what do you think about solar chargers?

fishinstevez · 11-23-2008, 06:45 PM

they seem cheap enough but will they keep a battery charged for a day or nightof fishing will be running a fish finder and lights plus motor is electric start

60hertz · 11-23-2008, 09:31 PM

I've got one and so far so good.

Get the biggest one you can find - my boat just has 1 battery so I got the smallest one just to "mantain" the battery. There is a large one that will actually "charge" a depleted battery.

I believe that they are good enough for a weekend warrior - let it charge all week and have it ready on Friday/Saturday. The biggest benefit is that you don't have to plug the boat into an AC power source.

Also, another thing about them is they are not weather proof. You'll have to make some type of enclosure w/ a plexiglass window to keep the rain off of the Solar Panel. I used the original packaging for an enclosure - just use a lot of care when removing it from the package (don't destroy the package).

I could get some pictures of it tomorrow.

JollyGreen · 11-24-2008, 10:00 AM

If you get one with a high output DO NOT leave it connected. It will over charge your battery just like an unregulatedbattery charger.

11-23-2008, 06:45 PM	#1
fishinstevez Senior Member Trigger Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: pensacola Posts: 270	what do you think about solar chargers? they seem cheap enough but will they keep a battery charged for a day or nightof fishing will be running a fish finder and lights plus motor is electric start

11-23-2008, 09:31 PM	#2
60hertz Senior Member Grouper Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Pace Posts: 630	RE: what do you think about solar chargers? I've got one and so far so good. Get the biggest one you can find - my boat just has 1 battery so I got the smallest one just to "mantain" the battery. There is a large one that will actually "charge" a depleted battery. I believe that they are good enough for a weekend warrior - let it charge all week and have it ready on Friday/Saturday. The biggest benefit is that you don't have to plug the boat into an AC power source. Also, another thing about them is they are not weather proof. You'll have to make some type of enclosure w/ a plexiglass window to keep the rain off of the Solar Panel. I used the original packaging for an enclosure - just use a lot of care when removing it from the package (don't destroy the package). I could get some pictures of it tomorrow.

11-24-2008, 10:00 AM	#3
JollyGreen Senior Member Mingo Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 151	RE: what do you think about solar chargers? If you get one with a high output DO NOT leave it connected. It will over charge your battery just like an unregulatedbattery charger.

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