On Sat, 4 Dec 2004 15:51:10 -0500, "sel1"
wrote:
Can anyone direct me to some sites where I could get some ideas on what I
should be doing to wire up a boat correctly (with diagrams - I prefer to
see things) for properlly servicing the boat and managing the batteries
properly. Beyond lighting I'm not sure what I could/should be planning for.

The following book is widely regarded as being one of the best for
this sort of thing:

http://tinyurl.com/54b5l

Here's another good one:

http://tinyurl.com/5so2j


From threads in these ng's I've come to the conclusion that most chargers do
not top off the batteries. Is that correct? There must be some commercial
off the shelf chargers that can do the topping off?

State of the art in battery charging is what's known as "3 phase
charging" where the battery charger has built in logic to recharge as
fast as possible regardless of battery level. There are various 3
phase chargers on the market designed for permanent boat installation.
Walmart also sells a nice little portable unit for about $70 in the
automotive department.

What kinds of useful 12v appliances are out there?

I've had bad luck with most 12 volt appliances. My preference is to
use 120 volt appliances running from an inverter or generator.