Anyone else running Victron on a narrowboat? Curious about your setups

Been slowly converting my narrowboat's electrical system over the past year and finally went full Victron — SmartSolar MPPT 100/30, a Multiplus 12/1600, and a bank of Fogstar Drift 100Ah LiFePO4 cells wired in parallel for 300Ah total. Running 400W of panels on the roof, which is obviously a bit cramped compared to a van or static install.

The main headache has been shading — trees on canal banks absolutely murder my output mid-morning and late afternoon. Worst days I'm seeing maybe 40–50% of what I'd expect. Anyone found a panel layout or wiring config that helps mitigate that on a narrow roof? I've been wondering whether going two separate MPPT strings would be worth the extra cost.

Also curious whether anyone's had issues with the Fogstar cells and damp. Narrowboat bilges aren't exactly a dry environment and I'm keeping the battery box ventilated but not sealed. No problems so far but it's always at the back of my mind.

What are other liveaboard or continuous cruiser folks running? Especially interested if you've cracked the shading problem without going down the Tigo/optimiser rabbit hole.

Hey @RayPowell, nice setup! I'm running something similar on our 57-footer — Multiplus 12/3000 paired with a 100/50 MPPT and 200Ah of Fogstar Drift. The Fogstar cells have been rock solid for us through two winters now, no complaints whatsoever.

One thing I'd suggest if you haven't already — get the VE.Bus Smart Dongle sorted so everything talks properly through the VictronConnect app. Makes monitoring so much easier when you're cruising and can't always see the unit directly. Also worth setting up proper absorption/float profiles suited to LiFePO4 if you haven't double-checked those defaults, as they don't always come configured optimally out of the box.

How much solar panel capacity are you running into that 100/30? Might be worth upsizing the MPPT eventually depending on your array plans.

@RayPowell this is exactly the thread I needed to find! Just starting to plan out my narrowboat electrical overhaul and I keep coming back to Victron as the obvious choice but the cost is making my eyes water a bit.

Can I ask — how are you finding the Fogstar Drift cells specifically? I've been looking at those vs going with a pre-built Fogstar battery and wasn't sure which route made more sense for a boat environment with all the vibration and moisture to think about.

Also with the Multiplus 12/1600, is that enough for running a decent induction hob or are you sticking to gas for cooking? That's probably my biggest question mark with sizing everything up. @Andy1979 your 12/3000 sounds like it'd handle more — is that why you went bigger?

Great thread! @RayPowell your setup sounds really solid — the Multiplus 12/1600 is a popular choice on narrowboats and pairs nicely with those Fogstar cells.

@LindaClark90 good timing finding this! A few things worth thinking about early in your planning: how much roof space you realistically have for panels (shading from bridges and trees is a real consideration on the cut), whether you want inverter/charger capability or just solar, and what your typical daily consumption looks like. The Victron ecosystem is brilliant because everything talks to each other via VE.Direct or Cerbo GX if you go that route — makes monitoring really straightforward.

One thing I'd suggest is sizing your battery bank generously from the start. Much easier than adding to it later when you're working around an existing install in a boat!

Not a narrowboat person myself — running Victron in a shepherd's hut — but the kit translates well across setups.

@LindaClark90 one thing worth planning early is your cable runs and busbar sizing, easy to underspec when you're still in the "just figuring it out" phase. Bit painful to redo later.

Also worth joining the Victron Community forum if you haven't — proper deep dives on configuration there, especially around BMS integration with LiFePO4. The Fogstar Drift cells @RayPowell mentioned are solid value, though I went with a different supplier for my hut build.

VRM portal is genuinely useful once it's all talking together.

@LindaClark90 worth knowing before you commit to a battery bank — the Fogstar Drift cells @RayPowell mentioned are genuinely excellent value, but on a narrowboat the damp can be sneaky. I learned this the hard way on my own boat; spent a weekend tracing a mysterious voltage drop that turned out to be a corroded terminal connection rather than anything wrong with the Victron kit itself.

Whatever you go with, marine-grade cable terminations and dielectric grease on every connection will save you a world of grief. The Victron system itself handles the environment brilliantly — my SmartSolar has been faultless through two winters — but the weak points are always the joins.

@BigAl27 is right that the kit translates across different setups too. Same gear runs my emergency backup at home without complaint.

Running almost exactly this on my 57-footer — Multiplus 12/3000 rather than the 1600, but same SmartSolar 100/30 and a pair of Fogstar Drift 100Ah in parallel. Genuinely impressed with how well the whole ecosystem talks to itself once you've got VE.Bus and VE.Direct sorted through a Cerbo GX.

One thing worth flagging for anyone considering this setup on a boat — make sure your shore power connection is properly sorted before the Multiplus goes in. The passthrough and charger functionality is brilliant, but a dodgy 240V hookup at a marina will cause you headaches.

@RayPowell what are you using for battery monitoring? I ran the BMV-712 for ages but recently switched to just relying on the Cerbo and haven't looked back. Curious whether others bother keeping a dedicated shunt monitor.