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Re: Where do you put your 12v battery?

Posted: 13 Jan 2020, 23:09
by Jef
peatop wrote:When i setup my SLA battery i added a marine grade cigarette lighter socket to the rear of my yak, this i didn't think would last but has extremely well to date, the reason fir the socket was twofold, for having a removable power supply for my light and also it gave me a charging point, i bought 2 marine plugs (also lasted very well) one for my light and one to charge, this worked extremely well untill i change my design once i put th FPV battery in the rear hatch and is removed for charging.


I'm surprised! I imagined that they would be too vulnerable to the slopping of water and the dirty weather when the plug is in.

So in your usage have they've stood up in dirty and sloppy weather? They'd certainly be simple and cheap. Will you continue using the light plug with that most desirable FPV battery's instillation? :)

I was going to have a couple in a 'power box' in the central hatch, but an external power access would certainly be handy and as suggested, used as charge access point might be simpler.

Re: Where do you put your 12v battery?

Posted: 14 Jan 2020, 01:25
by peatop
Yes and yes yeah I've been out in some good conditions to test the setup they socket is screwed to the seat retaining strap bracket in the centre just behind the seat in my PA14 so it doesn't get waves breaking over it like the front but if im getting the swell from behind which i often do then i guess it gets splashed, as for still using it as stayed im suprised it hasn't failed and it's in remarkable condition I've now setup my shark shield to run out of it for when i need that for offshore use, i do give them a spay now and then with the hose and then other times with inox the socket has a rubber cover for when not in use. I had been looking at some type of onboard power supply and looked at many types of outlets and fitted the cigarette socket as intrim fix but as time went on it proved to be lasting, i would like to fit another in the cockpit for charging lighs and phones...... but up till now im just using a 8Ah portable power pack, it works but the usb outputs have played up before :roll:

Imo it's the stuff inside the hull that gets the worst punishment, as the inside of the hull get saltwater inside and it often just collects in places, drys then when its warm and you get humidity and any other moisture in there is just corrosion heaven, although i spray the inside of my yak out quite often and then always leave all hatches open when put away it still smells hmm fishy yes/no just smells lol and I've never had fish or bait inside the hull.

I've had wiring issues when i had the SLA in a sealed box under my seat but in the hull but i think these may have been caused by the battery leaking as one of the terminals corroded and i think this was an acid issue not salt. I gave great thought about changing to li ion batteries from SLA and once i bought the bigger sounder it really became my only option however in hindsight i would have done it way earlier if i had looked at all the advantages ;) but the 17.5Ah is not cheap and i think the smaller one in a waste of time tbh i would definitely recommend the FPV 17.5 or any other brand thats as good or better and to use a hobby charger (so you can tell how your battery is and how your using it) if your serious about kayak fishing.

One of the problems I've found with diy ideas from others in this area is you never hear whether they've failed or not, and of course tech changes before you buy it so there's always somthing better lol

Re: Where do you put your 12v battery?

Posted: 14 Jan 2020, 14:02
by Jef
Peatop Re the conditions and longativity.

Yes there's not much point extolling a set up without some proofing of it, so I appreciate your comments and detailing your approach. I was thinking last night that it shouldn't be too hard to put a rubber 'skirt' on the plug for some extra protection. A bit like the rubber drip thing on the paddles. It obviously wouldn't waterproof but just shield the worst of the splashes and slops. Navara do some 'external' 12v plugs that you push up into rather than the horizontal ones. So someone might do them as a marine plug!

I'm also a liberal Inox sprayer and look forward to the day of being a 17.5 FPV'a :) They cost a bit as you said but run rings around everything lead in a big way as you inferred :)
peatop wrote:and to use a hobby charger (so you can tell how your battery is and how your using it)
... Is that a Hobie or hobby charger. Having not used either and having been bequeathed a couple of fairly new 7AH lead ones without their chargers it's something I'll need to buy soon. While I've done plenty of 12v and solar on the car and van, this will be my first foray into 12v yak power and I like the options it introduces.
peatop wrote:Imo it's the stuff inside the hull that gets the worst punishment, as the inside of the hull get saltwater inside and it often just collects in places, drys then when its warm and you get humidity and any other moisture in there is just corrosion heaven, although i spray the inside of my yak out quite often and then always leave all hatches open when put away it still smells hmm fishy yes/no just smells lol and I've never had fish or bait inside the hull.

Whether it's harsher or just overlooked I recon you're on the money there. I've never put fish inside any of my yaks but they certainly get humid inside on hot days and I'll take your word on the other :)

Re: Where do you put your 12v battery?

Posted: 14 Jan 2020, 16:12
by aussieDave
In my outback I have my battery fixed to the mast shaft in the standard Hobie holder.

I've been using this like this for about 3 years and have had minimal issues, mainly because I use cheap $30 batteries and replace my own terminals when they rust out as they do get a bit of salt water on them from time to time as Hobie front hatches leak a bit. I guess I'm replacing a $30 battery maybe once a year and have to replace terminals every 6 months so to me the cost is not overwhelming, I do generally use my kayak at least once a week and always in the salt so I'd say my usage is high.

Weight distribution wise once I put my box on the back with my esky full of Farmer Union Iced Coffee and bucket the outback is always back heavy, even when I stow all my offshore gear in the front hatch.

When I make the decision to upgrade to a wilderness 17AH battery, costly sucker, I may have to think differently though as I don't want to be replacing such an expensive battery every year.

Dave

Re: Where do you put your 12v battery?

Posted: 14 Jan 2020, 18:40
by Jef
aussieDave wrote:with my esky full of Farmer Union Iced Coffee
Nice, I'll fish near you any day :)

Re: Where do you put your 12v battery?

Posted: 14 Jan 2020, 20:21
by peatop
Jef wrote:
aussieDave wrote:with my esky full of Farmer Union Iced Coffee
Nice, I'll fish near you any day :)
Extra strong i hope? Every morning on the way out of town was to stop off for extra strong farmers union coffee ;) yeah i don't think you would want to replace an FPV battery every year, i use my harley charger to charge and maintain my SLA batteries it's completely auto.

Hobby as in rc controlled it tells you how many amps your putting in and you can among other things discharge it to find the current capacity