Solar Panels and Alternators
 

Hello Folks

We're not completely new to the boating game as we have owned a 43'
Narrowboat, but we never got the use out of it so we have just bought
ourselves a S/H Viking 23 Custom, which is moored very near to home so we
should get to use it more. As we're not use to GRP and outboards we will no
doubt be asking a number of questions as time goes on. The first question is
about solar panels. The previous owner installed one on the escape hatch on
the front 'V'. We have traced the wire and it seems to go nowhere (we loose
it some where in the front 'V' but it dose not come out again). If we wanted
to use it to keep the 2 batteries topped up how do we go about wiring it up.
We think we know how but just need someone to confirm it.

The outboard is a Yamaha F9.9CE, can someone just confirm for me that it
does not have any means of charging the batteries while running. We can not
see any wires from the motor to the batteries other than the starter leads
(but we did mention we are new to outboards)

Many Thanks

Philip & Joan

Solar Panels and Alternators
 

The issue with hooking up a solar panel to the batteries is the possibility of
overcharging. Large panels need a regulator, smaller panels do not. To guess
at an answer, we would need the relative sizes of your panel and batteries.
And, are these starting batteries for the outboard, or deep cycle for lights and
other accessories. If you don't know the models and size, any numbers on the
batteries would help. For the solar panels, there is often a wattage like 5-10
watts for a small panel, or 50 to 75 for a large one. If you can't find an ID,
knowing the dimensions would help us guess. Also, if you can count the "cells"
on the panel, it would tell the maximum Voltage. 36 cells usually means a high
voltage, 32 cells is a bit lower and is sometimes called "self-regulating."
If the panel has 32 cells and is small (2-3 square feet) it is probably a
trickle charger which wouldn't need a regulator.

Some small outboards have an optional alternator. I know the Yamaha 4-stroke
9.9 has one. I couldn't find info on yours in English - maybe its only
marketed in Europe. You could try a Yamaha dealer.



"Phil" wrote in message
...
Hello Folks

We're not completely new to the boating game as we have owned a 43'
Narrowboat, but we never got the use out of it so we have just bought
ourselves a S/H Viking 23 Custom, which is moored very near to home so we
should get to use it more. As we're not use to GRP and outboards we will no
doubt be asking a number of questions as time goes on. The first question is
about solar panels. The previous owner installed one on the escape hatch on
the front 'V'. We have traced the wire and it seems to go nowhere (we loose
it some where in the front 'V' but it dose not come out again). If we wanted
to use it to keep the 2 batteries topped up how do we go about wiring it up.
We think we know how but just need someone to confirm it.

The outboard is a Yamaha F9.9CE, can someone just confirm for me that it
does not have any means of charging the batteries while running. We can not
see any wires from the motor to the batteries other than the starter leads
(but we did mention we are new to outboards)

Many Thanks

Philip & Joan

Hello Jeff
First, thanks for getting back to me on my problem. The Solar Panel is about
a foot square and has 16 cells. There are no markings on it. The batteries
are 1). Starter Battery 12volt RVB 75. 2). Leisure Heavy Duty Battery UN2794
(all other markings are unreadable)
I managed to trace the wire from the panel back to the batteries, it
bypasses the isolator switch and connects to both batteries via the battery
selection knob (the one that allows you to use either Batt. 1 or 2 or both
at the same time).

I have tried a couple of Yamaha dealers and I am still waiting for a reply
from them
Regards
Philip


"Jeff Morris" wrote in message
...
The issue with hooking up a solar panel to the batteries is the
possibility of
overcharging. Large panels need a regulator, smaller panels do not. To
guess
at an answer, we would need the relative sizes of your panel and
batteries.
And, are these starting batteries for the outboard, or deep cycle for
lights and
other accessories. If you don't know the models and size, any numbers on
the
batteries would help. For the solar panels, there is often a wattage like
5-10
watts for a small panel, or 50 to 75 for a large one. If you can't find
an ID,
knowing the dimensions would help us guess. Also, if you can count the
"cells"
on the panel, it would tell the maximum Voltage. 36 cells usually means a
high
voltage, 32 cells is a bit lower and is sometimes called
"self-regulating."
If the panel has 32 cells and is small (2-3 square feet) it is probably a
trickle charger which wouldn't need a regulator.

Some small outboards have an optional alternator. I know the Yamaha
4-stroke
9.9 has one. I couldn't find info on yours in English - maybe its only
marketed in Europe. You could try a Yamaha dealer.



"Phil" wrote in message
...
Hello Folks

We're not completely new to the boating game as we have owned a 43'
Narrowboat, but we never got the use out of it so we have just bought
ourselves a S/H Viking 23 Custom, which is moored very near to home so
we
should get to use it more. As we're not use to GRP and outboards we will
no
doubt be asking a number of questions as time goes on. The first
question is
about solar panels. The previous owner installed one on the escape hatch
on
the front 'V'. We have traced the wire and it seems to go nowhere (we
loose
it some where in the front 'V' but it dose not come out again). If we
wanted
to use it to keep the 2 batteries topped up how do we go about wiring it
up.
We think we know how but just need someone to confirm it.

The outboard is a Yamaha F9.9CE, can someone just confirm for me that it
does not have any means of charging the batteries while running. We can
not
see any wires from the motor to the batteries other than the starter
leads
(but we did mention we are new to outboards)

Many Thanks

Philip & Joan