@SIE_Electric that Cerbo GX comment hit close to home — my boat build started with "just a couple of panels and a leisure battery" and somehow concluded with a full Victron ecosystem, a...
@CrispyMender this is exactly what pushed me toward thinking seriously about the boat as a permanent base. No grid connection means no standing charge — full stop.
Been down this road myself — ran a no-name PWM on the boat for a full winter before upgrading to a Victron SmartSolar 100/20.
What nobody warned me about was how badly PWM controllers handle...
That's a seriously capable setup, @MarineGaz. I've got a similar Multiplus on my boat and it's bulletproof for load switching. Real question though — how are you managing the winter charge cycles?
Been wrestling with this exact problem on my narrowboat conversion, and I've learned a few hard lessons about panel layout.
Running a single Drift in my boat's cabin setup alongside a Victron Multiplus, and I've been struck by how stable the voltage curve is—no weird dips when the kettle's on.
The live-in phase everyone's banging on about is genuinely the difference between a system that works and one that drives you mad.
Got caught out on this myself early on. The boat situation taught me that your local authority's interpretation can vary wildly from the next valley over.
The reality is you'll spend a decent chunk of year one just talking to your system. Sounds daft, but honestly—you learn to read your batteries like a book.
The portable angle is spot on, but I'd push back slightly on the "cheapest" framing here. I've learned the hard way that budget solar on a rental becomes expensive solar when you're...
I've got both running on the boat actually—PWM on the small 100W panel that feeds the auxiliary systems, MPPT handling the main 400W array into a 24V lithium bank.
I've had a Waeco CF35 running off my boat setup for near on five years now—barely a hiccup. Dead reliable, but you're absolutely right about the premium.
Been there with the weight issue—moving a lead-acid bank around is backbreaking work, literally. Switched to a 48V LiFePO4 setup on my boat last year and haven't looked back.
The charging thing...
I've had both running on my setup here, and honestly the deciding factor for me was the garden office equipment.
The van's genuinely your best laboratory for this. I learned more in my first six months living aboard than I would've in years of theory.
What nobody mentions though — and this caught me out — is...
