A few things about boats I need to know. Electrics etc

[Paddy_c]

Hi all I'm new to the forum and I'm paddy from Ireland believe it or not lol,

I'm also new to boats and I'm currently thinking of taking a boat on as a project.

The boat in question is an open boat (pioner 13) that I intend to turn into a little speed boat look a like as a project.

My questions are the following.

The engine that it has will be a 9.9hp pull start so I have no power in the boat to run things like gps speedo and maybe a car stereo with speakers.. What options have I to get power to the boat. I've looked at solar batter chargers but with it being the full source of power on constant use for speedo and stereo I'm not sure it would be able to be used like that.

I've also looked at small petrol generators but those use 6 litres if petrol (gas) for 6 hours and in Ireland the price of fuel is serious that would be nearly ?10 per six hours and that's near 20 dollars of your money so as you can see its not such a great idea.. Have I got other options I've missed?

 

[Paddy_c]

Re: A few things about boats I need to know. Electrics etc

My other question is.. My boat is meant to be limited to 15hp max.. It's just a little plastic boat at the moment. But when I build it item it will be heavier of course so would it be safe to step over the 15hp max or is this a big safety issue.. Is there any way to make boats more safe for bigger hp by adding weight or am I being clueless. Bare in mind I'm complete novice to boats

 

[Fireman431]

Re: A few things about boats I need to know. Electrics etc

Boat capacity plates are designed to inform the owner/operator of the safe limits that the boat was designed for. If you were to go 10% over the rated capacity of the plate, probably not a problem. But to go way above the limit would be a serious issue for you and anyone else with you. The limit is designated with the hull design, weight limits, transom strength, etc all factored in place. Imagine putting a 500 HP engine in a mini Cooper.

If you determine that this isn't enough engine to push the boat to do what you want it to do, step up your game and get a larger boat. But please, please, please...attend a boaters safety course before you ever put that thing in the water. They are available all over the world, don't take long, and may just save your life.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: A few things about boats I need to know. Electrics etc

Your only option for powering electric accessories is a battery. You should forget the solar panel idea as it alone is worthless and unless you have panel the size of your boat is simply does not have the capacity to charge a battery in a reasonable amount of time. That will require you to charge the battery at home, or if you have shore power available at your mooring you can install an on-board charger and plug in at the mooring. You do not have a large electrical load so a group size 24 deep cycle battery would allow running accessories for many hours before recharging is necessary. By all means, charge the battery fully after every use to obtain maximum service life.

 

[Paddy_c]

Re: A few things about boats I need to know. Electrics etc

Boat capacity plates are designed to inform the owner/operator of the safe limits that the boat was designed for. If you were to go 10% over the rated capacity of the plate, probably not a problem. But to go way above the limit would be a serious issue for you and anyone else with you. The limit is designated with the hull design, weight limits, transom strength, etc all factored in place. Imagine putting a 500 HP engine in a mini Cooper.

If you determine that this isn't enough engine to push the boat to do what you want it to do, step up your game and get a larger boat. But please, please, please...attend a boaters safety course before you ever put that thing in the water. They are available all over the world, don't take long, and may just save your life.

Thanks for your advice,

Not to worry though as I'm in safe enough hands.. My friend and his father run a marine business and my friend has been into boating for many many years.. But he's a busy man so I don't like always asking him advice etc and he did tell me that custom project wouldn't be something he has done before.

But he will be learning me all I need to know about boating I was thinking of a 20/25 hp with the added weight but wouldn't consider anything more powerful than that.

 

[Paddy_c]

Re: A few things about boats I need to know. Electrics etc

Your only option for powering electric accessories is a battery. You should forget the solar panel idea as it alone is worthless and unless you have panel the size of your boat is simply does not have the capacity to charge a battery in a reasonable amount of time. That will require you to charge the battery at home, or if you have shore power available at your mooring you can install an on-board charger and plug in at the mooring. You do not have a large electrical load so a group size 24 deep cycle battery would allow running accessories for many hours before recharging is necessary. By all means, charge the battery fully after every use to obtain maximum service life.

So really just a pair of marine batterys and charge them at home before I go out?

Seems simple and a lot less stressful than other options.

With a constant drain from stereo and speedo I thought I would only last an hour max like that any idea of the best battery to get? Again thanks for the advice

 

[idahodrifter2002]

Re: A few things about boats I need to know. Electrics etc

paddy,

just a response from a fellow novice. i am working on my second boat, the first was a 14 foot aluminum. i have one marine battery that powers lights, fish finder, anchor winch, and trolling motor. as far as a gps, i use a handheld unit for that. granted, i only use this as a fishing boat and have a 9.8 hp motor on it, the gps is mostly for finding good fishing locations again. but my one battery will last all day running my trolling motor constantly. IMO, i wouldn't put a bigger engine than the boat calls for on it.

 

[Paddy_c]

Re: A few things about boats I need to know. Electrics etc

Battery it is then seems a lot more simple than I thought.

And to be safe il keep my 9.9hp engine

 

[kfa4303]

Re: A few things about boats I need to know. Electrics etc

Hi Paddy_c. Welcome to iboats. I agree that 1-2 car batteries should be enough for your needs. You may have to experiment with their placement to get the best weight distribution, however. For future reference, some motors are built with small generators on them that can power a few accessories and/or charge a battery. Keep us posted on your progress. I sounds like a fun project. Erin go Bragh!