Nigel asked " is there any way for those of us whose boats are unattended for long stretches to prolong battery life? "
As you may or may not know, we weekend Jannock around the system abandoning her at will for 7 or 14 days depending on the hectic family schedule as well as closing her down over winter. Jannock has 3 x 110A/H leisure cells cobbled onto the cabin electrics and I have an Ampower alternator controller supplemented by a 30W BP Solar panel on the roof. This combination seems to keep the batteries in good fettle according to the smart guage. There are some items left on during our absences ( alarm, toilet, bilgepump etc ) but on our return the available capacity will usually be within 2% of what it was when we left her. The loss is greater over winter as we use the boat without charging the batteries during occasional visits. I'll comment on it's affect on the battery life when this set gives up the ghost. The originals gave up in 2004 and they were dated 1996. Graham www.jannock.org.uk
