sailboat pc?

gameboy · 06-16-2006, 07:05 PM

anyone have a pc in a small (25-30ft) sail boat?

i'm going to a boat auction in the am, and will hopefully get a good deal on a sailboat, and was wondering if anyone here has a pc in their sailboat

farmboy30 · 06-16-2006, 07:37 PM

how u gonna power it? wind generator? solar panel?

u cud use a laptop, but ur limited to power time

blustreak · 06-17-2006, 01:06 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by farmboy30

how u gonna power it? wind generator? solar panel?

u cud use a laptop, but ur limited to power time

A small solar panel wouldn't be a bad idea if you also had it rigged with a capacitor of sorts for when it's not so sunny.

tj!2k4 · 06-17-2006, 01:23 AM

Probably the best way to power the PC would be to run it off of a deep cell battery and use the solar panel to keep the battery charged.. That's pretty much the way my brother keeps the battery in his camper in Montana charged.

gameboy · 06-17-2006, 12:45 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by tj!2k4

Probably the best way to power the PC would be to run it off of a deep cell battery and use the solar panel to keep the battery charged.. That's pretty much the way my brother keeps the battery in his camper in Montana charged.

that's what i was thinking, or keeping a batt charger plugged in while docked

davida · 06-18-2006, 02:34 AM

I am using a mac mini on my motor boat. Very small footprint and you can use any kind of screen.

David

Teknoledgi · 06-19-2006, 03:09 AM

Won't a sail boat of 25-30 foot have an auxiliary engine, or small generator.

VeritasForge · 06-19-2006, 12:22 PM

Let me know if you need a weatherized stainless case for it. I am designing one right now for use in boats. Its going to be NEMA 4 enclosure. PM me if interested I can send pics.
-Gordon

davida · 06-19-2006, 01:00 PM

Veritas:
SS case for what.....the Mac mini?

VeritasForge · 06-19-2006, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Veritas:
SS case for what.....the Mac mini?

I was reffering to taking any components and making a ruggedized chassis for them that would be waterproof as well as classy in a appearance.
I usually do this with carcomputers but have recently been getting questions about boat pc's as well. I could remove the mac mini from its chassis and relocate it into a custom NEMA 4 enclosure that would be safer in a marine enviroment.
-Gordon

gameboy · 06-19-2006, 08:01 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Teknoledgi

Won't a sail boat of 25-30 foot have an auxiliary engine, or small generator.

no not always, i was looking at some this past weekend, and only a few had engines capable of charging batteries(most had 9hp pull start motors)

S11D336B · 06-25-2006, 02:04 AM

My advice. Use a combination of a wind generator and solar panel with a deep cycle battery. That way if it's not sunny you still have power via wind. That is if you really want a computer. There are several other ways you could get GPS and sound with out the price. you could use and ipod and just buy a GPS. Ipods are rated for around 14 hours of play time. you could still use a deep cycle battery to power your marine GPS / charge your ipod. You could even power a small amp to some speakers. Say 100w total. There are a lot of possibilities.

The main problems I see with a car computer on a sailboat:

1. I think you will find that wind / solar power devices that put out enough power to power a small computer are really expensive.
2. Corrosion problems
3. Power, if the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining, your battery isn't going to last much longer than a couple hours.
4. No GPS software application I know of has relevant marine map data.

Mainly though the cost. I mean if you have the money, go for it.

If it were me, I'd get a deep cycle battery, a small wind generator, an ipod, 2 marine speakers, 100w marine amp, low end marine GPS. You could even build a wind generator from a brushed dc motor and large fan for relatively cheap. Or for the price of an ipod buy a marine headunit with mp3 capability.

Ok, this is really turning into rambling. The point I think. . . Is that there are a lot of options and a car pc might not be the best for your application. your really going to have to compare cost, pos and cons, and preference.

tj!2k4 · 06-25-2006, 08:33 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by S11D336B

4. No GPS software application I know of has relevant marine map data.

Could you elaborate on this?

There are specific marine navigational software packages such as Fugawi, The Capn, P-Sea, and many more.

S11D336B · 06-25-2006, 04:06 PM

Oh sorry, I must have been mistaken. But what I meant by relevent map data. . . I meant markers on the gps such as intercoastal markers, depths, marina data, etc. I suppose though that you only need to be able to specify way points though. . But if software packages exist then you won't have a problem with that

. Sorry about that.

zerokarma · 06-27-2006, 09:58 AM

If you are looking for something a little more rugged for use on a boat maybe consider one of these units at: http://www.stealthcomputer.com/littlepc.htm,
I think they have marine friendly options as well.