First, we have to define “worth it.” We will do so in dollars, energy provided, performance, and noise and intrusion on our daily lives. Our model is an Eclectic Energy D400. We did not buy it, our boat came with it un-installed, and we installed it. We hope that this is just about as unbiased as we can be, no one gave us any products or money to write this article.

Actual output in Watts and Amps at 13.2 volts on top gauge, with actual apparent masthead wind on bottom gauge.

Straight away, in dollars per amp hour of charging provided, solar wins hands down over wind. We can say that as a fact without a double-blind peer-reviewed study on the matter. Our thought is before considering spending the money on wind power for their boat, they should maximize the solar power generation potential and their battery charge acceptance rate.

Once you are set in that department, now it is time to consider add ons such as wind generators, portable gasoline generators or diesel gen sets, or hydro generators to add supplementary power and charging capability when there is no or low sun.

Does the D400 Wind Generator Make a Lot of Noise?

It is quiet as a mouse! Although I am not quite sure how much noise a mouse makes, and I have not put a decibel meter in front of the D400, I can tell you that the noise it makes is comparable to the wind blowing through a sailboat’s rigging. Clanking halyards at the marina will be far more annoying than the D400. It is normally almost completely silent, however, at times it does make some faint whooshing sounds in higher speed shifty winds.

In comparison to other models we have heard aboard other boats, we can definitively say the D400 wins hands down in this department. It is not as quiet as solar, but we have found some other models that make it sound like you are living next to an airport or a subway station. From a sound perspective, our wind generator is worth it.

Does a Wind Generator Make Enough Power For Our Sailboat?

In its name, it claims it makes 400 watts of electricity. This means it is capable of producing about 33-35 amps of charging power. Sounds awesome, right? Well, wait just a moment.

The power curve on this beast is not linear, it is exponential (kind of, but not exactly, it illustrates the point). This means at low wind speeds, the wind generator makes very little power. In 5-10 knots of a variable gentle breeze in which the boat shifts at anchor, you will make just +/- 1 amp or so on and off. This isn’t even enough to steadily keep your interior LED lights on (You do have these already right? Saving power is much easier than generating power.), let alone charge your batteries.

For the average fair-weather cruising sailor that enjoys sailing on lighter days and tucks into the most protected anchorages possible, wind power may not make as much sense. Even in the trade winds of the BVIs, the high hills swirl the wind through anchorages which makes the power generated very intermittent.

Does a Wind Generator Make Enough Power to Run the Autopilot While Sailing?

Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. Our wind generator is located at the aft of the boat. This is the most popular position. We have seen some up on mizzen masts, which make a lot of sense (but this is also a lot of weight aloft). The bad part about this location is that it is in the draft of our sails, meaning it gets disturbed wind off of the back of the mainsail often.

We also try to use weather routing to sail off of the wind as much as possible. Sailing with the wind at your back lowers the apparent wind, which is what is used to power the D400. For example, if there is a 15-knot wind, and our boat is sailing into it at 5 knots, that will make a 20-knot apparent wind, which is great for wind power.

However, if we are sailing away from the same wind at 7 knots, that drops the wind speed to 13. Remember that exponential power curve?

Lastly, while sailing, we have found that large waves have a big effect on the D400. A wind generator seems to work best when it is solidly mounted and not moving. However mid-ocean, the boat is moving around in multiple axes. Every time this motion takes place, with every wave, the apparent wind on our generator changes, resulting in less efficiency.

It is helpful at night to supplement our power usage, but at least on our boat, it can not cover the fridge, freezer, lights, instruments, radar, and autopilot all at once, and we hope to never sail in so much apparent wind that it could. When sailing, we also run our autopilot almost 24 hours per day, as we rarely hand steer the boat. Only for fun or when extreme power conservation is needed.

Solar Panel Shading Issues on Our Sailboat

Other than adding to weight aloft, which is always a negative on a sailing yacht, the shading of solar panels is our wind generator’s major drawback. During most of the day, Windy (as we affectionately call her) shades at least one 50 amp solar panel and sometimes shades up to 4 at a time (or 200 watts worth).

Like the relationship of wind strength and wind power, the solar panels’ wattage varies based on the strength of the sun reaching them but are much more linear, except when partially shaded. The 50-watt panel being shaded could be costing us 4 amps at 12 volts. To make up the power lost it needs to be blowing over 15 knots consistently.

To make up for shading most of the 250 watts of flexible solar panels on our bimini, it would need to be blowing 27-28 knots, steadily, without shifts. Ask yourself how many times you are moored in a location where that is happening?

We may change our minds on this as we reach the higher latitudes of Argentina, Chile, and Patagonia. Even then though, we must be careful. A wind generator can be damaged in extremely high winds above 45 knots. Once again, we try to avoid these situations, but if a storm or very strong winds are forecasted it is a good idea to tie off your wind generator early.

Danger to Birds, Heads, Fingers, and Sails

One last word of caution before we conclude. The blades are extremely sharp and move very fast. They have been known to cut off fingers, kill birds, and slice open heads. It is a good idea to consider the mounting location of the wind generator very carefully. We have been on some boats where they are dangerously mounted. Keep in mind, you may not be tall enough, but what if a friend or neighbor comes on board? What if someone is falling and puts their arm up? What if you lose a halyard and it floats back behind the boat?

Is Our D-400 Wind Generator Worth the Cost on Our Sailboat?

We like our wind generator it as it was free to us. We have thought long and hard for our answer to the question, would we buy one for our boat?

To us, at least for now, the answer is probably not. Not because it is a bad product, or because of the noise. It is very well engineered and virtually silent with zero maintenance so far. We wouldn’t buy it based on the cost per amp-hour provided and the fact that it shades our solar panels, which on an average day in and day out, produce more power.

It is also complex to mount, takes up deck space, it is heavy, and requires drilling extra holes in the deck. Likely when it dies, we will not replace it, and sell its guts. We are keeping our mind open though, it may be a lifesaving lesson we have yet to learn in the canals and fjords of the deep south. We will update you then.

Which Wind Generator To Buy?

If we did have to choose a wind generator to buy for our sailboat, we would probably choose the D400 again. We are very happy with its silence. You can find out more about it here https://eclectic-energy.co.uk/products/d400-wind-generator/

If you want to see more wind generator options, here are some from Amazon.com. There are some really interesting configurations to explore. We have not used these, nor do we recommend them, but they are interesting to compare and we do get a little kickback when you buy something on amazon after clicking the links on our website. If you like our blog on and want to support our journey and content without it costing you extra, follow a link below before you do your amazon shopping

The post Is a Wind Generator on a Sailboat Worth the Cost? appeared first on Sailing Sweet Ruca.

We are not dock people. We like to be offshore, moving and sailing with the wind and the waves. 

Many times though we must sit at anchor to shelter from storms or wait for wind and tide windows for safe passages. 

At other times we just want to stay in one place for a while and soak in the local culture and customs.

As we prefer not to tie to a dock for a multitude of reasons, we must be fully prepared to support ourselves for long periods without plugging into local utilities.

By the way, none of the products discussed here were given to us or discounted. We have received no paid promotion for this article. We just chose what was best for us at the time based on many factors and are sharing this with you. 

WATER

Water is life. We are surrounded by it in the ocean, but we can not drink it. Can carry about 120 gallons onboard our sailboats water tanks. We also carry a 5-gallon jug of emergency drinking water.

That can last the two of us about 4 weeks if we conserve. Conservation is good, and important when making offshore passages, but in port, we like to shower ourselves and the boat with fresh water as much as possible.

We installed a reverse osmosis (RO) watermaker onboard our boat. It has perhaps been one of the best decisions we made before leaving for long-term cruising. 

Our watermaker runs off of our 12v battery system which can be recharged by the sun, wind, or engine alternator, making our freshwater production truly off the grid. 

It draws about 15 amps of 12-volt power, and when running it makes about 6-7 gallons of water per hour. This means it uses roughly 2 amps for every gallon of water produced. You will learn a lot about amps and volts living off-grid.

Some systems are more efficient on power, but they are also more expensive to purchase and require more technical skills to maintain.

POWER

How do we maintain a blog and YouTube channel while off the grid? It takes lots of power. We also require stable power for our critical sailing and life support systems aboard such as our instruments, autopilot, lights, water, and refrigeration.

We use a combination of three power sources to charge a bank of lithium iron phosphate (LifePO4) batteries.

SOLAR

Our primary power source is the sun. We chose 850 watts of flexible solar panels to provide our main off-the-grid solar power source. They are mounted to our existing dodger and bimini. We also have one movable panel which we can tie in place anywhere we choose. All of these are tied in parallel to a single 60 amp mppt charge controller.

Wait a minute, flexible panels? What, no individual controller per panel? Why? 

We found that the flexible panels weigh at least 10 times less than rigid panels and cost about the same. Let’s look at two examples. 

100 Watt Flexible vs Rigid Solar Panel Comparison

Rigid: https://www.renogy.com/100-watt-12-volt-monocrystalline-solar-panel-compact-design/

14.3 lbs

124.99

Flexible: https://www.renogy.com/100-watt-12-volt-flexible-monocrystalline-solar-panel/

4.2 lbs

189.99

This saves us about 90 lbs of weight on the boat vs rigid panels. Rigid panels would have also required adding additional reinforced structure or a solar arch which would have added more cost and weight as well. 

Overall, we figure we came in at about the same price as mounting rigid panels, with at least 150 lbs of weight savings. 

One thing to remember is that weight is important, even on a cruising sailboat, as it not only affects speed, but load carrying and stability (rolling at anchor and heel while sailing).

Here are the other pros and cons we considered regarding flexible vs rigid solar panels on our sailboat:

Pros:

• No additional solar arch is required (metalwork, welding, etc.)
• Easily and quickly removable in case of storm preparations or for racing
• Can be stored flat under bunks
• Estimated > 150 lb weight savings

Cons:

• Less durable (will likely last only 5 years before replacement vs 10 or more for rigid)
• Less efficient (per square foot of panel size they produce less energy, meaning the panels are larger in area for the same wattage)
• More expensive (but not necessarily if you factor in having to build an arch).

For the purpose of this article, we will not go into more depth, but there is much more to know. 

What we know is that after two full years off the grid while living on our boat, the system has suited us, fit our budget, and has performed well. It has also stayed on through 60 kt squalls at anchor and sailing in 45 knots through a tropical storm. Could it be more efficient and durable? Yes. Would it cost more and be more complex? Yes. 

You likely have many questions about series vs parallel, amps vs watts, 12 vs 24 volts, etc. All I can say is, breathe deep and relax, it is not as complex as many make it sound. You can do it!!! 

WIND

Our boat came equipped with a wind generator. The unit is capable of producing up to 400 watts of power. Made by a British company called Eclectic Energy, the D400 model we have is perhaps one of the quietest on the market.

It is hooked to our batteries with an adjustable regulator and dumps extra power off to heat sinks.

Is a wind generator worth it on a sailboat? That’s a tough question. Most of the time solar greatly outperforms our wind generator, however ol’ windy (yes, everything on a boat ends up with a name) shines above solar primarily in two situations.

The first and most important is offshore sailing in strong winds at night. In this situation, our autopilot uses lots of power. The stronger winds and our preferred apparent wind sailing angles spin the blades on the D400 very well. This is one of the situations where we love it, however, in the same conditions, a hydro generator would also perform very well.

The second situation windy rocks our socks off is when anchored in a windy place and it is cloudy for a few days. If you are going to spend winter in the Bahamas or open trade wind anchorages, wind energy will be very efficient. Summer in Maine or a marina? Forget about it!

Windy has a few major drawbacks:

Pros:

• Power source while sailing at night
• Power source with no sun

Cons:

• Shades solar panels at times
• Some units are very loud (luckily ours is normally not audible over normal wind noise in the rig)
• Expensive

We have concluded after 2 years that although our D400 has some great attributes, it is probably not where we would put our money if starting with a blank canvas. We would probably just opt for more solar in its place.

ENGINE ALTERNATOR

Our 46-foot bluewater sailboat came equipped with a large 75 horsepower Yanmar diesel engine. It also included a high output Balmar alternator which feeds the batteries through a voltage regulator.

We find this system very cost-effective and efficient vs a generator. No one wants an extra engine to maintain and carry spare parts and fuel for. It also adds very little additional weight to the boat vs a stock setup.

That being said, the primary engine is a terribly un-efficient generator. Per amp-hour of battery charge it uses a lot of fuel. We try to only use it to charge batteries when moving the boat, for example coming into an anchorage for the day.

A critical component that makes this system more efficient is our LifePO4 batteries. More on those later, but the main takeaway is they can accept all of the charge produced by our alternator very quickly. This means in 4 hours of running time we can produce all the power we need to charge our batteries from dead to 100%.

All in all, a high output regulated alternator such as the Balmar would be one of our first additions if we did this again. We would likely even add a second, engaged optionally with a clutch for redundancy and to double the efficiency of our engine as a generator.

BATTERIES

Batteries may be the most argued topic online other than anchors. Like anchors, there are two firm camps. Old schoolers vs new kids on the block.

The grizzly old greybeard sailor will likely sneer at you if you mention lithium. Don’t worry, they have a tried and true method that works for them and are set in their ways. That’s OK, just take it with a grain of salt, they probably have a CQR anchor and a flip phone also. 

The next group of naysayers is your standard techno-geek. These guys are smart as a whip and can probably get a job at NASA. These engineers are usually pro lithium but tend to take things to the extreme and discount the use of drop-in batteries. We are not building a space station going into orbit here, nor do we have an unlimited budget.

The fact is after a two-year trial run, our drop-in LifePO4 batteries are safe, efficient, and have performed well. I have no qualms about recommending a well-made drop in LifePO4 system. 

We chose 6x Renogy 100 amp-hour LifePO4 batteries, linked in parallel to create a 600 amp-hour 13.2-volt system. This leaves us about 480 usable amp-hours, roughly equivalent to a 1000 amp-hour AGM battery bank. LifePO4 also charges faster, is considerably lighter, and has a longer duty cycle life.

To determine our battery requirements we used a spreadsheet to understand our electrical usage. It details inputs from charging and outputs to things like lights and refrigeration. This is the best way to start planning your electrical needs if you are considering going off the grid. (LINK TO SPREADSHEET)

We wanted a drop-in system for a few reasons. First, we wanted an American company to deal with and a warranty. Second, we wanted a battery with good enough internals. Lastly, we wanted a system that had CE approval.

We did some re-configuring of our wiring to optimize our system with the help of a professional ABYC certified electrician. This made the system safe, reliable, and much more efficient. It also eliminated the pain points of going to lithium.

The biggest things that are required are ensuring that your cable lengths are the same to ensure your batteries stay balanced and your charging system components have the proper settings to connect safely to your batteries. If you do the above you should have no fears about converting to LifePO4.

Pros:

• Fast charging rates allow for you to maximize the efficiency of solar/wind/diesel inputs
• > 300 lb weight savings
• Long term cost
• Deep (80%) draw allows us to go multiple days without charging

Cons:

• Upfront cost
• Charging system and wiring re-configuration
• Some insurance companies frown upon it
• Temperature limits (below freezing charging problems)

The bottom line is after two years we are really glad we chose to go to LifePO4 straight away. We think if you plan on owning your boat for more than two years it’s a go!

Knowing what we know now, we feel capable of building our own system from Winston cells, which would have saved tons of money and even more weight and space and increased durability, but we are happy with our drop-in professionally designed systems as our insurance underwriters are also.

REFRIGERATION

Some people living off the grid may consider this a luxury, but we consider it essential. We do want some comforts of land-based living after all. The ability to store food long-term greatly extends the distances we can go from civilization. 

Not only does our fridge and freezer keep our beer cold and ice cream frozen, but it also allows us to stock up on foods when and where they are available and cheap. It also allows us to keep the fish that we catch, as many times just one large offshore fish is more than the two of us can consume in a day.

The downside is a refrigerator and freezer add a lot of cost and complexity. They are, other than an autopilot while sailing, and video editing computers, the most power-hungry items on board. They also can’t just be turned off, as our food would spoil, so you had better plan on power for these puppies.

We chose to go with separate compressors for our existing molded-in OEM fridge and freezer cabinets. Ours are 12-volt air-cooled evaporator plate models, which we like as they are less expensive and easier to install than water-cooled models, albeit we lose a little efficiency.

We would surely not go without this item off the grid, but if you are just outfitting your boat here are a few things to consider.

1. Insulation is king. It is a major project, but if you have the time, knowledge, and budget, add as much insulation as possible. If we were ordering a brand new boat from the factory, we would be sure to require the best in this area.
2. Think about the new 12 volt chests from Dometic, Engal, and others. If you have a blank slate, building these into a modular galley system would yield great dividends in cost, efficiency, and ease of replacement when the time comes.
3. Choose what is right for you. Like many things yachting, this seems to be an area where there are lots of boisterous “experts.” Most new systems on the market are very good and similar in components and function. Refer to number 1.

HEAT

Where we are going it can get cold. Let’s get this straight, we aren’t exactly high latitude ice expedition sailors, but we also don’t just sail on warm sunny days.

Our navigation plans will for the most part keep us out of the weather that is below freezing, but we do need to be prepared for such occasions.

Our LifePO4 batteries will not charge if they fall below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. This means we have to keep them above this at all times. Pretty easy, unless we are on the hard in the north, or we are entering icy waters. 

Along with our batteries, we also like to keep our bodies above freezing. We have two types of heat aboard.

The first and primary is our forced air diesel heater. It draws off of our reserve 30-gallon diesel tank and gives us up to a month of heating. We also carry jerry cans for the heater if we will be in cold climates long term.

As a backup, we carry an electric heater, which can run from our inverter, fed by solar, wind, or engine alternator. It is pretty inefficient, but a good old reliable for a quick warmup when we have extra power, or in case of emergency.

We also have a propane heater, which can run off of our cooking gas, tucked away if emergency battery heating is required.

COOKING

You have got to eat, right? Along with the refrigerator, we find our cooking appliances to be essential. In this area, we keep it simple.

We have a Force 10 3 burner stove with an oven. It is fed by two 10 lb propane tanks located in their own vented external locker. This is about a 3-6 month supply of cooking gas depending on how often we use it. 

We also carry a single burner portable electric hot plate. We use this at anchor when we have excess solar power to conserve propane.

We feel someday going all-electric would be nice, but for now, we are very happy with the current combination. Obtaining propane is not nearly as hard or complicated as many make it to be.

SANITATION

What goes in must come out! Refuse and excrement on board are major concerns with off-grid living. What does one do with the poo? Where do you put your trash?

Let’s start with the trash. The first component of our program is minimizing what comes on board. Cardboard boxes, plastic wrappers, etc. are removed and food is placed into reusable containers. This allows most trash to be left at the dock and recycled if available. In this manner, we simply don’t yield a lot of waste products, but some are inevitable.

When living aboard at anchor or the few times we are in a marina, we simply bag it and take it to the dumpster, just as you would at home. If recycling is available, all the better.

When offshore, it is a little different. Certain types of trash can be disposed of in the ocean, although we try to keep this to a minimum. Anything that is not allowed over gets bagged and properly disposed of in the next port.

Human waste goes two ways. Number ones generally go right in, unless we are in a non-discharge zone. Number twos are held in a holding tank and discharged legally offshore, or are removed to land via a marina pump out.

We have two types of “heads” (marine toilets are called heads). Both use freshwater flush to keep out the bio smells of saltwater. One is a manual pump, and one is a VacuFlush which is similar in function to an airplane toilet.

INTERNET

Last but not least, how are we posting blogs and running a YouTube channel off the grid? Internet connectivity can be a challenge at times, and it is not only essential for business and entertainment but our safety.

When we first left the USA we used Google Fi. This worked pretty well. It was clunky at times, and local sim cards usually yielded higher speeds, but we always had internet near shore in most places.

Local provider prepaid sim cards have been the go-to method for the internet on our sailboat. We simply put a sim in our iPad (it has a better built-in antenna) and turn on its hotspot to share with the boat. 

We also sometimes use a local wifi connection. These are few and far between though. We have a router to use as a repeater, but no external amplified wifi antennas. Most that have them tell us they are not as useful as they sound and also use local LTE sim cards.

This works everywhere your phone would, up to several miles offshore. Past that we use an iridium satellite connection. It is slow and has limited uses, but allows us to get critical weather information when bluewater sailing and also allows emails, texts, tracking, and voice calls. 

A FleetOne broadband system from Cobham would also be a great choice. A little more expensive upfront for the equipment, but the pay-as-you-go plans can be about even with a yearly subscription for unlimited Go. The bonus is much higher speeds. YouTube revenue doesn’t justify the spend, but if we had a real job that required offshore connectivity, this is what we would choose, at least until Elon Musks Starlink becomes available on a boat.

SUMMARY

After two full years living off the grid on our sailboat, we are happy campers. We don’t claim to have any perfect solutions, but what we have done works well for us. The products and methods we chose have worked for our needs and budget. We have also learned as we sailed.

Could we do things better aboard the sailing vessel Sweet Ruca? Sure! Off the grid, technology is changing at a record pace. We look forward to learning evolving along with it, and testing what we use in the harshest environments we dare to travel.

The most important thing we have learned is not to be intimidated! You can do it!

The post 11 Things We Have Learned about Living Off The Grid in 2 Years appeared first on Sailing Sweet Ruca.