Help needed solar panel and outboard charging.
Submitted: Wednesday, Feb 04, 2015 at 18:19
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Steve in Kakadu
I know these threads generate a lot of white noise, pun intended, but here goes.
I am planning a trip to the cape taking my 5 metre boat, the boat is going on a barge from
Cairns to
Seisia, I will have a 60 lt fridge in the boat and I need constant power to it.
Question 1 What is the smallest solar panel I would need to charge the battery while the fridge is running, probably in freezer mode under the deck and under a boat cover, so
well shaded.
Question 2 will the outboard power keep up charge to the battery with the fridge running as a fridge, under the deck.
My outboard is a 2013 75 Honda it's alternator puts out 44 amps 554 watts and battery charging is 35 amps, does anyone know how effective this would be charging the on board battery ( generic ) and a Gel-Tech 8G31DTM it's specs are 780 MCA 550 CCA 98 AH @ 20 hours, the batteries will be separated.
My thoughts on operation, I would like to mount the solar panel above and to the bait board on the rear of the boat, this is why I would need a small panel, so when the engine is off the battery can charge, is it also possible to use the engine and the panel together once we are on the water or would I have to disconnect the panel.
I hope that's enough info thanks in advance.
Steve.
Reply By: Steve in Kakadu - Thursday, Feb 05, 2015 at 17:50
Thursday, Feb 05, 2015 at 17:50
My mates and I are tossing up as to 1 boat 1 car for 3 of us which means a fair bit of gear in the car when we drive up the top, but we are now thinking 1 extra person and 2 cars with 2 boats.
To put a boat on the barge it is relatively cheap $1665 return, we were thinking about putting most of our gear in the boat for the trip north I have a 150 lt esky that normally resides under the deck, we also have 4 fridges that we run off a gen set and solar panels, we have 2 panels that are 140 watt each but are to big to use on the boat so I was seeing if there was another smaller one that would work.
The more I think about it keeping a fridge on the boat may become a PITA, so I will see the barge mob and ask if we can plug them into the mains on the barge and be done with it.
This trip is for next year from
Darwin across to gulf then up the top, so a lot of planing to be done as this will be the biggest off road trip with the boats we have done, we have all the back up gear like extra axle's, hubs, bearings and springs, I also have a very comprehensive tool kit and the know how to use it, so we are
well prepared in most ways, but we got to keep the food and beer cold hence the question.
Thanks for the info we will work on it.
Steve
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