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Did We Spend Too Much on a 40-Year-Old Boat? Nauticat 43 - Sailing 13

Fish Under Sail

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We didn’t buy an off-grid sailboat… we built one. And we truly believed we got it right.

After months of installing solar panels, lithium batteries, and a full water system, we transformed our 40-year-old sailboat into a fully self-sufficient home at sea. No land. No hookups. No backup.

But what we didn’t realize… was how much everything was about to change.

In this video, we walk you through our complete off-grid sailboat setup — from 1,600 watts of solar power to 1,200 amp hours of lithium batteries, a water maker, and the systems we rely on every single day while living offshore.

This isn’t just about upgrades… it’s about building a boat that can take us anywhere — and survive when things go wrong.

If you’re interested in off-grid living, sailboat life, or building your own self-sufficient system, this is exactly what it takes.

If you found value, hit like & subscribe!

Let us know in the comments:
👉 Could you live fully off-grid at sea?

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Chapters
00:00 We built an off-grid boat
00:39 Meet Natasha & Kyle
01:12 Full off-grid system tour
01:22 Solar power setup
05:50 Electrical system breakdown
07:52 Monitoring & power control
08:00 Water maker system
09:17 Hot water & engine
10:19 The reality of building this
10:48 Everything changed
11:23 What’s next (1300 miles at sea)

8 Comments

@markallan9528 4 weeks ago

Hi, I just found your channel, Sept 7, 2026. Thanks for making, sharing your videos. The solar and electrical work was probably pretty detailed and precise. I guess everything is detailed and precise on your sail boat. I like the updates you've made, and that they are saving you time. Good teaming on everything! I read your note "everything was about to change." Hope the change is good for you! I'm a fan of Nauticat pilothouse boats, their sailboats. Good travels, good exploring.

@mahelbcn 6 months ago

I had a Nauticat 33 with same Ford Lehman engine. Nauticat are very special boats. I worked a lot in my NC33. She always got me save where I wanted to go.

@oscarcampos4705 6 months ago

Well done cap’n!

@SailingPAPILLON 6 months ago

Great video guys! You got this...and will be back in the water in no time!! Much love, Papillon crew-

@tonyeynon2742 6 months ago

Man what a ride! Please keep up the videos if you can, this is the exact boat I want to get and rig up to do the exact same thing, although Im more of a spearo than fisherman. Made me laugh when you caught the yellowfin, happiest Id seen you since the start haha funny because I'd be exactly the same lol. I actually spend 6 months of the year in Baja chasing wahoo, although Im sure your long gone now. Would love to know if you considered any other boats. I keep looking around but always end up coming back to Nauticat with the pilot house, big engine and strong glass. Anyway, safe travels!

@WhyeWaite 6 months ago

Ever think of adding a wind generator? I didn’t think I’d use it much but found out the wind blows at night. Nice waking up to fully charged batteries. I’m scared to know how much $ you have into Sand Dollar…

@t-hex6876 6 months ago

Question: If you had to do it over again, would you have spent the extra money and purchased an “off-grid ready boat” or are you still glad you did most the work yourself to get it off-grid ready?

@Mike-uc1eu 6 months ago

I was wondering about the wiring you used for your house bank. Do the centre batteries get drawn down less than the end batteries? I have read that due to the low impedance of LiFePo4 it is preferable to wire with equal length cables to bus bars so the batteries all cycle together.