Can someone tell me about usable battery power

[AmzngGrace]

So... the adventure continues.
Back story 1:
Need a windlass on a boat that is pretty pristine re: holes in deck, minimal electronics. Its an old boat but good bloodlines, Crealock 37 ca 1978... Decided to go with electronic windlass (tigris). I have 2 batteries currently (no pun).

Back story 2: decided to try out my dual 150 to access gps with my ipad to see how it works for navigating (in my car yes) prior to the big shakeout soon. GPS was bluetooth to my ipad which was connected to the cigarette lighter at 100% charge. 3 hours later my IPAD was like 4% and all I was doing was using it for navigating (cellular, etc was off). In spite of it being connected to my car it used up battery and went from 100% to ~6% in 3 hours.

So now, I got this windlass that I was thinking “yeah I am good”, I dont need a third battery. I will just run the engine... I mentioned that to “a guy” who said maybe since the draw is so huge from the windlass, that it would maybe affect everything else that is using the battery.
Now I am pretty svelte re: battery use. I got like a vhf and maybe an autopilot, depth, and maybe some lights. No real electronics (see IPAD above).
So should I be triple thinking this or just get the windlass hooked up to the house battery and see how it does while running the engine? Its not like I am going to be running it for hours...
ALSO and maybe just as important. What can I do to keep my Ipad from losing battery charge. If it dropped while connected to lighter in car imagine how quickly I am going to lose the Ipad when navigating for a few hours on a beautiful afternoon in the PNW, (no to mention the OMG storm and I am stuck and I need navigation......!)
Whatcha’ think?

[Mirage35]

Well, for a start, instead of listening to the guy who says "the draw is so huge", why not check the windlass specs and see what the draw actually is?

If engine alternator output isn't enough to drive the windlass then you may have a problem.

[Mirage35]

And, I didn't fully understand the iPad story, but I run my iPad on battery with chartplotter app running for six or eight hours without problems. Make sure the display brightness is at the minimum you can use to reduce consumption.

I have seen the behavior you describe with an iPhone - turned out its charging connector was flakey and its battery was at the end of usable life.

[rslifkin]

I run my windlass (Maxwell HRC10-8) from my 400ah house bank with no issues. Yeah, the cabin lights dim a little when it first kicks on, but it's not enough to bother any of the electronics. If you're worried about voltage dip when you start up the windlass, consider running it from the engine battery instead (unless the house battery is a lot closer). Realistically, any decent size battery and big enough cables will run the windlass just fine. It's drawing a lot of power, but only for a few minutes at a time.

[Sam Woodbridge]

Originally Posted by AmzngGrace

So... the adventure continues.
Back story 1:
Need a windlass on a boat that is pretty pristine re: holes in deck, minimal electronics. Its an old boat but good bloodlines, Crealock 37 ca 1978... Decided to go with electronic windlass (tigris). I have 2 batteries currently (no pun).

Back story 2: decided to try out my dual 150 to access gps with my ipad to see how it works for navigating (in my car yes) prior to the big shakeout soon. GPS was bluetooth to my ipad which was connected to the cigarette lighter at 100% charge. 3 hours later my IPAD was like 4% and all I was doing was using it for navigating (cellular, etc was off). In spite of it being connected to my car it used up battery and went from 100% to ~6% in 3 hours.

So now, I got this windlass that I was thinking “yeah I am good”, I dont need a third battery. I will just run the engine... I mentioned that to “a guy” who said maybe since the draw is so huge from the windlass, that it would maybe affect everything else that is using the battery.
Now I am pretty svelte re: battery use. I got like a vhf and maybe an autopilot, depth, and maybe some lights. No real electronics (see IPAD above).
So should I be triple thinking this or just get the windlass hooked up to the house battery and see how it does while running the engine? Its not like I am going to be running it for hours...
ALSO and maybe just as important. What can I do to keep my Ipad from losing battery charge. If it dropped while connected to lighter in car imagine how quickly I am going to lose the Ipad when navigating for a few hours on a beautiful afternoon in the PNW, (no to mention the OMG storm and I am stuck and I need navigation......!)
Whatcha’ think?

I’m not a expert on any of your questions, but I use my iPad all the time while sailing and get 5 or so hours out of it before I need to charge it.

One thing I have to ask. Is your sailboat at Blaine Marina? There’s a neighbor of mine that I haven’t really met that has a similar name to yours on a sailboat.

[desertsailor]

Re: Back story 2. Can't answer your other questions, but, I know from experience that batteries on portable devices, i.e. laptops, notepads, IPADS, can be ruined if you have a habit of keeping them plugged into a charger after they reach 100%. I learned this lesson about 15 years ago, while still working, and preparing a briefing on my work laptop which stayed plugged in. Standing in front of the audience with my laptop for a half hour presentation the device died after 10 minutes! Workplace technicians explained this was a big no-no. Perhaps current technology has eliminated this problem, but I always ensure that batteries on devices are cycled thru from full charge to about 15% charge before plugging in.

[Sailmonkey]

A windlass is only a big draw for a short time when lifting the last bit of chain and anchor. The rest of the time your alternator covers the draw. Since the duration is so short, total draw is minimal.

Re the iPad. If your lighter plug isn’t able to supply the full current the iPad needs the iPad will drain. Such as a 1 amp adapter vs a 2.4 amp adapter. There’s also the cords. I’ve got a really long lightning cord that will charge the iPad, but not keep up with it when in use, even though it’s plugged into a 2.4 amp brick.

[Flatswing]

Originally Posted by AmzngGrace

So... the adventure continues.

Back story 2: decided to try out my dual 150 to access gps with my ipad to see how it works for navigating (in my car yes) prior to the big shakeout soon. GPS was bluetooth to my ipad which was connected to the cigarette lighter at 100% charge. 3 hours later my IPAD was like 4% and all I was doing was using it for navigating (cellular, etc was off). In spite of it being connected to my car it used up battery and went from 100% to ~6% in 3 hours.

ALSO and maybe just as important. What can I do to keep my Ipad from losing battery charge. If it dropped while connected to lighter in car imagine how quickly I am going to lose the Ipad when navigating for a few hours on a beautiful afternoon in the PNW, (no to mention the OMG storm and I am stuck and I need navigation......!)
Whatcha’ think?

Likely 2 separate issues. Most times you run your engine while deploying/retrieving anchor so alternator should provide ample power/replacement.

Your iPad , if run off a cigarette lighter adapter, isn’t getting enough amps to run the screen at full brightness (needed during day)along with gps and tracking cell signal. Go to Marinehowto.com to find out how bad most cig lighter-USB adaptors are (& how quickly most fail) https://marinehowto.com/ipad-charging-how-much-energy/

Then get one of the Scosche adapters Rod recommends. They are inexpensive & a vast improvement. An alternative to get the 2+ A your iPad needs,is the Blue Seas 4.8A dual USB outlet (though the cig lighter style 12v outlet may be more useful for other stuff).

Enjoy

[Mike OReilly]

I'll let the electrical experts comment on the windlass and overall power needs, but I can offer my experience with the iPad. I find that the two things that drain my pad quickly is a bright screen setting, and the active use of the GPS. Both these features drain the battery very fast.

My approach, since I don't have the iPad plugged in while it is in use, is to set the screen as low as possible, and to have the ipad set to sleep after a few minutes of inactivity. So I don't actively use the iPad constantly, but just consult it periodically as needed. Doing this allows me to use it periodically for a typical full-day of sailing.

I run iNavx on my rather old (3rd generation) iPad. I also use it to mirror via wifi my main multi-display which is located down below at the chart table.

[ChrisJHC]

Re the iPad: make sure you have it in aeroplane mode. The GPS will work fine.

A big battery draw is the wifi continually searching for a signal.
Also make sure you’ve closed all the apps you’re not using.

[moseriw]

Easy. The Tigres needs up to 130A. Working with it for 10 Minutes needs 22Ah. For security reasons this should only 15% if the Batteries capacity. 2x10 Minutes drops the battery to 80% which is OK.

So 150Ah is OK but mine is 225Ah AGM.
Check the Tigeres motor and upgrade it to the 1500W motor.

[svfinlandia]

FEIW - I have two group 27 100 amp hour batteries in my house bank connected in parallel (ie 200 amp hour) connected through a 100 amp breaker to my Tigres windlass. The house bank sits midships in the boat and the Tigres windlass is of course on the bow connected with heavy cables. Of course I always motor up to the anchor before raising it and the windows it’s only run for maybe a minute. I generally drop the anchor by hand.
I have never had a problem during this.

Al, S/V Flnlandia

[roland stockham]

Ok a few things here that you need to understand. First using non-marine electronics. While an iPad appears to be a solution for nav gear without spending extra money it has some limitations. A dedicated unit will have a bigger screen that shows up better in bright light. I will run on the ships battery so no power problems. It will be in a rugged case certified to IP68 so will not die if it gets wet. It will have its own built in GPS with a better receiver and aerial which will give you a more reliable fix. It will actually be cheaper than an iPhone. The only plus for the iPhone is that you already have one.
Second, providing power to devices. When you hook anything up to a DC battery what counts is the voltage available at the device. This not an issue with domestic A/C where the only limit is the trip on the power center. With D/C it is highly sensitive to resistance in the wiring. So you may have 12.5v at the battery but when you draw current form a wire at the bow you can easily be down to well under 12 volts. If you are running a motor then if the voltage is low it actually tries to draw more current not less exacerbating the problem. The result is that if you want an electric windlass to run properly you usually need very heavy wires. This stuff is $$$ per foot so, except on very small boats, it is often not only better but cheaper to fit a separate battery. It will also need a small charger as if you run a cable from the main bank you will get the same voltage drop problem and will under charge the battery. When designing boat circuits we generally look at two standards for voltage drop. 4% is fine for non sensitive stuff like cabin lights but you need to be 2% or better for the critical applications like battery charging. If you are aiming to cruise you need to understand this stuff or you will be relying on people who may not know what they are doing or aim to rip you off.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

I think several of the folks above have covered the windlass issue.

For the iPad - are you using it to actually get a GPS signal? I have an older iPad that has no cellular capability on it that I can use very successfully all day to navigate. I bluetooth it to a Bad Elf GPS unit and that setup has worked well for us. I charge both units over night and can run them all day if needed.

I do not have the iPad open for the entire trip for the day. It has a magnetic flip top that when closed, puts it in sleep mode until flipped open again. When necessary, I flip it open and check or do what I need to do, then flip it closed again. It is on a RAM mount just above the wheel. I do not keep it there, or even in the cockpit during bad weather; it stays below.

The Bad Elf has the GPS receiver going, but seems to turn off the bluetooth transmitting automatically if the iPad is not actively receiving it thus saving the battery life.

I should note that this set up is in addition to a normal chartplotter but I do use both constantly while moving.

YMMV

[KP44]

Originally Posted by AmzngGrace

So should I be triple thinking this or just get the windlass hooked up to the house battery and see how it does while running the engine? Its not like I am going to be running it for hours...


ALSO and maybe just as important. What can I do to keep my Ipad from losing battery charge. :

Hook up your new windlass using battery cable for wire. I know it seems like overkill but these monsters make anchoring so much safer and easier that this one-time expense is worthwhile.
Unless your battery bank is very small, you should have no problems at all powering your windlass with your engine running.

Get a lighter plug with an LED indicator light so you can see if it loses contact and is not connected. That is likely what happened.