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Hi Jim. If you're shopping for batteries......you must be gettin' close to
launch !
That sounds really good. I can hardly wait to see your boat in the water,
it's a beautiful sub.
On the batteries, I had a set of Trojans hooked up to a solar system on my
ranch and they lasted 13 years with no problems. These were the 6 volt kind made
for golf carts, in series for 24 volts.
Now I understand that application is different as the discharge was
never allowed to get very low, but except for adding a bit of water every few
months, they were basically trouble free for all those years.
This was many years ago but at $80 each, it was not costly at all for
the 8 batteries and it ran my whole house.
We had a forest fire that took out the ranch and the batteries melted some
what so I could see the guts and the plates are definitely a lot
thicker than the regular car batteries. I also had a "deep cycle marine
battery" that I used for remote lighting in the pump house. I'd charge it
up at the house and just put it on a shelf with an auto type bulb in the pump
house. It would last for weeks with intermittent use.
When it melted, the plates were much like the car batteries.
My point here is........Trojan makes a damn good 6 volt battery.
Most golf carts use Trojans. Ask around at the golf course. Now that may be
due to marketing to some degree, but the overwhelming number of golf courses
I've seen use Trojans.
I'm not sure the out gassing is that big a problem when we have a high
maintenance application like a sub. My batteries ( 14 ) will be sealed
inside stainless boxes, but will be inside the sub. Because of this
I'm leaning toward the AGM's or GEL like Vance suggested. I guess I'll make
that decision when the time comes.
On the lights.....Those deep water lights are a fortune !!!
Couldn't we take the headlight bulbs from a motorcycle and seal them up in
a housing ?
The H4 bulbs I use on my old Harley are very bright, cheap to buy, and easy
to get. Even in remote locales like Mexico or where ever.
A housing should be a breeze to make. The reflector needs to be more
focused, and made of glass or metal because of the heat generated. (Plastic
flashlight reflectors won't work.) You've got a lathe so making a screw on
thing with a window from some aluminum tube should be doable. A thick piece of
glass can be had on the internet, so acrylic isn't required for the window.
I've got a hand held flashlight that claims 1 million candle
power. It's REALLY bright and plugs into my car's cigarette lighter. It lights
up a large area and has a fairly focused beam. Much more so than a regular auto
head light.
I know I'm a cheap bastard but I just can't see payin' $1500 bucks for a
light. It ain't that complex to make one.
Frank D.
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