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Paging Charles Brennan

Started by Ed, Sep 08, 2026, 07:43 PM

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Ed

Hello Charles, I'm looking for an Amazon shopping list for the new boat.  Not sure if I want AGM or Lithium this time around, but I figure you can edumacate me.  Running lights/Nav Lights/phones via USB C/VHS radio charging via cigarette lighter plug/Tiller Pilot/water pump off 10 gallon blivet/car cooler using cigarette lighter plug.  So what Amazon products do you recommend as far as battery amperage, flexible solar panel, and controller?  Getting problems fixed little by little.  New trailers have gone up a pile since the last time I bought one.  Thanks for your help, again.

Spot

#1
The question about how big a battery and how big a solar panel is better answered once the math is done for the boat's 'energy budget', a spreadsheet that reconciles inputs (solar, alternator) with draws (lights, charging, other equipment) so there is a grounded estimate to use along with battery capacity.

Here is a snippet from my 'budget' with a link to the background information.

https://www.vanlifeoutfitters.com/sizing-your-electrical-system-load-calculations/            
            
12 Volt DC Loads            
Load   Amp Draw    Estimated Hours Used Per Day   Estimated Consumption (Amp Hours)   
Garmin   1   9   9   avg .5a max 2a
Anchor light   0.1   8   0.8   led (incandescent=1a each)
nav lights 4x   0.4   2   0.8   led (incandescent=1a each)
cabin lights   0.4   1   0.4   2x bright LED
small fan   0.41   8   3.28   high: 0.41A, low: 0.28A.  Ultimateā„¢ Fan from by Caframo
cell phone charger   2.5   2   5   
      Total 12 Volt DC   19.28   
            
Charging            
Type   Amp Draw    Estimated Hours Used Per Day   Estimated Gains(Amp Hours)
                Solar 50w   2.5   8   20   
NOTE: there are many factors that determine how much energy your solar panels will provide to your system - everything from the part of the day to how clean/dirty the panels are. One simplified rule of thumb you can use is that you'll get 5 amps of charging for every 100 watts of solar. So, if you have 400 watts of solar you could enter 20 amps into column B if you don't have another, more precise estimate.   

         


 





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