www.iFourWinns.com

Are the small solar chargers that plug into the cigarette lighter (or direct to the battery) ok to keep a fully charged battery topped off? I sometimes don't use my boat gor a month and when it's sat on the trailer I'd like to keep the battery topped off so it's fully charged when I come to use it.

Any advice appreciated.

Not 100% sure, but you might want to consider putting a regulator on the system also to protect against over charging. Something like this: http://www.harborfreight.com/7-amp-solar-charge-regulator-96728.html

No doubt others will chime in also.

Erik

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

I had solar on my sail boat when it would stay on the hook for a month at a time. It was also enough to run the stereo without the battery discharging. I leave FW on the trailer, no charger, and it'll start up after a month. I do have dual batts, which cost about as much as a solar chgr, but much more piece of mind.

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Walt B
"Debt-Charged"
Black '07 H210SS
6.2L Bravo One turning a 21P HIFive
Wakeboard Tower with Perfect Pass Stargazer version
Missouri River; Kansas City, Mo.

I agree with Walt.

I use AGM batteries, I leave them in the boat over the winter. With no problems! AGM could be another way to go if your worried.

Keep it simple! If you know your going out that day. Just plug into shore power and charge them up, even for 20 minuets or so? A good charger will tell you the condition of the batteries to. Why spend the money?

I have two batteries and I keep them topped off with a solar panel and it works great! I do bring the boat home from the storage and hook them up to the trickle charger and top them off before I go out. I haven't had a problem with the batteries always starts up on the first turn. Solar panel works great I purchased the panel at Harbor Freight.

Is it one of the 1.5W types?

I had a plug in type.. Didn't do anything (and I live in FL sun).

This might do pretty good. 1 amp solar charger
http://batterytender.com/products/solar ... arger.html

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

You need to do the math. With a 15w panel, on a good day it will only put out 800MA / 0.8amps. It will take weeks charge it up. It will maintain it, yes, but barely. Most trickle charges are 1 to 1.5 amps.

Well if you want to CHARGE a battery with solar, it will take some big panels with a good controller. If you have a boat house you can install a few panels on the roof and use a hull quick disconnect. You might want to supplement that with a wind turbine but you're looking at 2-3k in parts but if you don't have shore power that's pretty much what you gotta do.

Or you can install a secondary high amp charging alternator on the engine.

_________________
1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

The answer to Mike's original question is, YES. As long as there isn't a parasitic draw exceeding the solar panel output based on a 24 hour period. The 24 hour period meaning, the solar panel will only deliver output during peak sun hours.

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07 Azure AZ200,
Previous boat,
95 278 Vista,
And a lot of others.

Ontario, Canada

A solar car charger converts light energy into a DC current. They obtain energy from the sun, although they can also be used in low light or cloudy applications. Portable solar chargers are used for trickle charging, meaning that low level current is fed continuously to the battery so that it maintains its charge, although some models can be used to completely recharge a car battery.

I use a 10 watt panel plugged into the cigarette lighter while boat is stored. No problems so far after 4 and a half years.
Hope this helps

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Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Red H180 3.0 Merc