SunWorks has been manufacturing solar panel charge controllers for narrowboats and canal boats since 2002. The SunWorks DB1C was the world’s first dual battery charge controller. It has been constantly improved and is still the most popular. Since then we have developed a wide range of charge controllers intended exclusively for boats of all kinds.

Our most popular charge controllers:

SB1C. To charge one battery. For solar panels up to 170 watts.

SB2C. To charge one battery. For solar panels up to 240 watts.

DB1C. To charge engine and leisure batteries. For solar panels up to 170 watts.

DB2C. To charge engine and leisure batteries. For solar panels up to 240 watts.

DB2E. To charge engine and leisure batteries, at a lower cost. For solar panels up to 240 watts.

All the above charge controllers are designed and built by SunWorks, to the highest quality and specification.

How to choose a charge controller.

1. Charge controller rating. Make sure that your chosen charge controller has a rating of at least 10% more than the solar panel rating. For example, a 100 watt solar panel will need a charge controller with a rating of at least 110 watts, e.g. SunWorks SB1C.
2. Charging one battery. Our single battery charge controllers, the SB types, will charge one battery bank. So you can connect it up to charge either your leisure battery or your engine battery. These single battery controllers are the types SB0, SB1Z, SB1c, SB2c, SB3Z and SB4Z.
3. Charging two batteries. If you want to charge both your engine battery AND your leisure battery, take a look at the SunWorks dual battery charge controllers DB1C, DB2C and DB2E. These will charge both your engine and leisure batteries from the same solar panel.
4. LCD Display. Some of our controllers have built-in LCD displays that let you see how much current is flowing from your solar panel and also how the charge in you battery is progressing. Controllers with built-in displays also have a cable entry at the back so now you can hide the cables out of sight.These controllers are available in black or light grey to suit the interior of your boat.
5. We also manufacture controllers that do not have a built-in display. These are less expensive, and you can often add a SunWorks remote display later. These models are designed to fit close to your battery, out of sight.
6. Future proofing. If you think that you might want to add an additional solar panel in the future, make sure you select a charge controller with a higher rating. For example, if you want to add a second 100 watt solar panel, choose a charge controller rated at at least 220 watts.
7. MPPT charge controllers can increase the amount of power you can get from your solar panel in some circumstances.

Please contact us for more information on our charge controllers, or any other aspect of your solar panel installation.

Or click to read our free guide: “Solar Panels for Boats and Sailing Yachts”