Battery Power Update

Last winter we had a complete failure of all our batteries. They had started to let us down to the point that even just a couple of hours from shore power left us with no power reserve available plus it was pot luck whether the thing would start the next morning . We took the decision to upgrade our battery bank at this stage whilst replacing our existing battery bank. Our original bank had just one 95 amp leisure battery and a dedicated starter battery, so we upgraded to a pair of 105 amp Varta leisure batteries and a new Bosch starter battery. Installing the extra battery was no mean fete in an engine bay as tight as ours but the effort and expense has paid off.

During this season we have noticed a vast improvement in the way we can use the boat and the power supply and we can report that we have had no problems in this department all year. The increased power capacity means that we are taking less power from the batteries and are able to keep them above the magic 12.2 volt target even after a few days without shore power or running the engine. A point which will hopefully prolong the life of these batteries when compared with the last one which died at just two years old. We were certainly abusing the old leisure battery often with voltage readings of just 10.8 volts the next day!

At the same time as swapping the batteries we also added some power saving gadgets to the boat. First up was replacing all of the halogen bulbs with LED equivalents, a move that vastly reduces power consumption. Despite these being cheap Hong Kong sourced products they have lasted much longer than expected and despite the tales of doom and gloom are still plodding on valiantly after a hard years cruising. The new anchor light that we have to install will be the next light to receive the LED treatment. This is the one navigation light that we feel would benefit the most from an LED bulb as it would be the light left on overnight to warn other vessels of our presence whilst moored or anchored up. The other navigation lights are only used whilst the vessel is underway so won’t need LED bulbs; the alternator would be providing their power.

At the same time as upgrading the batteries we changed a few of our habits on the boat. First up we only charge mobile phones whilst the engine is running and the boat on the move. 12 volt phone chargers use a surprising amount of power from the battery bank. Next we shower whilst on the move. This means that the water is being reheated, so we moor up with a full tank of hot water plus the power the water pump has used will be replenished by the time we reach our designated mooring. Showering on the go also has another added benefit that once we have finished showering with the shower room window open and the boat moving along nicely the extra air flow helps to dry the room out much quicker. We also turn the fridge up to maximum power whilst cruising but when we have moored up we turn it down a notch. This reduces the amount of time the compressor is running thus the amount of power it is using, we then turn the fridge back up again once on the move. These little changes in habit have vastly reduced our power consumption and it really does make a huge difference all for very little effort.

All in all upgrading the battery bank, installing energy saving appliances and changing our habits slightly has been well worth the time, effort and outlay. We no longer have the worries of how long the power will last and are safe in the knowledge that we are no longer abusing our batteries into an early death. It is nice to be self sufficient when out cruising and not be reliant on shore power or a generator to provide power to your boat. Luckily for us Cal is very self sufficient, we are quite lucky really as many small sports cruisers are sadly lacking in this department.