Generator

Hello,
Looking for some advice.
I take several camping fishing trips at places like Lake Kabetogema each year. As the camps are somewhat remote they do not have electricity for charging up my batteries.
I am playing around with the idea of bringing a generator along for recharging the batteries in an effort to get through the week+ without having to ration my use.
I guess I could run it over to a resort, but I don’t want to spend the time doing that.
I know very little about what this might mean in terms of size, etc.
Anyone care to set me straight?
Thanks in advance.

I can set you straight, leave everything requiring a battery, aside from a flashlight at home

get out and enjoy the outdoors in all its battery free glory.

A charger isn’t going to be that big of a demand on a generator. Even if you use it along with your camper except a microwave or air con you probably won’t need anything with real high output. One thing to consider is that some of the more primitive campgrounds may not allow the use of generators so check first.

IF you are just going to charge your boat batteries, you might want to consider a 12 volt to 110 volt converter. You’ll need a good size one depending on how many banks and the amperage which might also mean running your truck to ensure it doesn’t discharge your truck batteries.

Otherwise spend the bucks to get a quiet one. Honda or Yamaha..your pick.

Have you thought about a solar battery tender? Otherwise a Honda or Yamaha 2000 watt would be a sweet setup for you. But I’d really look into the solar deal for camping.

HOW BIG A SOLAR PANEL DO YOU NEED TO CHARGE A BATTERY THATS USED 8 HRS A DAY AND HOW LONG TO CHARGE THE BATTERY?

Thanks for the comments.

A quick look at a popular solor retailer points this out…

“Solar power is not the cure all for replacing spent energy. For example some are trying to recharge batteries for a Trolling Motor, Boat, RV, House, Electric Scooter, Backwoods Cabin, etc. and they want it done in very short time, usually in just a few days. Assume you take a discharged 100-amp hour battery and charge it with a 30-watt solar panel under ideal summer time light conditions. After a full week the battery will be just about fully charged. Using this example you can see that it will take at least 100-watts of solar power to recharge a 100-amp hour battery in a few days. Keep in mind that it takes direct sunshine on the surface of the panel to produce the maximum rated power of a solar panel. Conditions such as an overcast sky, shadows, improper mounting angle, equatorial direction or short winter days will reduce the actual solar panel output to below the rated values.”

Good info BK. just seen them at Menards and was intrigued. Guess not the answer. Carry on fellas.

Drifter, I was hoping it was going to say it would work.

Steve I’ve wondered the same. I couldn’t find any restrictions for Voyaguers, other than quiet time after 10 pm. So I think you’d be alright to bring it, and any gene would be sufficient I would think. The one thing is most on-board chargers are pretty slow, obviously you’d want to minimize the time running the gene, so possibly would want to bring a different charger.

https://www.nps.gov/voya/planyourvisit/tent-camping.htm

p.s. Crappie I get where you are coming from, but going a week without a trolling motor, and more importantly a GPS, is not an option from a fishing perspective. And dangerous from a safety perspective, and even with a Generator would plan on bringing a map in case you lose your GPS.

Solar power is a no go for this use. Solar is a slow charge and you’d need a 4×8 solar panel to get any significant charge and that would take a full day.

Bigwerm is right on. It’s not the generator that’s the issue, any generator will work because even a small generator puts out wattage WAY in excess of what you need to run a battery charger.

It’s the battery charger that needs some thought. You want the fastest charge that’s feasible.

Most on-board or marine chargers charge at a low amp rate, somewhere between 2 and 8 amps is pretty common. That means a battery that’s even half dead takes 8-10 hours to put a reasonable charge in. That’s a long time sitting around running a generator unless you don’t mind running a generator all night and assuming it’s allowed.

IMO, I’d be looking for battery charger that fast charges at much greater amperage. I’d think you’d want to be able to come in for meals and fire up the generator and top off the batteries for a couple of hours while you’re in camp each time.

Grouse

Great discussion guy – Thank you
I was hoping the solar deal was going to work….

Steve Kracht wrote:

I was hoping the solar deal was going to work….

Sorry, but I’ve planned a solar system for my off the grid cabin. To get enough charge to replace 50% of a 12 volt battery during the course of a full day (using sunlight figures for east central MN), I need over 40 square feet of solar panels (roughly). So basically bigger than a 4×8 sheet of plywood.

So it works, but it’s a slow charge solution and not very portable. The only way I can see it working for your use is if you had multiple batteries you could leave one in camp charging while you used another out on the lake.

Grouse

Steve – can you give us a couple more specs? Specifically, how many batteries and what are they for? Meaning are we talking about a single battery for a 12v TM, or 36 volt three battery system?

Currently we’re running a 1000w at half throttle to power a single 10amp battery charger. Give it a couple hours a few times during a week on the Group 29 TM battery. This is on top of a dc charger that helps put a little juice back in off the big motor. Been working fine for a few years at Rainy.

New boat came with a 3 bank, 15 amp onboard charger. If I was doing it from scratch it would be a 3 bank, 30 amp(10amp/bank). Overkill, maybe but sometimes speed matters.

“p.s. Crappie I get where you are coming from, but going a week without a trolling motor, and more importantly a GPS, is not an option from a fishing perspective. And dangerous from a safety perspective, and even with a Generator would plan on bringing a map in case you lose your GPS.”

good points! I was shooting from the hip

I’ve had the same thought process for a trip, sleeping and such out of the boat for multiple days.

Is there not a concern about “fast” charging deep cell batteries though? I thought that was the biggest benefit of the current style chargers on boats, was to properly charge the battery? Asking… not implying the fast charger is wrong, I just don’t know….

I think with as quiet as some of these generators are, I was thinking just to run it through the night – but I would be remote enough it wouldn’t matter.

Chuck Melcher wrote:

Is there not a concern about “fast” charging deep cell batteries though?

Good question! In this scenario I wouldn’t think that would be an issue as it would be “fast” charging for small amounts of time. The on-board chargers that charge batteries off the main motor are great (if you have them, which I don’t), but even if you do you would need to do a fair amount of running around on the big motor to get any significant charge to your TM batteries. We have some awesome boat in campsites in Voyageurs as well as on Lake Vermillion that hopefully someone can chime in with experience.

Chuck Melcher wrote:

Is there not a concern about “fast” charging deep cell batteries though?

I’m not referring to that. Using my minnkota it goes through a progressive rate. Say at 50% charge it gives the full amperage. As it gets closer to 100% charged then it throttles down.

My speed item was when it’s appropriate to give it the full dose, then let it be 10amps/bank instead of 5/bank. I don’t care if I get that last 10% charge that takes a really long time.

Back to the OP’s original question regarding whether to bring a generator. Other than your TM battery, do you have many (any) other batteries you’d need to recharge? At $1,000 or more for a generator, you could just bring an extra battery or two fully charged. Cost less than a generator. Unless you just want a generator?

BigWerm wrote:

Steve I’ve wondered the same. I couldn’t find any restrictions for Voyaguers, other than quiet time after 10 pm. So I think you’d be alright to bring it, and any gene would be sufficient I would think. The one thing is most on-board chargers are pretty slow, obviously you’d want to minimize the time running the gene, so possibly would want to bring a different charger.

https://www.nps.gov/voya/planyourvisit/tent-camping.htm

p.s. Crappie I get where you are coming from, but going a week without a trolling motor, and more importantly a GPS, is not an option from a fishing perspective. And dangerous from a safety perspective, and even with a Generator would plan on bringing a map in case you lose your GPS.

I think a week of fishing without GPS or a trolling motor would still be plenty safe and doable. Did people not fish remote areas before these relatively recent accessories were refined? A small portable depth finder will run forever on small batteries, and a good old fashioned map and portable radio will keep you safe IF you take proper precautions and use common sense.

I may be old-fashioned, but these situations can make for some of the best fishing memories.

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Other than your TM battery, do you have many (any) other batteries you’d need to recharge? At $1,000 or more for a generator, you could just bring an extra battery or two fully charged. Cost less than a generator. Unless you just want a generator?

This is what we did for years and yes it does work. However there are other downsides.

1st, care of the deep cycles as we would run them down all the way. Meant we only got one or two seasons, then replacing.

2nd, insurance. If a battery goes bad(which it has) then the spare isn’t dead after a couple days. Also let’s us not worry about conserving on the motor quite as much.

Generator has it’s downsides too. You hit on cost but the other is it takes up limited space if your not in a houseboat.

patk
I would be charging 2 – 12 volts for the trolling motor and 1 12 volt for the power steering.
While I think about it from time to time, I would probably not buy a generator if I wasn’t thinking about charging the boat.

Steve

Who here knows the math formula for watts to amps?

Ex. How may watts from the generator are needed to power a 30amp charger(3 @ 10amp/bank)?

@steve kracht – you’re a perfect candidate for a small generator. Something small, fuel efficient, and very quiet. ex. Honda or Yamaha. Assuming your battery for power steering is also your starting battery.

My new boat is nearly identical. Here’s my perfect world setup with my brand preference:
Minnkota MK 2 DC – capture amps off the big motor while out fishing.
Minnkota MK 330 D – charging at camp, at home, and long term maintenance
Honda/Yamaha generator – Smallest possible that will run the onboard charger
1 spare deep cycle in case a battery goes bad or be ready to drive to town.

Charge for a few hours each night at camp or more if you really drained the batteries. We do 8 day trips with a similar setup. Our generator is a knock off but Honda motor. Can save a little money by doing the 5amp/bank charger too.

Just remembered, don’t forget to pack extra fuses for the chargers. Checking them once in a while helps too if things don’t seem right. Another lesson learned the hard way

Can’t help with the math formula. Saving my brain power for my 8th grade son’s homework tonight.
I have one more 12 v battery for starting that I did not mention. My electronics are wired directly to this battery. This battery is charged from the motor.
Appreciate the comments.

Steve

patk wrote:

Who here knows the math formula for watts to amps?

Ex. How may watts from the generator are needed to power a 30amp charger(3 @ 10amp/

Watts= volts x amps
Amps= watts / volts
Volts= watts/ amps

Don’t know where your going with the rest of your equation. But hope this helps?

Ex. How may watts from the generator are needed to power a 30amp charger(3 @ 10amp/bank)?

I think your best bet is to look up the power requirements for your charger. A 30 amp battery charger is not drawing 30 amps AC.
Example-My Minn Kota 330D requires 500Watts- according to my owners manual- at 120V AC at 60 HZ. 500/120= 4.17 amps

This is at the full 10 amp output per bank. I have used an inline watt meter and the draw is significantly less as the battery charge increases and the charger throttles back it’s output.