On Mon, 18 Sep 2017 21:30:11 +0000 (UTC), David Lesher
wrote:

Larry Jaques writes:


He said "charge the battery", not "battery bank". I was thinking a
simple 80w for LED lights, radio, and laptop. One battery ought to
handle that. BUT, if he had a larger boat, solar panels could be
utilized to replace the sail while the batteries replaced a
significant portion of the ballast. VBG.


It has solar panels now, but with not enough sun, the battery
soon succumbed. Given you can't push-start a sailboat, this
caused a major issue. Especially since we had no car available.

Ayup. Consider adding a wind turbine to your mast, too. And
definitely consider the noise before purchase. While you're docked in
a marina, a loud turbine could keep folks awake.

What size is the battery? If you simply drain the battery daily, it
will die quite a bit more quickly than if you only drain it 20%.

What is your watt usage? Is it a set amount daily, or not much today
and heaps tomorrow? Can you plan your usage around the battery?

What devices are you using on the system? Are they optimized for
mobile use?

Have you converted to LED and/or CFL lighting to save watts?

What size panels do you have? Solar panels still put out energy
without direct sun, through the overcast, but they don't put out
nearly as much.

And how can you order up more sun?

--
Stoop and you'll be stepped on;
stand tall and you'll be shot at.
-- Carlos A. Urbizo