"Tim" wrote:

We do have a large number of batteries - each bank is eight 6 volt
batteries. I think it would be hard to find enough space for that
many batteries in one place without putting them into the living
space.

My gosh!

That is a bunch of batteries.

it would be helpful to know what you are useing them all for.

We have a CSY 44. The refrigeration is either engine driven or shore
power, and is not on the 12V system. We have 4 solar panels and a
wind generator to charge the batteries, although if we are on the hook
or a mooring, we run the engine twice a day for 35-40 minutes for the
refrigeration.

Otherwise, everything is on the 12v system.

We really don't have a lot of things that other people have that
require power. We don't have a power windlass. We don't have A/C.
We don't have a microwave. We have a propane stove, and no heater,
except that if it gets cold (below 45 deg F) we will go into a marina
and plug into shore power to run a little electric space heater.

We do have 2 Lectrasan toilets, a DirecTV dish with a Follow Me
antenna, and two TVs and two DirecTV receivers. We have a LCD radar,
an autopilot, and I run the computers most of the time. We have 12V
reading lights. Bob has a whole bunch of tools, and some of them are
12V power tools and some he runs off an inverter (like the sewing
machine).

I sometimes plug the phones in to charge them. We have a SSB and two
VHF radios (one of which is on most of the time we are on the boat),
plus a couple of AM/FM radio/CD players and one or two little fans.
We have a pressure water system. And of course running lights etc.

For what i used on my ancient ChisCraft 28 ft'r. was a normal 800CCA
battery for the one engine, and an 8-D "Cat" battery for the cabin. i
used a battery isolator which splits the two systems. so your cabin
battery never runs down your start battery. but when engine is running
both sets are charged. pretty simple and effective.

however it's probably obvious that my demands are far different from
yours.


Tim

grandma Rosalie