Newbie on the hook this weekend- Advice please

[Remedy2]

I have a cooler tie down on the swim step- going to take the cooler off and lash the generator at anchor.

This is exactly what I do with my Yamaha generator on our R-27 Classic. Works great. I made a special 6' cable to connect the generator to my SmartPlug and it works fine. I installed the Yeti stainless steel cooler tiedowns. One set on the swimstep port side and one set as far forward on the floor as I could under the v-berth so the generator is securely held in place when not being used.

Enjoy!

Mark

EDIT: One other thing while I'm thinking of it, we almost exclusively use our generator to charge the batteries during the day and never leave it running at night.

Generator and pigtail bought. Going down to the marina tonight to test. Will update. Thanks you and everyone in this thread for the advice- much appreciated and saved me a potential MAJOR headache

 

[Irish Mist]

How about going to the boat one day and unplug from the Shore power and do a night at anchor at the dock.. If in the morning you overdid it you can plug in and recharge and work on a plan to use less power.. Personally I have a built in generator and run it every night before bed... I also have a portable Honda for back up.. I have an R29 with 4 house batteries and never have a problem and can use the inverter to boil water in the electric kettle in the morning with no generator.... But I also have a portable propane BBQ and a small propane element for back up ( electric stove )
I like to have and not need more then need and not have..
Best thing you are getting out.. Jealous here in frozen Ontario.. Enjoy your time and be comfortable.

 

[scross]

Remedy2 “That's a little more hard core than I need but super impressive. I think I'd need a bigger boat LOL. “
Your 31’2” long C24 is a much longer boat than our (24’7” hull length or about 28’ overall) Ranger 25 Classic, just a different layout!

 

[Remedy2]

Remedy2 “That's a little more hard core than I need but super impressive. I think I'd need a bigger boat LOL. “
Your 31’2” long C24 is a much longer boat than our (24’7” hull length or about 28’ overall) Ranger 25 Classic, just a different layout!

did not realize that! We're both blessed with beautiful boats 🙂

 

[iggy]

And the Newbie thought this was going to be simple 😱

For me, we go away 2 times during the summer for 7 to 10 days on each trip. Yes, LED lighting. I have a Ryboi Inverter/generator 1800/2200 watts. I place it on the swimming platform every morning and run it for about 30 mins. Make coffee, a MUST have! Recharge the batteries and turn the hot water tank on. BUT, I must be care full on what I can turn on at the same time. You need to know what all the devices pull in watts.

The battery monitor is a must have as mentioned. I did add one extra house battery and I do use the fridge with no cooler. We do buy the milk that needs no refrigeration until open. I thought I would hate it, but I can't till the difference. Also plan your meals out to how you are going to store, heat and/or cook them.

You just need to manage you usage to your needs and for everyone, that could be different.

 

[Matchayan]

Hi Remedy, I have been out the past two weekends overnighting , ran the diesel heater 24/7 on those trips and fridge all night had no battery issues. Our C24 has a Kenyon electric / alcohol burner which I thought was standard on the C24 , anyway it is slow using the alcohol but works great to make coffee in the morning with a french press. You can warm food with it and cook a single pot meal but it takes a while but we also have a Camp Chef high pressure 2 burner stove we can put on the bait well and it works great. We also take a small Kumma grill [like a magma] to bbq fish and oysters it also sits fine on the back live well. Both are very compact and stow easy.
One thing we found was the forward berth mattress was so hard I had a back ache the next morning going to add a organic latex mattress topper to solve that. Staying overnight in the PNW you will wake up with a lot of condensation on the windows this time of year so prepare for wiping them. We took our yamaha generator with the ground modified plug but did not need it.
I am going to replace our stock AGM batteries with Firefly AGMs , they weigh about the same but-can be discharged 100% so basically just about doubling Our capacity without adding more weight. I will also add some solar panels.
We are out on the west side of Vancouver Island in the Barkley sound area.
Have a good weekend.
Harold and Deb

 

[iggy]

Hi Remedy, I have been out the past two weekends overnighting , ran the diesel heater 24/7 on those trips and fridge all night had no battery issues. Our C24 has a Kenyon electric / alcohol burner which I thought was standard on the C24 , anyway it is slow using the alcohol but works great to make coffee in the morning with a french press. You can warm food with it and cook a single pot meal but it takes a while but we also have a Camp Chef high pressure 2 burner stove we can put on the bait well and it works great. We also take a small Kumma grill [like a magma] to bbq fish and oysters it also sits fine on the back live well. Both are very compact and stow easy.
One thing we found was the forward berth mattress was so hard I had a back ache the next morning going to add a organic latex mattress topper to solve that. Staying overnight in the PNW you will wake up with a lot of condensation on the windows this time of year so prepare for wiping them. We took our yamaha generator with the ground modified plug but did not need it.
I am going to replace our stock AGM batteries with Firefly AGMs , they weigh about the same but-can be discharged 100% so basically just about doubling Our capacity without adding more weight. I will also add some solar panels.
We are out on the west side of Vancouver Island in the Barkley sound area.
Have a good weekend.
Harold and Deb

You got my attention on the firefly batteries!! Most AGMs you can bring down to 40% were Flooded is 50%.
Going to there web site "Depths of Discharge to 80%-100% of rated capacity without any loss of performance" I would be nervous going beyond 80% more so at those prices for the battery.

I just looked at the warranty, its 24/60. So 2yrs replacement and 60 prorated. Batteries Plus "X2 power" their best AGMs at a 60 month replacement no prorated. Just something I would like at to get the most bang for the buck.

 

[Remedy2]

Hey everyone- thanks for all the input again. Here's a little review of our weekend. To clarify- we're new to mooring ball and anchoring. Purchased Remedy II in September and we've already put 116 hours on her and been to Friday Harbor, Rosario, Alderbrook (3x- our favorite), Bellingham, Pt Townsend, Gig, etc. etc.

So after posting this (thankfully) I went and bought a 1700w generator and 30a Adapter to plug into the shore power outlet. I have a West Marine inflatable that stores under the cockpit.

Day one we stayed on a ball at Potlatch State Park which is at the Great Bend on the Hood Canal. State Parks are closed and we did see a ranger once but he paid us no mind. We used the dinghy to row ashore to curb the dog and back to the boat. Observations:

**The grill is a great idea from Cutwater but an electric grill on the ball is not ideal. The generator ran it fine but with the cold and rain it takes FOREVER to cook. I used a foil tent and it helped. The drip pan is a standard disposable foil pan...next time i'll bring some of those for a "grill cover". As you all indicated...it was the grill and grill only with the generator. Same for the coffee maker.

**We did everything else as normal without the generator that night- played cards; watched TV; played music (upgraded system- includes sub and amp so more electrical draw). Woke up and everything was fine...not sure how much we drew down (will add a batt meter)...but still plenty of battery for lights, TV, and radio over breakfast. I ran the generator and charged the batteries for a couple of hours in the am.

**Second night we stayed on the dock at Pleasant Harbor State Park. Again, parks are closed and we only left the boat to curb the dog and returned. No power on the dock.

**Our stove has an electrical element and the alcohol burner. We've used the alcohol once and its great if you have a week to cook your food LOL. We carry a butane camp stove and the second day we used that to cook tomato soup and the generator to run the stove to cook grilled cheese.

Bottom line is I can tell you what every single thing on our boat draws now LOL. Generator is great and it would have been a challenge if I had gone without it. On a side note, its very creepy out right now- fuel dock at Pleasant was open but she said I was one of two or three boats all day....felt like the walking dead out there!

 

[Red Raven]

Glad you had a safe trip. Nothing like experience to answer the questions specific to your boat.

It’s all good, Stay safe,

Curt

 

[Navigator's Son]

Just to wrap things up - if you are conservative with your power use, just the fridge running, interior LED lights when needed, conservative use of radio and TV, etc, and not use any other high draw appliance, you should be able to run off your house batteries for 2 - 3 days.

Hot water may be a different issue altogether - and this is only something you will figure out and be able to determine for yourself

If you have a really nice sunny day, you might get an extra day or two more without having to either start your engine or kick in a generator.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

very nice!

did you get caught up in the wind storms this weekend?

where did you start out from? Im curious of your experience getting down to Alderbrook/Potlatch. fuel used, fill up points etc.

 

[Remedy2]

Just to wrap things up - if you are conservative with your power use, just the fridge running, interior LED lights when needed, conservative use of radio and TV, etc, and not use any other high draw appliance, you should be able to run off your house batteries for 2 - 3 days.

Hot water may be a different issue altogether - and this is only something you will figure out and be able to determine for yourself

If you have a really nice sunny day, you might get an extra day or two more without having to either start your engine or kick in a generator.

Without a battery meter to confirm- this is where I sit. I can go a LONG time with no gen on the low draw appliances. Convert the grill to propane and use the propane stove and the only thing i really need is the water heater.

All that said, love the experience and if we get back to a normal summer I'm sure I'll be on the ball a lot. But, at heart, we're really dock loving shore power grubbing cruisers 🙂

 

[Remedy2]

very nice!

did you get caught up in the wind storms this weekend?

where did you start out from? Im curious of your experience getting down to Alderbrook/Potlatch. fuel used, fill up points etc.

We leave from Elliott Bay Marina. Friday it was choppy going up (5-10k wind was coming from the North) to Skunk Bay and when we made the turn it was bumpy but not bad at to about the Naval base (wind was to our back). From there it was glass....one of the reasons we love Hood Canal. Burned more fuel than expected getting from SEA to the Bridge.

Yesterday coming home from Pleasant Harbor- woof. Pleasant Harbor to the turn- water was great until Point No Point. Wind waves coming directly from the South 2-4 feet. Burned through a TON of fuel getting across to Edmonds and then hugged the shoreline home. All in all burned about 65 gallons of fuel over the weekend.

We've cruised to Alderbrook on smooth water and its about a 2.5- 3 hour ride. If you've never been, I highly recommend it when it reopens.

Sidenote: I've learned from experience to steer WAY WIDE of the sub base. Autopilot always wants to buzz it LOL. This time as we were coming up I saw a Coast Guard cutter and knew somthing was up. CG pulled us over-asked where we were going- and informed us a Nuclear Sub was getting ready to be escorted out-- CG escorted us along the shoreline all the way to the bridge!