Boat & Gear
The electrical system every boat depends on and most owners half understand: how batteries charge and die, how much solar a boat can use, what shore power and inverters do, and how to find the fault when something goes dark at anchor.
2 guides
Start here
Types, cycles, the 50% rule and the three-stage charge — batteries die of neglect, not age.
Read the guideBuild the energy budget in Ah/day first, then size the array: 100 W gives 25–35 Ah in the Med, half that in Britain, and half again under the boom. Why a fridge-and-autopilot boat needs 300–400 W.
September 26, 2026
Flooded, AGM, gel and lithium lifespans in years and cycles, the 50% rule, the three-stage charge and a resting-voltage table — and why most boat batteries die of neglect, not age.
September 25, 2026