Good point about the electrolyte level and specific gravity. No, I have not been checking it and yes, I will.
I know about the current drain when transmitting on the
VHF at full power but I'm mostly a lurker, not a talker. I don't think that is an issue.
I don't remember the brand of charge controller but it is a sophisticated 3-stage unit. It is new this year as is the 10W panel. I previously used a 5W panel w/o a controller. (This was before I felt the need to add an automatic
anchor light -- before I was dismasted at the mooring by a drunken power boater in the middle of the night -- but that's another story!)
There shouldn't be any other parasitic loads as I have a master switch that turns off power to everything except the
anchor light and the automatic bilge
pump. I added a latching alarm LED to the
pump circuit to tell me if it has come on while I'm away from the boat. It has never come on yet. (I do test it once in a while to make sure the alarm and the
pump are both working properly.)
The boat is still sitting in my driveway; I have several more weekends worth of projects to finish up before launching for the season. I want to replace the battery before she hits the water. What's the verdict? Deep-cycle or regular?