I am the Boat Battery Executioner.

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
No need to run the motor or use solar, just strap a Honda 1000 generator on the fantail and run it during sundowner time. It will charge the batteries, run the microwave and ice maker while both annoying the neighbors and giving them a topic of conversation. "Why would anyone who sails such a classic beauty of a boat put a generator on deck and run it during the most peaceful time of day?" :stir: ;):beer:
Good idea. Owners tell me, you can't hear their generators, they're so quiet. The owner of this boat doesn't see this smoke, either.
IMG_2771.jpg
 
Jan 18, 2016
782
Catalina 387 Dana Point
I actually laughed out loud at the idea of a Honda genset on TomY's boat :)

Dunno how FLA's are unreliable. They're very reliable, particularly compared to other things on boats.

Dunno how having better batteries would help TomY out - he, by his own admission, kills batteries. Oldskool FLAs (particularly golf car) stand up to abuse much better than other, more expensive batteries. Spend extra for AGM, replace them more often because you killem. Not a good financial decision.

OTOH, if you can treat the batteries exactly as they wish to be treated - other possibilities are definitely winners (LiFePo, carbon-foam, etc)

On the Gripping hand, GC2's are awfully cheap for the AH capacity and charge from simple chargers. Wonder why golf courses haven't switched to other batts yet.

Possibly portable solar for those who don't want permanent mounts? Solar is fantastic. Had ~200W on the old boat, and are presently installing ~400w + 150W portable on the new boat. (Portable is when we're off grid - flex panels, tie em up on the top of the dodger)
 
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