How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

Our battery was dead on Memorial Day. Can?t figure out what caused the battery to drain, we had been running the motor night before after doing some maintenance.

We tried to Jump it with the Car Battery, but it didn?t work (it had worked on another occasion, but this time the burst you get from a normal battery just wasn?t long enough to get it to start)

So I have some questions that maybe the forum can help out with.

1 ? We were thinking about installing a second battery so that we always have a fully charged spare. What are the pitfalls (if any) of doing this?

2 ? Is there a portable Jump start device that would work for a Deep Cycle, or are those just a waste.

3 ? The PERKO battery switch only controls the power to the starter. All the other devices essentially are on constant power. Is there a better power switch to use that would let us power off the accessories as well?

We?ve gotten pretty good at being prepared for unexpected failures, but we havn?t addressed the dead battery yet. So I?m just looking for any and all suggestion to give us the best chances of preventing unexpected failures once we get to the lake.

I?m sure everyone knows what it?s like disappointing the kids and their friends, and I?d like to do my best to prevent that from happening.

Thanks for your help.

M

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

Keep a fresh battery by buying a new one about every 3 years, keep it fully charged all the time with an overnight 2 amp charger, check, clean and tighten all battery connections, carry jumper cables on boat, keep motor tuned and maintained so it starts quickly. Be sure all accessories are turned off or disconnected when motor is turned off. Keep children out of the boat when not in use(they like to play with switches). Always start up the motor the last thing you do before you leave for the lake or river, just to be sure. Good Luck!

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

I had that problem on our 'toon if it sat for a month or more. Bought a HF batt disconnect switch and ran ALL grounds thru it. Mounted it near the battery and haven't had a problem since.
Mike

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

I have 4 batteries on board. All 4 can be used in an emergency to start my big motor. I have an 80# electric that can move me 4 mph in a 10 mph headwind. I have a gas kicker that can get me in if either of the others fail, that is pull start. With all that, I WOULD NOT venture on the water if I had to jump start the motor using my tow vehicle. You don't know what the problem is and you are asking for trouble by venturing out on a system that possibly will strand you on the water.

As far as what you can do. A battery load testor is relatively cheap and will give you an idea of the condition of your battery. Keep it charged. If you are running a lot of electronics (stereo, lights, etc) with the motor off on that one battery, make sure it has a full charge when you are done, and get the charge on the battery as soon as possible. Get a second battery to run you accessories and only use the starting battery for starting.

Biggest thing is to play it safe. If something is wrong, find it and fix it before going out.

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

You should not be using a deep cycle battery to start your motor. This can shorten the battery life and wreak havoc on the charging system and the ignition system.

You need a starting battery.

Your engine and controls should be connected to the starting battery.

If you have stereos and other electronics that use juice, they should be connected to a second battery.

ANY car battery can and will start your outboard.

I suspect the reason you could not jump it, is because the car battery was trying to charge the dead deep cycle as well start the motor.

Get yourself a new starting battery, get a second battery for your accessories if you think you need one.

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

Whats the downfall in using a deep cycle battery?.. I have two on my boat going through a switch, I turn the switch to ALL and start up.. I assumed the motor would keep both charging...

I was under the impression deep cycle was best for cold starting amps...am i incorrect??

Thanks

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

I put two batteries in my boat with a 1-2-both-off switch. It is always "off" when docked. Always "both" when running. Always 1 or 2 when anchored. I get about seven years from my walmart marine batteries. I know I need a new battery when I go out in spring and it needs a jump. At first sign of trouble my batteries are replaced. We get about 3 people every year who die because their fishing boat won't start and the sea turns angry on them. The price of a battery isn't worth risking it.

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

Rscardina said:

Whats the downfall in using a deep cycle battery?.. I have two on my boat going through a switch, I turn the switch to ALL and start up.. I assumed the motor would keep both charging...

I was under the impression deep cycle was best for cold starting amps...am i incorrect??

Thanks

Click to expand...

You need to determine why the battery was dead. Is the charging system not funcioning properly? Is the battery damaged/beyond it's useful life? Excessive parasitic drain from faulty electronic device? Find the source of your problem before making changes to the system.

A deep cycle is a very poor choice for a starting battery. Deep cycle batteries serve their purpose in use as trolling motor banks or dedicated house load banks that are separated from the starting circuit. High current rush loads such as starting an engine cause damage to them and drastically shorten their life. Just as deep discharges (below 50%) cause severe damage to standard marine starting and auto batteries. Different tools for different applications.

For example my fishing boat has two FLA deep cylcles in parallel that run all house loads and my trolling motor. They are charged by a Xantrex 10A charger mounted in the boat each night. The engine electrical system is not connected in any way to this bank as the outboard's charging system is not designed or capable of replenishing that many amp hours. The starting battery for my outboard is an old Optima I had laying around. The only loads this battery sees is starting and auto bilge pump duty. Everything else is run off the house bank.

Another example would be a racing sailboat I run. This has a house bank consisting of two group 24 Deka AGM batts linked in parallel. These are charged by a Guest Charge Pro 45A charger when plugged into shore power. They are linked to the high capacity alternator on the diesel auxiliary by a Hellroaring isolator. The diesel is started by an Optima that is only charged by the alternator. The house and engine banks can be combined in an emergency using the emergency combine position on the Blue Seas Dual Circuit Plus switch or from the DC load panel by a switch that manually activates the Hellroaring isolator and provides a controlled 30A bridge.


Most small runabouts could benefit from a two battery installation, however most small runabouts do not have charging systems designed for that type of use. Most small runabouts are also notoriously poorly wired. Your battery switch should kill all loads from the battery it is connected to when off. That is the point of a master switch. Yours is currently wired wrong. You should also have a main fuse or circuit breaker within 18in of a battery regardless of any switch that may be employed.

This subject is extremely boat/use specific and I urge you to do some research and learn as much as you can. If it still seems confusing to you, find a reputable marine electrician to sort through your needs.

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

so ... why did it go dead anyway? Batteries don't just go from healthy to dead in a single night without something fairly serious going on.

for whatever it is worth ... if I only had one battery i would go with a deep cycle and plan on it having a short life. I'm so forgetful. One time I ran inside to grab the phone and forgot that the boat lift was running. I also forget to turn off headlights, radios, and stuff like that. My utility truck has a deep cycle in it. The headlights don't auto shut-off and I kill the battery almost every time I drive it in the rain. Deep cycle batteries come back from the dead. Starting batteries ... not so much.

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

AWESOME! This is what I was looking for, great advice from the experienced boaters. Now I just need time to digest it...

But I can answer a few questions.

We've got a pretty good collection of spare parts. One of them we replaced "ON Site" was the cable to the battery.

We were going to hook up the car battery direct (we had two vehicles with us so we risked it) but when we did, we couldn't get the cable to tighten back up, too corroded.

So we replaced the cable with our spare and everything seemed alright. Once we got a charge in it from the tow vehicle (while running rather than pulling the battery).

However, as soon as we hit the water and tried to maneuver, the engine stalled (because in all the craziness I got carried away and didn't let it warm up). And the battery didn't have a second start in it.

That was my first lesson. We usually are more patient when putting it in the water. But we let the conditions get the better of us.

As far as what originally killed the battery, well between doing some motor testing the night before and letting the kids sit in the boat while we waited to get into the lake (they deny playing the radio for any length of time, and I didn't hear it playing)

Not to mention that I have NO idea how old the battery is, it's a LEAST as old as when we bought the boat 2 years ago.

Anyway, I;m going to keep reading your replies and I'll get back atcha if I have specific questions

M

Charger Recommendations anyone?

Charger Recommendations anyone?

Ok, so I?m going to start simple and get a starting battery and a house battery setup.

Then my next step is to keep my charge maintained

So anyone have any recommendations for a battery charger and a load tester?

I?m thinking an onboard charger, like a battery tender, would be good?

What do you think?

M

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

RRitt said:

for whatever it is worth ... if I only had one battery i would go with a deep cycle and plan on it having a short life.

Click to expand...

They have dual purpose batteries that would be a better choice.

I found this: (http://www.bassedge.com/pages/show/Selecting_A_Marine_Battery)

Dual Purpose Deep Cycle/Starting Service
Dual purpose batteries are ideal for applications that require starting and deep cycle service. They deliver powerful cranking amperage for easy starting, and low amp draw service for reliable auxiliary power. Dual purpose batteries are a perfect compromise between the unique demands of starting service and deep cycling, low amp draw service.

Deep Cycle, Starting, Dual Purpose...How Should I Choose?

Ideally, you could have one battery for starting and an auxiliary deep cycle battery for the trolling motor and accessories. If however, you can only have one battery on board, the one you choose depends on the power draw required. For light to moderate-duty low amp draw service, choose the dual purpose battery, specially designed to handle both starting and cycling. For heavy-duty cycling, choose the deep cycle battery. This will give you enough cranking amperage to start your engine, and the most reserve power to keep your trolling motor and accessories running longer.

Click to expand...

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

Is the dual purpose good at recovering from total discharge? If you made a pile of all the batteries that I have I killed by leaving lights on then it would be a fairly large pile. If you made a pile of batteries that have gone bad for all other reasons combined then it would have two - maybe three - batteries. For me, the perfect battery is the one that best tolerates a forgetful bonehead owner. How do you think the dual purpose would perform at rising from the grave? Maybe it would be a better fit for my truck?

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

i learned my "dead battery" lesson the hard way. it was a terrible situation, out on the ohio river middle of night, no oars, and NOONE around to help. so i had to get creative to get myself to shore

anyhow, it will never happen again. since then i carry two batteries, on a perko switch. in addition to that i carry a jump pack at all times just in case. the jump pack is checked every single time i go out. the batteries i let go and to their own thing, charge onboard from engine. if for some reason i do get dead batteries, ill use my jump pack, and get my two on charger once i get home. jump pack has been my one of my best emergency investments.

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

findinghomer said:

i learned my "dead battery" lesson the hard way. it was a terrible situation, out on the ohio river middle of night, no oars, and NOONE around to help. so i had to get creative to get myself to shore

anyhow, it will never happen again. since then i carry two batteries, on a perko switch. in addition to that i carry a jump pack at all times just in case. the jump pack is checked every single time i go out. the batteries i let go and to their own thing, charge onboard from engine. if for some reason i do get dead batteries, ill use my jump pack, and get my two on charger once i get home. jump pack has been my one of my best emergency investments.

Click to expand...

And also a pair of oars I hope...?

Re: How to Prepare for a Dead Battery?

Probably the most neglected troublemaker in electric start boats is corrosion in the battery cable connections.

It costs exactly nothing and takes about 5 minutes to remove and clean them every spring, yet they are responsible for hundreds of good batteries, starters, solenoids and even harnesses being replaced needle$$ly.

It wouldn't surprise me a bit if that is/was your original trouble.

Re: Charger Recommendations anyone?

Re: Charger Recommendations anyone?

mreinsmith said:

Ok, so I?m going to start simple and get a starting battery and a house battery setup.

Then my next step is to keep my charge maintained

So anyone have any recommendations for a battery charger and a load tester?

I?m thinking an onboard charger, like a battery tender, would be good?

What do you think?

M

Click to expand...

A battery tender is designed to prevent battery discharge due to normal parasitic drain such as a stereo memory, engine control computer, and the battery's natural rate of discharge. They are not designed to recharge a discharged battery.

You need a 3 stage automatic charger designed for onboard use. Guest, Minn Kota and several other companies offer these. Look for a waterproof model to make installation easy. Mine is a Xantrex and is carefully mounted in a dry location as it is not a waterproof/resistant model. My Xantrex is a 10A unit and is more than capable of topping off my 160 Ah (80 Ah useable) house bank every night.

This is in the neighborhood of what you're looking for:

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|328|985|316471&id=131403

A dual bank charger could also be used and your engine starting battery would enjoy the long life benefits of 3 stage battery charging when plugged in, but this is not necessary. Without spending serious money, most engine driven charging systems are unable to bring a battery to 100% charge due to their design. Using a 3 stage charger while plugged in to shore power solves this problem but is completely overkill for the starting battery on most runabouts.