The protection circuit is not a big project and the parts can be purchased for $12. I no longer have steady enough hands to do a neat job. 
Enclosure 3*2*1 Radio shack 270-1801                              $3.19
100K resistor Radioshack 271-1347                              $1.49
Protection circuit board www-all-battery.com 32071                  $6.97
Connector   (You need to Login or Register 015000045                        $1.72- $1.45
2 6-32 X1/2” brass screws                                    ??
GLUE Marine Goop                                          ??
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Like this only do not put the 2 output screws on the same side of the box.  If pliers are dropped on this one they could short out the unit or if in a aluminum canoe they could both touch the side at the same time. And do it neater!
This setup is only suitable for light loads of less than 1 amp because of the small leads. The card max continuous current is 4 amps.
Charging
Car battery charger set to trickle charge and with about 2 ohms in series with the charger. Charge through the protection board using the same connections as the load.
2 .91 ohm 10 Watt RadioShack 10WD91 resistors $1.21 each                        $2.42
I did not have a suitable resistor so I used about 8 inches of some Nickel-Titanium single strand wire I had for a different project.  That is some strange stuff makes a good resistor but hard to make good electrical connection to.
Puckster
A set of 9 Energizer Ultrimate Lithium will supply 250ma at > 11 volts for 12 hours. They can be purchased at Sams Club for about $17/set.