On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 17:03:36 -0700, "JJ" wrote:

Has anyone used or heard of anything positive regarding those new solar
powered battery chargers? I would like to put a second battery in my boat
but don`t want the hassle of taking it out to charge.

They seem to work, from what I've been reading. Depends how much
power you need. A small 5 watt solar panel might produce about 0.4
amps. So if the boat's system draws down 10 amps during a sail, then
the panel needs at least 10/0.4 = 25 hours to recharge the battery.
That works fine for a small day-sailer with intermittent use.

Some panels are not suitable for outdoor use.

More powerful panels need staged charging devices between the panels
and the battery, to prevent overcharge.

J