Super information and detail. I just purchased a 390 and have plans to add solar to its existing hardtop for similar reasons- so this is great content for me. Curious if you added a water maker to the 390 for the "self sufficient" lifestyle?
Glad this was helpful for you Michael. We considered adding a water maker but the cost was prohibitive for the amount of time we’d use it. Thanks for watching!😎
Thanks for your suggestion cproducer! We enjoy running our Mavic Air and are not professional by any stretch! Perhaps if we become more proficient we will do a demo. 😎
Hi Malcolm. Your videos are great. The right length without losing momentum. How much mechanical/electrical experience did you have prior to starting the great loop?
Hi @HopperRejects and glad you enjoy our videos. We’ve owned several boats and set up solar on a previous boat prior to Stay Cool. We did the solar set-up ourselves on Stay Cool prior to starting the loop. Malcolm has some experience with general engine maintenance as well as home & marine electrical work but is by no means an “expert”. He does a lot of research before starting a project like solar. Thanks for watching!😎
So Malcolm, do you just plug the shorepower plug into the bluetti to power everything or do you need to run extension cords to the bluetti for fridge, microwave etc?
Primarily we used solar to charge the Bluetti. A transfer switch should be installed to connect the Bluetti directly into the boat’s AC systems. Thanks for watching.😊
Very informative video. I’m thinking of adding Solar at some point down the road, but right now im still in the information gathering stage. I have 2 Onan 17kw generators for power while on the hook. I’m concerned about the tropical sun of Florida and the Caribbean burning out the solar panels after continual exposure to the bright sun for days at a time. But I realize that the technology of Solar is changing every day by leaps and bounds.
Thanks for watching Roger! Personally I would not worry about the intensity of the sun as the hard/rigid panels are made of silicone and can withstand significant exposure.
I don't think burning out the solar panels is a concern. What will be a concern though is if you go with flexible panels and have them mounted to your canvas, they will get hot and potentially may burn or at least leave burn marks on your canvas.
@@staycool123 We run 4 x 110W flexible panels on our canvas top. This is the second season, and so far zero issues. They do get warm though. Friends of ours had an issue with their panels (different make, older) leaving a burn mark on their canvas.
I seem to have difficulty understanding electricity and how it works. I have a motorhome with ac and dc and even that confuses me. much less if I add solar. maybe someday. Enjoyed the presentation and it sounds so simple. Enjoy
Hi Carpe Diem With Us! It’s quite complicated to attempt to explain the structure… much easier in person. We’d recommend consulting with an engineer to ensure the frame is secure, keeping in mind boat movement and high winds. Each boat is unique and solar panels vary dramatically so it’s best to design a structure based on your specific boat and requirements. Good luck!😎
Thanks for your question Tim. We are unable to share our wiring diagram at this time. The design and installation of a solar power system needs to be customized for each boat. We strongly recommend you reach out to an electrician for advice.
Thanks for your question. For quick access we have our Bluetti in the salon. We use it all the time for charging our phones and other electronics. It is the inverter we have.😎
thanks it was very nice of you to share a well thought out system . I like to keep things simple your system does that , to clarify does the refrigeration run off of the 8d agm house bank? thanks again i have watched this one twice . Great videos great piano
Thanks for watching twice Zillah! Simple is always best! The fridge can run off either of the house 8Ds or off the Bluetti lithium. We usually run it off the house batteries unless we have a very dark day. 😎
I have a 390 as well and want to install solar. Can I ask how you plug Bluetti into you system? You mention it runs your AC panel and I am curious how you wired it up.
Good question WG. We like our auto-inflatable PFD’s by Mustang. Because we wear them all the time while underway, we prefer these lightweight PFD’s. We’d recommend getting the type that auto-inflates when it hits the water. There are other brands too. We bought ours in Canada.
How do you run your water heater off this system? Is it with the Bluetti, or off an inverter? I have a smaller system on my 34’ Mainship. I have two 100 watt panels charging 2 lead acid group 31 batteries. That gives me 200 available amp hours, but with only 100 usable because you do not want to run lead acid batteries below 50%. That runs all of our electrical needs including our fridge without ever having to start the engine to recharge. That said, there is not enough power to run the heating element in the water heater. It draws 1200 watts.
Watching from Newboro Lake. Small world. Bluetti makes an AC 200 Max variant that has a 30Amp outlet. Wondering if that could just be plugged into the boat’s shore power inputs to achieve the same effect?
Hi Rick, if Bluetti has a 30amp AC out, then you could connect that to your shore power. But logistics of the Bluetti being inside the boat and the shore power located on the exterior may be problematic (?). Thanks for watching!😎
One more question, hope that is ok. I had been thinking of doing something very similar to your setup in terms of solar and lithium. I was considering going the inverter/charger route with a bank of (housed) lifepo4 batteries kept discrete from the existing AGM starter/house set-up. It's considerably more expensive than the bluetti option and I am not really sure what is to be gained beyond hardwired extensibility and the potential to be able to build a big enough battery bank to run AC on the hook. Which seems like a lot more of an expense than warranted for me, at least. The bluetti can be upgraded as needed and replaced much more easily if it fails than an inverter/charger and a bank of batteries. I am curious to hear if you have run into other downsides to the bluetti system? (love your videos, BTW. You are, at least in part, inspiring me to start my own loop adventure)
Thanks for your question. Without seeing it in person, it a little hard to describe… but the solar frame is “clamped” in multiple places to the railing with 3D printed ABS spacers that allow them to be secured firmly. It was designed so that the aluminum frame doesn’t actually touch any part of the stainless steel railing.
@@staycool123 I'm sooo following every video you and Rachel make!!! We have a 1989 Hatteras 40' DC but are looking at a Mainship. Mostly because of the fuel prices. But I'm really interested on how you fastened the solar panel posts to your upper helm railing. You said that it was designed with a little give. I understood that it was not fastened to the actual floor of your upper helm area and only fastened to the railing itself. And even if I were to keep my Hatteras; which I'm utterly in love with; I want to have my dingy by my swim platform instead of way up there where I need to set up the davit with the battery; which is a pain in my tukhuss!!
Thanks for following along! There is no perfect boat… every boat has its issues. But ultimately you will have fun on your loop no matter which vessel you choose! 😎
Good question David. Realistically you’d need to own the boat and solar for some time to break even, but the quality of quiet anchorages is difficult to quantify and easily makes up any shortfall in our opinion.😎
For this question I like to also consider the cost of NOT staying at a marina. If the solar allows me to anchor rather than pay $80-$100 dollars per night, it does not take all that long to break even.
hello very interested in your setup with solar and your Bluetti, ypu said you have a 3 way switch to change where your solar charge goes too. Do you also have a transfer switch that allows your Bluetti to hook into your main panel for all on board demands? im interested in how you set it up. thank you. you can respond directly to my email address than we can commmunicte.
Thanks for your question Duane & Sue. Our system is custom because we wanted it to be "removable" for when we sell our boat. There should be a transfer switch that is similar to what is in a house for a generator. The design and installation of a solar power system needs to be customized for each boat. We are not professional electricians and strongly recommend you reach out to a marine electrician for advice for your specific situation.😎
That's a good set-up you have for your power needs.
It seems to be working well so far! Thanks for watching T Mac!😎
Great Information. Thank you 😊
Thanks for watching 😎
I like what you have with the solar and battery set up ,very inciteful thanks for sharing.
It’s been great so far 👍🏻 Thanks for your comment Bill!😎
Great information, your videos are great
Thanks for watching Harold!
another informative video. I learned a lot.
Thanks Patrick, glad to hear it was helpful info!
Love that bluetti! Thanks for the informative vid!!
Thanks for your comment Lauren!😎
Super information and detail. I just purchased a 390 and have plans to add solar to its existing hardtop for similar reasons- so this is great content for me. Curious if you added a water maker to the 390 for the "self sufficient" lifestyle?
Glad this was helpful for you Michael. We considered adding a water maker but the cost was prohibitive for the amount of time we’d use it. Thanks for watching!😎
Well, we bought a bluetti on a Black Friday sale. We are excited about the possiblities and are researching the rest.
Fantastic! You will find it very useful on your great loop!😎
Yes good info. I like your adventures..
Thanks for watching!😎
Thank you very informative and great setup and like the way the Solar is low profile and as acts as sun shade.
Thanks for your comment Brett and for watching!😎
Thank you for that it was very interesting.👍👍
Hope you got something out of it! Thanks for watching Thomas!😎
A suggestion for a future episode - Demonstrate your Drone capabilities and such.
Thanks for your suggestion cproducer! We enjoy running our Mavic Air and are not professional by any stretch! Perhaps if we become more proficient we will do a demo. 😎
Hi Malcolm. Your videos are great. The right length without losing momentum. How much mechanical/electrical experience did you have prior to starting the great loop?
Hi @HopperRejects and glad you enjoy our videos. We’ve owned several boats and set up solar on a previous boat prior to Stay Cool. We did the solar set-up ourselves on Stay Cool prior to starting the loop. Malcolm has some experience with general engine maintenance as well as home & marine electrical work but is by no means an “expert”. He does a lot of research before starting a project like solar. Thanks for watching!😎
So Malcolm, do you just plug the shorepower plug into the bluetti to power everything or do you need to run extension cords to the bluetti for fridge, microwave etc?
Primarily we used solar to charge the Bluetti. A transfer switch should be installed to connect the Bluetti directly into the boat’s AC systems. Thanks for watching.😊
Very informative video. I’m thinking of adding Solar at some point down the road, but right now im still in the information gathering stage. I have 2 Onan 17kw generators for power while on the hook. I’m concerned about the tropical sun of Florida and the Caribbean burning out the solar panels after continual exposure to the bright sun for days at a time.
But I realize that the technology of Solar is changing every day by leaps and bounds.
Thanks for watching Roger! Personally I would not worry about the intensity of the sun as the hard/rigid panels are made of silicone and can withstand significant exposure.
I don't think burning out the solar panels is a concern. What will be a concern though is if you go with flexible panels and have them mounted to your canvas, they will get hot and potentially may burn or at least leave burn marks on your canvas.
Yes Chris, we agree and while we have no practical experience with flexible panels, we have heard they are unfortunately far more prone to failure.
@@staycool123 We run 4 x 110W flexible panels on our canvas top. This is the second season, and so far zero issues. They do get warm though. Friends of ours had an issue with their panels (different make, older) leaving a burn mark on their canvas.
I seem to have difficulty understanding electricity and how it works. I have a motorhome with ac and dc and even that confuses me. much less if I add solar. maybe someday. Enjoyed the presentation and it sounds so simple. Enjoy
Thanks for watching Buck!😎
Hi. Can you do an in-depth video on how you built your solar panel set-up?
Just got a Mainship 390 and I'd really like to build one too!!
Thanks!!
Hi Carpe Diem With Us! It’s quite complicated to attempt to explain the structure… much easier in person. We’d recommend consulting with an engineer to ensure the frame is secure, keeping in mind boat movement and high winds. Each boat is unique and solar panels vary dramatically so it’s best to design a structure based on your specific boat and requirements. Good luck!😎
Can you share a wiring diagram or how you wired your system and how you ran the wires?
Thanks for your question Tim. We are unable to share our wiring diagram at this time. The design and installation of a solar power system needs to be customized for each boat. We strongly recommend you reach out to an electrician for advice.
Where on your boat do you put the Bluetti? Am I correct in understanding that the only inverter you have is the one in the Bluetti?
Thanks for your question. For quick access we have our Bluetti in the salon. We use it all the time for charging our phones and other electronics. It is the inverter we have.😎
I would love to see how you have the Bluetti connected to your AC circuitry of the boat.
We wired it similar to how you’d wire a generator to a house. It is easily removable for when we sell the boat.
thanks it was very nice of you to share a well thought out system . I like to keep things simple your system does that , to clarify does the refrigeration run off of the 8d agm house bank? thanks again i have watched this one twice . Great videos great piano
Thanks for watching twice Zillah! Simple is always best! The fridge can run off either of the house 8Ds or off the Bluetti lithium. We usually run it off the house batteries unless we have a very dark day. 😎
I have a 390 as well and want to install solar. Can I ask how you plug Bluetti into you system? You mention it runs your AC panel and I am curious how you wired it up.
Hi Tom and thanks for your question. We wired it similar to how you’d wire a generator to a house. It is easily removable for when we sell the boat.
@@staycool123 Thanks for that. I love watching you guys on RUclips and real-time on AIS. Safe travels. I am about 5-6 year behind.
Hello. Could you please describe your pfd? Do you like the Mustang brand? Thank you.
Good question WG. We like our auto-inflatable PFD’s by Mustang. Because we wear them all the time while underway, we prefer these lightweight PFD’s. We’d recommend getting the type that auto-inflates when it hits the water. There are other brands too. We bought ours in Canada.
Where did you get your fabric fender holders?
Thanks for your question Carol. They are called “Natty” and we got them at the Toronto boat show (pre-COVID) from gencomarine.com. They are great! 😎
@@staycool123 Looks like they dine carry anymore. Bummer
That is a bummer!
How do you run your water heater off this system? Is it with the Bluetti, or off an inverter? I have a smaller system on my 34’ Mainship. I have two 100 watt panels charging 2 lead acid group 31 batteries. That gives me 200 available amp hours, but with only 100 usable because you do not want to run lead acid batteries below 50%. That runs all of our electrical needs including our fridge without ever having to start the engine to recharge. That said, there is not enough power to run the heating element in the water heater. It draws 1200 watts.
Thanks for your comment. The Bluetti is wired into the main AC panel and that is how we can run the water heater.
@@staycool123 thank you. Great idea!
Watching from Newboro Lake. Small world. Bluetti makes an AC 200 Max variant that has a 30Amp outlet. Wondering if that could just be plugged into the boat’s shore power inputs to achieve the same effect?
Hi Rick, if Bluetti has a 30amp AC out, then you could connect that to your shore power. But logistics of the Bluetti being inside the boat and the shore power located on the exterior may be problematic (?). Thanks for watching!😎
And we love Newboro Lake!! 😊
@@staycool123 Stouts Bay FTW!
One more question, hope that is ok. I had been thinking of doing something very similar to your setup in terms of solar and lithium. I was considering going the inverter/charger route with a bank of (housed) lifepo4 batteries kept discrete from the existing AGM starter/house set-up. It's considerably more expensive than the bluetti option and I am not really sure what is to be gained beyond hardwired extensibility and the potential to be able to build a big enough battery bank to run AC on the hook. Which seems like a lot more of an expense than warranted for me, at least. The bluetti can be upgraded as needed and replaced much more easily if it fails than an inverter/charger and a bank of batteries. I am curious to hear if you have run into other downsides to the bluetti system?
(love your videos, BTW. You are, at least in part, inspiring me to start my own loop adventure)
so you bolted the posts to the railing?
Thanks for your question. Without seeing it in person, it a little hard to describe… but the solar frame is “clamped” in multiple places to the railing with 3D printed ABS spacers that allow them to be secured firmly. It was designed so that the aluminum frame doesn’t actually touch any part of the stainless steel railing.
@@staycool123 I'm sooo following every video you and Rachel make!!! We have a 1989 Hatteras 40' DC but are looking at a Mainship. Mostly because of the fuel prices.
But I'm really interested on how you fastened the solar panel posts to your upper helm railing. You said that it was designed with a little give. I understood that it was not fastened to the actual floor of your upper helm area and only fastened to the railing itself.
And even if I were to keep my Hatteras; which I'm utterly in love with; I want to have my dingy by my swim platform instead of way up there where I need to set up the davit with the battery; which is a pain in my tukhuss!!
Thanks for following along! There is no perfect boat… every boat has its issues. But ultimately you will have fun on your loop no matter which vessel you choose! 😎
I would like to see the circuit wiring diagram if it is easy to show
Thanks for your comment Sean. We are unable to share a wiring diagram at this time.
Do you think that there is a large enough difference from the cost and what you saved to warrant going with solar? Thanks. D.
Good question David. Realistically you’d need to own the boat and solar for some time to break even, but the quality of quiet anchorages is difficult to quantify and easily makes up any shortfall in our opinion.😎
@@staycool123 I completely understand. I’ll find this out when we do our first anchorage. Thanks. D.
For this question I like to also consider the cost of NOT staying at a marina. If the solar allows me to anchor rather than pay $80-$100 dollars per night, it does not take all that long to break even.
Great vlog wow... Thx! Question: Who's (Mfg) solar panels did you settle on? There so many options... Thanks again!!
Thanks for watching Nereus! You are right, there are many options that are continuously changing and improving. We used Longi Solar LR6-60PE panels.😎
Have you dreamed up any sacrificial loads when the batteries are all full? Like making hydrogen? Heating up stuff? Winding springs? :)
Actually yes! We make hot water! 😎
Winding springs🤣
😃 I was going to be worried if you were to spin a fly wheel but hey. :)
hello very interested in your setup with solar and your Bluetti, ypu said you have a 3 way switch to change where your solar charge goes too. Do you also have a transfer switch that allows your Bluetti to hook into your main panel for all on board demands? im interested in how you set it up. thank you. you can respond directly to my email address than we can commmunicte.
Thanks for your question Duane & Sue. Our system is custom because we wanted it to be "removable" for when we sell our boat. There should be a transfer switch that is similar to what is in a house for a generator. The design and installation of a solar power system needs to be customized for each boat. We are not professional electricians and strongly recommend you reach out to a marine electrician for advice for your specific situation.😎