SmoCo Sailingvideo

[Ep 8] Life on Anchor in Santa Barbara: Free Rent, Big Lessons & Bigger Fixes

12 May 2025 · 24 min · 2K views · Santa Barbara

What this video covers

The crew of the sailboat Cosmo spends three weeks at anchor in Santa Barbara, California, while addressing recurring mechanical and electrical failures.0:56 To stabilize the outboard motor lift, which repeatedly popped out of its socket, the crew installs a custom steel brace reinforced with self-adhesive rubber tape to prevent lateral movement.3:37 The boat’s existing electrical system fails to meet daily power demands, causing the inverter to shut down during high-draw activities like heating water and toasting bread.16:02 To resolve this, the crew purchases a portable generator.16:56 Initial attempts to use the generator result in an "overload" error on the Victron MultiPlus 2 inverter.19:36 The crew corrects this by adjusting the inverter’s AC input current limit from 16 amps down to 10 amps, successfully allowing the generator to charge the battery bank without exceeding its 1900-watt rated output.20:56 The experience highlights the necessity of matching generator output to inverter settings for sustainable power management.

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Boats in this video

Dufour Yachts 430 GRAND LARGETheir boat

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