I just completed a 3-week voyage from San Diego to La Paz, Mexico…
As I was preparing for this trip, I had a fair amount of anxiety in regards to the electrical system on my boat. In the past, there have been issues with my electrical system. The generator attached to my diesel engine has gone out on a long crossing to an island. This meant that my entire battery bank dipped below 5 volts. I didn’t realize this was happening until it was too late. By the time I could restore my generator, the batteries were dead. That was an unpleasant experience..
When the batteries are dead, there’s no way to start the engine. If there’s no way to start the engine, then I simply float on the water until the wind picks up and I can sail back into dock.
All of this can be avoided, if you keep a spare battery on board.
an easy solution to an electrical crisis
A spare battery is an incredibly simple and cheap way to dodge a disaster.
I bought this Dual Purpose (hybrid) battery for about 75$. I got lucky and picked it up during the after x-mas sale.
I keep it stowed away. I’ve done the math and I should be able to get at least 10 starts of my 18 hp diesel engine with this extra battery. Of course, I should only need one start to get me out of a bad situation…
As most folks know, you don’t want to just let a battery sit too long without a charge. So, every few months I move the wire leads from my solar panel system onto the contacts on this battery. The solar energy tops off the battery back well over 12 volts.
In this sense I am managing this extra battery as if it were a DIY portable solar powered generator.
I now know that I have a fully topped off battery stowed away for safe keeping. If I ever run too many devices and take my battery bank too low. I can now pop in this solar charged extra battery and generate enough charge to run my necessary electronics on board.
This is a portable, solar charged battery that give me lots of peace of mind during a long sail voyage.
In my opinion, all prudent mariners will keep extra parts on their boat. This article does a nice job reviewing all the equipment that is handy to have on board.
Remember… 1 is none, and 2 is 1.
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