brigait1 Posted September 4, 2010 Report Share Posted September 4, 2010 I'm considering putting a very minimal 12 volt system for some LED navigation lights and maybe a couple cockpit lights on my CS20. Anybody done this on a Core Sound? What I'm picturing is a small gel cell in the rear compartment and a small switch box on the rear cockpit bulkhead just below the coaming. This would make it easy to reach while at the tiller. Thoughts? Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wkisting Posted September 4, 2010 Report Share Posted September 4, 2010 You can see the little 12 volt power station I built for the GPS/sonar on our CS20 here: http://www.roguepaddler.com/cs20u.htm (scroll down about 1 screen height to the heading that says "GPS/Sonar and 12VDC Battery Box") I liked this option because it can be moved around the boat and removed easily if you don't want the weight for daysailing. The 12VDC accessory plug is a handy spot to charge a cellphone or power a spotlight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Frechette Jr Posted September 4, 2010 Report Share Posted September 4, 2010 Whatever route you go, Remember Overcurrrent protection. Fuse or Circuit breaker. Most boat fires are due to electrical system failures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Turpin Posted September 4, 2010 Report Share Posted September 4, 2010 Jump-start battery in a locker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brigait1 Posted September 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2010 Thanks guys. All useful tips. Wes, I think what you have is closest to what I'm picturing. I like the idea of a removable box so I'll be stealing that idea Do you have permanent running lights? Cheers, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wkisting Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 Pete, no, I don't have permanent lights. I use the little portable suction-cup lights (LED) made by AquaSignal. I've never really needed them, but I keep them aboard in case I ever get caught out after dark. It would be easy to adapt permanent lights to the box idea, however. You would just need to run a wire and plug from the lights to wherever you expect to store the box while underway. Then you can plug them in and go. By the way, I highly recommend a heavy-duty battery switch like the one I used on my box. Not only does it isolate the battery for recharging without having to unhook the onboard electronics from the box, but it also provides a foolproof way to totally shut off power. Most GPS units continue to draw a bit of power even after they are manually shut off at the unit, and some other electronics do the same thing. With the switch, you don't have to worry about anything slowly draining your battery during storage, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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