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Which Li cells would be needed and how many? Don't you need special lithium chargers and controllers too?

So you are saying that a 2000 w system on 12 volt would run a 12,500 BTU A/C unit, a fridge, and most of everything else in the galley with occasional use? Something like a 3000w inverter would be needed I guess? Does producing and drawing that much energy through the batteries shorten the life...

Ok, so in searching I have found lots of talk about solar being great for topping off batteries, but usually insufficient to power anything with substance, like refrigerators or A/C. The usual statements are that for the average user, its not possible to have enough juice produced to make it...

If you like the lights, why not just under a swim platform?

I lived on neighboring Nevis from 2001-2003 while attending med school. On a very clear day you could see M from the island. In the last couple of months I was there M must have had an active moment and the wind was in the right direction because when I awoke that morning I was amazed thinking...

LOL Marin, you are totally right. Paul Fleury is that marine corrosion expert I mentioned, and I will be in touch with him again shortly. I prefer to save up a number of questions though and ask him all at once rather than bug him every time I have a question. The boat has survived 44 yrs as...

Bob, the pellet stoves are NOT mostly radiant like a wood stove. The surfaces get hot but not in the same way. the heating is done via tubes that pass air through the interior...the burn chamber. This is then forced out by the fan. That's how they make that small flame in the burn chamber put...

Phil, I was told NOT to use magnesium. The water here in the C&D canal is brackish and fluctuates with the tide.

I'll need to check to see about the grounding wire there....not sure whats in place now. Yes, all PVC and plastic hoses attached to the tanks. :) Although...the tanks are aluminum held in place by aluminum framing which is attached to the aluminum ribs of the boat which is attached to the...

Thanks Steve! I don't think I'll mind being the social center as long as I don't always have to clean up by myself! lol I like people, so its not a bad thing, and there IS lots of room up there. Might have to think about a larger waste tank though! :D

Yes, I had mentioned that circulating the heat is the major issue with these things, and cost was definitely a reason I LIKE the idea of a pellet stove. It is far less costly to install and operate than most options I have seen. I do disagree that blowing cools the air though. It just moves...

Hey Rick, at the risk of sounding stupid, what is P/F? When you answer can you tell me the significance or tell me how what to search to get answers on it? Thanks! Keep in mind, this is the first boat of this size I have owned, although I have operated boats of this size before. :D

At 5200 BTU's for each larger CAT I would need at least 2 and that might not be enough. Plus I'd need to still circulate it around the boat. So multiply your 10 gallons of propane times 2 for the week...that's 80 gallons of propane a month...that's easily $300 a month at $3.50 a gallon and I'm...

Interesting thought Rick....there is a small access on the side of each tank and I could remove to check for baffles. Phil, can you explain how the sump would help me? The tank is leaking from one of the back corners, not easily accessible and then running down the support and into the bilge...

I understand that electric works well to heat, and diesel can work well to heat...but I am not interested in using pure electric (other than reverse cycle, which I like), and I'm not sure diesel is the best choice for me yet. What was your initial cost for your diesel boiler system, and how...

Same type of pump used in IV equipment. Don't they use something similar to pump most liquid foods....like milk?

Is it distributed with air ducts? Why use electric as a primary heat then....or is it just due to the fact that pellets are heavy and in big bags? lol

Hey Marin, thanks for the reply! Yes, I'm thinking seriously about living aboard. Of course I have a lot of hull above waterline, and its all aluminum. Scratching my head and wondering how much that changes things from those of you folks with 'glass boats. I COULD just keep the one tank that...

Ok, I'm not sure why with all the hardy year round boaters here there hasn't been more discussion about pellet stoves onboard. Doing a search for "pellet stove" yielded one thread only. I have had one before and loved it...but not on a boat. Unlike coal and wood, pellets aren't as...

Well Phil, it varies here in the upper Chesapeake/C&D canal. Some years like the past 2 years almost nothing freezes. Other years it can freeze over...to what depth I'm not sure. The hull is aluminum, so whatever it is outside, its the same inside I'm sure. lol. That means I don't just have...

I have two approximately 200 gallon aluminum fresh water tanks on Belladonna so 400 gallons. One has a leak, and considering they are 44 years old, who knows about the other. They look perfect on the outside, but... Ideally fixing them would be great. They only have small access panels maybe 5...

If you don't use a sump is there much buildup of soap scum, etc? I know in my case if I had to make a choice between bilge and sump I'd choose sump...my bilge area midships is approx. 30 ft x 16 and the aluminum hull is coated with foam...could be a mess. Would be much easier to clean a sump...

Exactly Conrad, that would be the simplest version, but quite useful when you think about standing for hours. One of my thoughts was a barstool padded seat about 10" across. It could be mounted to 2" aluminum tubing to either swing back against a solid structure behind it or insert into...

So interesting how boat designs vary. While originally looking over the boat, I had been pondering why Belladonna had no sump/pump. Until I realized that unlike every other boat I had looked at which used every square inch of hull space below decks, THIS boat was built like a commercial boat...

Another idea leaves a traditional seat or bench behind. Not only do they take up considerable space even when folded, but the design has a bit of complexity. Its doable obviously. But on some boats I have seen even folded down you have to squeeze past them to get through your companionway...