volt amp meter needed

If you're just looking for temporary data collection, then why go through all this trouble. A clamp-style amp meter will work just fine.

I agree with you, just don't have one. That is why I was thinking of hooking something up temp and then switching it to my TT.

I have several cheap multi meters, guess I could hook one of them up temp also just to get my readings or like you said buy a clamp on meter :)

I started out looking for a waterproof volt / amp meter and planned to mount it in the kayak. Since they can't be found I decided to get a meter hook up temp and then move to my TT.

Just a volt meter that is waterproof is no problem to find, so I ordered one of those for permanent use in the kayak.

riven1950 wrote:
WTP-GC wrong again. Not trying to backwards figure amp hours left in battery. Since I am using a PWM controller I will have infinite speed, 0-100 %. I want to try and find the sweet spot in amp draw / speed, kind of like finding the sweet spot for mileage when towing, for example 55 vs 65.

I think I found a unit that will work. I will liikely hook it up temp and just run it long enough to get the info I need. It is not waterproof. Then I can move it into my TT and use it as a monitor. I found a cheap volt only meter that is waterproof and will leave it on the kayak permanently.

You may be thinking why go to the trouble? Well, I'm retired and got nothing better to do and want to know even though most people don't see a need for it. Since I am using a small deep cycle battery it is part of my battery management system, at least that is what the voices in my head are saying.

If you're just looking for temporary data collection, then why go through all this trouble. A clamp-style amp meter will work just fine.

WTP-GC wrong again. Not trying to backwards figure amp hours left in battery. Since I am using a PWM controller I will have infinite speed, 0-100 %. I want to try and find the sweet spot in amp draw / speed, kind of like finding the sweet spot for mileage when towing, for example 55 vs 65.

I think I found a unit that will work. I will liikely hook it up temp and just run it long enough to get the info I need. It is not waterproof. Then I can move it into my TT and use it as a monitor. I found a cheap volt only meter that is waterproof and will leave it on the kayak permanently.

You may be thinking why go to the trouble? Well, I'm retired and got nothing better to do and want to know even though most people don't see a need for it. Since I am using a small deep cycle battery it is part of my battery management system, at least that is what the voices in my head are saying.

WTP-GC wrote:

westend wrote:
The monitor function would be a good deterrent for having to paddle off the lake.

There's a great plethora of battery voltage monitors that work well for knowing what the voltage is. But what the OP is basically trying to accomplish is an amp meter in order to backwards figure the amp-hours remaining on the battery. FWIW, a simple 12V trolling motor will work continuously on almost anything over 6V. But it just won't have the thrust as the voltage and amp-hours lessen.

Gotcha. The Victron monitor I have can be set for battery capacity and counts up to/down from that number, letting a user know how much capacity remains.

westend wrote:
The monitor function would be a good deterrent for having to paddle off the lake.

There's a great plethora of battery voltage monitors that work well for knowing what the voltage is. But what the OP is basically trying to accomplish is an amp meter in order to backwards figure the amp-hours remaining on the battery. FWIW, a simple 12V trolling motor will work continuously on almost anything over 6V. But it just won't have the thrust as the voltage and amp-hours lessen.

If the panel on your boat is flat where you want to locate the metering, install the lid of a small Tupperware container on that panel. Install meter onto/through lid. Drill small hole for wires on container and lastly, snap on the rest of the Tupperware container. This will offer a near watertight enclosure for meter.

BTW, Victron battery monitors are round, work well for all functions DCV, but do require a shunt and are not totally waterproof. The price is around twice the cost of a decent hybrid marine battery. That may be a good ROI if sloppy battery charging or maintenance is a possibility. The monitor function would be a good deterrent for having to paddle off the lake.

riven1950 wrote:

WTP-GC wrote:
There is no practical purpose for knowing your real-time amp draw for a trolling motor on a kayak.

Thanks for your opinion, even though I didn't ask whether or not I needed an Amp meter. FYI I am installing a PWM controller and I think it would be good to see Amps, so there is a practical purpose in my opinion, which is the one that counts. I agree the volt meter will tell me the status of the battery.

Thanks for all of the replies. Some suggested may work. I have a potential 30 Amp draw so that makes it a bit more difficult to find a combo unit. The Amp meter on many are 0-10A only.

You're welcome :R
I based my comments on the fact that (1) you don't need it and (2) you couldn't find a suitable solution that you were comfortable with anyway. I've had many occasions where I wish someone would have stepped in and told me that I was chasing a pointless or dead-end pursuit. So don't get all worked up...

I like having information at my disposal, even useless information sometimes. But in order to adequately utilize the information displayed on an amp-meter to calculate battery life (which is the only good reason I can see for having this), you would still have to do on-the-spot calculations and data recording. When I'm fishing/boating, I'm there to relax and have fun, not to spend time carefully calculating remaining battery life.

But you're right, the only practical purpose that matters is yours. So carry on and find something that works for you. Since I've never ever seen anything like this available in the marine industry for the purpose you're describing, and since I've never seen anyone else do it (including professional bass fisherman that depend on their equipment to make a living), I'm going to venture to say that there's no reason to have it. On small boats, simplicity and minimalism is king.

Edit:
I would assume that you've spent a great deal of time thinking about this. You know there are forums specific to your kayaking needs that are far more suited to answer a question like this than a RV forum. Have you asked the question on those types of forums and if so, what was the feedback?

riven1950 wrote:
and I think it would be good to see Amps, so there is a practical purpose in my opinion, which is the one that counts.

And what EXACTLY do you think knowing the amp draw will be useful for ??

WAY too many people these days think that their opinion is the only one that "counts".

WTP-GC wrote:
There is no practical purpose for knowing your real-time amp draw for a trolling motor on a kayak.

Thanks for your opinion, even though I didn't ask whether or not I needed an Amp meter. FYI I am installing a PWM controller and I think it would be good to see Amps, so there is a practical purpose in my opinion, which is the one that counts. I agree the volt meter will tell me the status of the battery.

Thanks for all of the replies. Some suggested may work. I have a potential 30 Amp draw so that makes it a bit more difficult to find a combo unit. The Amp meter on many are 0-10A only.

You only need a volt meter. Adding the amp reading function will do you no good for your application. I've been involved with boating and boat building for a long time, including marine electronics. There is no practical purpose for knowing your real-time amp draw for a trolling motor on a kayak. Your battery voltage will dictate the ability of your trolling motor to work correctly and will be a factor long before any amp-hour considerations are had. The only time you need to consider amp-hours are when purchasing the battery and trolling motor, just so you can make sure that you're setting it up correctly.