Point of order Mr Speaker...talking batteries, and how to charge them. Right this minute we are anchored out in Tiger Mullet Channel, Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia.
http://www.geodata.us/australia_names_maps/aumaps.php?fid=165117&f=164&name=Tiger%20Mullet%20Channel
I chose that place today because where we were the last few nights, there was insufficient wind to drive the wind genny. On the pick we are all 12v, and normally the two solar panels and the wind genny are enough to keep the batts ok forever. However, the last few days has seen a lot of overcast so the house batts were getting down. We moved here to be more open to the ocean for more wind...well we have that, but guess what, the wind genny has decided to go on the blink. I have checked everything, and in the end, it must be the internal regulator. The damn thing keeps shutting down even tho the house batts are low.
The thought of the Kurfuffle taking it down and into a repair shop...probably have to be sent away, etc, etc, makes me now feel, that in the light of experience, especially as we all usually seek sheltered anchorages where the wind will be light as a rule anyway, I would have to say, although I went the Airbreeze way because I did not want to have to run a motor generator, if I had my time again it would have been just so much simpler to do what Flywright Al does, and many others, I suspect, and just go for a simple Honda 4 stroke petrol genny, as it would still be quite quiet, and use the same fuel as the Honda 2.3hp outboard we use for the dink, and all I would have had to do is swap the shore power lead from the dock to the genny.
No, we don't have room for a diesel installation. On that though. Often folk raise concerns about the fumes and CO output from portable types, and although putting it out on the duckboard, (swim step to US people), solves that, I wonder is it possible to cut the noise to other boats by having it in the cockpit, but ducting the exhaust somehow out a scupper..? I've noticed when folk run theirs out on the board, or up on a raised open deck they are still a bit noisy. If you can solve that issue, then they are attractive, not only in their simplicity, but you have to have petrol (gas) on board for the dink, and they are so easy to transport they give you a back-up genny for home, and also camping use.
Al...anyone.
PS. Sorry about the semi-thread hijack, but it's not really, because batteries and how to charge them are like a horse and cart really, you can't have one without the other.