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[porthole]

Don't feel too  bad about the 362.00 Odyssey.  I just got a quote for a battery for my forklift and they want 7 grand.  No inflation around here.  Maybe I can buy your old batteries and stack them up.

36 volt?

[SPIDERMAN]

If the boat is going to stay in the water and you are away for more then a month you may want to consider the charger. But, if you have little rain in the area it will be less of a concern.

Guys down at the local diner were telling me they make solar trickle chargers for boats now. This is getting high tech

B B

[vagabond6542]

Guys down at the local diner were telling me they make solar trickle chargers for boats now. This is getting high tech

B B

Anything is possible now these days. But, I'd be a little leary with the adverse weather factor in open seas though.

Just a thought.

[porthole]

Guys down at the local diner were telling me they make solar trickle chargers for boats now. This is getting high tech

B B

Brian - this is true, but he lesser expensive ones are not rated for continuous weather duty, so you need to look at the higher end.

I have the 2w version of this unit
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/232805/377%20710/0/solar%20power/Secondary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377%20710&Ne=0&Ntt=solar%20power&Ntk=Secondary%20Search&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Nao=0&Ns=0&keyword=solar%20power&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=5002&subdeptNum=9&classNum=592

And it specifically states that it is not 100% weather tight. I only use to keep my trailer battery charged up when not connected to the house. But I also don't leave it out year round.

Solar could be a good option, if you get the right one, but remember - you have to leave it exposed to make it work and that leads it to be subject to theft.

[SPIDERMAN]

Like I said, I'm going with Hogasm's twin battery suggestion but thought since we were talking options for this type of thing I'd toss out this latest idea for discussion. I appreciate the feedback. The theft issue is not an issue in my area of Sebago but weather in Maine is certainly a factor. Sebago Lake can go from flat calm to 4 ft whitecaps in a blink.

B B

[hogasm]

B, Is the boat going to stay in the water or on a trailer when you are not around

[SPIDERMAN]

B, Is the boat going to stay in the water or on a trailer when you are not around

In the water from May - October

B B

[hogasm]

If you are going to leave it in the water and not on a lift, I would install the charger that Porthole brought up earlier.

I have a 4 battery battery charger on my Donzi. I did not plug it in the other week and it rained alot while I was out of town. The battery that runs the bilge pumps was not quite all the way down, but close enough that I was uneasy.

Wont leave it unplugged for that length of time again

[SPIDERMAN]

Off topic yes, but this info certainly made my day. No other boats have yet to appear at the Voc HS, so my boat is the only project they've got. They're into the electrical system as the motor tilt worked in trailer mode but only down in trim mode. Also, there is an inverter in the boat the instructor says isn't wired correctly. They are checking the navigation lights, instruments and anything electrical. They're also testing the trailer wiring. That being said, I sent him an e-mail and said I'd be happy to pay for the parts needed to set up a two battery system on a switch. Now if only they taught upholstery and canvas making  I'm not complaining as I've already hit the jackpot with this.

One final question. I've searched everywhere on the net and cannot come up with any contact info for Mach 1 boats. There are 2008 models for sale, so they must still be in business. If anyone can find a address, e-mail or phone number, I'd appreciate it greatly. I'd like to see if I can buy an owner's manual and/or shop manual. I have no idea what the capacity of the gas tank is and some other questions.

B B

[Twolanerider]

Off topic yes, but this info certainly made my day. No other boats have yet to appear at the Voc HS, so my boat is the only project they've got. They're into the electrical system as the motor tilt worked in trailer mode but only down in trim mode. Also, there is an inverter in the boat the instructor says isn't wired correctly. They are checking the navigation lights, instruments and anything electrical. They're also testing the trailer wiring. That being said, I sent him an e-mail and said I'd be happy to pay for the parts needed to set up a two battery system on a switch. Now if only they taught upholstery and canvas making  I'm not complaining as I've already hit the jackpot with this.

One final question. I've searched everywhere on the net and cannot come up with any contact info for Mach 1 boats. There are 2008 models for sale, so they must still be in business. If anyone can find a address, e-mail or phone number, I'd appreciate it greatly. I'd like to see if I can buy an owner's manual and/or shop manual. I have no idea what the capacity of the gas tank is and some other questions.

B B

Companies.  I can find them!

Concord Boats.  Making the Mach lineup (and others).  Here ya go:

http://www.concordboats.com

[SPIDERMAN]

Companies.  I can find them!

Concord Boats.  Making the Mach lineup (and others).  Here ya go:

http://www.concordboats.com

Thank you sir 

B B

[porthole]

Also, there is an inverter in the boat the instructor says isn't wired correctly.

Inverter?

Inverter takes 12volts DC and outputs 110 AC. The higher end models double as a charger. That sounds unlikely with the size of the boat you have.
If it is a "converter", 110 AC down to 12 DC that does not belong on a boat!

Marine grade only 12volt chargers or inverters.

You put the wrong 110 appliance on your boat and you are likely to do a lot of damage to your boat and the others around it.

Same goes with incorrectly wired boats - novices should not be wiring boats.

I am the #2 person in a TowBoatUS marine assistance company in central Jersey.
We respond to 50 or so vessels a year that look like the one below. I have thousands of pictures like this.

It is usually the same - "I thought the batteries were charged" "I just checked it last month" etc.

The interesting thing about this picture, the boats belong to two professional captains.
The boat floating belongs to a real pro - probably the best tuna fisherman in the tri-state area.
The one sunk belongs to a "professional" bull chitter. He is a "pro" captain but he writes the fishing column for the NJ Star Ledger. Not much of a captain either.

[porthole]

Several years ago my boat neighbor, unbeknownst to me , was having electrical problems with his batteries and chargers.

He went out and put a standard automotive style battery charger in the boat.

While 35 miles from the inlet and maneuvering to anchor into a a wreck I ended up spinning a rudder on the shaft. The shaft was broken due to glavanic corrosion (some call it electolosys).

Ended up with serious damage to my boat from the electric in the water.
My repairs, buying parts at dealer cost and doing the labor myself, cost me $7500 dollars. This type of damage is typically not covered by insurance.

The first picture is of a prop blade

[porthole]

This is a picture of one of the shafts.

Most of the damage was on one side, the side closest to the other boat, but you have to change this stuff in pairs.

Props $3200
Shafts $2100
Rudders and related install parts $1800

And a boat load of miscellaneous stuff to go with it.

[icybay]

.Zincs- never leave home without them.  Zincs are not cheap but they are cheaper than the alternative!!! 20 pounds each and the prop nuts are about 80. I usually put on about 2000 pounds. Next I suppose the  EPA will ban them for polluting, like they did copper bottom paint.