So, what battery if you live largely on the hook?

[thinwater]

a. I've used "better" batteries, but that last few times I've just gotten the cheapest thing at a big box store and they seem to last nearly as long for often only 1/2 the price. My last set of group 27s was $90 each. So if $$s count....

b. Add a watering kit and filling them becomes trivial. A few minutes every few months. I like the fact that watching the water level gives me a clue as to whether they are all in good shape.

I'd go with golf cart batteries if it didn't mean a lot of re-work.

[Franziska]

Good.

Wet golf cart it will be this time.
I'll make them accessible and add a vent grill.
On my cat they should not have a heeling problem either and if we ever capsize it's probably just one extra problem...

Btw. Monkey you are absolutely right, I probably undercharged most of the time.
Not good, but I hate the damned genset running.

I'll put 4 new batteries in by springtime latest and see what the biggest capacity wise are which I can fit. Should be 90-120AmpH each.

Do you think I need to add a second charger? Or can I put two batteries on each connector set of the Waeco?

Thanks again.


http://ladyrover.jimdo.com/photo-log...hannel-beyond/

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

You don't want gel if you can't properly charge them.

There are, but you'll spend a lot to get them and you'll kill them early.

And current is amps

Colts is pressure.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Colts are horsepower.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

Colts are horsepower.

By the time I caught my phone thinking for me it was too late......but are colts horsepower? It would take somewhere near a dozen of them to equal the load moving power of a single Clydesdale.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Good.

Wet golf cart it will be this time.
I'll make them accessible and add a vent grill.
On my cat they should not have a heeling problem either and if we ever capsize it's probably just one extra problem...

Btw. Monkey you are absolutely right, I probably undercharged most of the time.
Not good, but I hate the damned genset running.

I'll put 4 new batteries in by springtime latest and see what the biggest capacity wise are which I can fit. Should be 90-120AmpH each.

Do you think I need to add a second charger? Or can I put two batteries on each connector set of the Waeco?

Thanks again.


http://ladyrover.jimdo.com/photo-log...hannel-beyond/

What I would personally is wire 4 golf cart batteries in series parallel to achieve one large 12 volt battery, then on the charger tie output 1&2 together and charge the whole of the big bank, and leave the starter output attached to the starter battery. It's still only a 35 amp charger, but it should keep you going that way.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[darylat8750]

Another vote for golf cart batteries.
If you want to minimize generator running time adding a bigger charger would be very helpful. While the generator is running use the time for charging computers, cell phones and any other electrical use that you can.

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by dlymn

I haven't had much luck with AGMs and so am now trying flooded cells. I think my problem was an automatic charger that had lost its smarts and cooked the batteries. The new batteries can be topped up whereas you can't do much with sealed batteries. Given these considerations, I reckon any deep cycle will do. Can you fit 140 AH batteries in? I would be looking at having at least 250ah available for all your expected running gear. That's a total of 500ah when you consider 50% discharge.
We get very little joy from our wind generator. The charge controller cuts the charge at 14.4, the gennie brakes and then starts up from scratch. It won't start charging until it gets above battery resting voltage and so more than 70% of the time the gennie provides no power. We feather the gennie when the wind gets above 20 knots; it's running crazy at that speed

I don't know to what level you'd like to charge (and that you know your area for prevailing winds) but regardless of expected output, it seems like you need to ditch that one and get one which doesn't do that.

Our KISS doesn't start putting out under 6-7 knots, but it will happily push 20A all day long if the wind is sufficient, in winds up to 35 before it starts overrunning the thermal breakers (but by which time it's also putting out 35A or so) - and using the tail tether, you can cock it and keep using it through 40-45 knots.

There are other low wind alternatives, as well as even higher wind (D400, e.g., but frightfully expensive and not at all user serviceable, which the KISS most definitely is) alternatives...

[hellosailor]

Franziska- Without having numbers (amphour consumption and production) to run it is hard to be specific, but I suspect that your 9.9 outboards, together, can't supply as much power as your boat consumes on a night run. You may want to consider that for pretty much any kind of lead battery, if you discharge it to 11.5 volts you hae effectively killed it. That is a 100% discharge and they DO all take damage at that point, sometimes being reduced to 200 cycles, as compared to 2000 cycles at 50% and 6000 cycles at 30%. Very roughly, if a new fully charged battery shows 12.7 volts (after charging and settling down) then a 30% discharge would take it down to 12.4 volts (0.3 volts down) and a 50% discharge would be 0.5 volts down, i.e. 12.2 volts. If you do a little quick math, and get the numbers for your specific batteries, you may find that cycling to only a 30% discharge gives you effectively twice to three times the battery life as cycling to 50%. So you might want to consider being VERY generous about running your generator and keeping the batteries charged up. In the long run, it will probably pay to do that. And consider what you can shut down at night especially, to conserve power. (For instance, using a simple GPS instead of the laptop). FWIW. The alternators or generators on 9.9 engines are really intended just to recharge a starting battery, some basic running lights, and some occasional VHF use.

[Stu Jackson]

You might want to wander around this link. Would stop reinventing the wheel. Also amps = flow not pipe diameter.

Electrical Systems 101 Electrical Systems 101

[foufou]

wire size (measured in gauge) = pipe size

[Franziska]

@Hellosailor

I do use the 9.9's already only (apart from propelling the boat when there is no wind) for keeping the starter battery always topped up.
They are not connected to the housebank as their contribution is small and I try not to motor to often.

Housebank gets charged by genset, solar and wind.

We do use power modestly (as explained earlier) no fancy stuff like fridges so far.


As my current batteries are fairly dead I use the mobile with sailgribWR offshore (of course I check before for any obstacles offshore before).Close to shore I switch back to the laptop.

I agree my housebank was probably undersized and should get also a second charger added.

Thanks.


http://ladyrover.jimdo.com/photo-log...hannel-beyond/

[oldsalt_1942]

I used to own and live on a small sailboat and lived on the hook 98% of the time. I used to charge my batteries every couple of days with a generator hooked to a battery charger. It was a NOISY mother, too.

What I did was fill the tank half way, crank it up, get in my dinghy and take off exploring for a couple of hours. When I'd get back the generator would be out of gas, batteries would be charged for another two or three days, and it would be quiet again.

[Mike Banks]

Nothing flattens a battery faster than a RADAR and if you are thinking of using one you need a generator. With the engine running they suck up just about all of the alternator output--so they are only an emergency resort. To give an example--mine is 3.5 kva. That equates to a battery draw of over one hundred and fifty amps--about what it would take to wind the starter motor continuously.

Modern RADAR sets draw less, but most draw close to 100 amps. No battery system can stand that sort of draw for more than minutes--so cost a 4 or 5 kva diesel gen-set along with the RADAR if you are sailing in places that make a RADAR watch essential.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Mike Banks

Nothing flattens a battery faster than a RADAR and if you are thinking of using one you need a generator. With the engine running they suck up just about all of the alternator output--so they are only an emergency resort. To give an example--mine is 3.5 kva. That equates to a battery draw of over one hundred and fifty amps--about what it would take to wind the starter motor continuously.

Modern RADAR sets draw less, but most draw close to 100 amps. No battery system can stand that sort of draw for more than minutes--so cost a 4 or 5 kva diesel gen-set along with the RADAR if you are sailing in places that make a RADAR watch essential.

Where the hell do you get these sort of numbers from?!?! I have a furuno 1622 radar that pulls on the order of 3 amps while transmitting, and maybe a half an amp while in standby. Out set isn't unusual, nor is it as efficient as a new unit.

Couple that with the wires going to any part of any radar unit......where are these 2/0 cables to juice this thing!!!!!

Now, put down goofy juice and think about this some more.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[meatservo]

[QUOTENow, put down goofy juice and think about this some more.[/QUOTE]

HE HE! That's funny right there, don't care who you are...



meatservo