After considering various options, I chose a Halfords
standard HB063 12 volt car battery. This battery requires no maintenance, apart
from charging. I have placed it amidships
within the cabin, where it makes good ballast. The GPS units can now be powered
by it, as I have linked them via a three-way cigarette adaptor. The Autohelm
plugs into an extension socket that is wired to the battery.
At the moment I am reliant upon charging the battery through
a mains connection, but I may buy a solar panel charger for topping it up when
I am cruising for more than a couple of days without an opportunity for plugging
into a mains power source.
Very shortly ‘Sandpiper’ will be ready for her first sail with
me, and I am hoping for a fine spell of weather next week when I can try her
out. Two or three days messing about on the River Crouch should give me an idea
as to how she handles and of her potential for cruising further afield.
2 comments:
I used an 11 watt solar panel to keep my 100 amp hour boar battery topped up on trips. Buy the end of a three day trip the battery was quite low, but by Friday night it was usually recharged.
Thanks for that. I was thinking on similar lines, but I shall have to avoid running the Autohelm for long periods.
Cheers,
Bill.
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