Steve

Yes, Hydrogen is just one of many gases that BOC will do 'swap a bottle' for. https://www.fuelcellstore.com/protium-50 This is a fuel cell, pretty small scale but its a start.

So given that the hydrogen fuel cells are becoming quite commonplace, why not just pop along to BOC and get a bottle of hydrogen, mount it and turn it on?

https://www.conrad.com/p/efoy-comfort-210i-fuel-cell-88-a-12-v-1487820 A bit like this. Hell of a price. And only 12V

So, in short, my setup will work. And if you're just doing twilite racing or even overnighting you may never turn the genset on. Just plug it back in when you get to the marina. So a motor using say 10kw cruising will obviously drain the batteries. If you had a little panda genset, say 5kw, it's not going to keep up right? So forget about motoring back from Russell after the Coastal. But for nearly everything else? Sounds like a winner.

This Lithium Titanate sounds pretty convincing. Let's say I wanted a 48v electric motor. (15k?) Shaft drive, not sail drive. 24 of these little buggers strategically placed, 40ah each (960ah) Only about $100 each, sneak in a little genset. (10k?) A charger here, a controller there, a couple of other bits and bobs and you've done it for 30k . And there's bugger all weight And it will all charge in no time flat. Where have I gone wrong?

So if you were building a new boat and the opportunity to start from scratch, what battery system would you have.?

Thanks guys. Sounds like there are plenty of 40' (plus) boats on a 12m berth. Inside the poles must be the criteria in most places but I'll check with my mob. I've heard of instances where the tape measure has come out and millimetres out have had a bad result. Cross fingers.

How strict are the marinas? 40 feet is a tad (19cm) over 12 metres. Will they mind?

L Unless you have a tri lite. So an all round white at the masthead plus port and starboard at the bow for motoring, then a trilite for sailing means you can do away with the stern light at deck level altogether (if under 12m) Bugger it, I’ll remove the stern light as well.

But if your motor always starts first click? If not I guess you could link the house batteries. I suppose there's one more fly in the ointment. The bloody anchor winch. But if you were getting all anal about a particular regatta then one small house battery and a jump starter would suffice? Hell of a lot easier than taking off the toilet seat, the cupboard doors, the squabs and the speakers. We did all that (and more) for the RNI one year and it was amazing how much of a pile of gear we ended up having to store. Hundreds of kilos but really only compensated for all the extra palaver requ

Someone smarter than me will have the answer. Let’s say you wanted to save some weight. Starter battery is around 20 kilos I suppose. A little jump starter about 1. Why not just swap one for the other? Charge it with a USB connection like you do with a phone and as long as the motor generally starts easily then what’s the problem?

Yes, I read that. Looks like we all need to check. They mentioned standing 100’ from the mast and if you can see the trilite you’re ok. If you have to step back further to see it, then the light isn’t shining through the vertical plane correctly and you may not be seen if you’re heeling away from an observer. Depends on the height of the mast I guess but it’s worth checking it out.

So this video confirms the top diagram.. All good, the steaming light’s going.

Yes, I can see anchor lights 6 miles away from our place, so I guess we have that covered. And the steaming light has failed again so I might as well just remove it. Never used the foredeck light anyway. Then bung on the bow lights and we’re legal. Don’t look forward to the debate with the inspector though. I’m getting a wireless tri lite and a wireless wind transducer so there’s a lot of wiring to come out of the mast. Starting to wonder about the VHF aerial now.

So the way I read this, yachts under 12 metres don't need a dedicated steaming light. An anchor light with red and green on the bow will suffice when motoring. Its just that I once got pulled up during a cat 3 inspection for not having the steaming light working. And who wants all that extra weight aloft anyway if you don't need it.