Recarging batteries

[Pernicious Atavist]

I betcha I spelt batteries wrong...hmmmm....maybe not....ANYway...once I get back home and get my fishing boat (14' Johnson skiff w/ a 25hp Johnson) cleaned up, tuned, etc. I plan on mounting nav lights and a bilge pump. Since it has no 'lectric installed I'm at the point where now is the time to select the entire package. Would a simple and affordable solar charger work--keep in mind it's nav lights and small bilge pump--or should I use a recharger?

Needs to be simple and not require much effort on my part since it's a damn frozen snot powerboat and I'm likely to blow off the 'adult' stuff that goes along with it!

[willmarsh3]

I have used a solar panel on a boat and it works well. You can get a 6 watt Sunwize Solcharger for about $75 + shipping and with a normal group 27 car battery it will do ok without needing a charge controller. It's quite durable and about 9" square so it should be easy to find a place to mount it. And you don't have to remember to "plug it in" when you get home.

[Woxbox]

How long at a time will you be using it? For light use, I've had total success charging a single deep-cycle battery at home and using it for 4-5 days for lights, radio and the occasional item plugged into a 12V outlet.

[Pernicious Atavist]

Pull start--really! No, the only 'lecrtic onboard now is the batteries--D cells!

Low usage, occasional nav lights, occasional pump. Maybe a motorcycle battery even? Don't use no fishfinder or other power-needing thingy...so--solar?

[Dan McCosh]

I would think that if you have access to shore power, a battery charger would be the first thing you would want. Solar power sufficient to recharge a discharged battery is fairly expensive. A small, cheaper cell might keep up, but if it doesn't, you are stuck, and you would then need a charger anyway.

[Pernicious Atavist]

I had thought of running a harness to the truck so it would charge on the way to and fro....

"Fro"?

[py]

if you keep it at home, get a charger. too easy.

[Pernicious Atavist]

Sounds like a charger is the way to go...thanks, y'all! I don't use 'lectric much, [or engine, etc] on the water at least, so it's an adventure....

[Woxbox]

FYI -- The trip to the water might not be long enough for a full charge off your truck. Also, you should keep it topped off while not in use. Two reasons to pull it out of the boat when you get home and put it on a charger that will regulate the rate properly to charge it up and then keep it topped off.

[Dan McCosh]

Might add that a so-called "smart" charger will not only top off the battery, but keep it maintained if left for an extended period of time, dramatically increasing its life span. Recharging off the truck alternator stands a good chance of frying the alternator if it is constantly recharging a deeply discharged battery in addition to the loads it is designed for.

[Peter Eikenberry]

I would definitely agree with Dan's post. You can get a decent smart charger at Wal-Mart. I have one made by Black and Decker, a Vector, but there are others on the market. It keeps my two deep cycle batteries and my starter battery up when I am not using my motorhome. It is a three stage charger which is the recommended way to maintain batteries so they last the longest. The cost was around $40 (a senior moment) can't remember. I bought it about 4 years ago. But I looked them up they are $49.99 from Amazon but they are probably cheaper at Wally world or k-mart. It is a 2/6/10 amp, but they have cheaper 2/4/6 amp chargers which would work fine for your one battery.

[Pernicious Atavist]

Thanks, guys! Now... that would also let me run a trolling motor....

[Pernicious Atavist]

See? Y'all are keepin' me out of trouble...I had actually thought about using a...oh--you'll laugh...wind turbine generator that would charge the batt while I drove...I know, I know...I just can't help myself at times.....

[Pernicious Atavist]

Did that, but a real small one, in my garage. It caused...concerns. The sheriff's helo flew over at night doing an infrared search for pot growers, the heat signature from my little generator got their attention.
Cops came. Found no pot. Asked what it was. I told them, trying to allay their concerns.
HazMat came--they wouldn't touch it.
DoE came--they called the local air base.
A bunch of fellas from the Bioenvironmental Engineering shop showed up [funny--I trained one of them!] and they wouldn't touch it [may it was because I trained one of them he knew that if I built it...well...I trained him, ya know?] So, no--they wouldn't touch it.
Block got evacuated, well, the surrounding one-mile area got evacuated.
Dang, can't make NObody happy these days.....

[willmarsh3]

Put one of these on and nobody would steal your boat - that's for sure. :D :D :D

[Pernicious Atavist]

...and I wouldn't need the nav lights, and any bilge water would just boil away! Aha! A solution at last!

[paladin]

More than one way to skin a cat......I built an "atomic battery" in 1957 for the science fair in Okiehoma, used it to power a 3 transistor radio....no turn off switch....and it has played continuously since then. My brother has it on a shelf with the little volume control turned down...once it was an interesting curiosity but it doesn't attract much attention anymore...

[py]

Sounds interesting??