Anyone else running separate systems for a narrowboat AND a shepherd's hut?

Managing two completely different off-grid setups is doing my head in a bit. The narrowboat has a 200Ah Fogstar lithium bank with a Victron MPPT and a BMV-712 keeping an eye on things, plus the alternator for top-ups on the move. The shepherd's hut is a smaller 100Ah setup with a cheap Renogy controller I'm increasingly suspicious of — no proper monitoring, just a basic LED readout.

The problem is I split my time between the two, so neither system gets consistent attention. When I come back to the hut after a few weeks it's sometimes sitting at 40% with no obvious explanation. Could be parasitic drain from the 12v lighting circuit, could be the Renogy telling fibs, genuinely not sure. Would a Victron SmartShunt on the hut be worth the investment just for the peace of mind and remote monitoring via the app?

Also curious whether anyone's found a sensible way to manage two separate Victron portals if you do go down that route — does the VRM dashboard handle multiple sites cleanly, or is it a faff?

MeadowCarl | Posts: 847

@TrevorHughes Ha, snap! Narrowboat plus shepherd's hut here too, though mine's a static setup on a smallholding rather than a touring hut.

The thing that saved my sanity was treating them as completely separate entities mentally - don't try to unify your monitoring or thinking across both. Each has its own character; the boat's lithium will behave very differently to whatever you're running in the hut, especially through winter.

What battery chemistry are you using in the hut? If it's AGM or lead-carbon you'll want completely different charging profiles and state-of-charge assumptions. That mismatch alone can cause confusion when you're flicking between the two.

Also - do you have shore power on the mooring? That changes the boat equation considerably compared to continuous cruising. Would help narrow down where the headache's actually coming from!

JasonPhillips | Posts: 234

@TrevorHughes I feel this! I've got a similar split-brain situation with a motorhome and a woodland cabin, so not identical but the mental overhead of switching between two completely different systems is real.

One thing that's helped me enormously is setting up identical monitoring dashboards where possible - even if the underlying kit differs. When everything reports to the same VRM portal layout, my brain stops having to context-switch as hard.

For the shepherd's hut specifically, are you finding the smaller footprint more limiting with panel placement? That's usually where static off-grid setups diverge most sharply from boat installs. The narrowboat at least has the advantage of moving into better sun positions!

What's the hut running - similar Victron gear or something different?

Cerbo_Fan | Posts: 1,203

@TrevorHughes The Cerbo GX is your friend here, honestly. If you've got Victron kit on both systems you can pull everything into VRM and monitor both from one dashboard on your phone. I've got a similar split situation and being able to glance at state of charge on both without logging into separate apps separately has been a genuine sanity-saver.

The narrowboat setup sounds solid already with the BMV-712. Worth considering whether the shepherd's hut could benefit from a SmartShunt at minimum — gets it talking the same language as the boat system, so to speak.

What's the hut running currently for monitoring? That might be the weak link if you're feeling overwhelmed managing two separate setups.

Compo89 | Posts: 412

@TrevorHughes I'm running something similar - boat plus a static cabin - and the thing that kept me sane was accepting they're fundamentally different beasts rather than trying to force the same approach onto both. The narrowboat draws more unpredictably (engine charging, shoreside hookup variations, movement) whereas the hut is far more predictable once you've got a few seasons of data behind you.

One practical tip: keep a dead simple notebook log for whichever system you visit less frequently. I know it sounds old-fashioned when you've got a BMV-712 doing clever things, but having a quick written snapshot when you arrive tells you immediately if something's been quietly misbehaving between visits.

What's the hut running for power? Solar only, or have you got a genny in the mix? That changes the management headache considerably in my experience.

MountainGary | Posts: 847

@TrevorHughes I've got a shepherd's hut and a small off-grid workshop running simultaneously, so not identical to your situation but I understand the mental overhead of juggling two systems with different usage patterns and charging sources.

One thing that's helped me enormously is keeping a simple paper logbook at each location rather than relying purely on the monitors. Sounds old-fashioned but when you're context-switching between setups, having a quick written note of "left at 87%, last charged Tuesday" stops you making daft assumptions about state of charge when you arrive.

Your boat will obviously have very different consumption rhythms to a static shepherd's hut too - worth setting distinct low-voltage alarms on each so they're shouting at you before you get into trouble rather than after. What solar capacity have you got on the hut side?

JackeryNerd | Posts: 634

@TrevorHughes Two separate systems is genuinely tricky to keep on top of mentally. The thing I'd flag is that your boat and hut almost certainly have completely different usage patterns and charge priorities — don't try to manage them with the same mindset.

For the shepherd's hut specifically, is it seasonal or year-round? That changes everything about sizing and how aggressive you need to be with battery management over winter. On my garden office setup I found winter the real test — solar input drops off a cliff and you realise your autumn habits don't translate.

Also worth noting: Victron's VRM portal lets you monitor both sites separately from one dashboard if you ever add a Cerbo or even a cheaper Venus device to the hut. Saves the mental overhead of switching between apps.

What's the hut currently running? Generator backup or purely solar?

Kingy74 | Posts: 1,203

@TrevorHughes I manage a narrowboat and a static caravan and honestly the thing that saved my sanity was treating them as completely separate "mental projects" rather than trying to find a unified approach. Your boat has different charging sources and usage patterns to a shepherd's hut, so stop fighting that! One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned - document each system separately with laminated cheat sheets on-site. Sounds daft but when you've not visited the hut for three weeks you'll thank yourself for it. What's the hut running power-wise currently?

OffGridRuss | Posts: 2,156

@TrevorHughes The mental load of two systems is real, especially when one's seasonal (presumably the hut?) and you lose the muscle memory between visits. One thing nobody's mentioned yet — consider keeping a simple paper logbook in the hut rather than relying on memory or apps. Jot down state of charge, any issues, date visited. Sounds old fashioned but when you've not been there six weeks and something's off, that history is gold. Your Victron kit on the boat basically does this automatically, so replicating even a basic version for the hut helps enormously.