Creative ways to charge your boat without shore power

[MN Fisher]

8 hours ago, stk44 said:

2011 F150– sadly no 120 outlet. 

Neither does my 2001 Silverado...but I do have cigarette sockets

This is the latest version of one I have and have used for years when I need 120v power on the road.

400-Watt Modified Sine Wave Inverter

[HenryPF]

Before you get all creative, like 2 100ah Mini LiPos is like $500 and weigh 20lbs each.

 

Are you really using that trolling motor you are depleting the batteries so much?

 

The quiet generator under load at 25ft distance is around 60db but at $750 + that is quite a difference in pricing. If you got the room in the boat - why not just install a 2nd set of LiPos with a cutover switch and you can get a charger that doesn't have to be onboard to charge em at home?

[stk44]

9 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Neither does my 2001 Silverado...but I do have cigarette sockets

This is the latest version of one I have and have used for years when I need 120v power on the road.

400-Watt Modified Sine Wave Inverter

Thanks! This is convenient to have in any case. I’m going to pick one up this weekend. 

 

3 hours ago, HenryPF said:

Before you get all creative, like 2 100ah Mini LiPos is like $500 and weigh 20lbs each.

 

Are you really using that trolling motor you are depleting the batteries so much?

 

The quiet generator under load at 25ft distance is around 60db but at $750 + that is quite a difference in pricing. If you got the room in the boat - why not just install a 2nd set of LiPos with a cutover switch and you can get a charger that doesn't have to be onboard to charge em at home?

Where I will be fishing I probably don’t deplete the batteries super low. Probably above 25% power. Now the river, that’s a different story. 
 

I like the idea of a cutover switch. I probably could squeeze the lithium’s in, I would need to figure out how to connect everthing. I’m not overly savvy with batteries, but I’m sure it can’t be too hard 

[Bankc]

I have a pair of inverters for my car.  There's a couple of things I've noticed about them.  First is, the car needs to be running while you're using them.  They'll technically work without the car running, but often times they won't provide the stated power.  And they're not all that efficient, because you're converting DC from your car to AC and then back to DC again.  But they're convenient, as you can use them for lots of things other than just battery charging.  

 

Another option along the same lines is to charge your battery straight off your car's alternator.  Though, you might need something as an in between to keep the battery from overloading and to ensure the proper voltage.  It kind of depends on the car and the battery in question.  With some alternators, I know you can charge a 12V LiFePo4 battery straight off it.  With others, you might not get a high enough voltage to charge the battery.  It might take a bit of research to figure out if this is a viable option for you.  And they make special devices (a BIM) for charging multiple lithium batteries off an alternator.  

 

Or if you're using a regular lead acid battery, that shouldn't matter, since that's what the alternators were designed for.  

[TnRiver46]

A waffle maker can blow the fuse when using one of those inverters at a tailgate party for a noon kickoff…..

[airshot]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

A waffle maker can blow the fuse when using one of those inverters at a tailgate party for a noon kickoff…..

They don't handle heat devises very well, not sure about operating a battery charger.  Have a small plugin the cigarette lighter socket unit thatbhas worked for 20 years, but it charges a phone or runs my aerator for my minnow bucket.  Those little battery operated air pumps are useless, bought a cheap aquarium air pump for 5 bucks then plug into cheap invertor, makes lots of bubbles and held up for 20 years.  Just not sure about handling a battery charger 

[Bankc]

1 hour ago, airshot said:

They don't handle heat devises very well, not sure about operating a battery charger.  Have a small plugin the cigarette lighter socket unit thatbhas worked for 20 years, but it charges a phone or runs my aerator for my minnow bucket.  Those little battery operated air pumps are useless, bought a cheap aquarium air pump for 5 bucks then plug into cheap invertor, makes lots of bubbles and held up for 20 years.  Just not sure about handling a battery charger 

Well, assuming a battery charger is a perfect device and transmits every ounce of power to the battery with nothing wasted, a 10 amp, 12 volt lithium battery charger would burn about 146 watts (assuming a 14.6v charge voltage, which is on the high side).  Of course, it's nowhere near an ideal device, so there would be losses due to heat, converting AC to DC, and any additional circuitry.   Even so, if we said it ran at 50% efficiency, which I would assume we could safely assume (famous last words), a 400 watt inverter should be able to handle that with room to spare.