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E32-3 Replacing Readi-Amp 8 factory charger with ... your suggestions?

Norwester

Member I
Preparing to address, change and upgrade some electrical components, but opportunity to buy at significant discount (used) 30amp replacement charger for the existing Readi-Amp 8 factory-installed charger may force the purchase of my first replacement product.
ProMariner ProNautic 12-30P

Basic electrical upgrades plan to give perspective to determine if 30amp charging suffices:
LIke @Nick J who seems to own a 20amp version, was going to ask his opinion of product.
Like @Kenneth K , add dedicated starter battery.
Add maybe a 50W solar device
and supporting devices (monitors, shunts, switches, etc).

If not 30amp, what size? (range)?
If not the ProMariner series, which other products are people suggesting?

I'll upload images of 80s Readi-amp and manual, if anyone needs 'em.
 

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Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Go with the Sterling Pro Charge Ultra, PCU 1230. It is the *IDENTICAL* charger to the ProNautic (co-developed with them), and it sells for less. They also have outstanding technical support.

MaineSail has written extensively about these chargers. (I actually bought mine from his remaining stock.) I've been very happy with mine.
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Go with the Sterling Pro Charge Ultra, PCU 1230. It is the *IDENTICAL* charger to the ProNautic (co-developed with them), and it sells for less. They also have outstanding technical support.

MaineSail has written extensively about these chargers. (I actually bought mine from his remaining stock.) I've been very happy with mine.
I've provided a picture of it installed on my E26-2. You can see plainly that, apart from the color, it's identical to the ProMariner version.

IMG_1578.JPEG
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
I replaced the previous charger (a Xantrex) with a ProNautic 1230P, and have so far been completely satisfied with it.
 

Norwester

Member I
Being "new" to forum...drinking from a fire hydrant...I was also unfamiliar to "MainSail" (thanks!) Found company link and an extensive post re battery chargers:
https://marinehowto.com/installing-a-marine-battery-charger/ ...with hyperlinks to Sterling.

Besides demonstrating I need a PhD in E.E., just to choose a bloody charger, they do discuss reason behind similarities/access of ProMariner & Sterling (i.e. same)...but Sterling was first made available to Amazon market in 2012 vs 2017 ProMariner it seems.

@christionce wrote, "old chargers can destroy new batteries," and our 20-year old ('05) OPTIMA (their customer service wrote, " battery you have is a European number and specs for the Blue Top D34M.")..luckily ours survived the Readi-amp.

Getting to Amp rating... Just recently, @Christian Williams shared, "I have three 100 amp hour AGMS, one there only as a reserve (and never used, but kept charged). Any modern marine charger is fine. If you're on a dock with power always connected, 20 amps is adequate. A more powerful charger just charges faster, which is seldom a need for most of us from a shore charger." For our vessel, with sized batteries not changing much, but with greater needs in shore power (future refrigeration, hot tub(sick)) a 20 to 30 will do and no need for greater.

Not a simple/straightforward topic...
 

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Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
The 1988 OEM battery charger on our boat was a ferro-resonate charger. Outdated technology by the mid 90's. Heavy as heck, and it would boil batteries dry easily. I replaced it with a newer technology solid state charger. And when that charger was damaged some years later I replaced it again with a ProMariner unit.
The 4th image in post #5, looks a lot like the old one I finally 'gave away' for a few bucks at a swap meet. Marine electricians called those old ones "closet warmers" and "hummers"..... :(
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Being "new" to forum...drinking from a fire hydrant...I was also unfamiliar to "MainSail" (thanks!) Found company link and an extensive post re battery chargers:
https://marinehowto.com/installing-a-marine-battery-charger/ ...with hyperlinks to Sterling.

Besides demonstrating I need a PhD in E.E., just to choose a bloody charger, they do discuss reason behind similarities/access of ProMariner & Sterling (i.e. same)...but Sterling was first made available to Amazon market in 2012 vs 2017 ProMariner it seems.

@christionce wrote, "old chargers can destroy new batteries," and our 20-year old ('05) OPTIMA (their customer service wrote, " battery you have is a European number and specs for the Blue Top D34M.")..luckily ours survived the Readi-amp.

Getting to Amp rating... Just recently, @Christian Williams shared, "I have three 100 amp hour AGMS, one there only as a reserve (and never used, but kept charged). Any modern marine charger is fine. If you're on a dock with power always connected, 20 amps is adequate. A more powerful charger just charges faster, which is seldom a need for most of us from a shore charger." For our vessel, with sized batteries not changing much, but with greater needs in shore power (future refrigeration, hot tub(sick)) a 20 to 30 will do and no need for greater.

Not a simple/straightforward topic...
Take a look at what MaineSail has to say about sizing a charger. I believe the higher capacity charger is better because it gets the batteries out of the bulk stage faster, which is better for them. Or at least that is what I recall.
 

Kenneth K

1985 32-3, Puget Sound
Blogs Author
My recollection is that the Sterling and ProMariner chargers are the same, and the name/color changes have to do with distribution rights/restrictions between US and EU markets.

20A or 30A will do the job for most small-medium sized banks. 30A will do it faster. Just remember that, after returning to the dock while cruising/overnighting, the charger has to pick up both the charging load and the usage load (lights, fridge, stereo, computers, etc).

Also, when choosing a location for installation, consider that ProMariner-type chargers have accessible menus on their front panels. You don't want to tuck them away in inaccessible areas (like Ericson did with the old chargers), unless you buy the optional remote (hardwired) display head.

I'd consider hanging on to that Redi-Amp 8! You may find a museum that is interested in exhibiting it. ;)
 
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Nick J

Contributing Partner
Moderator
Blogs Author
These things just work. After the installation and initial setup, I haven't had to touch it and my batteries have been full when I needed them. I initially put it under the nav deck, but I kept hitting my knee on it (just like so many folks warned me when I first floated the idea). My solution was to purchase the remote panel and mount it behind the drawers. That meant remaking the drawers 5" shorter, a task I still haven't' done. That was 2 years ago and I still haven't' mounted the remote panel. the charger is so reliable, I really didn't have a need to check on it or mess with it in any way. I'll get around to mounting the panel (and making the drawers) one day, but the point is if you're looking for something simple and reliable, look no further. You won't be disappointed.

What size unit you decide to get is a whole different discussion and entirely reliant on the size of your battery bank, how much you discharge it, and how long you plan on being connected to shore power. 20 amps suits us just fine and I now have a 270 ah LiFEPo4 bank charging indirectly from the ProNautic 1220 through a DC to DC charger.
 

Norwester

Member I
Thanks all for awesome replies!
Choice made:
ProMariner ProNautic 12-30P
PO of charger shared that "only" the following lithium battery companies are approved (warrantied) to work with this model:
"Relion, mastervolt, and battleborn are the three lifepo4 battery makers that will work with that charger." (I have no idea if true).

@Kenneth K ... crabpot weight might be appropriate;), but not throwing out the ol' Readi-Amp yet. Gots stuff to consider, now that it's NOT going to be "plug and play." Heck, MailSail wrote, "An engine space is often a poor location because the engines, and engine bay, remain warm long after the engine has been shut down." and I see you located yours under the nav table (pic). I'd follow your lead...but I'll have to reposition our Raymarine SmartPilot box (pic). ... more knee knocking, @Nick J . Seems like no remote necessary.

Now that I've chosen the 30amp model, the following variables are up for discussion...
-Size of our battery bank,
-How much we discharge it, and
-How long we plan on being connected to shore power.

Any other optional/optimal locations to mount charger in a 32-3, folks?

Oh, I suspect most also buy&attach the "ProMariner ProNautic P Remote Temperature Sensor Probe - 63106" eh?

PS. I've been singing this group's depth of knowledge and willingness to share/jest and make seemingly improvements to sailing&dock life (remember when the anchor light was a candle?). Grateful for your input... I'll try to follow in your wake by adding silly stories, untruths, wayward marks and wonton&waunton scuttlebutt.
 

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gabriel

Live free or die hard
Preparing to address, change and upgrade some electrical components, but opportunity to buy at significant discount (used) 30amp replacement charger for the existing Readi-Amp 8 factory-installed charger may force the purchase of my first replacement product.
ProMariner ProNautic 12-30P

Basic electrical upgrades plan to give perspective to determine if 30amp charging suffices:
LIke @Nick J who seems to own a 20amp version, was going to ask his opinion of product.
Like @Kenneth K , add dedicated starter battery.
Add maybe a 50W solar device
and supporting devices (monitors, shunts, switches, etc).

If not 30amp, what size? (range)?
If not the ProMariner series, which other products are people suggesting?

I'll upload images of 80s Readi-amp and manual, if anyone needs 'em.
What battery bank do you have?
 

Norwester

Member I
What battery bank do you have?
@gabriel Currently, two Blue Top D34M, as pictured above. 2005 dates on both of them. We'll be recycling them with the purchase of new batteries, TBD.
Today, we dry-fit the new-to-us ProMariner ProNautic 12-30P charger under Nav Table and shifted the Raymarine SmartPilot box slight inboard and lower (both to accommodate and due to finite length of existing wire lengths to SmartPilot box). (Not much knee knocking). Will affix 8.5" x 4.5"x 1/2" marine ply to interior wall of fiberglass behind ProMariner ProNautic 12-30P and then affix ProMariner ProNautic 12-30P to it, reducing the spacing caused by the meeting of the curved structural inner liner, Tri-axial Force Grid (TAFG) fiberglass and flat backed charger.
We also removed the nearly 40-year-old Readi-Amp and connected wires from engine bay in preparation for upgrades.... we're not going anywhere soon.
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
@gabriel Currently, two Blue Top D34M, as pictured above. 2005 dates on both of them. We'll be recycling them with the purchase of new batteries, TBD.
Today, we dry-fit the new-to-us ProMariner ProNautic 12-30P charger under Nav Table and shifted the Raymarine SmartPilot box slight inboard and lower (both to accommodate and due to finite length of existing wire lengths to SmartPilot box). (Not much knee knocking). Will affix 8.5" x 4.5"x 1/2" marine ply to interior wall of fiberglass behind ProMariner ProNautic 12-30P and then affix ProMariner ProNautic 12-30P to it, reducing the spacing caused by the meeting of the curved structural inner liner, Tri-axial Force Grid (TAFG) fiberglass and flat backed charger.
We also removed the nearly 40-year-old Readi-Amp and connected wires from engine bay in preparation for upgrades.... we're not going anywhere soon.
I'm not asking from any specific knowledge of your Raymarine SmartPilot box, but is that involved with the autopilot? And might there be anything with your ProNautic charger that could cause magnetic interference with it?
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I do not believe that that the AP box with the processor in it is particularly sensitive to magnetic interference, but the external hard-wired fluxgate compass module IS sensitive to magnetic interference.

It even has a warning sign/sticker to post on the outside of any compartment that it's installed in. Since it's down low, toward the centerline, and out of sight behind an interior frp molding, I do have that warning sticker prominently displayed on the outside of that compartment.
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
I do not believe that that the AP box with the processor in it is particularly sensitive to magnetic interference, but the external hard-wired fluxgate compass module IS sensitive to magnetic interference.

It even has a warning sign/sticker to post on the outside of any compartment that it's installed in. Since it's down low, toward the centerline, and out of sight behind an interior frp molding, I do have that warning sticker prominently displayed on the outside of that compartment.
Thanks for clarifying this, Loren. I thought maybe the AP box also contained the fluxgate compass. But I see that they are separate units, so it sounds as though all should be OK. Maybe it would have been anyway if the battery charger did not give off any magnetic interference. But power supplies sometimes do, so I thought it worth mentioning.
 
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