Battery charging project

[Grotto]

So due to an unexpected hernia surgery, my summer sailing season was suspended before it even started. So to console myself I bought a raymarine t1000 autohelm. Which in turn made me think about battery charging. Up till now the battery ran the radio chart plotter and nav lights (if needed) perfectly fine and I would recharge at home. With this new draw I decided to use the charging on my tohatsu. The wire they supplied was too short , and I did not really relish the connectors just dangling out the transom when not in use. After hours of research on the many connectors out there. I settled on these solar 2 pole connectors. And a covered “female” socket on the transom. Used 14awg dual wire to run to the battery and solar connectors at the battery (with in line fuse) now I can plug in the motor, storable solar panels (either at the companionway or at the stern, while at anchor) Tiller pilot has a dedicated circuit as well. Still need to tidy up the wires but everything works

 

[kappykaplan]

Necessity is the Mother of Invention! Good job, @Grotto .

 

[brockangelo]

Would love to see links to the connectors you got. I'm also considering this project.

 

[Grotto]

yarachel SAE Cable Connector - SAE Power Socket Sidewall Port, Solar Weatherproof SAE Quick Connect Solar Panel Mount, 12AWG SAE Cable with 8 Screws for Solar Generator Battery Charger https://a.co/d/fsLE39J

 

[Rltgold]

Hi Grotto, Get well soon ! I don't don't how much power your outboard puts out but mine was not even worth connecting it to the battery. I was told by a Tohatsu tech that the charging feature was only designed to keep a small light illuminated while trolling at night while fishing. A fully charged 12v 79ah AGM battery should be able to power a list of things for a week.
Originally I added a small 30w solar panel to keep mine topped up for a week long trip.

Good luck

 

[brockangelo]

That's interesting to hear Rltgold. I am in the process of also setting up a 30watt solar and planned to use the connectors that Grotto shared for both the solar panel and another for the motor. I don't have anything but interior lights working at the moment, so not much of a need. But I'm planning to install the depth finder that came with my boat. I have heard that motors my size (6HP Tohatsu Sailpro) don't put out much unless you're half to full throttle, which I almost never do. I was planning to start with just one of these connector ports and switching from the solar panel to the motor when underway. I'm planning to mount the solar panel on the rail at the stern. I suppose I will plan to take my multimeter and see what kind of power the Tohatsu provides at my normal speeds. In fact, I'd like to find a volt meter that shows me a digital display of whatever device is providing power through that connector. That would probably make this a bit easier to monitor too.

 

[Rltgold]

Hi Brockangelo,
I had originally had set up the plug-ins and wiring connecting the outboard to bring charging to the battery but totally abandoned it after finding out about the lack of power it produces . I recently added 2 new 79ah AGM batteries to my system that runs LED interior lights, Autopilot, radio, depth sounder, compass light, mast LED lights, Running lights. I use a Goal zero 1500 w battery back to run a 48qt 12v freg.