Beginner questions: Electrics

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Electrics

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Beginner questions
Forum Discription: Advice for those who are new to sailing
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12120
Printed Date: 26 Jun 25 at 1:28am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Electrics

Posted By: NEWPAGE
Subject: Electrics
Date Posted: 12 Aug 15 at 12:40am

Hi, everyone, my name is Julie and quite recently I bought a 38ft yacht. Having never sailed I have booked myself on some courses but need advice.

The boat i bought has only been used for accommodation for the last eight years and has been hooked up to mains electricity. It has no batteries and a wind generator that is not working.

The boat is going to have some work done on it in September and I need to decide what I need to put in, so need help. Been told I need solar panels, also been advice to buy a tow generator?

Any of you have radar, is it worth £1000?

Replies:

Posted By: Mister Nick
Date Posted: 12 Aug 15 at 7:15pm

Where is the boat going to be kept, and what kind of sailing are you planning to do?

I'd be inclined to install a service battery and an engine battery and then set the boat up around that. If the boat is going to live in a marina then you may as well take advantage of the fact that you can hook up to the shore power and keep the batteries charged that way. Bear in mind that the engine should charge the batteries up too when it's running.

A radar probably isn't going to be that useful to you. I'd buy a decent chartplotter, plus instruments to measure speed through the water, depth and heading. Some kind of instrument that measures GPS speed and heading can also be useful to give you more of an idea about the tides and currents that you're dealing with. If you've got all of that then you're pretty well covered for the majority of the sailing that you'll do.

It might be worth doing your courses before you rush into having the boat rewired and buying new instruments; you'll have a much better idea of what you need and what is actually useful that way. Try and get some cruising experience with other people too, you'll learn loads about sailing and you'll also be able to see how yachts are normally set up, not just from an electrical point of view but also in terms of rigging, plumbing etc.

Posted By: Van Mentz
Date Posted: 13 Aug 15 at 6:39am

Good advice from Mr Nick.

My ethos is to install the minimum level of electrical equipment otherwise you will become its servant rather than the other way round - if you haven't got it - it can't go wrong.

Posted By: NEWPAGE
Date Posted: 13 Aug 15 at 3:18pm

Hi and thank you Mr Nick

The GPS I can use a phone/tablet, can't I?

Posted By: Mister Nick
Date Posted: 13 Aug 15 at 6:40pm

Originally posted by NEWPAGE

Hi and thank you Mr Nick

The GPS I can use a phone/tablet, can't I?

There's no reason why not, depending on the device it might not be as accurate as a proper instrument but it should do the job. Most chartplotters will give you all the neccesary GPS info anyway, so you might not even need to go down that route.

Posted By: MerlinMags
Date Posted: 14 Aug 15 at 5:53pm

Originally posted by NEWPAGE

The GPS I can use a phone/tablet, can't I?

If you have a waterproof case, and a backup device should you drop the first one overboard!

Posted By: NEWPAGE
Date Posted: 15 Aug 15 at 12:33am

Thanks!!!

Any one recommend a chart plotter?

Was in North Wales today and looked at a few when I called at a chandlers, but prices varied from £300 to nearly £2000. The sales man dazzled me with tech stuff and suggested a Ray.... (forget the make now) for £600, although as suggested by Mr Nick I will wait until I get my courses out of the way.

Anyone know if rewiring a control panel and navigation lights a big job?

Beginning to wish i bought a boat that was ready to go.

Posted By: laser193713
Date Posted: 14 Oct 15 at 4:27pm

On a 38 foot boat the standard set up would be two domestic batteries and an engine start battery. These should be wired onto two separate circuits so that the engine battery isn't accidentally discharged by the fridge, lights, chart plotter etc.

A good safe bet for an instrument system would be Raymarine. Their E7 chart plotter is very good and affordable and can be linked in well with the i50 instruments and Ray50 radio. I would stick with a chart plotter with built in GPS, ideally an AIS receiver (no need to transmit really unless you have money to burn) a VHF radio, and a speed and depth instrument with a Airmar Triducer is a safe bet depending on hull shape. For compass just stick with an analogue one. A later upgrade could be an electronic compass unit to give some more data to the chart plotter. Another upgrade would be a wind instrument. The final bit of luxury would be an autohelm system. The Raymarine system is the most simple to use and with the best customer support in my experience.

Posted By: wavestimulus
Date Posted: 08 Apr 16 at 9:27pm

As a side note to avoid the engine start battery and have one circuit.

May be this is off-topics, or may discussed somewhere else (couldn't find it),
but on the subject of electric motor (to replace a very old diesel), was
watching on youtube Sailing Uma, installation of their DIY electric engine.
Seems to me they have studied their project.

I understand that still expensive and not yet same performance as diesel.
But what is the current status? Any experienced sailor with electric engine?
especially on the DIY level ?

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