How could I?

[Bruce Woods]

Okay, this is me; not an electrician.

I might like to wire up my boat for 12 volt stuff. It is a Sun Cat from the first year, and didn't come with lighting package...

Currently (like that, Kurt?) I just bring all battery powered stuff...but some things might be easier if I just did things the 12 volt way..

What's a more or less easy way? I thought maybe a battery pack that has some connections, but all the battery packs that are small seem to be short hours...

Thanks in advance for any cool ideas...

[Gil Weiss]

My CP16 came with wiring for nav lights, a cabin light, etc that all go through a fused power distribution panel mounted over the storage shelf forward in the cabin. I suspect your Sun Cat came wired in similar fashion. This past spring I velcroed a 5 W solar panel to my fordeck, ran the wore through the anchor chain fitting into the chain locker and to an 18 Amp Hour Gel Battery placed in a tuperware type container in the chainlocker behind the power panel. I have a small solar charger controller in between the panel and the battery. I ran a wire from the Aux switch up to the hatch area into a three way cigarette ligher plug adapter. I use this to operate a CD player, can charge my cell phone or operate other 12 volt devices. This system system has worked great all season. I have power to operate all my lights and other stuff too. I used an 18 Amp hour battery due to light weight so it was easy to get into the forward chain locker. Since my boat is in  the water all season the battery stays charged on the 5 W panel.

I hope this gives you some ideas Bruce . . .

[Bruce Woods]

Well, I guess I wasn't clear enough in my explanation: I have no power anywhere installed on the boat. No lighting package at all. No distribution gizmo, no nothing. I guess what I am saying is, I got a boat. Nothing electric at all.

Now, having said that, I am glad you said 18 hour battery. One of those things like in this url would work pretty well for me, then:

http://www.vitelectronics.com/xtp300.html

I could even use that solar charging thing you mentioned. What do you guys think about the idea of the powerpack?

[Gil Weiss]

I missed the part aobut your Sun Cat not coming with the electrical package. I assumed that all current comPacs have it but I am wrong. I thought that the lighting set up became "standard equipment" several years ago.

The battery package option you show in that URL should work well. It could be hooked up to a solar panel assuming your boat is outside most of the time. Many owners of older CP's have installed the lighting package themselves. I think that Hutchins sells it as a mn after market option.

[JimB]

Hi Bruce,
 We have used one of those portable jumper batteries for 4 years on our other boat... used it for the anchor light, charging cell phone or DVD player (that's "getting away from it all").  I even lent it to a powerboater once to get his motor started.  I got it as a "just in case" (our Corsair has electric start), but have never needed it for that.  We put that battery on the SunCat when we picked it up and have used it for all of the above... works great.  It is an older model (before they were putting inverters on them), but still does the job.
Happy Sails to You,
Jim B.

[Bruce Woods]

Well, Gil, I just asked the question I wanted the answer to...didn't give all the ins and outs.

First year of Sun Cat, no lighting package...
Second year and forward, available as option and as retrofit

I didn't do that, because by then, I was using these battery powered things, most of which I already had from camping...
As I go along, I just think a few things would be easier if I did have it, much as Jim was saying, just to use when necessary...

They have inverters up to 400 units gigagagahertzwatswhatever, which sometimes might be nice...

I was thinking fans. My battery powered fans are weaker than the 12 volt ones..

Heck, I might put it off some more....

Oh, and glad you guys looked at it. I just wanted some reassurance...

Thanks again!

[mhrivnak]

Just as another option, I recently purchased a new 75 amp-hour deep-cycle marine battery and a 1.5 amp trickle charger for about $75.  It definitely provides a lot more power than what you're looking at, which will be nice if you make any extended stays on your boat.  It mostly depends on how much power you plan to be consuming.

For a comparison, my laptop computer has a 5.4 amp-hour battery, which provides about 3 hours of low-power use (not much disk activity, not much processor usage, most office applications).  If I play a DVD, that time dips below 2 hours.

Will you ever run a VHF radio off this battery?  My handheld has a 0.7 amp-hour battery that lasts about 8 hours without much use.  I imagine a permanent unit with a proper antenna would consume significantly more power, especially broadcasting at 25W (my handheld caps out at 5W).

This may not seem like a whole lot, but you want to make sure that if you're ever in a sticky situation and need to use all your lighs and are communicating long-range with the radio, that you'll have enough power left in your battery to get the job done.

Consider also that when using an inverter to run things on AC power, a lot of power is lost in the conversion.  I'm not real sure what the efficiency rates are these days, but I imagine you could expect a good 30% loss.

Now, my option does not provide a built-in inverter (allows use of home appliances in an AC outlet), a battery guage, jumper cables or an audible alarm.  It does provide a lot more power for a lower cost with two big terminals to which you can easily connect anything you want.  I assume that power pack also is already fused, but with my option you'd need to do your own fuses.

Regarding fans, I suggest looking in to using computer case fans.  They already run on 12V, they are designed to be very quiet while moving something in the range of 25-30 cubic feet per minute, their size makes them great to mount on port holes, and they can be had for under $5 a piece.  Try www.tigerdirect.com for example.

Michael

[Bruce Woods]

very cool.

I could see myself with those fans if I got either option.

Your way would be more function, but I would have to some more work for it, too...while I am dithering about, I will keep that  option in mind.

I don't expect my consumption to be that much; I would rarely bring TV, for example...and I really am not sure how much I would add beyond the fan thing...

Sure appreciate folks weighing in on this! I have learned something great from each post!

[bro t]

Don't forget that good anchor lights could save your boat (or life) when the party boats get cranked up after dark!  And reading under a nice cabin light at anchor before turning in is a luxury worth having, too...  An inverter seems a waste of money to me, you can do about everything you want with 12V, and there's no electrocution hazard like you'd have with 120V.  Just remember to fuse your battery input, and all your outputs, below the wire's rated capacity, make tight connections with some antioxidant paste in the connectors, and you'll do fine.  Good luck and enjoy the light!
bro t from Upwest Maine

[Bruce Woods]

I just forgot to mention them...yes, I would like better or longer lasting reading lights.

I have a really great anchor light, and no running lights. I was going to get running lights that just fasten on and run on D batteries...they are not as expensive as installing; less hassle too...

The entire lighting kit is about 600 now, if you get it installed by the dealer...

I could go to Hutchins and order the stuff, just put it in as I get around to it...

My skills in these areas are such that I like to be as little intrusive as possible...better critic than craftsman....

If I got the battery pack power pack thing , it is very inexpensive, and easy to bring aboard and plug things into...

If that becomes too much of a hassle, I can always try something more permanent...

Thank bro t !