Hi John, I have a different take on things: 1). Battery chargers should not be left connected unattended on a boat. The acid can boil off, the battery can become hot and start a fire, etc. It's just not good practice. If you want to charge your batteries over the winter, either remove them and bring them home, or connect a more robust portable charger that will properly top off the batteries while you are working on the boat in the fall or spring. The small trickle charger you showed a link to is, well... Cheap. Too cheap, and IMHO, not the right solution.
2). If your 34 is anything like our old 27 MKIII, there is adequate space on the sliding companionway hatch to mount a small, thin solar panel. Some (like the one on our old 27), are even robust enough to step on. Then, add a small charge controller, ideally a MPPT version which are much more efficient than the PWM ones. Finally, add a battery combiner that charges both the house and starting battery when a charge current exists (whether from the engine or solar panel). You can then run on the #1 or #2 setting, knowing the other battery is charged and ready to start the engine. The real benefit of going with the solar panel is that the batteries are kept charged all the time. Even when the boat is on the hard. All you then need to do is to keep an eye on the water in the batteries. By so doing, the life of the batteries will be GREATLY extended (we normally got at least 5 years out of a set of batteries) and I always knew I had enough power. My boat too, lived on a mooring in summer. We ran a light load of electronics, a wheel autopilot, stereo, and a few lights. We stayed on the boat every weekend. We even had a small inverter we used to run a 24" flat panel TV mounted to the bulkhead which had an antenna and an integrated DVD player. We didn't use it a lot, but it was nice to have when we were facing a rainy evening on the can. The solar panel, controller and combiner may cost you a couple hundred dollars, but you'll have peace of mind things are really charged and you won't spend as much on batteries. Worked for me for over 10 years, Bruce Whitmore 1994 CYC 37/40+"Astralis"Madiera Beach, FL (847) 404-5092 (mobile) bwhitm...@sbcglobal.net On Thursday, January 16, 2020, 8:20:17 PM EST, John and Maryann Read via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: Our ancient deep cycle charger died so in the market for a new one. Use it only to top off group 27 batteries in winter and spring before launch. Boat lives on a mooring, minimal electronics on board, normal engine running is typically enough to keep charged during the season. Do not intend to permanent mount in boat. Portable, multi stage, 1 bank nothing fancy is just fine. Internet seems to favor BMK 12V 5amp https://www.amazon.com/BMK-Maintainer-Detachable-Alligator-Waterproof/dp/B06XK7PM9F Thoughts?? John and Maryann Legacy III 1982 C&C 34 Noank, CT _______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
_______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray