I finally outgrew my garmin 62 and it's time for a real chartplotter. I don't have a 12v system installed in my skiff and I don't any desire to add one. Has anyone installed something like a Elite 7 or similar on a grab bar with a self contained battery? I've toyed around with the idea of repurposing a laptop battery or maybe building a small battery box for a small lithium battery on the grab bar. I'm just trying to avoid installing a battery and battery box in the bow and chasing wires all over the place.
You might look into small sealed lead acid batteries. There are many different sizes most are under 10lbs. http://www.interstatebatteries.com/b/sealed-lead-acid-sla/11-0-13-0-volts/N-18Zzihwq2Zzihwsq?dsNav=A~Part+Number&searchTerm=null You could also do ni-cd. Much cheaper then lit-ion and no special chargers. http://www.interstatebatteries.com/search.aspx?dsNavigation=Ns~product+Type%7c101%7c1%7c,N~44-2147384810-4196097543 Make sure you look at the draw from your gps unit and get a battery that will last all day.
