The large general purpose chargers tested can handle most battery sizes. Clockwise from left: the Ray-O-Vac 3-in-1 Power Station PS3, Radio Shack #23-233, Millennium Rapid- charger, Golden Power Model CKB-8A, Accu- ûcell ACL2000, and in center, the Ray-O-Vac Renewal Power Station.

The quality, accuracy and multiple features of today’s handheld electronics—VHF radios, Global Positioning Satellites (GPS’s) and GPS chartplotters—rival their fixed-mount counterparts. This near parity, along with their lower cost, makes the handheld a smart choice for the frugal boat owner.

Their drawback? They need batteries, and some units seem to eat them up as quickly as the Cookie Monster goes through a sleeve of Chips A’Hoys. You can stow a large cache of single-use batteries, but disposal is environmentally unkind. We’d rather not. Therefore, using rechargeable batteries is the obvious way to go. …