What Is the Difference Between a Battery Monitors and an Amp Meter?

Question:

What is the difference between battery monitors and amp meters? How many do I need for my boat?

Answer:

Battery monitors and amp meters are quite different. Amps are a value like speed (i.e. km/hr) but don’t provide you the distance travelled. As with a car, your speed varies as you drive through a city. Amps only tell you the speed you are going at that moment. The battery monitor tells you the amount of battery capacity you have left. There is no substitute for a battery monitor.