Looking at the wiring on Kimberlite Amel Super Maramu #376 it appears that you can draw 25 amps from the genset or shore power without any problem.

I don’t know where the 16 amp figure comes from.

 

The genset I believe is 7.5 kw , yet 25 amps is only 5.75 kw

The original Amel wire is also rated at 30 amps as is all the wiring coming from the transfer case to the main electrical panel.

Kimberlite does not have a circuit breaker in the aft lazarette, just a breaker on the side of the AC panel.

Fair Winds

Eric

Kimberlite Amel Super Maramu #376

 

 

From: amelyachtowners@... [mailto:amelyachtowners@...]
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2018 2:56 PM
To: amelyachtowners@...
Subject: RE: [Amel Yacht Owners] Re: Generator charging question

 

 

Ryan;

 

The ACs draw about 4-5 A at 230V. So with all three running and the charger and other systems you will exceed the 16A. At the recommendation of Bill Rouse of Ex BeBe and now AmelSchool.com (had to give Bill a plug, he has been of tremendous help to every one here), we installed a power meter which helps greatly in monitoring the current being used on board so we do not exceed the limits of the type of connection that is feeding the panel. In this manner we can turn systems on-off based on what we need to do on board.

 

I'm not sure about the SM, but there should be another breaker just for the shore power, before it gets to the main breaker at the panel. On our 54 it is in the aft lazarette, which is the closets point to the shore power connection. I would think that it would be prudent to have a breaker right where the shore power comes in, so that the wires from the shore power connection to the main panel are not left unprotected.

 

We have spent one winter sailing the Greek Isles. It was the coldest winter in 50 years with temperatures typically in the 30s and winds of force 6-9. We managed to heat the entire boat and run all systems on 16A shore power in most occasions by managing the systems that were used simultaneously. The Amels are extremely well designed to function well in most conditions.

 

We have not made any modifications to the factory installed systems for the past 3 years that we have owned her, and are very happy with the systems as installed by the factory. The suggestion to us from every one when we first joined the group, which we have now come to appreciate, was to not make any modifications until you have used the boat extensively for over a year.

 

 

 

Respectfully;

Mohammad and Aty

B&B Kokomo

Amel 54 #099

 

 

---

From: amelyachtowners@... [mailto:amelyachtowners@...]
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2018 11:19 AM
To: amelyachtowners@...
Subject: Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Re: Generator charging question

 

Interesting that so many marinas as so limiting on power.  Is it possible to run all three air conditioners on 16A?  I've never measured the draw.

 

My SM has a shore power cord and main breaker sized for 35A (I was under the impression this is true for all SM).  I believe the generator runs through that same 35A breaker, so that's the max there as well (it's basically moot since it's a 9kW generator).  My shore power cord could use a replacement, so I've been investigating the possibility of upgrading it to handle 50A.  It would be handy to have the extra power to run the heat in the winter.  My boat came from the factory with extra dedicated heater circuits, which I don't think are standard, so it would be no trouble at all to exceed 35A draw from the panel.  The biggest challenge is fitting a larger cord through the conduit to the panel.

 

Ryan

SM 233 Iteration

Boston, MA, USA

 

 

On Wed, Jan 10, 2018 at 2:10 PM, 'Mohammad Shirloo' mshirloo@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

Hi Ryan;

 

We have a 100A and a 40A charger aboard. If the batteries are being drained to proper levels for optimal life, the 100A charger will only be at max output for 10-15 minutes before the charge rate drops below the max output, so there is minimal advantage in running the two charges together. The disadvantages are, at least to a certain extent, unknown and are dependent on many factors.

 

As far as the shore power connections in other parts of the world, in the Med, there are many marinas and harbors that only have 16A connections. However there are many that also have 32A connections. Some have higher output connections as well. The limiting factor on the Amels, is the shore power connection and wiring to the panel. On our 54, it is sized for 32A. Therefore there is a 32A breaker in the aft lazarette that feeds the panel. You have to check on your SM to see the wire sizing and shore power breaker sizing.

 

The only way to get the full 50A 230V to the panel is by the generator.

 

 

Respectfully;

Mohammad and Aty

B&B Kokomo

Amel 54 #099

 

 

---

From: amelyachtowners@... [mailto:amelyachtowners@...]
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2018 9:39 AM
To: amelyachtowners@...
Subject: Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Re: Generator charging question

 

At first glance, I thought it could be dangerous to use multiple smart chargers because they could get into different states, but after thinking through all the possible combinations, I've convinced myself it is actually safe -- provided the total current is less than what the batteries can accept.  It might not produce the optimal results for your battery lifespan, though: they could transition from bulk to acceptance or acceptance to float before the battery is actually ready, because each charger can only sense its own contribution to the charge current.  Chargers in different stages shouldn't fight each other directly because they sense the current/voltage of the system.  Floating at different voltages should be safe; the charger with the lower float voltage would just not be doing anything.  If one or more chargers has a float voltage above that which the batteries are designed to handle, that would be bad... but that's also bad with just one charger.

 

I do not think it is safe to mix smart chargers and dumb chargers without knowing exactly how the dumb charger works.  It is conceivable that the dumb charger just puts out a constant voltage, and would act as a sink for a higher voltage -- then you'd get the two chargers directly fighting each other, possibly tripping breakers, and definitely wasting power.  The same could happen with two dumb chargers that have different voltage setpoints; presumably the ones Amel installed as stock were configured with the same voltage and/or were smart enough to shut off if they started acting as a sink.

 

As an aside, is a 16A shore power connection typical in some parts of the world?  At 230V, that's about the same wattage as the "small boat" 30A@120V connections in the USA.  A larger yacht like a Super Maramu is expected to connect to 50A@240V in the US, but usually also has the option of connecting to two 30A@120V connections.  I assume you can't connect to two 16A@230V connections because the 230V parts of the world don't use a split-phase power system like we do in the US, but perhaps I'm wrong about that.

 

Thanks,

Ryan

SM 233 Iteration

Boston, MA, USA

 

 

On Wed, Jan 10, 2018 at 2:11 AM, svperegrinus@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

Our solar chargers by Genasun are not properly adjustable to the voltages required by Trojan for our AGM batteries.  So we disconnect solar when on shorepower to prevent over-voltage charging of full batteries.

 

We routinely turn on both battery chargers as follows:

 

(1) When charging from the generator.

(2) When we will have shore power for only one day or two.

 

Evidently after one hour or less the batteries charge at less than 100 A, and at this point it makes no difference whether you have one or both chargers on.  So we routinely turn one off.

 

Cheers,

 

Peregrinus

SM2K N. 350 (2002)

Herzliya

 

 

On 10 January 2018 at 17:11 "pandmdegroot@... [amelyachtowners]" <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

 

Greetings and Happy New Year,

I’m new to the group having purchased “Liebling” SM hull #207 In June 2017.  Now she is “La Querida” berthed in Moss Landing, California.

Over the last several months I noticed something like grease dripping out from the jib furling gearbox and finally dismantled it last weekend.  In general it was in reasonable shape for a 20 year old gearbox.  However the aluminum  disc on the out put shaft showed considerable pitting which I interpret as electrolysis.  On my particular box, the aluminum is in contact with a bronze or brass bushing.  I did some reading on line and was quite alarmed to learn that neighboring boats and poor grounding of the marina shore power apparently can accelerate electrolysis on a well designed and maintained boat such as our Amels.  So two questions:

1. Has anyone else experienced this electrolysis on the aluminum disc on top of the gearbox?  (or is mine indicative of a bigger problem)
2. I briefly investigated galvanic isolators as protection for poorly grounded shore power.  Is this worthwhile?

Thanks in advance.

BTW our plans are to cruise to Mexicos west coast after retirement in about 3 years.  Saludos a todas!

 

On Jan 10, 2018, at 9:58 AM, Beaute Olivier atlanticyachtsurvey@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

Hello James, Herbert and JP,

the vertical sides of the roof, where the side windows and their S/S frames are installed are NOT balsa cored. This is just plain GRP.

On SMs and SAs, the S/S frame-GRP-plexiglas window-wooden frame are attached to gether with screws and bolts (one screw- one bolt).

Once the screws/bolts heads move, the silicone seal is broken and there may be water ingress. It's time to remove all screws-bolts and put new silicone filler. But the window will stay in place.

The nuts for the bolts are accessible under the wooden trim ( above and below window ) that is nailed into the wooden frame.

If the window itself is leaking (broken), then it's a much bigger job...

Olivier

On Wednesday, January 10, 2018 12:48 PM, "James Alton lokiyawl2@... [amelyachtowners]" <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

Hello,

   Can anyone tell me if the cabin sides on the latter  (my hull # is 220) Maramus are balsa cored in the area of the windows?

Thanks,

James 

SV Sueño

Maramu #220

Arbatax,  Italy

On Jan 8, 2018, at 7:26 PM, James Alton lokiyawl2@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

JPG,

   You mentioned removing the balsa.  So the cabin sides of the SM are cored with balsa as opposed to being just one solid laminate?  It would be nice to know the construction since window replacement is on my short list as well. Actually if there is core in there I am going to move it to the top of the list!   I used to use cut down  allen wrenches shaped and sharpened to form cutting edges (in place of the bent nail) to cut out a core but found a better solution.  You can get small saw blades for your dremel and these make core removal fast and you can also use the blades to abrade the inside edges of the glass to give your epoxy a good bond.  It’s a bit of a pain but you can extract essentially all of the water that entered the holes by using vacuum. You can use the same basic supplies and set up that is normally used for vacuum bagging,  just add a good water separator to protect your pump.  It is always better to get the water out before sealing things up if at all possible..  Kept completely dry, balsa lasts pretty much forever, good stuff.

   I hope that you are having a great time in the Bahamas!

Best,

James

SV Sueño,  Maramu #220

On Jan 8, 2018, at 4:48 PM, Jean-Pierre's MacBook Air jgermain@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

Hello Herbert,

I encountered the same problem on my SM when I recaulked the side windows.  

First option: The screws are not long enough to traverse into the wood trim on the inside of the cabin.  Procure various length M6 screws and drill through to the inside.  Pack with lots of Sikaflex and finish the work with a nice looking ball nut on the wood trim.  

Other option: this is what I did.  Make the hole bigger, but no larger in diameter than the width of the SS strip (about 14 MM if memory serves me right), clean out the wet balsa with a nail bent to 90 degrees on the end of your drill, fill with epoxy then drill a pilot hole where needed and reuse the original hardware.

Good luck,

Jean-Pierre Germain

SY Eleuthera, SM007

Shelter Bay Marina

On 8 Jan 2018, at 16:03, herbert@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

Many of the screws that hold the stainless frame of the side windows are loose on our Santorin and some are not holding good enough to allow tightening. It looks as they ar e just screwed through to wooden panel that is used as a packing plate at the inside. Did anyone replace these screws already? What is the best solution to fix that? 

thx, Herbert

SN120 KALI MERA, Shelter Bay, Panama