2008 Hunter 44DS Sailboat

Hunter sailboats are the best kept secret in the boating industry.  Here's a review of our 2008 Hunter 44DS

Groovy - '08 Hunter 44DS

sv Groovy layout

Hunter 44DS Floor Plan

s/v Groovy main salon

Main salon.

SV Groovy nav station

Navigation station.

s/v Groovy galley

Galley.

sv Groovy Master stateroom.

Master stateroom.

This page describes our Hunter 44DS sailboat, including all the equipment we have added for full-time liveaboard cruising in Mexico.

Long settee for napping.

We have a large cockpit, a nice feature on a liveaboard sailbot, and great for sailing too.  SV Groovy cockpit

Spacious cockpit.  We can sit face-to-face with our legs

stretched out, and our feet don't touch.

On a cruising sailboat it is essential to have large uncluttered decks.  s/v Groovy deck.

On deck.

When we sail on overnight passages while cruising Mexico we appreciate our forward looking windows.  sv Groovy forward looking windows.

Sitting inside on the companionway stairs, you can see where you're going, a wonderful feature on a

cold overnight passage.

s/v Groovy - it's just a groovy boat.

It's just a groovy boat.

The twizzle rig is a twin headsail rig that we have flown on our boat during our cruise to Mexico.  SV Groovy - twizzle rig

Twizzle Rig - twin headsails flown on

matching whisker poles.

Sailing down the Pacific Baja coast on our cruise to Mexico we anchored s/v Groovy in Bahía Sant Maria, Mexico

At anchor in Bahía Santa Maria, Mexico.

Hunter Marine sailboats are the best kept secret in the boating industry.

Under sail.

One of the finest anchorages in Pacific Mexico isin Zihuatanejo, Mexico -  s/v Groovy.

At anchor in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.

Three 185 watt solar panels provide

awesome shade over the jump seats

Hunter 44DS Sailboat: s/v Groovy

Groovy has been sold. Pics, listing and Sales Spec Sheet here!!

Groovy (named for Simon & Garfunkel's song Feelin' Groovy)** is a

Glenn Henderson designed 2008 Hunter 44DS (Deck Salon).  A

fractional sloop, it is 44 feet long and 14' 6" feet wide with two

staterooms and two heads.

Hunter 44DS Model History

First introduced by Hunter Marine in 2002 as the Hunter 426, the aft

cabin was changed a little and the model name changed to "44DS" in

2003.  Production ran from 2003 to 2008.  In 2008 the the deck and

cabin were modified to accommodate twin helms instead of a single

helm, the forward berth was changed from a v-berth to a pullman style,

and the window pattern was changed to a wraparound band to match

the popular Hunter 45CC.  These changes saw the model name change

to "45DS," and as of 2012 it is still in production.

Along with the Hunter 426 and 45DS, the 44DS shares its hull with the

Hunter 44AC (Aft Cockpit) and Hunter 45CC (Center Cockpit).  Each of

those boats has the same hull but a different deck and cabin layout.

Groovy is hull #252 for the 44DS model line, where the numbering

started at #101.  Built in May, 2007, it was the last Hunter 44DS ever

built.  Click here for more information on the Hunter 44DS.

Groovy is a stock boat with Hunter's "Mariner Package," a collection of upgrades sold as a unit.  Because the boat was built after

the replacement model (45DS) was in production, it features a few of the components that are standard on that model, including

a laminate cherry interior, which we love, and a larger fuel tank, which has come in very handy.

Specifications

Length Overall (LOA)

43' 4"

Waterline Length (LWL)

39' 2"

Beam

14' 6"

Draft

6' 6"

Displacement

22,936 lbs

Ballast

7,237 lbs

Mast Height

60' 8"

Sail Area

975 sq. ft.

Fuel Capacity

66 gallons

Water Capacity

140 gallons

Holding Tank Capacity

45 gallons

Water Heater Capacity

11 gallons

Yanmar Diesel Engine

54 hp

CE Classification

A/10

We installed many upgrades to enable comfortable cruising where we can stay at anchor for months at a time without having to

rely on marinas for water or electrical connections.

House Batteries

640 Amp Hours (Four AGM 4D 12 volt) - plus one 70 Amp Hour AGM start battery

Charging

555 Watts Solar / 100 Amp Alternator on engine / 130 Amp 110v Charger (via shore power)

Inverters

600 Watts Pure Sine Wave / 2500 Watts Modified Sine Wave / 2 portable Modified Sine Wave

Watermaker

60 Gallon per hour engine-driven Echotech watermaker*

Downwind Sailing

Twin jib "Twizzle Rig" set on two fixed length whisker poles.

Anchors

60 lb Ultra primary with 300' 5/16" G4 chain

32 lb Fortress FX-55 secondary with 20' 5/16" BBB chain and 300' 7/8" Nylon Rode

15 lb Manson Supreme stern anchor w/ 5' 3/8" G4 chain and 230' 1" Nylon Rode

Dinghies

10' Porta-bote with a Suzuki 6 hp outboard

Hobie i14t tandem inflatable kayak

A GAZILLION BOATS FOR SALE... WHICH ONE

WOULD MAKE US HAPPIEST?

When we set about buying a boat, the major trade-offs we found

were age, size, price and manufacturer's prestige.  In an earlier life I

owned two boats back to back that were the exact same model, the

Nonsuch 36.  This is a wonderful boat for cruising and living aboard,

and I lived aboard for four years in Boston, Massachusetts in the

early 1990's (brrrr...those winters were cold).  The first year I was on

a 1984 model that had been ridden hard and put away wet.  After

watching in great distress as my then-husband repeatedly chased

down a spider web of unmarked cables and miles of smelly plumbing

hoses in a putrid bilge, we upgraded to a 1991 model of the same

boat that had been lavishly commissioned and meticulously

maintained.

What a world of difference.  You would never know they were the same

model boat.  Instead of him spending hours kinked up in impossible

positions in noxious nooks and crannies fixing problems and spending

boatloads of money on spare parts at West Marine, we enjoyed three

terrific summers of boating together.  We watched sunsets and sunrises

in pretty anchorages and experienced countless utterly brilliant days of

sailing.  There is nothing like an almost-new boat made up of sparkling

clean parts that work.  Therefore, when Mark and I started thinking about

buying a boat, our first two criteria were that it be in superior condition

and as new as possible.

After living in trailers full-time for so long, we also knew that size

mattered to us.  For full-time liveability, we found bigger is better.

With age and size the top priorities, and a maximum budgeted

price, there were only three manufacturers whose boats we could

afford: Hunter, Beneteau and Catalina.  These are the Ford-Chevy-

Dodge of the sailboat industry (not in any particular order).  All

three are American made.  Beneteaus are French designed but

built in South Carolina.  Hunters and Catalinas are designed and

built in Florida.

Our top priorities for livability included a huge cockpit where we could

stretch out to sleep, a long settee in the main salon where we could

nap, and two good sized staterooms (rather than three as in many

models).  Brokers thought we were crazy when the first thing we did

as we stepped aboard a prospective boat was to lie down in the

cockpit to see if the benches were long and wide enough to sleep on.

But hey, this boat would become our home, and we like to be

comfortable and relax!

Next in importance was a large swim platform and cockpit shower, as

we envisioned frequent swims off the back of the boat and we knew

we would need easy access to the dinghy when we lived at anchor,

especially hauling groceries, daypacks, trash and laundry bags in and

out.  Lastly, we wanted an airy, spacious interior.  Other than that, we

weren't fussy, but after attending dozens of boat shows, visiting fifty

or more boats with brokers, and many Caribbean charters, we found

that the Hunter models spoke to us more than the others, and of

those only the Hunter 41DS and 44DS made the cut.  The faltering

economy worked in our favor, suddenly making the larger of the two

boats a viable option.

A visit to the Hunter factory assured us that not only are their boats

cleverly designed and chock full of innovative features, but they are well

built to boot.  We came away from every contact we had with Hunter

impressed that it is a quality company that employs a loyal group of

happy employees.  Their phenomenal customer service since we

purchased Groovy (15 minute turnaround time on almost every emailed

question we've ever sent) has driven that point home to us time and

again.  Hunter sailboats are the boating industry's best kept secret.

Best of all, Groovy is a dream to sail.  With an easily driven hull,

the boat is light on its feet, easy to reef, responsive and

forgiving.  A delight to live in and fun to sail, it is an excellent

platform for extended cruising.

** When we named our boat, it was the only boat with the name Groovy in the US Coast Guard Documentation database.  So we

were quite surprised when we discovered over a year later that she has a sistership of the same name bearing a non-US flag:

Jimmy Buffet of Margaritaville fame races his Groovy in the Caribbean.  Far out!!

*Echotec's official "rating" is 40 gph, but since we installed high capacity membranes, our timing measurements have never

been less than 58 seconds to fill a one-gallon jug in the tropics (the speed is 44 gph in San Diego's cooler water).

More info in the links below...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following clip is a VIDEO WALKTHROUGH of our boat which we did before it was sold:

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Our 555 watt solar power system is described in detail here: Sailboat Solar Power System. There is lots more info about solar power solutions for boats and RVs here: Solar Power Articles for Sailboats and RVs.

Our 60 gallon per hour engine driven watermaker was featured in an article we wrote for Cruising World Magazine. The article can be read at this link: Water, Water Everywhere – Installation of a 60 gph engine driven watermaker.

Our cruising itinerary and all of our blog posts from our cruise can be found at this link: A Groovy Cruise of Mexico.

There is a ton of info on this website about planning a Mexico cruise and anticipating what to expect. To get oriented and find out where we keep all the good stuff, visit this link: Cruisers Start Here

.

To help you plan your cruise and get you inspired, we created the video series, "Cruising Mexico Off the Beaten Path - Volumes 1-3," shown below. This is a fun-to-watch and easy-to-digest introduction to Mexico from a cruiser's perspective, giving you lots of valuable information that isn't covered by the cruising guides. Each video is available individually at Amazon, either as a DVD or as a download. For discount package pricing on the whole series, visit our page Cruising Mexico Video Series.

Volume 1 reviews the geography, weather and seasons in Mexico and shows you what the best anchorages between Ensenada and Manzanillo are like.

Volume 2 gives detailed info that can't be found in any of the guidebooks about the glorious cruising ground between Manzanillo and the Guatemala border.

Volume 3 (right) provides all the info you need to get off the boat for an adventure-filled trip to Oaxaca.

Our Gear Store also has a boatload of ideas for your cruise!

 

Sailboat Solar – Installing Solar Power & a Solar Panel Arch on a Boat

This page describes our solar panel installation on our sailboat, a Hunter 44DS.  This setup has allowed us to anchor out almost exclusively.

Groovy's solar panels.

Boat solar panel arch installation

Happy panels in full sun, Sea of Cortez.

Marine solar mount installation

Full sun & no shade (3 panels working):   22.5 amps

Boat solar mount

One panel partially shaded (2 panels working):  15 amps.

Boat Solar panel partial shade problems

Shade straddles two panels (only 1 panel working):  9.5 amps.

Boat solar arch for panels

Polished welds and drilled/tapped/screwed joints.

sv Groovy's solar panel arch welds. sv Groovy - sailboat solar panel arch.

Liquid Metal

boat solar power mount on a sailboat

Comparison: Factory weld on our Hunter arch.

Sailboat solar panel arch

The arch extension arrives for a fitting.

marine solar panel mount extension.

Alejandro tie-wraps it in place.

Sailboat solar panel installation

Mark helps hold it up.

Boat solar power Marine solar installation

The extension is in place -- without its legs yet.

Boat solar mount installed on a sailboat

Jose checks if it's level.

Sailboat solar arch extension

The arch extension returns -- now with support legs.

Marine solar panel arch support

It's maneuvered into place.

Boat Solar arch on a sailboat Telescoping davits on a solar panel arch

Telescoping davit arm (marine solar panel arch)

Boat solar installation with solar panel arch.

Held in place with tie-downs.

Boat solar power arch installation

Looking good!

Marine solar power

Alejandro drills and taps holes in the arch.

The boat's solar panels are ready!

The solar panels are ready!

Boat's solar panel arch extension removed while Alejandro taps and drills.

Arch extension removed from Groovy while Alejandro drills

and taps the arch on the boat.

Installing solar panels on a sailboat

Heave ho!!

Installation of marine solar power system Marine solar power system installation

The second panel is installed.

Boat solar installation with solar arch

Three panels - yay!

Sailboat Solar power setup

Alejandro and Mark test the strength of the arch extension.

Boat solar powert

Mark begins the big job of wiring it all up.

Marine solar power system diagram

Component layout:  3 panels, combiner

box, controller & 4 batteries

Sailboat solar power design

Combiner box (upper left) and controller (lower right).

Boat solar power design and installation

Wiring the panels.

Sailboat solar panel system design and installation

All done.

Solar panels on our Hunter 44DS Groovy.

In use 18 months later in Puerto Vallarta.

Marine solar power system and design

Sailing in Huatulco.

Sailboat Solar Power & Solar Panel Arch Installation

This page describes the solar power setup we installed on Groovy, our Hunter 44DS

sailboat.  This was our third solar installation.  Our two RV solar installations are described

here: RV Solar Installations, and we have a boatload of info here: Mobile Solar Power

.

We learned a lot from those installations, and have written lots of details about solar power on

this website, including a multi-part Solar Power Installation Tutorial for beginners. Going

into far more detail, we have a 4-part primer on battery charging which includes:

-- The basics of multi-stage charging

-- How converters, inverter/chargers and engine alternators REALLY work

-- How to optimize a solar charge controller

-- What happens when TWO systems (like solar/alternator) operate at once?.

The company Kyocera

Solar liked our solar

panel installation so

much, they featured

Groovy on their website.

OVERVIEW

For comparison, our solar power installations have consisted of

the following:

Lynx Travel Trailer

(1) 130 watt/12 volt Kyocera solar panel

(1) Morningstar 10 amp charge controller

Various 150 watt to 800 watt portable and

semi-portable modified sine wave inverters

(2) Energizer 6 volt batteries in series (220 amp-hours).

Hitchhiker Fifth Wheel

(1) 130 watt/12 volt Kyocera and (3) 120 watt/12 volt Misubishi solar panels (490 watts total), wired in series

(1) Outback 60 amp MPPT charge controller

(1) 2,000 watt pure sine wave inverter permanently mounted

(4) Trojan 105 6 volt batteries wired in series and in parallel (440 amp hours).

Hunter 44DS sailboat

(3) 185 watt/24 volt Kyocera solar panels (555 watts total), wired in parallel

(1) Combiner box (combines 3 panel wires into 1 going to the charge controller)

(1) Xantrex 60 amp MPPT charge controller

(1) 600 watt pure sine wave inverter

(1) Xantrex 2500 watt modified sine wave inverter/charger

(4) Mastervolt AGM 4D batteries, (1) Group 27 AGM battery (710 amp-hours)

Notes:  (1) Our odd collection of panels on the Hitchhiker was due to the Kyocera 130 panels not being available at the time of

our installation (we brought one over from the Lynx).  (2) Our switch from the Outback to the Xantrex charge controllers between

the Hitchhiker and the boat was due to the Xantrex being cooled by non-moving fins rather than a fan.  In hindsight I would

probably use the Outback charge controller in the future only because it displays more information on its screen rather than

having to scroll through multiple screens to get the voltage, amperage, watts and charging stage.  (3) Our Group 27 start battery

on the boat is isolated from the set of 4D house batteries only when the voltage of the bank drops too low.

The boat has a DC refrigerator and a DC freezer which together eat up some 100-130 amps or more every 24 hours, depending

on ambient temperature.  In addition we listen to music on the stereo with multiple speakers and a large subwoofer, we watch

DVD's many nights on a 22" TV, we use two laptops for several hours everyday.  We also have a water pump, electric flush

heads and VHF radio which we use at anchor.  Our cabin lighting is a combination of fluorescent and LED, and our anchor light is

LED.  So our typical daily amperage use at anchor is between 180 and 250 amps.

In December, around the winter solstice, on the southern mainland of Mexico (Zihuatanejo) our solar setup collected about 170

amp-hours per day.  In June, around the summer solstice, in the middle of the Sea of Cortez (San Carlos) our solar setup

collected about 250 amp-hours per day.  In hindsight, it would be nice to have at least 750 watts of solar power to meet our

power demands in winter.

PARTIAL SHADE KILLS SOLAR POWER PRODUCTION

The biggest problem with installing solar power on a sailboat is accidentally getting a little shade on the panels.  While swinging at

anchor, the mast, boom, radome and other things high up all conspire to throw pockets of shade on the solar panels and make

them quit working.  It is quite shocking to find out just how little shade is needed to reduce the panels to zero output.  We had

experimented a bit with partial shading issues on our fifth wheel solar installation (see bottom of Solar Setup), but we never park

near shading objects so it is not a problem on that moveable home.  A sailboat is a whole different story.

An interesting paper Shade Effects on Conventional PV (5th article down) from the Physics Department at the University of

Arizona describes how shading just half of one row of "squares" on a solar panel -- as often happens in the morning or afternoon

hours on a commercial installation if the rows of panels are placed too close together -- the panels shut down or reduce their

output significantly.  The opening sentence says it all:  A panel that is 8% shaded loses 94% of its productivity."  Deep down in the

meat of this paper the math lost me (sigh), but for a layman's explanation of just how devastating shade can be on solar panels,

this website delivers the skinny.

We placed our panels as high and as far back from the boom as we could.  We also pull the boom aside while at anchor, but the

panels still get shaded by the mast/forestay/radome when the sun is forward of the shrouds and they get shaded by the sails

when sailing.  As an experiment, we took some notes about how partial shade affects our panels.  This data was taken on

February 3rd at 10:00 a.m.  The shade was caused by the mast, forestay and radome (affixed to the front of the mast).  The

shade moved slowly back and forth across the panels as the boat swung at anchor.

Panels in full sun:

22.5 amps

One panel partly shaded:

15.5 amps

Two panels slightly shaded:

9.5 amps

As another experiment we sailed and noted the amperage

produced by the solar panels as we sailed on two different

tacks.  On one tack the mainsail shaded one entire end panel

and half of the middle panel.  On the other tack the boat was

heeled away from the sun but there was no shade on any of

the panels.  It was far better to be heeling away from the sun

than to have the panels shaded.  This data was taken at 11

a.m. on January 31.

1½ panels fully shaded by sails:

10 amps

No shade, tilted away from sun:

24.5 amps

So it seems to me that shade is the number one enemy of solar panel power production on a sailboat, and orientation towards

the sun is a lot less important.  If the solar panels are installed in such a way that a nearby radome or wind generator is always

partly shading one panel in the array, as too often happens in solar panel installations on sailboats, the result will be dramatically

reduced power production.

THE ARCH EXTENSION

Our boat came with a fantastic arch that supports the traveler.  We used it as a base for an elegant stainless steel extension that

supports the three panels.  We hired Allejandro Ulloa of Ensenada, Mexico to create this arch extensions.  Alejandro is an artist

and a master craftsman.  And he is extremely professional.  We gave him a sketch of what we were looking for, he responded

with a written quote for half of what it would have cost in San Diego, and we were off and running.

Alejandro prides himself on the beauty of his work.  He polishes the welds and installs tubing that

seems to flow like liquid metal as it rounds corners and changes thicknesses.  In our opinion, his

arch extension dramatically increased the esthetics of our boat.  It also added functionality

besides just supporting the panels.  It makes a great spot for hanging on when you're sitting in

the rear jump seats, it has a

telescoping davit system,

and the panels provide

much needed shade.

If you need to have an arch

or any kind of stainless steel

structure fabricated for your

boat and you are heading to

Mexico from the US or

Canada, spend some time in

Ensenada and look up

Allejandro Ulloa (email:

alejandrossw [at] hotmail [dot] com,

Mexican phone: (646) 171-5207).  He can

be contacted through the excellent Baja

Naval boatyard as well.  There are other

stainless steel fabricators in Mexico but we

haven't seen anyone nearly as skilled or

as professional in their approach.

Alejandro built the extension in his workshop and then brought it

to the boat to size its supporting legs.  This was a thrilling process

for us, as we began to see it taking shape on the boat.  The entire

arch extension was wrapped in plastic for this phase to protect

the finish.

Mark helped wherever he could and I took endless photos.

Alejandro returned on another day with the finished arch extension.

Now it had tabs for the solar panels, and the supporting legs had

been cut and welded at the right length.

We wanted the arch extension to double as a davit system.

Alejandro designed clever telescoping tubes that snap into place in

an extended or contracted position, and he fabricated two beautiful

cleats.  We have found that we use the davits in the contracted

position most often because they hold the porta-bote tight to the

swim platform where it fits perfectly into the swim step cutout in the

transom.

We anticipated

mounting the solar

panels ourselves,

as the quote

Alejandro provided

was for building

and installing an

arch extension,

not for installing

panels.  We

weren't sure how

we'd get them mounted, but we knew

we'd figure it out.

Meticulously adhering to the

"measure twice cut once"

philosophy, Alejandro

dismantled the whole thing

for some adjustments and

then mounted it one last

time for the final installation,

tapping and drilling and

screwing each of the arch's

feet into place in a bed of

3M-4200.

Then, to our amazement,

Alejandro and his assistant

began mounting each of

the panels.  Mark quickly

jumped in.  These are not

light panels, and it was

quite a stretch to get them

in position.  Alejandro was

concerned about possible

corrosion due to the

dissimilar metals of the

panels' aluminum frames

and the stainless steel arch

extension, so he placed a

plastic insulator in each

attachment point.

When it was all

finished, Alejandro

wanted us to be

confident that the arch

could support a dinghy

and engine.  He and

Mark swung from the

davits.  Both are

lightweights, but they

were still twice the

weight of our

dinghy and

outboard.

WIRING

Alejandro's work was done, but we still had a big project ahead.  We ran the wiring

inside the arch so it wouldn't show (it wasn't easy snaking it through!!), and we placed

the combiner box and charge controller in a transom locker.

The installation

looked beautiful

and it worked, but it did not work as efficiently as it

could have.  The whole system produced about

20% less power each day than it was capable of

doing.  We learned we'd made two vital mistakes.

One advantage of using 24 volt solar panels is that

we had half as much current in the wires as we

would have had if we'd used 12 volt panels.  Rather

than 36 amps (at 12 volts) at peak production we

had just 18 amps  (at 24 volts).  This allowed for a

smaller wire size, which is much easier to work with

as it is a lot more pliable, and it's cheaper to boot

(marine grade electrical wire is exorbitant).  Our

salesman at Northern Arizona Wind and Sun had recommended we use 10

gauge wire throughout the system.  This turned out to be inadequate

because the distance between the panels and the batteries is so long --

about 50'.  For wire gauge sizes, amps and

distances, see this chart.

Our second mistake was placing the charge

controller in an aft transom locker.  Our batteries

are next to the centerline of the boat at the lowest

point above the keel in the main salon.  The

charge controller needs to be close to the batteries

as possible.  The distance from the charge

controller in the transom locker to the batteries

was about 30' -- too far.    The combiner box was

fine back there, but the charge controller had to be

moved.

Although most of our circuit runs at 24 volts -- from

the panels to the combiner box to the charge

controller -- allowing for smaller wire, the portion

between the charge controller and the

batteries runs at 12 volts.  Therefore, the

cable between the charge

controller and the batteries

needs to be not only as short as

possible but very large as well.

We moved the charge controller

into the cabin in a hanging

locker about 10' from the

batteries and and switched to 8

guage wire to connect it, and we

saw a dramatic improvement.

When the distance between the

charge controller and the

batteries was 30' and we were

using just 10 gauge wire, the

resulting resistance in the wire created a large

voltage drop between the charge controller and the

batteries, artificially raising the voltage at which it

thought the batteries were operating.  The charge

controller would see the batteries at 14.4 volts whereas when we measured the batteries with a volt meter

they were actually at 13.2 volts.  This threw everything in the system way off, and ultimately resulted in a

daily loss of some 10-30 amp-hours that never made it from the panels to the batteries.  Once we moved the

charge controller to within 10' of the batteries and installed bigger wire, the resistance dropped.  The

controller saw the batteries within 0.2 volts of their actual voltage, and our daily power production increased.

Note: In three years of cruising Mexico, our boat was plugged into shore power for a total of 6 weeks

while it was in in-water storage in San Carlos. It was never plugged in while we lived aboard (even during

the 3 months we stayed at Paradise Village Marina in Puerto Vallarta).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In addition to living off the grid on solar power on our sailboat, we have also lived on solar power in our RV since 2007. As of February, 2016, we have now installed solar power on two trailers and a motorhome as well as our sailboat, as described here. We have a huge library of solar power and battery charging articles on this website that draw on all of our experience:

SOLAR POWER OVERVIEW and TUTORIAL

BATTERIES and BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEMS

LIVING ON 12 VOLTS

The solar power setup aboard Groovy has inspired stories and articles all over the internet.  Here are a few of the websites and online magazines that have featured stories about Groovy and our marine solar power installation:

Where do you buy solar panels, charge controllers, inverters and such? Surprisingly, Amazon offers solar power kits and more. Click the following links for a wider selection of:

If you click through to Amazon from anywhere on this website, anything you put in your shopping cart or wish list immediately after that results in a small commission to us at no cost to you, no matter what you search for and no matter when you finalize the purchase. This is a wonderful way that you can "help us help you" with detailed and carefully researched articles. Thank you!

 

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