I have a MacGregor 26s which until recently had a 9.9 HP Honda 4 stroke with a 10 amp alternator coil on it. It was stolen off my boat a couple of weeks ago, so I am looking for a new motor. We have a mechanical fridge on our boat, and a 50 Watt solar panel which doesn't quite keep up with the fridge.
I had 2 problems with my old motor. The first was that it didn't seem to have a regulator. Our GPS lets my monitor the voltage on the house battery, and I have noticed that when the outboard is on for a while the voltage is way over 14 volts, and have even seen it as high as 15. I have been told that this can cook the electrolyte for our battery, which is now shot after 2 seasons. The second problem, is that I would like to charge my battery faster, particularly at lower RPM.
My question is how big an alternator have you seen on a 9.9 hp or less 4 stroke outboard? and secondly, is there a way to regulate this output to keep from overcharging my battery?
I had 2 problems with my old motor. The first was that it didn't seem to have a regulator. Our GPS lets my monitor the voltage on the house battery, and I have noticed that when the outboard is on for a while the voltage is way over 14 volts, and have even seen it as high as 15. I have been told that this can cook the electrolyte for our battery, which is now shot after 2 seasons. The second problem, is that I would like to charge my battery faster, particularly at lower RPM.
My question is how big an alternator have you seen on a 9.9 hp or less 4 stroke outboard? and secondly, is there a way to regulate this output to keep from overcharging my battery?