Satellite Internet on Your Boat: Starlink Plans, Mounting, Power and Wiring

Write down where you actually go: a lake, the ICW, coastal runs, the Bahamas, offshore passages. Then pick the plan whose coverage fits (see above). Check how many days you spend more than a few miles off the coast and whether you'll be in another country. Read Starlink's current in-motion and maritime terms in the app; a plan that "works" somewhere isn't necessarily allowed there.

At anchor, the dish runs off your batteries. Do the math in amp-hours. Divide watts by your battery voltage (about 12.5 for a 12-volt bank) to get amps, then multiply by hours:

• Mini at about 30 watts: roughly 2.5 amps, or about 60 amp-hours over 24 hours.
• Standard at about 60 watts: roughly 5 amps, or about 120 amp-hours over 24 hours, plus inverter losses if it runs on AC.

Measure your own with a clamp meter once it's installed; real draw varies with heating, signal and model. MIRC notes the high-performance dish can use about twice the power of the Standard. Compare with what your batteries and charging can replace each day (the battery bank sizing guide walks through a full daily budget). Many owners turn it off at night or when no one is using it.

Running from DC avoids converting battery power to AC and back again, and it lets you leave the inverter (and its own standby draw) switched off. Options:

• Mini: native DC input through its barrel jack. BoatUS warns that a weak or long 12-volt feed may not start it; SeaBits notes a DC-DC (buck/boost) converter may be needed on long runs to keep the voltage up. If you use USB-C, Starlink specifies a 100-watt (20 volt, 5 amp) supply; BoatUS reports it won't run on much less.
• Standard: comes with an AC supply. MIRC lists compatible DC options. Starlink lists the Standard 4 among its in-motion hardware. Older "actuated" dishes with motors inside (Standard Actuated, first-generation high-performance) are not recommended for use underway. Third-party DC kits are not Starlink products, so check what they do to your warranty, and never open or modify the Starlink hardware itself.
• Performance: accepts DC directly.
• Inverter: simplest if you already have a properly installed inverter. Size it for the startup surge and follow the inverter safety guide.

Look for the most open view of the sky, solid structure, and a short, protected cable run. Common choices: a pole on the arch or radar arch, a rail mount aft, the top of a hardtop, or a pole on a sailboat's stern. Avoid:

• The radar beam. SeaBits reports that most modern broadband or digital radars knock the Standard dish offline until it is power-cycled. Mount it above or below the radar's beam (see the radar mount guide).
• Masts, booms and sails that sweep across its view.
• Places people step, sit or grab for balance.
• Inside a windshield on the dash. Glass and heat both cause trouble (see the safety note above).

Use the Starlink app's obstruction check from the planned spot before you drill anything.

BoatUS's tester found mounting the hardest part and recommends a purpose-made marine mount over a homemade one, especially for rail-mounting a Mini. Choose a mount made for your exact dish model. Through-bolt it with stainless hardware and a backing plate where it goes into fiberglass (the through-bolting guide shows how), and seal every hole. Check that a big dish on a tall pole won't flex or vibrate badly at speed. BoatUS found the dish didn't need re-aiming while the boat changed heading underway, but follow the app's alignment instructions at setup.

Starlink cables are long and their connectors are large. SeaBits points out the Performance dish's cable has big ends that can't be cut and re-terminated in the field, which means a large hole. Before drilling:

• Find a route that is dry, protected from chafe and away from fuel lines, exhaust and moving steering or control cables.
• Use existing wire chases or conduits where you can (see the wire chase guide).
• Don't cut and splice the Starlink cable unless the maker says you can; it can stop working and void the warranty.
• Coil extra cable neatly inside, not in a wet locker or bilge.

Where the cable passes through the deck, hardtop or cabin side, use a sealed cable entry fitting or gland that fits the cable and lets the connector pass. Mount it on a vertical surface or under an overhang if you can, so water doesn't sit on it. Seal it as the fitting maker directs, and if the deck is cored, seal the exposed core edge so water can't wick in. Put a drip loop in the cable outside, below the entry, so water runs off before it reaches the fitting.

If you power it from DC:

• Run a dedicated circuit from the house bank (not the engine start battery) through your DC panel or a fuse block.
• Size the wire for the current and the round-trip length so the voltage doesn't sag (the 12-volt wiring basics guide has the method); undersized wire is the usual cause of a dish that won't boot.
• Fuse it to protect the wire. Blue Sea Systems explains that the fuse is chosen to protect the wire and goes close to the power source; if the adapter maker gives a fuse rating, use it.
• Use tinned marine wire and heat-shrink terminals, and put the adapter somewhere dry and ventilated.
• Label the breaker "Starlink" so anyone can shut it off.

Set up the account and plan in the app. Then:

• Run the obstruction check and move the dish if it shows a lot of blocked sky.
• BoatUS recommends turning off the snow-melt feature unless you need it; it's on by default on the Standard, wastes power and heats the dish.
• Put the router where its Wi-Fi reaches the cabin, or add your own router or access point (the Mini's built-in Wi-Fi has limited range).
• Note your plan's coastal-day count and Ocean Mode status so you don't get surprise limits or charges.

After a few outings, look at the mount bolts, the cable at every bend and clamp, and the entry fitting from inside after rain or a washdown. Measure the real current draw at anchor. Look for chafe where the cable crosses edges. Fix anything now, before water finds the hole.

Rinse the dish and mount with fresh water after salty runs; don't pressure-wash cable connectors. Keep the connectors clean and dry. Turn it off or put the plan on standby or pause when the boat sits unused (if your plan and hardware allow). Before winter storage, consider removing a portable dish and storing it dry, and cap the cable entry.

Record the dish model, serial number, plan, install date and where the fuse is in your BoatMend log. Re-check Starlink's terms before each long cruise or international trip, since coverage rules, prices and time limits have changed several times in 2025 and 2026.