charging phone from engine

[Anchorhandler]

Originally Posted by willk

It's not a why/why not question. It's about giving a more useful answer to what was a very general question. I'm sure that a man who has electric start Searider is aware that he can fit a 12v cigarette socket to his battery. At least I HOPE he is :-)

My question of why someone would be charging a phone on an SR4 was going somewhere. If it's just a case of boosting battery charge to have a working phone then a simple cheap solution is there to charge in the console somewhere safe and dry. If it's to have the phone charging while being used to navigate then it needs to be thought out a little more carefully. Maybe charging from the engine isn't even necessary for some purposes (emergency charging). I'm not a huge fan of cigarette lighter sockets on small boats - they don't seem to last long - not good for an emergency.

There's not much in the way of electronics / electrics that I haven't installed on my little Sr4 including plotter, vhf, 6 Way fuse/switch panel, Victron energy digital power meter, tacho, hour meter, external ip66 power connection for battery charging and more. ( zoom in on the console in picture) But one thing that I considered but deliberately omitted for the reason that Willk mentions above was a panel mounted usb power connector.
Realistically I was never going to spend more than 6-7 hours on the boat at any given time anyway so just ensure my phone is fully charged before I head out. I've certainly not missed having one fitted.

Simon

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[bedajim]

I have a two pin flush mount socket on the console to run any aux bit & pieces plus a plug wired up to a USB & also a cigarette lighter socket


Bulgin Buccaneer

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by willk

I'm not a huge fan of cigarette lighter sockets on small boats - they don't seem to last long - not good for an emergency.

Interestingly, I installed a Marinco (I think that was the name) 12V socket on my console when I got the boat; have rarely used it, but it has held up now for the past 9 years (which surprises me.) It's an expensive piece of hardware for what it is (I think it was close to $30 at the time), but all stainless inside, and locking if you use the mating Marinco plug. It's mounted on the sloping part of the console, so gets full exposure to rain (It has a little rubber cover that looks pretty useless but might actually be somewhat effective, based on longevity. Either that or the hardware really is made to last.)

The mating plugs have a built-in LED that shows the presence of power; those LED's only last a month or two in an ocean environment. The plugs themselves keep working; the LED's don't.

jky

[Dirk Diggler]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Interestingly, I installed a Marinco (I think that was the name) 12V socket on my console when I got the boat;

jky

Best on the market, only one I fit.

As granny used to say, buy cheap, buy twice.