Ok Here is what I run on my boat. I run my Garmin Chartplotter (Garmin 498) my Marine radio, sometimes an Air Pump to inflate a raft. The question is how big of a solar panel do I need to charge up a battery on my boat without breaking the bank. I like to go out for longer trips usually 4 to 5 days. If you guys can tell me what a good Watt of solar panel would be that would be great. I was thinking if I could get one that would charge a car battery in a day that would probally be good but don't know much about it.
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Ok Here is what I run on my boat. I run my Garmin Chartplotter (Garmin 498) my Marine radio, sometimes an Air Pump to inflate a raft. The question is how big of a solar panel do I need to charge up a battery on my boat without breaking the bank. I like to go out for longer trips usually 4 to 5 days. If you guys can tell me what a good Watt of solar panel would be that would be great. I was thinking if I could get one that would charge a car battery in a day that would probally be good but don't know much about it.
Ok Here is what I run on my boat. I run my Garmin Chartplotter (Garmin 498) my Marine radio, sometimes an Air Pump to inflate a raft. The question is how big of a solar panel do I need to charge up a battery on my boat without breaking the bank. I like to go out for longer trips usually 4 to 5 days. If you guys can tell me what a good Watt of solar panel would be that would be great. I was thinking if I could get one that would charge a car battery in a day that would probally be good but don't know much about it.
Ok Here is what I run on my boat. I run my Garmin Chartplotter (Garmin 498) my Marine radio, sometimes an Air Pump to inflate a raft. The question is how big of a solar panel do I need to charge up a battery on my boat without breaking the bank. I like to go out for longer trips usually 4 to 5 days. If you guys can tell me what a good Watt of solar panel would be that would be great. I was thinking if I could get one that would charge a car battery in a day that would probally be good but don't know much about it.
SOLAR
Charge a car battery in a day from what state. Solar helps replace some of the power you use, but to keep your batteries up, especially if you use much power you will need 40 watts or better of solar panles and a charging regulator. NOT CHEAP. The first thing you need to do is an energy budget. How many amps a day do you use? The VHF recieving won't use even 1 amp, Transmitting it will use at least 3 amps. Stereo? radio doesn't use much, BUT tape or CD players use 3-4 times more power, they have to run an electric motor as well as an amplifier. Bigger stereo=more amps. How mwny cabin lights do you run, and for how long? Most bulbs here use 5 amps. Does you motor charge the batteries and if so how much do you run it? Lastly, if you don't drain your batteries below 50% they last longer, and so how many amp hours of batteries do you carry? I carry 2 110 amp Batteries, only use a 2.5 watt solar charger, but my outboard has a 6 amp charger in it. BUT, I don't use the out board much. My largest drain on the batteries is my auto pilot, averages a 5 amp drain. At night I use a tri color, another 5 amp drain. I use candle and oil lamps in the boat, and an oil lamp anchor light. So I use very little power compaired to most. I get by on 10 day trips with this, but the batteries do need charging by then. I would imagine you will use more power than I do. Most solar panles don't put out that much power, but they do do it, day in and day out, so are good for keeping batteries topped up. I would think most people use more power at night than I do. A few cabin lights quickly burn more amps that both my auto pilot and tri color. SO the big trick is to get enough power back to the batteries so that you don't run the batteries below 50% over the time period you plan for your trips. Actually it would be cheaper and nicer (especially if you have a wife along) to put into a dock every 3 or 4 days and plug a charger in. Take advantage of the showers and other facilities while at dock and get your money's worth. I only put the solar charger on because I leave my boat on a morring and don't get a chance to really charge the batteries unless I drag out the generator and fire it up. I still have fuel left in my 3 gallon fuel can after this last summer. If you motor much the charging system on the motors will put as much power into the batteries in 1 hour as a pair of 5 watt solar chargers will do in one day.
Charge a car battery in a day from what state. Solar helps replace some of the power you use, but to keep your batteries up, especially if you use much power you will need 40 watts or better of solar panles and a charging regulator. NOT CHEAP. The first thing you need to do is an energy budget. How many amps a day do you use? The VHF recieving won't use even 1 amp, Transmitting it will use at least 3 amps. Stereo? radio doesn't use much, BUT tape or CD players use 3-4 times more power, they have to run an electric motor as well as an amplifier. Bigger stereo=more amps. How mwny cabin lights do you run, and for how long? Most bulbs here use 5 amps. Does you motor charge the batteries and if so how much do you run it? Lastly, if you don't drain your batteries below 50% they last longer, and so how many amp hours of batteries do you carry? I carry 2 110 amp Batteries, only use a 2.5 watt solar charger, but my outboard has a 6 amp charger in it. BUT, I don't use the out board much. My largest drain on the batteries is my auto pilot, averages a 5 amp drain. At night I use a tri color, another 5 amp drain. I use candle and oil lamps in the boat, and an oil lamp anchor light. So I use very little power compaired to most. I get by on 10 day trips with this, but the batteries do need charging by then. I would imagine you will use more power than I do. Most solar panles don't put out that much power, but they do do it, day in and day out, so are good for keeping batteries topped up. I would think most people use more power at night than I do. A few cabin lights quickly burn more amps that both my auto pilot and tri color. SO the big trick is to get enough power back to the batteries so that you don't run the batteries below 50% over the time period you plan for your trips. Actually it would be cheaper and nicer (especially if you have a wife along) to put into a dock every 3 or 4 days and plug a charger in. Take advantage of the showers and other facilities while at dock and get your money's worth. I only put the solar charger on because I leave my boat on a morring and don't get a chance to really charge the batteries unless I drag out the generator and fire it up. I still have fuel left in my 3 gallon fuel can after this last summer. If you motor much the charging system on the motors will put as much power into the batteries in 1 hour as a pair of 5 watt solar chargers will do in one day.
SOLAR
Charge a car battery in a day from what state. Solar helps replace some of the power you use, but to keep your batteries up, especially if you use much power you will need 40 watts or better of solar panles and a charging regulator. NOT CHEAP. The first thing you need to do is an energy budget. How many amps a day do you use? The VHF recieving won't use even 1 amp, Transmitting it will use at least 3 amps. Stereo? radio doesn't use much, BUT tape or CD players use 3-4 times more power, they have to run an electric motor as well as an amplifier. Bigger stereo=more amps. How mwny cabin lights do you run, and for how long? Most bulbs here use 5 amps. Does you motor charge the batteries and if so how much do you run it? Lastly, if you don't drain your batteries below 50% they last longer, and so how many amp hours of batteries do you carry? I carry 2 110 amp Batteries, only use a 2.5 watt solar charger, but my outboard has a 6 amp charger in it. BUT, I don't use the out board much. My largest drain on the batteries is my auto pilot, averages a 5 amp drain. At night I use a tri color, another 5 amp drain. I use candle and oil lamps in the boat, and an oil lamp anchor light. So I use very little power compaired to most. I get by on 10 day trips with this, but the batteries do need charging by then. I would imagine you will use more power than I do. Most solar panles don't put out that much power, but they do do it, day in and day out, so are good for keeping batteries topped up. I would think most people use more power at night than I do. A few cabin lights quickly burn more amps that both my auto pilot and tri color. SO the big trick is to get enough power back to the batteries so that you don't run the batteries below 50% over the time period you plan for your trips. Actually it would be cheaper and nicer (especially if you have a wife along) to put into a dock every 3 or 4 days and plug a charger in. Take advantage of the showers and other facilities while at dock and get your money's worth. I only put the solar charger on because I leave my boat on a morring and don't get a chance to really charge the batteries unless I drag out the generator and fire it up. I still have fuel left in my 3 gallon fuel can after this last summer. If you motor much the charging system on the motors will put as much power into the batteries in 1 hour as a pair of 5 watt solar chargers will do in one day.
Charge a car battery in a day from what state. Solar helps replace some of the power you use, but to keep your batteries up, especially if you use much power you will need 40 watts or better of solar panles and a charging regulator. NOT CHEAP. The first thing you need to do is an energy budget. How many amps a day do you use? The VHF recieving won't use even 1 amp, Transmitting it will use at least 3 amps. Stereo? radio doesn't use much, BUT tape or CD players use 3-4 times more power, they have to run an electric motor as well as an amplifier. Bigger stereo=more amps. How mwny cabin lights do you run, and for how long? Most bulbs here use 5 amps. Does you motor charge the batteries and if so how much do you run it? Lastly, if you don't drain your batteries below 50% they last longer, and so how many amp hours of batteries do you carry? I carry 2 110 amp Batteries, only use a 2.5 watt solar charger, but my outboard has a 6 amp charger in it. BUT, I don't use the out board much. My largest drain on the batteries is my auto pilot, averages a 5 amp drain. At night I use a tri color, another 5 amp drain. I use candle and oil lamps in the boat, and an oil lamp anchor light. So I use very little power compaired to most. I get by on 10 day trips with this, but the batteries do need charging by then. I would imagine you will use more power than I do. Most solar panles don't put out that much power, but they do do it, day in and day out, so are good for keeping batteries topped up. I would think most people use more power at night than I do. A few cabin lights quickly burn more amps that both my auto pilot and tri color. SO the big trick is to get enough power back to the batteries so that you don't run the batteries below 50% over the time period you plan for your trips. Actually it would be cheaper and nicer (especially if you have a wife along) to put into a dock every 3 or 4 days and plug a charger in. Take advantage of the showers and other facilities while at dock and get your money's worth. I only put the solar charger on because I leave my boat on a morring and don't get a chance to really charge the batteries unless I drag out the generator and fire it up. I still have fuel left in my 3 gallon fuel can after this last summer. If you motor much the charging system on the motors will put as much power into the batteries in 1 hour as a pair of 5 watt solar chargers will do in one day.
SOLAR
Charge a car battery in a day from what state. Solar helps replace some of the power you use, but to keep your batteries up, especially if you use much power you will need 40 watts or better of solar panles and a charging regulator. NOT CHEAP. The first thing you need to do is an energy budget. How many amps a day do you use? The VHF recieving won't use even 1 amp, Transmitting it will use at least 3 amps. Stereo? radio doesn't use much, BUT tape or CD players use 3-4 times more power, they have to run an electric motor as well as an amplifier. Bigger stereo=more amps. How mwny cabin lights do you run, and for how long? Most bulbs here use 5 amps. Does you motor charge the batteries and if so how much do you run it? Lastly, if you don't drain your batteries below 50% they last longer, and so how many amp hours of batteries do you carry? I carry 2 110 amp Batteries, only use a 2.5 watt solar charger, but my outboard has a 6 amp charger in it. BUT, I don't use the out board much. My largest drain on the batteries is my auto pilot, averages a 5 amp drain. At night I use a tri color, another 5 amp drain. I use candle and oil lamps in the boat, and an oil lamp anchor light. So I use very little power compaired to most. I get by on 10 day trips with this, but the batteries do need charging by then. I would imagine you will use more power than I do. Most solar panles don't put out that much power, but they do do it, day in and day out, so are good for keeping batteries topped up. I would think most people use more power at night than I do. A few cabin lights quickly burn more amps that both my auto pilot and tri color. SO the big trick is to get enough power back to the batteries so that you don't run the batteries below 50% over the time period you plan for your trips. Actually it would be cheaper and nicer (especially if you have a wife along) to put into a dock every 3 or 4 days and plug a charger in. Take advantage of the showers and other facilities while at dock and get your money's worth. I only put the solar charger on because I leave my boat on a morring and don't get a chance to really charge the batteries unless I drag out the generator and fire it up. I still have fuel left in my 3 gallon fuel can after this last summer. If you motor much the charging system on the motors will put as much power into the batteries in 1 hour as a pair of 5 watt solar chargers will do in one day.
Charge a car battery in a day from what state. Solar helps replace some of the power you use, but to keep your batteries up, especially if you use much power you will need 40 watts or better of solar panles and a charging regulator. NOT CHEAP. The first thing you need to do is an energy budget. How many amps a day do you use? The VHF recieving won't use even 1 amp, Transmitting it will use at least 3 amps. Stereo? radio doesn't use much, BUT tape or CD players use 3-4 times more power, they have to run an electric motor as well as an amplifier. Bigger stereo=more amps. How mwny cabin lights do you run, and for how long? Most bulbs here use 5 amps. Does you motor charge the batteries and if so how much do you run it? Lastly, if you don't drain your batteries below 50% they last longer, and so how many amp hours of batteries do you carry? I carry 2 110 amp Batteries, only use a 2.5 watt solar charger, but my outboard has a 6 amp charger in it. BUT, I don't use the out board much. My largest drain on the batteries is my auto pilot, averages a 5 amp drain. At night I use a tri color, another 5 amp drain. I use candle and oil lamps in the boat, and an oil lamp anchor light. So I use very little power compaired to most. I get by on 10 day trips with this, but the batteries do need charging by then. I would imagine you will use more power than I do. Most solar panles don't put out that much power, but they do do it, day in and day out, so are good for keeping batteries topped up. I would think most people use more power at night than I do. A few cabin lights quickly burn more amps that both my auto pilot and tri color. SO the big trick is to get enough power back to the batteries so that you don't run the batteries below 50% over the time period you plan for your trips. Actually it would be cheaper and nicer (especially if you have a wife along) to put into a dock every 3 or 4 days and plug a charger in. Take advantage of the showers and other facilities while at dock and get your money's worth. I only put the solar charger on because I leave my boat on a morring and don't get a chance to really charge the batteries unless I drag out the generator and fire it up. I still have fuel left in my 3 gallon fuel can after this last summer. If you motor much the charging system on the motors will put as much power into the batteries in 1 hour as a pair of 5 watt solar chargers will do in one day.
SOLAR
Charge a car battery in a day from what state. Solar helps replace some of the power you use, but to keep your batteries up, especially if you use much power you will need 40 watts or better of solar panles and a charging regulator. NOT CHEAP. The first thing you need to do is an energy budget. How many amps a day do you use? The VHF recieving won't use even 1 amp, Transmitting it will use at least 3 amps. Stereo? radio doesn't use much, BUT tape or CD players use 3-4 times more power, they have to run an electric motor as well as an amplifier. Bigger stereo=more amps. How mwny cabin lights do you run, and for how long? Most bulbs here use 5 amps. Does you motor charge the batteries and if so how much do you run it? Lastly, if you don't drain your batteries below 50% they last longer, and so how many amp hours of batteries do you carry? I carry 2 110 amp Batteries, only use a 2.5 watt solar charger, but my outboard has a 6 amp charger in it. BUT, I don't use the out board much. My largest drain on the batteries is my auto pilot, averages a 5 amp drain. At night I use a tri color, another 5 amp drain. I use candle and oil lamps in the boat, and an oil lamp anchor light. So I use very little power compaired to most. I get by on 10 day trips with this, but the batteries do need charging by then. I would imagine you will use more power than I do. Most solar panles don't put out that much power, but they do do it, day in and day out, so are good for keeping batteries topped up. I would think most people use more power at night than I do. A few cabin lights quickly burn more amps that both my auto pilot and tri color. SO the big trick is to get enough power back to the batteries so that you don't run the batteries below 50% over the time period you plan for your trips. Actually it would be cheaper and nicer (especially if you have a wife along) to put into a dock every 3 or 4 days and plug a charger in. Take advantage of the showers and other facilities while at dock and get your money's worth. I only put the solar charger on because I leave my boat on a morring and don't get a chance to really charge the batteries unless I drag out the generator and fire it up. I still have fuel left in my 3 gallon fuel can after this last summer. If you motor much the charging system on the motors will put as much power into the batteries in 1 hour as a pair of 5 watt solar chargers will do in one day.
Charge a car battery in a day from what state. Solar helps replace some of the power you use, but to keep your batteries up, especially if you use much power you will need 40 watts or better of solar panles and a charging regulator. NOT CHEAP. The first thing you need to do is an energy budget. How many amps a day do you use? The VHF recieving won't use even 1 amp, Transmitting it will use at least 3 amps. Stereo? radio doesn't use much, BUT tape or CD players use 3-4 times more power, they have to run an electric motor as well as an amplifier. Bigger stereo=more amps. How mwny cabin lights do you run, and for how long? Most bulbs here use 5 amps. Does you motor charge the batteries and if so how much do you run it? Lastly, if you don't drain your batteries below 50% they last longer, and so how many amp hours of batteries do you carry? I carry 2 110 amp Batteries, only use a 2.5 watt solar charger, but my outboard has a 6 amp charger in it. BUT, I don't use the out board much. My largest drain on the batteries is my auto pilot, averages a 5 amp drain. At night I use a tri color, another 5 amp drain. I use candle and oil lamps in the boat, and an oil lamp anchor light. So I use very little power compaired to most. I get by on 10 day trips with this, but the batteries do need charging by then. I would imagine you will use more power than I do. Most solar panles don't put out that much power, but they do do it, day in and day out, so are good for keeping batteries topped up. I would think most people use more power at night than I do. A few cabin lights quickly burn more amps that both my auto pilot and tri color. SO the big trick is to get enough power back to the batteries so that you don't run the batteries below 50% over the time period you plan for your trips. Actually it would be cheaper and nicer (especially if you have a wife along) to put into a dock every 3 or 4 days and plug a charger in. Take advantage of the showers and other facilities while at dock and get your money's worth. I only put the solar charger on because I leave my boat on a morring and don't get a chance to really charge the batteries unless I drag out the generator and fire it up. I still have fuel left in my 3 gallon fuel can after this last summer. If you motor much the charging system on the motors will put as much power into the batteries in 1 hour as a pair of 5 watt solar chargers will do in one day.
Not Much
Actually the biggest draw I use is the Chartplotter during the day. I like having it on constantly. Other then that I don't have a charger on my outboard and I don't run lights at night via battery (I have the small little LED click lights that are run on AA batteries.) So I guess I need to figure how much of a draw my Garmin uses up.
Actually the biggest draw I use is the Chartplotter during the day. I like having it on constantly. Other then that I don't have a charger on my outboard and I don't run lights at night via battery (I have the small little LED click lights that are run on AA batteries.) So I guess I need to figure how much of a draw my Garmin uses up.
just buy extra batteries
I agree w 70623, you should be using deep Cycle Marine batteries NOT car batteries. 4-5 days is not long. Sounds like you don't draw much power. It would be cheaper for you to just buy extra Marine batteries. That extra ballast down below would also help you sail smoothly in choppy weather, especially if you sail single handed. For the price of 1 solar cell, you could buy 2 more batteries total 3 to run your system. I bought my Marine battery at BJ's for $80 bucks.
I agree w 70623, you should be using deep Cycle Marine batteries NOT car batteries. 4-5 days is not long. Sounds like you don't draw much power. It would be cheaper for you to just buy extra Marine batteries. That extra ballast down below would also help you sail smoothly in choppy weather, especially if you sail single handed. For the price of 1 solar cell, you could buy 2 more batteries total 3 to run your system. I bought my Marine battery at BJ's for $80 bucks.
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