*** UPDATE: Be sure to calculate your amp hour requirements. I forgot all about the AM/FM radio and a fan, both of which have electrical addictions. Fortunately, we seldom use either. The Hideaway does not have a powered self steering unit or an electric start outboard. My battery choice may not work for you. Do your research carefully, a friend told me the battery shuts down if the alternator charging rate is too high. My new smart charger starts at 1.5 amps then follows one of 7 programs.
Hurricane Irma left us with a week of no electrical power, but fortunately no serious damage. On the HideAway we finish our hurricane preparations returning only after the storm has passed. Doing so this time reveled a dead house battery. Most stores were closed, however we found battery place with an open back door and serenated by a large generator and shop fans, we bought a new battery.
Batteries do not last long in the Florida tropics. We were pleased that this one took five years before retirement. As you know, Hideaway lives on a trailer when she's not sailing. Swapping out the lead acid 60lb battery is not for the faint of heart. Climbing the eight foot "Ladder of Doom" while listening to the acid swish about is not much better than winching them in and out using the main halyard.
See our solution below
SMALL BOATS ROCK!
