Let’s Talk About Power

[mikeracca]

I know I’m way off on the refit of my Catalina 36 for this work to be happening right now, but I need to start planning this as I work on other things.

On Luna, my Catalina 30 I kept the electrical system pretty simple and straightforward, with a Sterling Power 30a charger and a basic 12v system and 120v only tied to shore power. Solar was going to be a future addition, but it never happened.

With Serenity I‘m thinking of an inverter in the power scheme as there is room for a larger battery bank.

For systems I’m thinking of water maker, AC, refrigerator, VHF, Stereo, macerator, fresh water pump, and maybe a small hot water heater.

I like how Victron’s products are capable of inter-communicating with each other as well as their status display options, but their size gets to me a bit. They are large units, even at the smaller ratings, and I’m not sure where everything will fit. I would prefer to have all the units living in the same general area and not scattered around the boat for ease of maintenance and servicing.

Ideally these units will be out of sight when the boat is in sailing condition, and I’m not interested in hiding anything inside my chart table, on in the footwell of the chart table like I see many do. I have a large space under the seat for the chart table, which seems to be a former battery bank, my seat in front of the chart table also looks like it may have held a battery bank at some time too. I’m not sure about the forward seat’s original purpose but I have seen videos of people putting batteries in there too.

So who here uses Victron, and how is your systems set up? If you don’t use Victron, what do you use and how are you set up?

 

[jssailem]

That is quite a list of systems (power users). Perhaps it is relevant to identify how Serenity is going to be used.

If full time living aboard, sailing to Hawaii, Back to Cabo San Lucas, cruise through the Panama Canal etc. then perhaps all of those systems are "Needed". If so then you need to decide how much energy you need to store so that all of the systems can be used. Spitballing here... You are going to need

• a lot of stored power,
• a way to recover the power consumed in a reasonable time (what ever that is)
• and a system to monitor and manage the power (Victron)

Power density is the challenge. You have identified 2 of the spaces other Catalina 36 owners have stuck batteries. Using Lead Acid will put a lot of weight on your Starboard side. Your boat my have a permanent heel to Starboard. This power need and weight issue leads me to suggest LiFePO4 batteries. They pack the punch with half the weight and less space demand than Lead Acid batteries.

If going this way, then your Recovery systems (Solar, Alternator, Wind, Water, or generator) need to be specified of a size to provide adequate recovery. Refilling the power storage.

Sounds like your heart is set on Victron. They do look pretty. There are other components that may be have a place (i.e. WakeSpeed regulator or High capacity Balmar Alternators)

I think it all starts with defining your boat use, then specifying the power consumption systems to meet your boat usage.

 

[dlochner]

Victron makes good products with good integration across their product line. They are active in the Off-grid market, the RV market, and the cruising market. Victron seems to be the rage among the YouTube cruisers set. On my boat, I have been leaning towards Victron for several applications.

However, you have the cart before the horse. The first step is not deciding on the equipment you want to buy, it is what do you need. The tried and true method of determining this, is to start with consumption. Follow these steps and then come back for advice.

1. Determine how many amp hours you will consume each day.
2. Decide how many days you want to go before you have to recharge your batteries.
3. Multiply the answer to #1 by the answer to #2 and that will tell you how big a battery bank you will need.

Next it is necessary determine how you are going to recharge the batteries and how fast. How fast they can be recharged will be a function of the battery type and capacity.

1. How many amp hours will be needed to recharge the batteries?
2. What will be the primary generating source, alternator, generator, shore power, solar, hydro, wind?
3. What can your boat support, that is does the boat have room for a generator, are you sailing in areas with good solar, etc, etc.?

When you have answers to these issues, then you can begin to put together an electrical system to meet your needs. It will be an iterative process. As you change one parameter it will affect other parameters. If you reduce consumption, then storage and generation will be reduced. If you reduce generation, then consumption will need to be reduced or storage increased. It is pretty dynamic and tempting to be overly optimistic.

Lurking behind all this is cost. Are you competent to design and install the systems? Labor and design can be expensive. A robust electrical system for cruising can easily top $10K. Are you going with cheap crap (there is a lot of it out there) or will you use quality components? What parts of the system are necessary and what would be nice to have?

Spoiler alert, running AC on battery power requires very large battery banks and very large charging capabilities.

 

[SycloneDriver]

Don't forget that the Victron is also a charger. So when you remove the old charger your will have that space available. I would love to have one myself but I just don't need it, except maybe to assist my generator starting the AC and I just don't really want to mess with hauling a generator around.

My 31ft boat has all those systems you listed with the exception of the water maker & macerator. I'm fairly confident I could find a good location for an inverter/charger. I really like messing around with power systems but I just can't justify one on my boat.

I not a Catalina owner so please forgive me.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Spoiler alert, running AC on battery power requires very large battery banks and very large charging capabilities.

Add to that a 5 USG hot water tank which would require approximately 70 AH to warm from 60 - 130° F and you're talking considerable storage/generating capacity. Add the water maker and refrigerator to that demand and it's game over. You'll need a bigger boat to handle the electrical storage/generating equipment.

However, you have the cart before the horse. The first step is not deciding on the equipment you want to buy, it is what do you need. The tried and true method of determining this, is to start with consumption.

You can't even begin until you've calculated the consumption in a 24 hour period.

 

[mikeracca]

Good morning everyone!

I will attempt to answer everyone's concerns here and maybe give you guys a better idea of my logic. First off I am trying to be proactive instead of reactive. By that I mean I am trying to plan my systems based on what I can do rather than what I already have. This boat is going to be a complete start over for power, nothing currently in the boat is going to be saved. This means if I have the room for a large battery bank, and my system can handle all I want then I will get everything, if not I decide what is really important and what can go, or what can stay on shore power only.

@jssailem , For now the boat will be just cruising around the Puget Sound and San Juan Islands while I develop the skills needed for more adventurous journeys, and one day I want to go to Hawaii and the Bahamas. She will eventually be a live-a-board but not for a few years, I am waiting for my kids to at least graduate before I go there. My heart is not set on Victron, I just hear so much about them and how good they are. I was quite happy with my Sterling Power (Pro Mariner) Charger I used in Luna. I have been thinking of getting another, but I wanted to see what other's thoughts were about other equipment available. I did notice in Serenity there is not a big deep lazzerette like in Luna so while I have a bigger boat, it doesn't seem that I have more room exactly. I really don't want my hardware to be out in the open, I prefer it be inconspicuous. My recovery systems will be solar (not sure how much yet, I don't have anywhere to put it yet so that is still being planned) most likely a wind vane as well. There is not enough room for a dedicated generator so what the engine has will be it in that department. My batteries at the moment are non existent, which means a clean slate there (and with all the electrical systems) and I'm leaning towards some Battle Born LiFePO4 group 31's.

@dlochner Here is where I think you are wrong with what I am doing. Not so sound mean or condescending here, don't think that, it's just that I cant tell you what my consumption is as I have nothing to consume. The ideas you post are great when integrating into an already existing set of systems and this is something I do not have. This is the exact reason for this thread is to have a discussion on what can be. In the model railroad community we have something called Givins and Druthers which is another way of saying needs and wants. The givins is not up for negotiation you must have these, rails in the case of a model railroad and in my boat the VHF, Lighting for the cabin and Nav, Bilge pump, and Auto Pilot. The druthers are macerator, Chart plotter, fridge, AC, water heater, water pump, and what have you. Some of this can easily be shore power only equipment such as the AC and water heater, and I am ok with that. My point here is, I'm not putting my cart before my horse as I don't have either. If I can house 10KW in batteries safely and recover that charge safely then why not have everything? I know that's unrealistic... I will likely be limited to a couple hundred watts, which is fine, and if I know how much power I can store, and recover then I can plan how much I am going to be able to consume.

Also I am more than capable of doing the installing and I while I am not an expert in the design (if I was I wouldn't be here asking about different products) I will be able to handle this job on my own.

@Ralph Johnstone I have to disagree here as well with you for the same reason as above. I don't have anything, to see what my consumption is, so I am looking to see what I can hold then to plan what I can have and afford (power wise) for systems. This isn't a backwards way of thinking, its what all marine system's engineers have to do when designing a new boat.

 

[dlochner]

This isn't a backwards way of thinking, its what all marine system's engineers have to do when designing a new boat.

Well, actually, marine engineers start with a design criteria, in which the boat's purpose is outlined. From there the necessary systems are identified and the specifications for system are developed that are consistent and necessary for the boat's intended purpose. Since all vessels are compromises, as the design evolves those compromises are identified and suitable solutions are developed.

To give an example from the tall ship project on which I am the Project Manager, the design calls for an all electric galley. There are several considerations, including cost, efficiency, and supplying adequate AC power when not tied to shore power. The first question we asked was the power requirements for an all electric galley. Once we had a rough idea of the power needs we could then proceed to designing that part of the electrical system. Had we not started with the demand side of the equation we would have had a one in three chance of purchasing an appropriately sized generator, if it was too small it could not produce the power needed, if it was too large, it would be unnecessarily expensive, both poor outcomes.

We went through a similar exercise when designing the tankage, how much fuel do we need to carry? How much water? How big should the black water tanks be? We will go through the same process as we flesh out the rest of the electrical system and electronics.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Mike, re: your comments on Dave's and Ralph's:

I, too, am a model railroader, and understand G&Ds. But when it comes to boat electrical system DC power consumption, you are plainly and completely wrong and incorrect.
Why?
Because the consumers of DC power on boats hasn't changed much in the past 20 years AND the consumption of each of those components is well known. In addition, the daily ah draw is based, of course, on the load in amps times the time in hours used. The time of use may vary some between different skippers, but not too much. Finally, there are three different uses: at anchor, daysails, overnight sails.
Every time someone comes up with your "logic" or lack thereof, we see them trying to reinvent the wheel. We see it so often it's mind boggling. The simple answer is to do an ENERGY BUDGET. What this will give you is a range to be able to size your house bank and recharging sources.
Here's how:
The All-Important Energy Budget:
Energy Budget

IMPORTANT BASICS What are amps & amp hours (thanks to StuM from CF.com)

Amps v Amp hours v Amps/Hr - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

Record of Daily Energy Use of 100 ah per day:

"Breaking In" New Wet Cell Batteries

Largest House Bank 101 (by Nigel Calder)

Calder battery sizing & stereo-battery connection

and Maine Sail's excellent writeup: Multiple House Banks vs. One House Bank

 

[capta]

Every bit of equipment you intend to install comes with a spec sheet. That is where you will get your power consumption figures from.
I've never owned a boat with built in AC that didn't require two 30 amp or one 50 amp cord. The AC unit runs on one side and the seawater circulation on another.
I'm not going to run down your list of "wants" but I'm pretty sure if you install even half of them, your boat will be overweight and sail poorly. Also you will cut down on living/storage space considerably.
Why not begin with what you feel you absolutely need and then buy a bigger boat after you have some time living with all the gear you have on your 36' for a while.
For instance, why AC in Seattle, isn't cool to cold up there most of the time? Why a watermaker, it rains something like 300 days a year up there? Perhaps you should keep to the KISS principle.

 

[mikeracca]

@Stu Jackson Thank you for the insight and links, I will study them here shortly.

Every bit of equipment you intend to install comes with a spec sheet. That is where you will get your power consumption figures from.
I've never owned a boat with built in AC that didn't require two 30 amp or one 50 amp cord. The AC unit runs on one side and the seawater circulation on another.
I'm not going to run down your list of "wants" but I'm pretty sure if you install even half of them, your boat will be overweight and sail poorly. Also you will cut down on living/storage space considerably.
Why not begin with what you feel you absolutely need and then buy a bigger boat after you have some time living with all the gear you have on your 36' for a while.
For instance, why AC in Seattle, isn't cool to cold up there most of the time? Why a watermaker, it rains something like 300 days a year up there? Perhaps you should keep to the KISS principle.

While I currently live in the Puget Sound area, I have no intention of staying here. Once I have the ability to do so I plan on sailing south and going to the Florida Kays and or Bahamas which is why the AC is being thought of now. AC for me doesn't have to be available while on battery, it can be shore power only. A watermaker is important for me due to the type of sailing I eventually want to do. Water is the last thing I want to worry about having when I am in the middle of the Pacific going to Hawaii or for when I finally sail to Florida.

I guess the whole idea for this thread as I was writing it, and what it has turned into isn't the same thing. I was curious about what others have done for battery storage, and what systems/brands for recovery do people use, what do you think of brand X or Y, how has this worked for you, what would you do different, stuff like that, with the ideas I generate here I was going to take and start to build my own scheme for Serenity. I know there will be compromises in every turn, I know I will need to know what power I will consume in a day, and what my recovery ability will be, I got that.

With Luna I was very limited in the space I had for batteries. I could have done things different and removed a water tank and put them in the settee or made a shelf in the lazzerette and lost some space for the supplies I kept in there, but I stuck with the factory location under the chart table and planned my power systems accordingly. Luna had no water heater but I had planned for a water pump instead of the foot pumps. Current draw was about 2.5 amps when running and that would only be for a few minutes a day. Lighting was all converted to LED so that went from 3 or 4 amps with all lights on to less than an amp. I had an auto pilot which didn't draw much unless the motor was running then it got around 2 amps, and the VHF was only a power hog when I keyed the mic, which I only did to test the current draw which was around 5 amps. Again not something that was going to be running at full capacity the entire time. My only recovery was the alternator or shore power at the time of me selling her. I had 2 6V flooded batteries that were rated at 100amp hours which meant that I actually had roughly 30 to play with and I planned my systems accordingly. I didn't find that to be a backwards way of thinking at all. When I did a plugs out test of my boat running on only battery for a full day onboard as well as a night, I had plenty of power the next morning.

What I don't want to do, is get my mind set on a few items that I want and don't need and then find out later that in order to have those items I don't have the space to get batteries enough to have that. If I have the space for 3 or 4 group 31 batteries and one group 24 for the starting battery then I can plan their location, plan their cabling and when I decide on the brand and capacity of battery, I can then figure out what I can add beyond the required needs like nav lights, interior lights and a bilge pump. Call me stupid for thinking this way but to me this is logical, and has always worked out for me in the past.

@dlochner My boat's intended purpose is going to be off grid living for me with cruising as well. I am hoping for a companion on my adventures so I am planning for 2. I may from time to time host more than just 2 but those will be day or weekend sails at best. As you just said above your project has requirements and you need to plan accordingly, well that's not what I wanted this thread to become, tho it has. I completely understand what you are saying, the planning idea is not lost on me. I am working out what I want with the what I need and putting the must have in there first. What I really wanted this thread to be was a discussion on various different devices people have had experience with, and what have others done for batteries, where in a Cat 36 did you locate your items. That was my intended purpose of this, with some ideas of what I would like to be able to do... if possible...

 

[jssailem]

Understanding your intentions with the thread or the boat, builds context for others to structure solutions or provide alternative ideas. I think you were as much looking for alternative ideas that you could then evaluate. In some ways you did achieve that.

Your context of sailing Serenity visiting the 100,000sq miles of the Sound and the Salish Sea will build your sailing skills to tackle the other waters. It may give you a new understanding about a Catalina 36 as being all the boat you need to make big passages. In 3-5 years you may come to the conclusion that you need a bigger boat. Maybe not. Difficult to say till you have lived on a boat for a period of time.

Perhaps, some of the systems you are thinking about might be better phased projects (1.next three years, 2.Open Ocean Sailing) rather than jump with both feet into the water projects before you go sailing..

By this I mean a focus on the simple systems that can be scaled up could get you on the water sooner helping you build your sailing/cruising skills while at the same time sharpening your thoughts on what is needed verses wanted.

Phase 1. What are the bare minimum needs to go sailing within 2 months or less.
You edit the list. It is you that acquires/instlls/maintains them. For all of these you can identify power usage and then scale your battery storage needs.

• Batteries Lead acid in space that can be converted to LiFePo4,
• Alternator sized to provide quick recharging
• AC panel system with 6 breakers,
• DC panel system with maybe 15 installed breakers... plus another 10-15 open spares.
• refrigerator or refrigeration. Ice chests/simple refrigerator (staying near marina's or towns in the Salish Sea reduces the need for a lot of fresh food requiring refrigeration.
• VHF, SSB radio, AIS system, Radar, Chart Plotter, Internet access, Starlink, Wifi booster Cell Service/Hot Spot. All of these can work if you have an on board generator/power generation by the engine/power generation by Solar. All are power hogs.
• Stereo
• Diesel Heater if you want to cruise during the winter months/or Heat Pump that can provide some AirConditioning as well as Heat for shoulder season sailing
• Anchor/windlass system
• New Sails - Main/Genoa/Small jib/Asymmetrical Spinnaker
• macerator,
• fresh water pump,
• and maybe a small hot water heater - If you run an engine you can harvest plenty of hot water with a WH that is connected to your engine. Choosing a WH that is well insulated means the water you heated yesterday will still be warm today.
• I‘m thinking of an inverter in the power scheme as there is room for a larger battery bank.
• Diesel Tankage
• Water Tankage

Phase 2...
Systems nice but not needed in the PacificNW where you want to build your sailing/cruising skills

• water maker,
• Air Conditioning
• LiFePo4 batteries.
• diesel Generator

Just a framework. Clearly you are a resourceful boat owner. I have spent time on Catalina's specifically a 36 Mk 1. There is space, should you choose to modify it, for much of the systems you desire.

 

[Stu Jackson]

While I currently live in the Puget Sound area, I have no intention of staying here. Once I have the ability to do so I plan on sailing south and going to the Florida Kays and or Bahamas

WADR, Mike, not on that boat you won't. Why? Because as nice as a boat as it is, it is not going to go upwind across the Caribbean from Panama to Florida. How do I know this? I've owned essentially a sistership to the C36 for 25 years. The boat is not built to do that. In the link below is a very informative analysis by a friend who sailed his C34 from Vancouver BC to Mexico. I've read stories of folks who want to leave Panama to go east - there's a reason people don't do it on a regular basis and those who do have completely differently built boats designed for heavy weather blue water sailing. Yours ain't it. I suggest you do what John says: learn your neck of the woods and learn more about boats and what you either can do with what you have or find one that'll go where you want to.

1500 Mile Interim Refit Report & 3596 Update & 5000 Mile link

1500 Mile Interim Refit Report & 3596 Update & 5000 Mile link

c34.org

Scroll to the start ^^^.

 

[mikeracca]

Understanding your intentions with the thread or the boat, builds context for others to structure solutions or provide alternative ideas. I think you were as much looking for alternative ideas that you could then evaluate. In some ways you did achieve that.

Your context of sailing Serenity visiting the 100,000sq miles of the Sound and the Salish Sea will build your sailing skills to tackle the other waters. It may give you a new understanding about a Catalina 36 as being all the boat you need to make big passages. In 3-5 years you may come to the conclusion that you need a bigger boat. Maybe not. Difficult to say till you have lived on a boat for a period of time.

Perhaps, some of the systems you are thinking about might be better phased projects (1.next three years, 2.Open Ocean Sailing) rather than jump with both feet into the water projects before you go sailing..

By this I mean a focus on the simple systems that can be scaled up could get you on the water sooner helping you build your sailing/cruising skills while at the same time sharpening your thoughts on what is needed verses wanted.

Phase 1. What are the bare minimum needs to go sailing within 2 months or less.
You edit the list. It is you that acquires/instlls/maintains them. For all of these you can identify power usage and then scale your battery storage needs.

• Batteries Lead acid in space that can be converted to LiFePo4,
• Alternator sized to provide quick recharging
• AC panel system with 6 breakers,
• DC panel system with maybe 15 installed breakers... plus another 10-15 open spares.
• refrigerator or refrigeration. Ice chests/simple refrigerator (staying near marina's or towns in the Salish Sea reduces the need for a lot of fresh food requiring refrigeration.
• VHF, SSB radio, AIS system, Radar, Chart Plotter, Internet access, Starlink, Wifi booster Cell Service/Hot Spot. All of these can work if you have an on board generator/power generation by the engine/power generation by Solar. All are power hogs.
• Stereo
• Diesel Heater if you want to cruise during the winter months/or Heat Pump that can provide some AirConditioning as well as Heat for shoulder season sailing
• Anchor/windlass system
• New Sails - Main/Genoa/Small jib/Asymmetrical Spinnaker
• macerator,
• fresh water pump,
• and maybe a small hot water heater - If you run an engine you can harvest plenty of hot water with a WH that is connected to your engine. Choosing a WH that is well insulated means the water you heated yesterday will still be warm today.
• I‘m thinking of an inverter in the power scheme as there is room for a larger battery bank.
• Diesel Tankage
• Water Tankage

Phase 2...
Systems nice but not needed in the PacificNW where you want to build your sailing/cruising skills

• water maker,
• Air Conditioning
• LiFePo4 batteries.
• diesel Generator

Just a framework. Clearly you are a resourceful boat owner. I have spent time on Catalina's specifically a 36 Mk 1. There is space, should you choose to modify it, for much of the systems you desire.

Oh I was not planning on installing all this at the get go, but plan for it's future installation now, install later. You and I are tracking on the same line with that one. Yes I will be doing this in stages, right now I am at the get the boat clean and rid of the rat piss smell stage. I can only do that while at the boat so when I'm home I think of and or work on projects that are here. Right now I have an engine that needs to spend some time in a machine shop, and soon it will. I did have fun taking it all apart and getting it ready to go! I have brought some of the wood work home that will also soon be getting some attention, but I have a mind that will not shut off so while I am working on one part of this project, I am thinking of future parts.

 

[mikeracca]

WADR, Mike, not on that boat you won't. Why? Because as nice as a boat as it is, it is not going to go upwind across the Caribbean from Panama to Florida. How do I know this? I've owned essentially a sistership to the C36 for 25 years. The boat is not built to do that. In the link below is a very informative analysis by a friend who sailed his C34 from Vancouver BC to Mexico. I've read stories of folks who want to leave Panama to go east - there's a reason people don't do it on a regular basis and those who do have completely differently built boats designed for heavy weather blue water sailing. Yours ain't it. I suggest you do what John says: learn your neck of the woods and learn more about boats and what you either can do with what you have or find one that'll go where you want to.

1500 Mile Interim Refit Report & 3596 Update & 5000 Mile link

1500 Mile Interim Refit Report & 3596 Update & 5000 Mile link

c34.org

Thank you for the info Stu, I imagine I would have discovered this limitation while sailing here in the Salish Sea on what the boat does and doesn't do.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Hi Mike,

I have a few suggestions that I hope you find useful. You are fortunate in that you are starting from scratch rather than starting with systems and equipment that you have to work around. Also, your boat is already designed with space provided for many of the components that you need.

I'd start by planning everything around LiFePo4 batteries. That is how you will get the most ah capacity in the most compact space. How much can you fit in your battery compartment? Since the space in your C-36 is relatively limited, I'd start by figuring out how many batteries can you fit. Then, you'll have to figure out how many you can afford right now and maybe back-off accordingly. But if you start out by figuring out approximately how much capacity you can reasonably fit, then you can start to zero in on what you can reasonably expect to install in your boat with respect to battery loads. But I would plan for the maximum (even if it takes time and additional funds to get there) so I know the limitations of the loads that I can install.

I would also plan on how you will power your windlass (you are going to need one) and whether or not you will use a dedicated power source (and where it is going to be located). On my boat, I have a dedicated battery just used for engine start and windlass. There are a lot of variable arguments about this so you should set your mind on it early. If auxiliary battery is a different chemistry, you'll need to factor in the charging requirements for each chemistry.

If your plans include off-shore passages, I would factor in a below-decks autopilot. You may not want it now ... you may rely on a wheel pilot for now ... but you'll need a below deck pilot, unless you plan on a wind vane type that doesn't require power. You'll need to plan on the power requirements for steering the boat. Be sure to use LED lighting for everything, including navigation lighting.

Water heater - just rely on shore power and engine heating.

Set up your engine with a good alternator/external regulator. I'm using the latest Balmar systems for the regulator / battery monitor set-up. You should plan on at least 125a alternator or more and consider a serpentine belt system for sure. You can decide on the brands for yourself. But you need to decide on the size of your alternator up front to avoid limitations in the future.

I think combo chargers/inverters are costly and maybe not worthwhile unless you want to spend a boat load up front. I have a Sterling 60amp charger and am considering adding an inverter at some time in the future - Sue wants me to put one in. I found it easy to relocate my charger to a more convenient space (out of siight) in a locker when I didn't like the original location. It sounds a little like a fantasy to have all equipment located in a single, convenient and out-of-sight space. You have to plan ahead of time for various locations - particularly if you are adding water-maker. I see no reason why a separate inverter can't be an add-on in the future but i'm sure there are good arguments otherwise.

My reverse cycle AC/heat works great for my needs but I don't ever plan on using it except where I have shore power. A shore power based heating and A/C system is probably the simplest way to start. I have a portable generator that I don't typically carry on the boat, but I do have a space for it if I want it and I think it is adequate if I really want it at anchor.

Things like the water pump, macerator pump, electronics, VHF are a given need that you may not want to buy right now, but your power needs have to factor all that in up front. Fridge is going to run on battery power for sure. You must have space for the equipment already factored into the boat's design.

If I'm not mistaken, you will find that model C-36 to be fairly limiting in size for all your wants, so you will probably need to decide right away how much battery capacity you can realistically fit to start out with.

 

[sesmith]

Concerning Victron, you really can't go wrong with the brand. I've used Victron solar controllers on 2 boats now, and a Victron solar controller, battery monitor and a couple of Victron 24 volt chargers on my off grid cabin solar setup. Several years use and never an issue with any of the components. The ability to network the components is a real plus.
As others mentioned, you do need to come up with an energy budget to properly size everything. What you have listed for your wants is not out of line, though the water heater would make more sense running off of engine coolant heat exchanger and shore power. Forget electric water heater unless you plan on running a generator. Same with ac. We usually only need our ac when stuck at a marina where there's no breeze, but we're up on the Great Lakes.