Boat Cabin Lights

I have heard of a marine deep cycle battery,
but I do not know how to connect them all up?
any help here please?
Thanks

Its not difficult but there are a few things you need to know - size of cables, fusing, switches, etc.
You can find a host of books at Amazon and a good enough one is 'The 12 volt Bible for boats' - it is about £12 and tells you all you need to know in a fairly simple form. Do get it as fire is a big hazard on boats especially if you have bottled gas as well.

2010-07-22 09:12:46 by Jo

I am trying to hook up rope lights in my boat. I took out the old lights in the cutty cabin and have access to the original 2 power wires. Can I run the new rope lights (designed for plug-in 110volts) to these wires after taking off the plug which originally came attached to the rope lights or do I need an inverter.

I use 12 volt L.E.D. rope lamps for the ambiance, I use a variable slide resistor switch to control brightness. I have replace all of my energy draining lamps with L.E.D. Even my mast head lights.

2010-09-16 20:21:01 by Dave

Price: $18.49 $19.03

Stainless Steel Mounting Screws
White Bezel w/Built-In Switch

For a nice evening sailing? http://www.harbormodels.com/site08/image s/ready_to_run_boats/The-MajesticUpdate. jpg

I was thinking about putting lights in the cabin and up on the poles etc? ,
Anyother suggestions?

Thanks

I've done this with a couple of boats and it's worth the effort. I would make sure that you have the navigation lights working. They can help keep your orientation in the dark. Also if you have a metal mast you can only run one wire and ground the lights back to the mast.

I used to have a Dumas 44 foot self righting motor life boat that I rigged with working navigation lights and spot lights on one servo and a flashing blue light on another servo. I was using a four channel radio so two servos were dedicated to lighting and sirens. I even rescued another stranded r/c boat after dark one night with the boat using the lighting on it.

Make sure you can turn off the lights in daylight so you don't shorten your run times running the lights when you don't need them. Also look into led instead of bulbs. These may not use as much battery power and give off the same amount of light.

Good luck and hope this helps.

2008-08-29 18:05:57 by Jo

Price: $49.99 $39.95

LEDs rated at 100,000 hours. Draws less than .15 A (very low power consumption)
Size: 1.75" length x 1" width (at lens) x 1.75" height (including base)
12 VDC for direct wiring to your vehicle's electrical system

I have a 19.5' boat with a cuddy cabin that I would like to air condition when we 'camp' overnight in the boat. I would prefer a unit that runs on Direct Current (DC), but I can use an inverter to run an A/C model if need-be.

The problem that I have been having is that all of the models I have found so far are WAY to big for my small space application we are talking about. The total volume of the cuddy cabin is only about 144 cubic feet (4.07 cubic meters), so something in the 500-1,000 BTU range would be more than sufficient. Most of the marine air units that I'm finding are 5-8,000 BTUs and are designed for a boat with a full cabin. I do not not need a heater function on the unit, but if it has one, its not a deal breaker.

Other specs... there is an overhead 12" x 12" square hatch (with rounded corners) on the ceiling of the cuddy, and a vertical bi-fold door approximately 2' wide by 3' tall. Ideally a unit would fit in one of those, but I'm willing to construct some ductwork or baffles if need be. I can do any wiring needed, and can add extra batteries if need be. I'm even willing to some light modification on the unit if it is otherwise acceptable.

So, does anyone know where I can get such an air conditioning unit? I have been searching online for nearly a month and have not found anything that comes close to what I'm looking for. With all of the cuddy cabin's out there I'm astonished that I'm the only who seems to want an A/C on board.
I'm actually going to have to respectfully disagree with you about it being impossible. In the last 24 hours I posted this question in another place and several people have pointed me towards several 250W 1000BTU units a 250W unit should run for at least 6 hours continuously on the 160Amp gel-cell we use for house power. That's more than ample to cool the cuddy overnight for sleeping. before charging the battery back up with the motor. I've recently found some DC solutions designed by people wanting to run solar-only. I'll post what I've personally found after the question expires.

You are certainly not the only one that wants A/C on board.

The problem is not so much the A/C unit, but the electricity requirement to run it. And, in a vessel under about 26' it becomes an issue of space, weight, and economics, as well as electrical demands - and even for a small cuddy cabin, it is a quite different and more complex issue then (say) the air-conditioning for your car.

For example: The problem with spending "cool & comfortable" tropical weather nights in your boat anchored out with no shore power... is of course, having enough electricity to run the A/C unit.

My vessel has 2 banks of 6 x 12v batteries, plus to 2 "house" batteries for a total of 14 batteries (which weigh over 2,200 lbs. (162 lbs ea). In addition I have a roof-top 10' x 20' array of solar panels and a 6 kw generator for back up. My 2 banks of 6 batteries are wired in a series to produce 144 VDC power source which is converted to 110ac. Anchored out at night running the A/C, my generator will kick on every 4 hours and run for about an hour.

Now granted, I live full-time and cruise aboard my boat. And while you can do with a smaller A/C unit, you still need to produce and store the same amount of electricity - which means, either your generator is running all the time your A/C unit is running (which is not good for either fuel or noise) or you need the space and weight capacity for a ton (literally) of batteries.

This is why so many vessels under 40 feet can only operate their A/C with shore power or while their generator (if they have one) is running. And why you are having such an impossible time of finding a suitable A/C unit for your vessel.

So for overnight camping on your boat with air-conditioning, you will need a generator as well as the A/C unit. Your 20' cuddy will not have the capacity to carry 12 x 12v deep cell marine batteries. And the fact is, there just is no economical way to do this on a recreational weekend use vessel, and that's why these small boat manufacturers don't do it.

Good luck,
John

2010-07-25 22:36:05 by Brian G

I have a 26 foot cabin cruiser. Want to put a lot of christmas lights on outside for a parade. I don't have any generator. I was thinking of an inverter off my battery but, I will be running at over 1,000 lights.
Can I buy a very small generator like one used to power outdoor tools. I think I saw one once that was very small and like 100 dollars.
What is my best option. I don't have a permanet place to mount a generator. It would have to be sitting on swim platform as to keep fumes away from cabin.

I have decorated my boat for several lighted boat parades and we found that we needed at least a 2000 watt generator to light a few thousand mini lights. A 3500 watt generator was needed to light our most ambitious creation on a 30 ft boat. We used an extra muffler and mounted the generator on deck and lashed it to a stanchion. Try to rent or borrow a generator that will provide more than enough for your planned light display. It may grow larger than you are planning. You can compute your needs if you know the total output of your light display.
Typically 300 mini lites draw about 1 amp.
given the formula:
Amps=Watts/Volts
For example 110 watts/110 volts = 1 amp
You will need at least 120 watts per 300 lites to give a little headroom on the generator.

Have a fun time in the parade !!!

2007-11-25 18:22:50 by gear jammer