your new system is going to be heavily DC based, and might be able to run all your new Aircons at once. Obviously your former genset was likely way overkill and sucked the fuel like nobody's business. I do think that you should carry a genset if your DC charger on shore power can sustain a lot of amps into your batteries. I have a Westinghouse igen 2600 (2.6kw) and I can run it on full load(about 2.3kw) and get a little under 8 hours of run on a gallon of gasoline. I don't need to do that very often, and can typically get 10 hours at a 1/4 load or 8.5 hours at about 3/4 load. There are higher capacity 3.5 and 4.5 kw gensets that are still somewhat portable. I know they are gasoline typically, but you are likely going to have some gas around anyway I'd bet so perhaps a small genset would be a good solution for those times when the boat needs all the aircons working full blast. Most 12v DC Aircons 12k btu are still gonna pull like 44 amps and four of those on a cloudy day will likely not be sustainable even with 4kw of solar. I just tie my genset to the transom and enjoy endless ac any time I like really. There are lots of small gensets in US and EU voltages that might be a good supplement to your higher capacity times aboard. My little 2600 will easily allow my Victron to put in about 100Amps at 12v dc. Something like that coupled with the solar would likely do very well for you. Its just a matter of "right sizing" the new generator.

@dougmarder

Жыл бұрын

But, if they over/right-size their LiFePO4 battery bank(s) and solar arrays and alternators and charge controllers, would not that be sufficient to handle all their loads, including the 3 updated AC units and 12VDC water maker without the need for a gasoline-powered generator? They already have 2 diesel engines on-board, so why add another charging source for backup?

@allynonderdonk7577

Жыл бұрын

@@dougmarder A very valid thought there Doug. It is very likely most of the time the solar would be enough, but having a boat myself I know that weather and sun can let you down. The heft enough alternators on their engines are a great source of additional current for the electrical system. The thing is that 30 plus hp diesels tend to burn a good bit of fuel . Typically like at least three quarters of a gallon an hour in maybe most cases when at a cruising rpm. When you have a Genset that sustain you loads for say one to three gallons a day there might be a difference there. Putting time on a $25k diesel engine vs a $400 generator makes me want to use the generator. Plus there are things like clogged strainers that can ruin your day if you don't notice. Especially if an engine overheat alarm doesn't work . It may end up that their gains from the solar are less or more than their expectations. It can't hurt to have something the size of a small suitcase to back up your life.

@OutChasingStars

Жыл бұрын

Appreciate the good discussion on this! I have thought a lot about going without even a small genset as a back up and here's my current rationale: 1) The only gasoline we've carried has been in the tank for our dinghy. We've never kept a spare jerry can and I'm not wild about starting now. 2) We're pretty used to power management and the last 7 years have proven I can survive without constant AC if solar can't keep up for a while. Plus Amy always gets frozen out by AC so we'll likely just be running one at a time mostly! 3) Our plan is to use this upcoming season as a test of sorts. We can see how often we find ourselves needing to use our alternators for additional charging if there isn't enough solar. And if that is more than we think, then a small genset could very well be worth it.

@ericmitchell5350

Жыл бұрын

@@OutChasingStars I’d have really been tempted to cap & leave in place the lines in place just in case you wanted to repurpose them for a smaller diesel backup GenSet.

Great job. I like your "right first time" attitude.

@OutChasingStars

Жыл бұрын

It's annoying in the moment to go backwards in order to move forwards, but I always appreciate it in the end when we avoid an even bigger headache!

Great video!

Omg I haven’t seen your channel in a year! I know I’m late so I gotta go backwards and catch up. Welcome back 😁

Hi David, Can you elaborate a bit more about why your plan is for replacing the A/C's. You mentioned that you are removing 6 and replacing with 3. Will you still be able to AirCon all of Starry Horizons with 3 units?

@OutChasingStars

Жыл бұрын

Sure! The new DC air cons will go in these locations which currently have AC air cons: 1) under owner's berth 2) behind the pantry in the salon 3) under the port aft cabin berth. The AC air cons that we're removing are: 1) Fwd owner's cabin 2) under couch in the salon 3) port forward cabin. So we'll have air con available everywhere we do currently except for the port forward berth. And we're okay with that compromise because we rarely have enough guests to use the port forward cabin and that cabin has the best air flow from hatches. The 'level' of air con available will be fairly similar to what we're used to in the owner's hull and port aft cabin (we rarely ran the 2nd air con in the owner's hull) but we'll see how cold the salon will get with just the one air con. That's where Amy usually works and she doesn't like to be frozen out, so if it can "take the edge off" then I think that'll be a success.

@chrismehling9968

Жыл бұрын

@@OutChasingStars TY! That makes a lot of sense. We have an Elba on order. A/C is very expensive, and we'd love to have more selective options for A/C but its pretty much all or nothing.

Are you getting the Mabru DC units? I can't remember seeing it in a video yet.

@OutChasingStars

Жыл бұрын

Yep! We're trying to do one video per project so the air con install video is coming!

Interesting to look at but IMHO never touch a running system or in other words never shoot a winning horse. Good luck!

@OutChasingStars

Жыл бұрын

Trust me, we debated quite a lot over making all these changes! The previous set up did manage to get us around the world! BUT... it's amazing how much technology can change in 8 years. The changes we're making are trying to fix all the things we didn't like about the previous set up. We talked to a LOT of people who've done similar things already and have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Time will tell if we've made the right choice.