Our great annual ARC equipment survey focussed on power on board, its usage and generation. Jeremy Wyatt quizzed the 234 skippers who made the 2024 crossingPower on board is a key equipment issue for all bluewater cruisers, whether preparing a boat for a first transatlantic passage or considering comfortable liveaboard cruising. We asked the 234 skippers who took part in the 2024 ARC and ARC+ rallies detailed questions about their electrical systems, how they generated power and their power consumption at sea.
\nCrucially, we also wanted to find out what went wrong for them and their tips for how to ease anxiety about power management.
\n[Note: 220 skippers responded, fully or in part, to our survey. Not all respondents answered all questions]
\nYacht Battery Types
\nAs any electrical expert will tell you, having good batteries is the key to a reliable marine electrical system. Most boat owners will want to replace or upgrade their batteries at some point during a yacht\u2019s life. When that time comes should you take the easy option and just swap like-for-like, or should you take opportunity to upgrade? If that\u2019s the case, what might be best for your boat?
\nWe looked at which battery types were fitted within the ARC fleet, their ages and capacities, and the results showed a clear trend towards lithium batteries.
\nAt around three times the cost of lead-acid or AGM batteries, installing lithium batteries is a big investment. Wayne Prevett, technical support manager at Advance Yacht Systems explained how to get best value: \u201cThe benefit of a lithium battery system is that you can use 80% of the capacity, and the speed with which they can be recharged, makes them ideal for a service battery bank.
\nLarge lithium battery banks are fast becoming the norm for serious cruisers. Photo: Toby Hodges
\n\u201cAn engine start battery, on the other hand, needs to deliver a large burst of energy over a short period followed by time to recover. Traditional battery technologies do this well and are much cheaper to purchase.\u201d
\nJust over 38% of skippers had changed or upgraded their batteries since owning their yachts, most opting to switch over to lithium. Generally, but not exclusively, those opting for lithium tended to use a professional to do the work, whereas a like-for-like swap was usually done by the skipper.
\nPrevett explained why this is important to have a properly designed system. \u201cThere are aspects of the way lithium batteries work that might cause problems for a self-installer with insufficient knowledge. Lithium batteries should be installed as part of a properly designed system \u2013 it\u2019s not a simple swap in\/out with traditional batteries. The system needs to be protected from overcharging, which can cause overheating in under-specified cables and the engine alternator.
\n\u201cIn fact, insurance companies may decline your cover if the lithium system is not designed and installed by a certified person.\u201d
\nWe asked the skippers to rate their satisfaction with the performance of their batteries during the ARC, on a low-to-high scale of 1 to 5. Of the 87 boats with lithium service batteries, all bar three skippers rated their satisfaction at 4 or 5. Those who marked down their satisfaction did so primarily because of associated equipment such as battery monitors not working as intended.
\nEasy diagnosis of your batteries and charging on screen is highly rated. Photo: James Mitchell\/WCC
\nThe skippers scoring their lithium system a 4 on our scale generally commented on having underspecified the amount of battery capacity that they\u2019d require for the crossing rather than the batteries not working as expected.
\nSwede Anders Fredholm, sailing his 16-year old Hallberg-Rassy 54 Aglaia, (lithium, 500Ah, 24V), had swapped from lead-acid with a professional installation and commented, \u201cit is like buying a new boat for usability\u201d.
\nCanadian Lloyd Smith had done a self-install upgrade from lead-acid to lithium in 2020 on his 34-year-old Tayana 47 Apres Ski (lithium, 800Ah, 12V) and explained that the upgrade had allowed him to switch from gas to electric cooking, saving hassle looking for gas refills and enhancing safety on board.
\nWilhelm Klass from Germany, sailing Bluewater Mooney (lithium 24V) on his third ARC, has owned his Hallberg-Rassy 54 from new in 2008 and is now on a world circumnavigation, and thinks that adding lithium batteries was \u201cthe best change ever made\u201d to his boat.
\nLess satisfied were the nine skippers who rated their systems as a 2 (all non-lithium). Of these, seven had not made changes to their systems since owning their boats.
\nAlan Soukup commented on the need for seven to nine hours of charging per day aboard his four-year-old Privilege 510 Full Circle III (gel, 1,040Ah), while Chris Allen attributed his batteries\u2019 poor performance to two of five units being damaged aboard his 2002 Rustler 42 JolieF (AGM 650Ah). Fellow UK skipper Peter Williams said that his batteries \u201cjust didn\u2019t hold change at night\u201d aboard his Mal\u00f8 37 Rosiere (lead-acid, 315Ah).
\nPhoto: Tor Johnson
\nYacht Battery Monitoring
\nThe key to successful power management is the ability to monitor charge levels and consumption for the system. We asked skippers to rate their satisfaction with the performance of their battery management equipment.
\nThe leading brands Victron and Mastervolt were suppliers of a significant majority of the monitoring equipment within the fleet \u2013 representing 49% and 28% respectively of the 158 boats that declared their brand, and most skippers were very satisfied with the performance of their equipment.
\nWhile the numbers fitted for other brands were too low for statistical comment, the only satisfaction scores of 1, the lowest mark, were both for self-installed equipment described by the owners as \u2018Chinese brands\u2019. It would seem that, at least for monitoring equipment, the old adage that \u2018you get what you pay for\u2019 holds true.
\nInvesting in a professionally installed, well-designed monitoring system will be worthwhile in terms of usability and in obtaining the best performance from the batteries and charging systems.
\nAnd while you may not necessarily wish to be checking your phones at sea, several skippers commented on how useful they found the bespoke battery management app from Victron.
\nCruising to the setting sun as the last of the solar rays are captured by photovoltaic cells aboard Oceano, sailing under parasailor. Photo: Matt Kubik\/WCC
\nPower Management
\nWe looked at how power was generated by ARC boats and then asked the skippers about their power consumption at sea.
\nOf the yachts fitted with diesel generators, 23 also had some form of renewable electrical generation via solar panels, hydrogenerators or wind turbines. Within this group we wanted to know which system gave the best value for power generated. There was a clear split within the sector, but more skippers commented favourably on renewables. Of the 17 skippers in this group who responded, five preferred their diesel gensets. These were usually for reasons of renewable equipment failure, such as Swedish skipper Christer Sj\u00f6, whose \u201chydrogenerator blade fouled\u201d on his Lagoon 380 S2 Helios.
\nHowever, 12 skippers preferred their renewables and, in general, hydrogenerators were praised by skippers for their continuous 24\/7 power delivery. \u201cOur Remoran Wave 365 kept the batteries at 100% overnight in strong winds and it allowed us not to run the engine,\u201d said Steve Bax, British skipper of the 2016 Roberts 532 Santosa.
\nAn intuitive system for monitoring your batteries and how power is generated and delivered to them is worth investing in. Photo: James Mitchell\/WCC
\nOf the 191 skippers who responded on generation, 74 had set up their boats to charge via the main engine; eight of them had no alternative, while the other 66 had renewables, mostly solar panels or solar with a hydrogenerator (25 boats). Those with sufficient solar capacity were happy with their choice.
\nThe Bavaria Ocean 38 Avanti (from 1998) for instance, had 1,000W of installed solar, 600Ah lithium service batteries and a Victron Lynx BMS plus Cerbo GX management system. Skipper Jonathan Gr\u00fcn from Germany commented: \u201cWe didn\u2019t use our engine to charge at all. This is on a boat using an electric autopilot, a refrigerator, electric hob, radar, and navigation displays.\u201d
\nDiesel gensets were well liked, although there were often caveats from skippers that they needed to be installed and maintained correctly. Those with reliable installations praised their gensets in preference to main-engine charging for being quieter \u2013 an important consideration when the off-watch crew are likely to be asleep \u2013 and for their lower fuel consumption.
\nOff The Grid, a new Southerly 42, had a 460Ah lithium service battery with Mastervolt monitoring and a 1.4kW genset. American skipper Patrick Whatley commented on fuel consumption: \u201cOur generator when working used 0.75 lt\/hr and we typically ran it for two hours per day\u201d.
\nBimini solar panels soak up the sun on Beneteau First 435 Algol. Photo: Tom-Oliver Hedvall\/WCC
\nPower Consumers
\nYachts in the ARC fleet are typically well equipped for bluewater voyaging, with many crews aiming for long periods as liveaboard cruisers. This is reflected in the typical equipment fit we found when looking at power consumption at sea.
\nAmong the big power consumers, most skippers would not be without an electric autopilot \u2013 with these in use on average 20 hours per day, including 83 boats where they were used 24\/7. There were 10 yachts relying on hand or wind steering alone.
\nRadar was another often-used power consumer, with an average of 7.7 hours per day usage, and 11 boats reported running their radars 24\/7.
\nA surprise for some skippers was the power consumption of their Starlink satellite communications systems (up to 75W) when left running all the time: 15 skippers commented specifically on this equipment as being a power drain and needing to change their usage patterns, only powering up the equipment when needed.
\nAlong with radar, a Starlink antenna was a surprisingly heavy user of power. Photo: James Mitchell
\nFridges and freezers were another source of power anxiety, as typically they are run constantly.
\n\u201cWe had to abandon the freezer,\u201d said US skipper Bill Whidden of Kaimana, a six-year-old Jeanneau Yacht 51 with 650Ah of AGM batteries. They used the main engine plus solar for charging.
\nDesalinators were generally managed well; yachts with gensets co-ordinated making fresh water with the battery recharge during a three-hour run time. Those with electric cooking likewise cooked and arranged meals around \u2018generator on\u2019 periods.
\nThe combination of solar panels with a hydrogenerator provided sufficient power for some boats to manage without running their main engines. \u201cOur Remoran Hydrogen gave 7A 24\/7 during sailing; super during nights,\u201d said Arto Alnehall from Sweden aboard the Dufour 405GL Dagmar (360Ah lithium).
\nHe explained further: \u201cThe generation and consumption were in balance without fossil energy, which allowed our crew of four to make water and take showers every second day. We also had a Hydrovane for self-steering.\u201d
\nOf the boats using diesel engines, either the main engine or a genset, the median daily run time for charging was three hours and across the fleet the range was between two and nine hours per day. Boats relying on hydro or solar were charging constantly during daylight hours and when sailing above 6 knots.
\nFitting a Hydrovane helps reduce autopilot power consumption. Photo: Sharon Ee
\nLessons Learned
\nWe asked skippers how their charging routine altered for ocean sailing compared to coastal sailing.
\nThe skippers\u2019 comments reflected the need for more charging hours compared to coastal, where typically they might motorsail more often and put the engine on for manoeuvring and docking, which doesn\u2019t happen offshore.
\nNorwegian Christian Thj\u00f8m\u00f8e, sailing his five-year-old Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 62 Oda Julie, said: \u201cWe found that the large ocean swells caused our autopilot to work much harder than for coastal sailing, which meant longer charging to keep our batteries up.\u201d
\nMorgan Hayes aboard the formidable new MC75 catamaran Jack, added: \u201cYou may well sail with a larger crew for your Atlantic crossing, so be prepared for the knock-on of more power consumption than usual and longer charging.\u201d
\nEfficient or slow cooking methods (even if on AC) are a favoured method of reducing power needs at sea. Photo: World Cruising Club
\nRob Peters, a Dutch skipper also sailing a new catamaran, the Outremer 55 Balavu, learned another valuable lesson: \u201cWe were caught out by the level of shading from our sails onto the solar panels. When coastal cruising you are not on the same heading and sail plan for days on end.\u201d
\nAnd American Peter Goldich, aboard the 2018 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440 Gone With The Wind had this to say: \u201cWe helped cut our consumption by turning off the freezer at night; we didn\u2019t open it at all overnight, which kept it cool enough.\u201d
\nFinal thoughts
\nIn conclusion, we can see that most ARC skippers have been satisfied with the performance of their batteries and power generation. Where problems have occurred, they have only affected crew comfort and not the safety or seaworthiness of the boat.
\nSpending preparation time and refit budget on a well-designed power management system is a good investment, even if skippers decide against an expensive upgrade to lithium service batteries. Replacing batteries before going bluewater voyaging will save hassle and stress later; having multiple ways to charge, and a good battery monitoring system will cope with the variation in power consumption caused by different types of sailing.<\/p>\n
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The post Battery power onboard hundreds of ocean-crossing skippers share their secrets appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Our great annual ARC equipment survey focussed on power on board, its usage and generation. Jeremy Wyatt quizzed the 234 skippers who made the 2024 crossingPower on board is a key equipment issue for all bluewater cruisers, whether preparing a … <\/p>\n