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Gemini Projects by Peter Kennedy Yacht Services |
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| A Balmar 60-70-SR-IG alternator on Gemini #938 |
| Electrical | |
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Electrical projects are the most extensive ones we undertake on Gemini's. While the basic boat is totally suitable for many people, adding lots of toys quickly raises power consumption to a level that cannot be sustained by the standard electrical system.
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Upgrading the electrical system requires a four pronged
approach:
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| Generating capacity...making more power. | |
| AC generators. Peter Kennedy Yacht Services does not install AC generators but does make the electrical connections to them. AC generators are big, heavy, noisy and expensive but are almost essential if you want to have air conditioning while under way. |
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| Alternators: We regularly install the Balmar 60-70-SR-IG alternator in lieu of the standard one. The Balmar has an output of 70 Amps. This is a big improvement over the stock alternator which is a nominal 55 Amps but with a continuous performance in the region of 25-30 Amps. Alternator upgrades also require wiring upgrades so that the extra capacity is not wasted in wiring losses. All high power alternators are used with external regulators and we use the Balmar Max Charge MC-612-H which is fully programmable. |
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| Solar Power We highly recommend the standard solar panel option offered by Performance Cruising. The 120 Watts of panels goes a long way towards meeting daily demands. For power users a larger solar array is possible. However at the present time the supply of solar panels is very limited and it may not be possible to do this particular upgrade at the present time. |
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| Wind Power
We have installed a number of wind generators on Gemini's, most notably the KISS model which is a very simple one. They tend to be big and noisy and are quite heavy and expensive. |
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| Shore Power Chargers All our electrical upgrades get a shore power charger because unless the boat lives permanently on a mooring it is very helpful to at least leave the dock with full batteries, regardless of what might happen after that. Most of our boats get the Xantrex Freedom 15 inverter/charger which functions as a 75 Amp charger and a 1500 Watt inverter. |
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| A simple battery charger is a lighter and more inexpensive
alternative to battery charger and we often install the Victron Centaur 20
Amp charger. |
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| Batteries....storing more power. | |
| The space and weight available on Gemini's is
limited and for our big electrical upgrades we have settled on a standard
battery configuration of two 4D Lifeline
AGM batteries for the house bank and a very small Lifeline AGM battery for
starting. The two banks are kept completely separate and the
starting battery is only charged by a Xantrex Echo
Charge, usually one built in to a Freedom Inverter/Charger.
Total house bank capacity is 200 amp hours per 4D battery, but as it is
recommended that the batteries not be discharged more than 50% the two
batteries together still only give a useable total of 200 Amp hours.
This is a large battery bank for a comparatively small boat, especially
one with propane refrigeration. AGM batteries have a high acceptance rate and so can be charged at the highest rate possible. They also have the highest energy density. A comparable lead acid or gel battery has only 180 amp hours in the same case size. |
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| Monitoring power accurately. | |
| We use the Xantrex
Battery Meter amp hour meters to monitor consumption and generation of DC power.
Our preferred model is the Link 1000 when used with the Freedom
inverter/charger and the Xantrex Battery Meter when used as a standalone
product. Being able to keep track of batteries is important once you have a system that is capable of using lots of power. You need to know when it is time to recharge but you also would like to know when you can use it freely. The only way to do this is with an amp hour meter. |
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| Efficiency....using power sparingly. | |
| Look for ways to reduce consumption of devices that are on
for long periods of time because although they may not use much power it
adds up. Anchor lights are a good example. Although none of
the "alternative" anchor lights available are approved by the
USCG as yet, they seem to offer hope of a substantial reduction in power
consumption. Another way to use power more effiiciently is in task lighting instead of overall lighting. This often creates a more attractive lighting environment, is easier on the eyes, and uses less power. |
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Peter Kennedy Yacht Services Located in Annapolis MD USA
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