Assuming the charger on my 380 is now shot what recommendations do you have for replacing the original Guest 30. I still have the original house battery (4D) and the starting battery as delivered. Thanks in advance for you thoughts, and 380 owners what'll fit the the existing space? Thanks Bob Knott H380
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
M
Mickey Goodman
New Charger
Hi Bob: I put in a Statpower 40 charger in my Legend 37 along with a 1500 watt inverter. I purchased the charger directly from Statpower as a "refurbished" charger and it has worked great. I am charging two house batteries, one starter battery and one windlass battery. One thing I like about the Statpower charger is that it has an optional read-out panel which tells me the state of the batteries being charged. I went with the separate inverter and separate charger because of cost. I found I was able to save money by buying them separately over the cost of a combined. Check www.statpower.com and see what they have to offer.
Hi Bob: I put in a Statpower 40 charger in my Legend 37 along with a 1500 watt inverter. I purchased the charger directly from Statpower as a "refurbished" charger and it has worked great. I am charging two house batteries, one starter battery and one windlass battery. One thing I like about the Statpower charger is that it has an optional read-out panel which tells me the state of the batteries being charged. I went with the separate inverter and separate charger because of cost. I found I was able to save money by buying them separately over the cost of a combined. Check www.statpower.com and see what they have to offer.
E
Ed Schenck
Heart Inverter/Charger?
My Heart Freedom 20 seems like the ideal solution, battery charger whenever on shorepower and 2000 watt inverter if I need 110v away from the dock. It doesn't take much space and with the Heart panel(4"x6") mounted inside near the companionway I know the status of everything. An easy install, it is adjustable(dip switches) for the battery type(s). I keep four Gels charged with it.
My Heart Freedom 20 seems like the ideal solution, battery charger whenever on shorepower and 2000 watt inverter if I need 110v away from the dock. It doesn't take much space and with the Heart panel(4"x6") mounted inside near the companionway I know the status of everything. An easy install, it is adjustable(dip switches) for the battery type(s). I keep four Gels charged with it.
M
Mark Johnson
I second the Heart Inverter
It gives you 2000 watts of 110 volt power away from the dock, and also gives you a 100 amp charger all in one. I had one and it worked great.
It gives you 2000 watts of 110 volt power away from the dock, and also gives you a 100 amp charger all in one. I had one and it worked great.
Statpower too!
Bob: I would also recommend that you look at the Statpower 40. This is an excellent charger and they can be had for under $400. These units will charge 3 banks of batteries and have settings for Wet, Gels & AGM batteries. The unit is fairly compact and has a couple of accessories to monitor battery temps and monitor battery status. They are in Canada and have a website (www.statpower.com) They also have inverters and inverter/chargers too. One advantage of a stand-alone charger is that if the inverter goes south on you, you still have charging capabilities.
Bob: I would also recommend that you look at the Statpower 40. This is an excellent charger and they can be had for under $400. These units will charge 3 banks of batteries and have settings for Wet, Gels & AGM batteries. The unit is fairly compact and has a couple of accessories to monitor battery temps and monitor battery status. They are in Canada and have a website (www.statpower.com) They also have inverters and inverter/chargers too. One advantage of a stand-alone charger is that if the inverter goes south on you, you still have charging capabilities.
R
Rich
Third Vote for Heart
Here's a third vote for the Heart Inverter/Charger. Mine is installed in the Port setee along with my starter battery and house bank. The remote panel is located in the bulkhead to the left of the Nav station. Makes a nice neat package and 110v on demand too!
Here's a third vote for the Heart Inverter/Charger. Mine is installed in the Port setee along with my starter battery and house bank. The remote panel is located in the bulkhead to the left of the Nav station. Makes a nice neat package and 110v on demand too!
L
Les Blackwell
A chance to give Bob Knott some advice!
Bob, after all the good advice you've given me early on, now I have a chance to send some thoughts your way. Bob, I've made major changes in my electrical system and it appears to be all for the better. First, I have installed a regulator in the engine room and disabled the regulator on the alternator. Next, I installed a StatPower battery charger under the navigation locker. You know that space that is empty underneath? It fits perfectly. I believe my StatPower is a 20 amp one--don't believe you need more for this boat. West Marine normally has them on sale. The next thing I added was a combiner (strange name) to separate my battery banks. I then sold my 4D battery and bought 4 six volt golf cart batteries and hooked them in series. Bob, I put them under the dining settee, about center on the boat and forward of the galley sink. They fit perfectly. By moving the battery charger and the golf cart batteries, I freed up two whole section on the port side. This now gives me 440 amps, twice of the 4 D battery and in less space. Then I added a Link 20 monitor to the whole system to I can watch what is happening to my electricity. What a jewel. I installed this late last spring and we did 55 days cruising this summer. With this system I can go about 3 to 5 days without charging leaving the refrig on all the time. Under power I can throw about 50 amps back into the system, but I don't know how long it takes yet. I forget to look. At the dock the StatPower monitors both banks and re-freshes them every twenty one days what ever that means. All I know is that my batteries are working well. I've been told that my batteries ought to last 10 years. By the way, I also tossed the starting battery and put in a deep cycle group 24 in the same place as the original. I had fried the first battery because the battery charger appeared to be wired wrong. In the final stage I put in an emergency button on the pedestal that allows me to combine all batteries to start the engine -- I have to hold that button when I start. I did all this after reading Nigal Caulder book on boat systems. I then hired a excellent marine electrical specialist so I would know the ends were done correctly and I had the proper sized wire. If you want, send me your mailing address to my e-mail and I can send you a copy of the diagram we did to remember all the changes. So far, Bob, the system is working very well and I am very pleased. Good luck, Les SV Trumpeter, H380
Bob, after all the good advice you've given me early on, now I have a chance to send some thoughts your way. Bob, I've made major changes in my electrical system and it appears to be all for the better. First, I have installed a regulator in the engine room and disabled the regulator on the alternator. Next, I installed a StatPower battery charger under the navigation locker. You know that space that is empty underneath? It fits perfectly. I believe my StatPower is a 20 amp one--don't believe you need more for this boat. West Marine normally has them on sale. The next thing I added was a combiner (strange name) to separate my battery banks. I then sold my 4D battery and bought 4 six volt golf cart batteries and hooked them in series. Bob, I put them under the dining settee, about center on the boat and forward of the galley sink. They fit perfectly. By moving the battery charger and the golf cart batteries, I freed up two whole section on the port side. This now gives me 440 amps, twice of the 4 D battery and in less space. Then I added a Link 20 monitor to the whole system to I can watch what is happening to my electricity. What a jewel. I installed this late last spring and we did 55 days cruising this summer. With this system I can go about 3 to 5 days without charging leaving the refrig on all the time. Under power I can throw about 50 amps back into the system, but I don't know how long it takes yet. I forget to look. At the dock the StatPower monitors both banks and re-freshes them every twenty one days what ever that means. All I know is that my batteries are working well. I've been told that my batteries ought to last 10 years. By the way, I also tossed the starting battery and put in a deep cycle group 24 in the same place as the original. I had fried the first battery because the battery charger appeared to be wired wrong. In the final stage I put in an emergency button on the pedestal that allows me to combine all batteries to start the engine -- I have to hold that button when I start. I did all this after reading Nigal Caulder book on boat systems. I then hired a excellent marine electrical specialist so I would know the ends were done correctly and I had the proper sized wire. If you want, send me your mailing address to my e-mail and I can send you a copy of the diagram we did to remember all the changes. So far, Bob, the system is working very well and I am very pleased. Good luck, Les SV Trumpeter, H380
P
Paul Bednarzyk
Electric
Hi Bob, As you may recall, I have a Heart inverter/charger that works like a champ. Like Les, I redid the 12V system to include 4 golf cart batteries and replaced the Hitachi alternator with a Balmar 100 Amp with external regulator. For a monitor/controller I went with a Link 2000. This has proven to be a very good setup for us. But to answer your question, for a stand alone charger, Statpower has recieved very goood reviews. Happy New Year. Paul Bednarzyk
Hi Bob, As you may recall, I have a Heart inverter/charger that works like a champ. Like Les, I redid the 12V system to include 4 golf cart batteries and replaced the Hitachi alternator with a Balmar 100 Amp with external regulator. For a monitor/controller I went with a Link 2000. This has proven to be a very good setup for us. But to answer your question, for a stand alone charger, Statpower has recieved very goood reviews. Happy New Year. Paul Bednarzyk
- Status
- Not open for further replies.