Battery Chargers

[Dave R.]

Next season I will be moving to a slip with shore power. Has anyone installed a battery charger for a 1981 Catalina 30 with an Atomic 4?

 

[Joe]

Battery charge

With help from a few other catalina owners I installed a battery charger in the port side locker so that the noise would be unnoticeable

 

[Paul]

80 CAT30 W/ A4

The previous owner of my boat had installed a Guess(?) charger in the nav station. The charger is mounted on the back hull wall above the shelf which is above the batteries. He had never installed the isolator module however and I think that's why the alternator was not functioning anymore. I installed a new alternator and installed the isolator module on the wall next to the charger. Works great and is out of the way.Paul

 

[Kevin Fagan]

Need some help too

If anyone has, I have to install a new charger too. Mine just died. What about those Guest Bluewater series? 15 amp 2 bank???

 

[Tim Leighton]

STATPOWER

I installed a STATPOWER 2 bank "smart" charger on my old Hunter 31 last year and couldn't be happier. I'm not an electrical engineer (and no, I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!) but a good friend who is put one on his boat after I did and is also a happy camper. The charger uses a mini-CPU to measure battery charge levels and provides a 3-stage charge to keep the bank at optimum performance. I also purchased the remote panel which allowed me to put the charger itself in an out-of-the-way location and monitor charging from the cabin. STATPOWER is a Canadian company (30% exchange rate) and will deal directly with the consumer. They also sell reconditoned units under warranty. I plan to give them a call again when I take delivery of my new Catalina. Good luck!Tim Leighton

 

[Briian Falterman]

5w solar panel

I have had a 5 watt solar panel on my last 2 sail boats, and for just keeping my 2 batteries charged up to 12.7 volts they have worked great. I also get a few amps while I'm anchored at Catalina. If you have a refrig. you will need a 120v charger though.

 

[Brian Falterman]

5w solar panel

I have used a 5 watt solar panel on my last 2 sail boats to keep the batteries charged up to about 12.7 volts. The solar panel also gives me a few extra amps while we are anchored at Catalina. I do not have any heavy electrical loads like refrigeration though.