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Location: Green Bay, WI | Well, I'd be careful...
If your trolling motor batteries aren't terribly discharged, then you'll probably be alright. And I suppose it depends upon how powerful (in terms of current charging capacity) your charger is. But I'll bet you have a 5-amp fuse on that lighter circuit, so if your charger is powerful and the batteries are drawing a lot of current because they are in a low-charge state, then you may blow the fuse for the lighter. But if the trolling motor batteries are relatively charged, and/or your charger doesn't draw a lot of current straight away, you'll probably do OK. You should investigate those things.
The worst that will happen, I guess, is that you'll blow the fuse (assuming you have an inline fuse for the 12v socket), and have to replace it. But if you do not have it fused, then I think you're asking for problems. That wire, depending upon the gauge, is probably not rated for the kind of current you'll see if the batteries are discharged. So at the very least, make sure the 12v outlet is fused. You do not want an electrical fire on-board while underway.
Also, this is a good time to make sure that you have a Class C extinguisher on your boat.
TB
EDIT: I forgot to say that as far as I've seen, the cheaper inverters are only good for about 1/2 amp, which is far less than most battery charger will draw with low trolling motor batteries. And many of those inverters have their own over-current protection, so you may be popping their circuit breakers/fuses with some chargers.
Edited by tcbetka 5/18/2010 10:00 PM
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