Going through a Merit 22, getting it ready to go back in the water. Since the boat has been sitting in storage for a long time there is no battery and no example of size and type to put in. Boat only has a single cabin light, running lights, AmFm and a bilge pump. Attached are the set up that was with the boat.... a space for a small battery that was unused and an modified cord with very small terminal connectors. Any ideas what would power well? Ever use one of those portable cells like a Jackery for boat power?
What battery size and type?
- Thread starter Centex
- Start date
Most common sizes used are group 24, 27 or 31 measure your space, ypu'll probably want to use a battery box for FLA batteries or at a hold down for AGM. Boxes available on this site.
Battery Boxes
Battery Boxes
For those loads a deep cycle group 24 should be adequate. I'd measure that cutout and see how it compares to the size of a group 24 battery box. A couple other considerations:
- How will you recharge the battery?
- Those black and white wires are more the usual AC convention than DC. The cord itself might not be marine rated. It would be better to have marine rated cable sized appropriately for your loads, with a fuse within 7" of the battery terminal.
- How will you recharge the battery?
- Those black and white wires are more the usual AC convention than DC. The cord itself might not be marine rated. It would be better to have marine rated cable sized appropriately for your loads, with a fuse within 7" of the battery terminal.
Kinda depends on what ya want to do with the boat. If you are planning for a tiller pilot and fixed GPS and some overnighting, a little 50 ampere hour lithium might be fine. but you'd need a charger for lithium to make it last
Battery: Amazon.com: WEIZE 12V 50Ah Lithium LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery, 8000+ Cycles Lithium Iron Phosphate Rechargeable Battery for Solar, RV, Marine, Home Energy Storage, Off-Grid Applications : Automotive
and Charger:Amazon.com: THEPRO 12V 20A LifePO4 Battery Charger 14.6V Smart Charger and Maintainer for LiFePO4 Lithium-Iron Deep Cycle Rechargeable Batteries : Automotive
Not recommending, just giving stuff to think about.. Since you are in fresh water, the little charger would probably do if used as a portable.
Kinda under $300 and probably not have to buy another battery.. It weighs around 15 pounds.. easy to handle ..
Battery: Amazon.com: WEIZE 12V 50Ah Lithium LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery, 8000+ Cycles Lithium Iron Phosphate Rechargeable Battery for Solar, RV, Marine, Home Energy Storage, Off-Grid Applications : Automotive
and Charger:Amazon.com: THEPRO 12V 20A LifePO4 Battery Charger 14.6V Smart Charger and Maintainer for LiFePO4 Lithium-Iron Deep Cycle Rechargeable Batteries : Automotive
Not recommending, just giving stuff to think about.. Since you are in fresh water, the little charger would probably do if used as a portable.
Kinda under $300 and probably not have to buy another battery.. It weighs around 15 pounds.. easy to handle ..
Yes, use case is everything.
At a dock and can plug in?
On a trailer?
Mooring?
How will you charge it?
What kind of use between charges?
And so on.
A jackery or similar portable power pack is an interesting idea. They are fairly new and so are not the standard on boats, but for a small boat they give you a battery, charger, solar controller, AC inverter, USB outlets, and DC power all in one package. They are getting cheaper too. You would have to figure out how to secure it well in a place where the outlets are usable and can still be wired into your boats DC system.
Of course the down side is that if one component fails, you have to replace the whole thing.
Of course the down side is that if one component fails, you have to replace the whole thing.
We had no dock power on the lake for my H23 that had a single battery for running lights, radio, a few cabin lights - very light duty. I used a solar charger that I think cost about $80 or so. Can't recall wattage but it is about 3 by 1.5 feet and I set it across the seats in the cockpit when I left.
I agree with isaksp00. I had a Columbia 23 with no Shore Power equipment. I used a flexible solar charger which I lashed onto the top of the sail cover when the boat wasn't under sail. It kept the (flooded) battery charged well enough to run the running and cabin lights as well as charge the hand-held VHF.