Battery Jumper

06Rinker270

Hi guys, one of my additions to my on board toolset is a battery jump start.  Will this be sufficient if my battery were to die?  I believe it is but not too familiar with these. 

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/rdk-products---compact-lithium-jumpstarter--16788853

thank you,

Patrick 

DanD2

Absolutely......also great to use to open up the hatch if needed. I have one similar and I've used it to jumpstart my V-10 F250.....it works great!

Robs_232

I bought this yesterday to carry along for $80. Hope it works ok. The one 270 bought looks more compact and lighter, which would be nicer for the boat.

http://www.batterychargers.com/ip-1850fl/

DanD2

Yeah, the small lithium ion jump starters are great. I even carry it with me when I go snowmobiling.

Michael T

o6rinker 270. Wow, that is some power from that little rig. How can you lose for that price? As DD2 says it would be excellent for opening the hatch. If the batteries go dead and you need to lift the hatch it's not too bad on some Rinkers on a few other models (like my 360) it is really hard to get at the ram to pull the pin. @Robs_232, I had a charger like yours it had amazing power. You could start twin marine engines with that!  Both of those charges would definitely do the job. I need a new one - I see a shopping trip in my future! LOL

MarkB

I have one. West marine sells one that comes in with a built on compressor to inflate your fenders and tow tubes. 

Michael T

That's what I need I have a hand pump from Taylormade. Works great but why not let the compressor do the work. I'm actually thinking of installing a small compressor in the boat.

LaRea

I always keep two Ryobi 18V cordless drill batteries on the boat.  Too bad there's not an easy way to use them as a jump starter.

BTW, I also have a Ryobi inflator/deflator that uses those same batteries.  Fantastic tool - much faster than any 12V plug-in inflator. 

06Rinker270

@MarkB is this the one you have?

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--1200-amp-powerstation-pro--15808520

andyd

I have a Scorpion by Brightech. 80 bucks today at Amazon. Excellent! The red battery case looks more like a lobster than a scorpion, but whatever, it works.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Friday-Sale-Brightech-Electronics/dp/B00K0VMXDQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448826566&sr=8-1&keywords=scorpion+battery

Andy

Michael T

@andyd - that is so cool, it's so small to have that much juice! I can't believe what comes in that kit for $80!!!

MarkB

This is what I have.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=west+marine+battery+jumper&client=ms-android-bell-ca&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigqN_WprfJAhXIqh4KHQf0C48Q_AUIBygB#imgrc=pr5vT_CB6p3S7M:

MarkB

I think they discontinued the one i have and are selling this one now.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=west+marine+battery+jumper&client=ms-android-bell-ca&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigqN_WprfJAhXIqh4KHQf0C48Q_AUIBygB#imgrc=X0p1zBEwPGoG3M:

aero3113

If you do a search on Amazon you can find a selection of jump starters for great pricing.

06Rinker270

One of the west marine ones I am looking at has a 500w AC inverter.  What can I run with that while on hook?  

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--1200-amp-powerstation-pro--15808520

@Markb got me change my mind about wanting one with a compressor.  I'm done with this hand pump mess.

aero3113

For a pump I use this, works great!

http://m.target.com/p/coleman-high-performance-rechargeable-pump/-/A-11115252?disable_sitespect=true

aero3113

Check out this video for the NOCO jump starter

http://youtu.be/WtsGATbSvJA

andyd

A product called Genius for people who touch live battery clamps together and don't know red from black! I guess it protects them from themselves and the technology is great, but come on! If folks are that clueless they should just call AAA or BoatTowUS.

Andy

06Rinker270

What about the inverter fellas on the link I just posted?  Is the 500w AC inverter worth having on a boat?

doesnt look like much

06Rinker270

Found the same one on Amazon with different skin for $80 less.  West Marine is so expensive!

Michael T

@06Rinker270. Is it worth having a 500 watt inverter? Short answer - it depends.

We have discussed this topic at length in the past and the discussion may be archived.

In short: 500 watts will run modest loads such as lights, fans, tablets and maybe a stereo for a while. The "for a while" depends entirely on the condition, type, number and rating of your battery(ies):

More specifically: To know what your boat's battery system can handle you need to know the Ampere Hour rating of your battery(ies). That is a rating of how long it can handle a specific ampere load for X amount of time. For example 5 amps for 20 hours would be a 100 Amp Hour (AH) rated battery. This should be printed on your battery or easy to find out.

A more accurate load calculation might be: the Reserve Minute Capacity rating of your battery(ies) which is the number of minutes a battery can maintain at least a minimum safe voltage under a 25 amp load. This should be printed on your battery or easy to find out.

For example, I have 5 series 31 AGM batteries. each one is rated at105 AH and 200 Reserve Minutes. Because they are wired together properly that total would be almost double.  I do not have an inverter as they will run any 12v load that I have on the boat for 24 hours and even combinations of 12 volt loads. An inverter would make them even more powerful (for a shorter period of time). Because of the number (5) and rating of my batteries I would probably go with a 1500 watt inverter.

Next you want to be able to calculate potential loads on your battery(ies). I usually convert loads to ampere hours (amps) as I find that the most useful yardstick.

IF I remember correctly, at any fixed voltage (say 100v or 12v)  amps= watts/volts.

So using your 500 watts to see how many amps that will draw I think you go amps= watts/volts, therefore amps (at 12v)  amps = 500/12 is 4.5 amps or amps (at 100v)amps=500/110, therefore amps = .5 amps.  

I hope this was somewhat helpful? :-)

MarkB

What would you need the inverter for or what would you want to run with it. Itso not necessary for the sake of just having one. But if you need it for something then the practicality can be considered.

Dream_Inn

I have one in my cockpit (where my 12V blender used to be).  I use it to run my magic bullet, or a fan, or Christmas tree lights (like this past July).  It is just a 750 watt cheapo from harbor freight.  It really depends on your usage.

bella-vita

I installed inverter on my last boat 3000 watt continues 6000 peak from west marine, I had it hooked to 3 batteries.it has to be installed close to batteries thick cables that's where they loose most power on DC side. It would make me coffee from my keurig when on the hook.one morning my buddies genny would not start it made 8 cups of coffee before it started to tell me the batteries were low,but the fridge an radio had been running on those batteries for over 24 hours also.

MDboater

06Rinker270 said:

Found the same one on Amazon with different skin for $80 less.  West Marine is so expensive!

You will find two classes of inverter "pure sine wave" and "modified sine wave".  Pure sine wave inverters create voltage signals that are very close to an ideal sine wave.  Modified sine wave inverters create voltages signals that look like a combination of square waves (a stepped wave).  Pure sine wave inverters are much more expensive than modified sine wave inverters.  This may explain the price difference between various models.   Some electronics, such as TVs, may not work well with modified sine wave inverters.  Devices like a fan or heater should work fine with a modified sine wave inverter. 

When connecting an inverter to a battery you need to consider how much power you plan to use from the battery between charges ( that is, how deeply you plan to discharge the battery).  Deep discharges will significantly reduce the life of the battery. 

Michael T

@MD boater, really good points, if I may say so. 

You can get a straight inverter or an inverter charger combination.

Also look at the inverter's surge capability as many products differ. If you are thinking of a more powerful inverter that may power a device that surges on start-up, like a compressor the surge rating is very important.

I would only install a pure sine wave inverter if I was going to the trouble of properly wiring it in. 

Regarding batteries, some general rules: (assume all of these are very good quality): AGMs can be discharged by 60%  about 300 times, Gels by about 80% 1000 times and the new Thin Plate AGMs by 100% about 800 times. For regular Flooded deep cycle house batteries it's less - by 50% about 250 times.

Also, AGMs accept re-charge at about 40% of their AH rating, Gels at about 25% of their AH rating, Thin Plate AGMs at about 300% of their AH rating (yes, you read that right!) and regular Flooded deep cycle flooded at about 25% of their AH rating.

LaRea

@Michael T - interesting comments about thin-plate AGM.  I posted a separate discussion with follow-up questions.

http://rinkerboats.vanillaforums.com/discussion/4526/thin-plate-agm-batteries-vs-flooded-deep-cycle-batteries

06Rinker270

You guys are a wealth of info, thank you.  I was considering the cost between two different battery jumpers, one had the 500w inverter, other did not.  I think I will go with the one with the inverter for low wattage items.  

What I was referring to above about the different battery jumpers was I found the same exact battery jumper at west marine with their logo and also two amazon with a different company, all at different prices.  Maybe west marines is more for marine environment?  Links are below:

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-PPRH5-Professional-Power-Station/dp/B0051SO7JQ/ref=pd_sbs_263_11?ie=UTF8&dpID=418GaaN1YDL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=158668M0EY9CA2SXKNRV

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--1200-amp-powerstation-pro--15808520?cm_mmc=PS-_-Google-_-Shopping_PLAs-_-15808520&adpos=1o3&creative=54601695484&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CIC-rp6qwMkCFQErHwod5zQFUg

DanD2

Plain and simple.......products at West Marine will cost you more than any where's else!!

06Rinker270

Yea seems that way.  Thanks for the input everyone.  

06Rinker270

When you jump a boat battery do you put positive on battery terminal and negative on something metal because the boat is negatively grounded?