Lithium Batteries for Small Boats: Troubleshooting

Learn how an electrical technician engineer worked through charging issues and volt drop considerations to install a LiFeP04 system on his small boat for less than $2,000.

By
Stephen Burnage
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Published:
0
Sterling 12V to 12V DC to DC Battery Charger

In “Lithium Batteries for Small Boats” we looked at some of the less frequently discussed differences between lead acid and LiFePO4 batteries. In “Lithium Batteries for Small Boats: Install Guide” we discussed how best to configure the new system, with a focus on the necessary equipment and wiring changes. In this article, we look at how I organized my own upgrade, the practical issues I encountered, how much it cost and what might I have done differently?

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Stephen Burnage
Stephen Burnage is a full-time cruiser, having retired in 2017. He left Vancouver, Canada and headed south for warmer climates, on his 1975 Cal 34 sailboat “Moonrise”, in 2018. Since then, Stephen, Moonrise and occasionally his wife Anita, have cruised the West Coast of North and Central America. They are presently in Boca Chica, Panama. Stephen originally trained in the UK as an Electrical Technician Engineer and then proceeded to have a forty-year career, managing high voltage electrical systems around the world. Career highlights include building new power infrastructure on six continents; writing a comprehensive paper on how the North American Power Grid operates (and needs to be rebuilt) and; later, owning and operating his own renewable energy business. Stephen is a joint Canadian and British national and a resident of Chile, with an extended family across the world.

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