Category: Electrical

Cabin, Electrical7 Comments

Convert Your Lights To LED Bulbs For More Light With Less Power

$tingy Sailor

When Mrs. $tingy and I first started spending long weekends aboard Summer Dance, the deep cycle battery wouldn’t have enough charge left in it by the end of the weekend to power much of anything. At that time, Summer Dance had all incandescent navigation lights and only two cabin dome lights converted to LEDs. Besides the lights, we also have a music system onboard that runs most of the time as well as an autopilot. As I added more electrical devices (see LED strip lighting, chartplotter, and complete rewiring), it was obvious that I would have to balance the electricity budget somehow so that we weren’t broke by the end of our cruises.

Continue reading “Convert Your Lights To LED Bulbs For More Light With Less Power”
Electrical, Outboard motor27 Comments
Rectifier/regulator installed

Upgrade Your Outboard Motor to Charge Your Battery

$tingy Sailor

The luxury of onboard electronics and electrical devices cuts both ways. What it gives in terms of convenience, it takes in terms of a load on your battery bank that needs recharging. There are tons of good info available on the net and in books on sailboat electrical systems. I especially like Sailboat Electrics Simplified by Don Casey. The information is concise and clearly presented in a way that makes it easy to refer to when I’ve forgotten some important point. I won’t bore you by rehashing all that but instead cut right to how I solved my battery charging dilemma.

Continue reading “Upgrade Your Outboard Motor to Charge Your Battery”
Electrical24 Comments

How to Completely Rewire Your Sailboat

$tingy Sailor

It’s an enduring truth that appearances can be deceiving, especially with electrical systems. When I inspected Summer Dance before buying her, the electrical system looked like one of the boat’s strong suits. It had an upgraded panel and a new battery. The wiring was all original except for spliced connections to the panel. There weren’t any added accessories so the system was simple and I expected it to be relatively problem-free. Granted, I’m no marine surveyor and if I had ordered a survey, it would have caught many of the problems that I later discovered.

Continue reading “How to Completely Rewire Your Sailboat”
Accessories, Electrical12 Comments

How to Install a Tiller Autopilot

$tingy Sailor

I hadn’t seriously considered an autopilot for Summer Dance until I discovered the affordable Raymarine ST1000+ Tiller Pilot and that they could be had for half the cost of new on eBay. When I thought of how convenient it would be for cruising with my wife who has no desire to take the helm, I concluded that it might free me up to attend to the many other responsibilities of single-handed sailing.

Continue reading “How to Install a Tiller Autopilot”
Accessories, Electrical, Product reviews5 Comments

Product Review: Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73sv Chartplotter

$tingy Sailor

I’ve been asked many times if I have a chartplotter on Summer Dance. Up to now, I’ve answered that I didn’t have a need for one and that my handheld GPS worked fine for my needs. But recently, I’ve challenged myself to do more fishing and I haven’t been very successful yet at filling up my electric smoker. I’m also seriously considering cruising the San Juan Islands off the Washington state coast. And there’s my failure to get my handheld GPS to play nice with my tiller autopilot that nags at me. For these reasons, I bit the bullet and installed a Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73sv chartplotter. I’ll give you my objective evaluation in this review.

Continue reading “Product Review: Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73sv Chartplotter”
Cabin, Electrical5 Comments

Install a Marine Music System

$tingy Sailor

If you’re a music lover, an onboard music system is mandatory. There’s a mysterious connection between the open waters and music. Whether it’s classical, jazz, rock, country, folk, or reggae, there’s a song for every mood when you’re sailing.

A marine music system lets you take your favorite music with you on the waters. We have them in our homes, in our cars, even in our phones, so we need them on our sailboats. A quality system isn’t difficult to install and it doesn’t have to be expensive.

Continue reading “Install a Marine Music System”
ElectricalLeave a comment

How To Choose The Right Solar Panel

$tingy Sailor

If your sailboat’s battery runs out of a charge before you run out of the need for it, installing a solar panel might be a good option for you. It might be the only option for you to recharge the battery if you normally moor without access to shore power so that you can use a conventional charger. Solar technology has progressed a lot in recent years and you have more options than ever.

This is a guest post submitted by the folks at PowerScout,  a company that strives to bring the best solar technology within easy reach of the average homeowner. Their mission is to help people go solar, however they do it—in their homes, in their cars, or even in their sailboats. They don’t have a dog in the fight for your solar purchase so their advise can help you make a more informed decision, whatever products you choose. Continue reading “How To Choose The Right Solar Panel”