[Sentoa] Best Battery Type for Thruster and Windlass

[Cook, Carey]

I will be interested in the answers you get to your questions as I have hull # 138, also a 1999.  My question is this?  Why change anything?  The engine is running when you use the thruster, and from my experience, you don't draw down the batteries much when docking.  I don't have a windless yet, but plan to get one this season.  But the same point applies, the engine is running when you use the windless.  In the southern Great Lakes we don't anchor out much (and never over night) and we I do, I put the battery selector switch over to Batt 1 or Batt 2, just to be sure I have a charged up battery when it's time to restart the engine.

I love my NT and all things NT.  But it is very frustrating to me that owners (1999 vintage anyway) get manuals on all ships components (like the stove), but no manual on the boat itself, in particular, the boat's electrical system.  Accordingly, I do what works based on what I have read.  But at the end of the day, I don't know that I was successful because I did something correct, or because I was just lucky.  The Batt 1, Batt 2, Both, switch is just one example.


Carey Cook
32-138 -- LeeLoo
Racine, WI (berth)

________________________________
From: sentoa-bounces at lists.samurai.com [mailto:sentoa-bounces at lists.samurai.com] On Behalf Of Mark Laffin
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 10:14 PM
To: sentoa at lists.samurai.com
Subject: [Sentoa] Best Battery Type for Thruster and Windlass

I have a 4 HP Side Power bow thruster in my 1999 NT 32.  The thruster, windlass and all the other DC loads are connected to two deep cycle 8D batteries wired in parallel through the battery switch.  I'd like to install a separate battery for the thruster and windlass, saving the two 8D batteries for engine starting and the house load.  The thruster and windlass require a lot of current, which is not good for the deep cycle batteries.  What type of battery should I use to power the thruster and windlass?

Mark Laffin
MV Respite
NT32-135
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