Sailing Yabávideo
617 Days Living Off-Grid: Upgrading the Power That Keeps Our Boat Alive — Sailing Yabá 294
7 December 2025 · 19 min · 57K views
What this video covers
Four Battle Born GameChanger 3.0 LiFePO4 smart batteries — each 270 Ah, wired in pairs to form a 24-volt bank — replace the previous lithium bank aboard Yabá, a wooden sailboat that has run entirely off-grid for 617 days without shore power or a connected alternator.▶ 6:22 Ben installs all four in a cramped under-bench compartment, orienting them to reuse existing wiring, then mounts the Dragonfly Intelligence hub within three feet of the bank and registers each battery by serial number before pairing them to the app.▶ 11:58 The system feeds a Victron MPPT 250/85 charge controller receiving up to 2,200 watts from four 550-watt solar panels relocated to a shade-free deck position, then routes power through a Victron MultiPlus inverter to supply 120-volt loads including an induction stove, air fryer, fridge, freezer, electric boiler, power tools, and Starlink.▶ 17:05 The Dragonfly hub displays voltage, state of charge, and temperature for each battery individually on a single dashboard.▶ 14:10 Ben compares LiFePO4 to lead-acid: usable capacity up to 100% versus 30–50%, and cycle life of 3,000–5,000 versus 300–500.▶ 9:45 Delivery of the batteries was delayed one day by a 54-knot anchorage squall that dragged a neighboring charter boat.▶ 0:57
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