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12 volt


brigait1

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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

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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.

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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.

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