Rick, Putting a battery up front was my first thought. So, you just hook up the solar charger as needed? I already have a 15 watt charger I got from west marine last year. I have another question regarding rode. I don't have a locker up front and I don't want to add it this year, could I use the Vertical drum to just retrieve the anchor line on deck. I know it isn't ideal but, it would give me a better experience than pulling the anchor by hand... I'd like to add a locker later it's just I have other things I'd like to take care of this year and get in the water before august! DannyLolita1973 Viking 33Westport Point, MA
---------- Original Message ---------- From: "Rick Brass" <rickbr...@earthlink.net> To: <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Subject: Re: Stus-List Charging System Advice - Windlass installation Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2012 01:43:55 -0500 <![endif]--><![endif]-->Danny; I have a windlass and an Electra-San installed in the front of my 38. When I did the installation I elected to install a deep cycle group 24 battery in a box under the v-berth to power both systems. It’s an arrangement I’ve seen on a number of cruising boats that have passed through on the way south, and seemed to be a better choice than powering these systems off my 440AH house bank. I currently recharge the battery with a 5 watt solar panel purchased from West Marine. Here’s why I went with the dedicated battery up front: On my 38 the run from the house bank to the windlass would be around 65 feet. My boat is about the recommended max size for the 1000 watt windlass I installed. The windlass draws 50 amps during normal anchor retrieval, but has an 80 amp breaker for maximum load. For 80 amps over 65 feet I would need to run 1/0 or 2/0 cables to get 3% voltage drop – or 2 AWG cable to get 10%. Running 2/0 cables through cabinets and under the sole would be a bitch, plus the cable would cost almost $450. Even 2 AWG cable would cost over $300, and routing it would not be pleasant. Having the 24 DS battery forward allowed me to use short runs of 6 AWG cable, and was a simple routing with short cable runs. Total cost including the battery was about $150. Right now I use a solar panel to recharge the forward battery as needed. My long range plan is to install a Blue Sea automatic charge relay between the house bank and the forward battery. That way, when the engine is running or I plug into shore power, after the house bank is recharged the ACR will also charge the forward battery. Since the current flow will be based on the differential between house bank voltage and the voltage of the forward battery (less than 2 volts) the charge current should be 10 amps or less; the run between batteries is also shorter than the run to the windlass. So I can use 8 AWG or 6 AWG for the charging circuit, reduce the difficulty of running the wires, and probably get away for a cost of under $200 including the ACR. YMMV, but I’d suggest that you consider putting a small battery up forward to power your windlass. Rick Brass Washington, NC From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of djhaug...@juno.com Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2012 1:58 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Stus-List Charging System Advice As a side note, I'm planning to install a windlass. Should I install another battery for that? If I'm going to go to the trouble to install a battery up front, should I move all the house batteries to a better location from a ballast standpoint? I think the hardest part to that would be running #2 wire up and back. Danny Lolita 1973 Viking 33 Wesport Point, MA
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