This summer, It's decided, We rent a large catamaran with our family ! Finally, It would be better to say "in extended family" : four adults, Two grown teenagers + their respective boyfriend + a child of 11 years old. We thought of everything : ride, Victualling, clothing, sunscreens, spectacles, Caps, Masks and snorkels, fishing lines… all ! A week before our departure, The skipper sushered us :
— You've thought about phone charging ?
There, a silence, then the answer :
— Uh,, isn't it, What for ?
"You will be nine on board, That's as many smartphones and certainly half of tablets… and there are only two cigarette lighter sockets on the boat !
— Diantre…
Actually, between young people's smartphones, old people's iPads and iPhones, la Nexus du junior, and one of the boat's two 12V sockets which will be exclusively reserved for the navigation iPad, It's going to be war if we don't find a solution for everyone.
The market today offers many solutions, but few of them are suitable for use at sea. Even if a catamaran does not anchor much, better be careful. A brand has been selected by our friends at iTabNav, company X-Move, which offers several products with rather barbaric names, but meeting our criteria for use : robustness and waterproofing.
Sealed batteries
X-Moove© Rugged™
This little pocket battery with a fun design is perfect for a smartphone. It allows two complete recharges of an iPhone, i.e. 20 hours of additional use. We obtain 70% of charging an iPhone in 2 hours steps, 100% in less than 3 hours steps. You can continue to use your smartphone connected to the battery in a pocket. 3 Green LEDs display the charge and/or discharge level. a mini torch and a small laser pointer complete the functions. It’s my wife’s happiness, iPhone addict !
Specifications :
- Anti-shock rubber sheathing
- Waterproofing : IP67 (valve closed)
- Compatibility : Smartphones and USB devices
- Battery capacity : 5600 mAh
- Battery recharge time 0 down to 100% environ 5 hours steps
- Comes with Micro-USB cable, iPhone Dock Adapter, Mini USB adapter
- Dimensions : 102 mm x 56 mm x 26 mm
- Weight : 145g
- Recommended retail price : 59,99€ inc VAT
- iTabNav Promotion : 44,95 € inc VAT
X-Moove© Rugged™ Adventure
Big sister of the previous one, this very powerful battery will be perfect for iPads and other tablets. It allows charging at 100% an iPad, up to 6 full recharges of an iPhone or Galaxy Note, charging a GoPro, and many other devices. 4 recharge/discharge control diodes, mini torch with SOS function. This is the ideal battery, off-road, la Rolls ! The manufacturer announces :
“Its X-Charge technology™ detects your device and optimizes charging speed. It allows you to recharge your device as quickly as your original mains charger. ”
What more could you ask for? ?
Specifications :
- Anti-shock rubber sheathing
- IP67 waterproofing
- Compatibility : Smartphones and USB devices
- Battery capacity : 9000 mAh
- Output power : 2A
- Battery recharge time 0 down to 100% : environ 7 hours steps
- Dimensions : 102 mm x 56 mm x 28 mm
- Weight : 140g
- Comes with Micro-USB cable, iPhone Dock Adapter, Mini USB adapter
- Recommended retail price : 69,99€ inc VAT
- iTabNav Price : 59,90 € inc VAT
The solar panel
Solargo™ Trail 18W
The all-new portable solar panel for iPads and smartphones. Carry like a small briefcase, unfolds and hangs anywhere with a sturdy stainless steel eyelet and several sailmaker-style fixing clips, which also serve to secure it.
« Equipped with SunPower solar panels™, world leader in photovoltaic cells, of X-Charge technology™, the Solargo™ Trail has a yield 40% superior to equivalent surface area compared to competing products. ”
Says the manufacturer. Actually, with 18W rated power (Sun at 90°), a voltage of 5V. and a dual USB output, the Solargo can charge two devices simultaneously, including two iPads, but can also recharge the Rugged battery™ in 5h. and the Rugged™ Adventure en 9h.
Light, robust, shock resistant, to water and extreme temperatures, it is the answer to absolute autonomy ! Finally, as long as there is sun…
Specifications :
- Dimensions : 260 mm x 174 mm x 40 mm
- Weight : 660 g
- Compatibility : Any USB device
- Delivered without cables
- Recommended price : 149,99€
- iTabNav launch price : 129 €
Good, well, all you have to do is warm up the credit card… to avoid mutiny ! And above all, don't forget USB cords of all kinds :
USB cables
USB type A vers :
- USB standard A et B
- USB mini A et B
- USB micro A et B
- Apple Dock (old generation)
- Apple Lightning (new generation)
- Apple USB-C (universal format)
A real headache. 6 different formats for a standardized connector (USB) and three Apple formats. And a piece of advice, mark your own cords with colored adhesives, this will avoid discussions when returning from the cruise.
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a little feedback, I sometimes sail a little on different boats, often for at least one deckchair, see a little more. Regarding the iPad, I tested the 1, the 2 and the first tune, powered behind a 12V socket, they normally hold without problem 24/24.
And behind a 12V socket I use this, I allow myself a link : http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00JRJUL9U?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00
I tested it for quite a long time with 3 Connected devices, I just had to modify the fuse which had blown once. 4 devices, from time to time, 5 I have never tried.
Happy holidays …
We can trust Christophe, when he tests it is over the long term, see his blog :
Christophe Mahé – The logbook
Very good comprehensive article,
I went to Corsica with my Surprise without an electrical circuit, all my electronics were battery powered, I had extra phone batteries, a fold-out solar panel and a highly efficient portable car charging battery; over ten days we were completely electrically autonomous.
Thank you for your great articles.
I finished a month of cruising in the English Channel with an iPad and Weather4D pro + iSailor. No problem with the apps but I have to turn off the iPad between two iSailor sessions otherwise it is inexorably emptied in less than a day. This even when connecting an external battery of 6000 my.
I bought a so-called rapid 2A cigarette lighter socket, but I don't hold the charge. Surely, the battery is slowly dropping, but it goes down.
The main disadvantage of repeatedly turning off the iPad is not having a trace of its route history.
Does anyone have the same problem ?
Patrick
You may have an iPad 3 or 4 ? The most demanding in recharging, 5h30 with the 2.1A charger supplied as standard. See my comments on the article Which iPad for navigation ?.
The track in iNavX or iSailor can be recorded in the background, when the iPad is asleep, but it is better to feed it constantly.
Very nice products in this respect are the Snowlizzard extreme cases for iPhone or Samsung Galaxy: they combine a very rugged and waterproof case with a in corporated 100% spare battery AND a small solar panel. See: http://www.snowlizardproducts.com/collections/cases
Hello everyone,
Well documented article but not complete enough, I thought I would find other solutions, Small portable batteries are good but once empty, where do we connect them for recharging? ? To the cigarette lighter socket already occupied by another device being charged !
In addition, these batteries have the disadvantage (I mention the ones I was able to try, not those cited in the article), to sometimes have too low voltages arriving at a certain transmitted power, which means that a certain level of discharge has been reached, we no longer provide anything to the connected device.
It is better, as stated in the previous comment, use devices with multiple cigarette lighter outlets or certain male cigarette lighter sockets with the possibility of having 4 USB outputs to connect as many cords. Too bad for those who have devices from the bitten apple brand, et leur format de cordon propriétaire, on trouve plus facilement des cordons micro-USB a 1€ que ceux pour Apple à 30€. Pour mon Blackberry j’ai même des cordons à double sortie micro-USB pour recharger deux appareils en même temps, on ne peux pas tout avoir… j’ai eu mais je n’ai plus et c’est tant mieux…
No, au panneau solaire décrit ci-dessus, tiens 😉 Et merci pour l’article « pas assez complet ».
Je suis également skipper et il est toujours amusant de voir à quelle vitesse les gens cherchent du wi-fi et du courant en escale. De mon côté, j’emporte un adaptateur allume-cigare qui a deux ports en sortie, un pour mon iPad avec iNavx et l’autre pour les passagers.
J’ai même dans les cas extrêmes et quand le poids des bagages le permet un doubleur d’allume-cigare avec une petite rallonge, qui permet de recharger 4 devices. Mais bon, au sud de la Turquie, quand on est toujours « offline », l’équipage se surprend à pouvoir vivre sans portable ni tablette pendant plusieurs jours consécutifs 🙂
Sinon un grand merci pour votre blog !
Charles