Malroy

Thanks Adam, will give it a go. Malc

Sorry, forgot to log in. There is now a picture of this unit on my boat trailer if interested, if you click on my personal profile image. Still don't know if possible to upload an image to the postings. Malc

One decent power battery should always be able to deal with ALL the boats electrics plus have plenty in reserve. The BIG however though, has a lot to do with the safety aspect. There is an ever increasing move towards having a second back up everything, hence the move over to adopting the practise of two batteries. Batteries need plenty of TLC, and there is nothing worse than having a back up that isn't in use & you never know its state. Car type batteries are designed to be used in conditions where there is no deep cycle i.e. the battery is constantly being charged from the engine alternator/generator and never normally goes down to a low state of charge. Where a battery is constantly subject to being charged then discharged, the cycle becomes much deeper hence the need for a different type of battery, i.e. the deep cycle leisure type batteries like used on caravans. Hence the ideal tends to be car type battery supporting the engine, with everything else from the leisure battery. You may reduce the life expectency of a car type battery if using a lot in deep cycle conditions on the boat, this being more likely if you do a lot of night fishing using powerful spots etc.

Sorry Adam, I am by no means an expert on electrical/electronics so don't really know how to measure the watts. It was actually demo'd to me at the time but I can't remember how he set up the metering. However when you start to look around at the sizes of the commercially available panels you can start to gain an indication of how the power levels are proportional to their sizes. When you buy the commercially available ones the watts are normally given any way. Those that only put out around 1-2 watts of power are usually around 9"-10" x about 3"-4" & sell for between

Hi Adam, I would personally stick to having one battery for the engine with one or maybe two auxillary take of points (fused for accesssories e.g. live bait pump etc) and a seperate deep cycle for the electronics side, the whole kit of items normally has a very low discharge rate. Then think about fitting a solar charger of around 5 watts min (not one of these 1-2 watts versions nocking around) to keep this battery topped up. Since I have fitted mine I have not yet had to re-charge the battery since, as it keeps it topped up really well. You will then need no switching from one battery to the other and there is no risk of damage to the charging circuit. When I fitted the solar panel (make sure if you opt for one, where there is a blocking diode fitted to stop discharge at night) I also fitted a 12 volt meter like what you are looking for, to monitor the batteries condition. You can Pick up new marine ones for around the

Hi All, Just to give you all a quick insight to how Anglesey's fishing at the moment: Launched yesterday ( 02-05-04 ) from the beach at Rhosneigr. Bait taken was frozen black lug, mackeral, muscle and sandeel. Fished several venues along the West Coast between Maltraeth and the offshore reef Careg Hen (although not really a reef, more an underwater mountain - 70' high lying in 120' of water) & only fishable about 1 hour either side slack water. Fish taken were the usual LSD's, whiting, dabs and some decent Hus. Tried several spots for the thornbacks which have been appearing all week with some size, but no luck that day. Tried also for plaice, but again no luck. Tried also for the pollack on Careg Hen which normally produces some sizeable ones but nothing doing. Malc

Could have been, the-Lounge is a forum I watch along with the Wirrall forum, Cast & catch, North West Sea Angling, Anglers-net, Wyre Boats forum etc, etc. These forums open up a new world of communication between sea anglers and an incredible amount of information/learning can be taken in as I have in fact achieved. I have made several contacts & friends even around my own area that are willing to share information and help out wherever possible. Yours is an extremely good example that doesn't show any signs of being messed up with some "political issues" that others suffer from and it also gives us, further up North some idea of whats happening about down there. Malc

As I go out both on my own or just with my wife, I opted for an easy launch/retrieve option (especially on beaches) but still with good seaworthy properties. Current outfit is: Warrior 150 (1997 model) Honda 50hp main (4 stroke) superb engine, new late 2003. Yamaha 4hp backup (4 stroke) new late 2003. Eagle Supra Pro Finder (however just bought the 480DF and waiting its arrival) Eagle Ultra nav II DGPS (looking to replace with colour plotter) Swiftech Fixed VHF XM2000 Handhed backup VHF Indespension unbraked (just about get away with it) roller coaster. Nearly finished live bait tank. Plus all the other many, many safety bits. Aspirations are towards maybe a new 165 or 175 when funds allow but I really love the 150, its so compact and easy to work, plus it handles some sea that shouldn't really suit a 15' boat. Would certainly prefer an enclosed wheelhouse like the Quicksilvers but as mentioned, easy launch & retieve from a beach or sloping slip is a must. Used to have a Force 70hp on it which gave up to 38knots but was hellishly thirsty. Pistons went last year so opted for new engines all round. The Honda uses less than half the fuel the Force engine did. Turns around 28-29 knots max with the 13" prop, but I am now achieving up to & around 32 knots max with a 14 1/2" prop recently fitted, given the right conditions. "LONG MAY 4 STROKES REIGN" Malc

Yes lost it. Backed into the water table at Rhos-on Sea (North Wales) to pull out my earlier boat & trailer. Apparently on this beach the water table travels well forward of the sea line, lying just under the surface. It sank into the table as I tried to pull the unit forward. The brakes had locked on because I had put on a new anti reverse braked axle which wasn't quite set up right in conjunction with the break back action. The brake back trailer & the jockey wheel was too well dug in to rope the unit. After managing to release the trailer, three 4x4's in tandem tried to pull me out but to no avail. Ropes kept snapping. The Fourtrack was a write off (5 days before it was due to go in for part ex). Company insurance luckily covered the vehicle for this "off road" use. Check your policies as a lot don't. Since then I have either made or bought and fitted a "sandskipper" device (adjustable carrier for the spare wheel fitted to the front of the trailer to act as much larger jocky wheel) for the trailer and always rope it. I have found jockey wheels are never good enough to solely rely on, especial when they hit a part burried rock/pebble etc. The engine was still running with the exhaust covered and the water up to my waist. I laugh about it now, but didn't at the time. Hard lesson to learn. Now I tend to go over the top on safety & precautions, which is never a bad thing. Malc

Now registered. Cheers! Malc (Malroy)