1st boat incoming. Dumb question

[mojin7]

I have a Yamaha AR195 on the way. I understand most things about the boat in general. But what do people typically do about the battery? My boat will be kept in a slip on a river all season. There is access to electricity at each slip. Ill be finding out how often i can get on the thing this spring. Hopefully a good day at least once a week. Do people leave trickle chargers on all the time when not in use? After so many hours? Am I checking voltage constantly? Im having the hardest time understanding. In a car they charge while you drive and you never worry until they get old or there is a major issue. Thanks for any advice! I just want to be prepared.

 

[TyeeMan]

I'm guessing you are referring to the starting battery? Personally, I never touch mine. If I think about it come spring and approaching the first start up I might put a charger on it for a few days but that's about it.
This summer I think I've had the boat out 5 maybe 6 times and it starts perfectly every time.
If you are worried about a parasitic drain or something like that, you could always install a battery disconnect switch.
The engine on your boat should charge your battery when it's running.

 

[matt167]

Well, the Yamaha has basically a jet ski engine ( big one ). It will have some sort of a charging stator, and not an alternator I don't think. It will be limited charging while the boat is running, probably under 20A. That said, unless your blasting music for 8 hours without it running, or operating a GPS/fishfinder/ chart plotter for 8 hours, you will not run the battery down enough to be a problem

 

[mojin7]

Well, the Yamaha has basically a jet ski engine ( big one ). It will have some sort of a charging stator, and not an alternator I don't think. It will be limited charging while the boat is running, probably under 20A. That said, unless your blasting music for 8 hours without it running, or operating a GPS/fishfinder/ chart plotter for 8 hours, you will not run the battery down enough to be a problem

Thank you for your reply! So are you saying that I should basically treat it like a car while in season. Run it, enjoy it, dont worry about the battery unless running the radio or electronics like crazy without the engine running? (I will always start the season on a charged battery so winter isnt my concern at all)

 

[matt167]

Thank you for your reply! So are you saying that I should basically treat it like a car while in season. Run it, enjoy it, dont worry about the battery unless running the radio or electronics like crazy without the engine running? (I will always start the season on a charged battery so winter isnt my concern at all)

exactly

 

[mojin7]

I'm guessing you are referring to the starting battery? Personally, I never touch mine. If I think about it come spring and approaching the first start up I might put a charger on it for a few days but that's about it.
This summer I think I've had the boat out 5 maybe 6 times and it starts perfectly every time.
If you are worried about a parasitic drain or something like that, you could always install a battery disconnect switch.
The engine on your boat should charge your battery when it's running.

Yes the starting battery. Is there a second battery??? (AR195)
I just wasn't understanding that the boat motor adds charge to the battery while running. I have had most toys but I have literally never owned a boat of any kind. And walking the docks at the marina I joined I see so many people running electricity to their boats or battery chargers. Thought I was missing something.

 

[briangcc]

If you're worried about it, install an onboard battery charger and just plug it in. I have one on my fish & ski...boat is currently plugged in to charge both batteries. I love the convenience.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Another alternative: get one of those jump pack batteries and keep it in your car. If you get to the river and find the starting battery is dead, use the jump pack to get the boat running. (An on board smart charger will work, too, but you might be buying something that really isn't needed.)

 

[mr 88]

And walking the docks at the marina I joined I see so many people running electricity to their boats or battery chargers. Thought I was missing something.

Most boats over 18-21' have on board automatic battery chargers and if they are cranking tunes while not running all day , or cranking stickbaits with electronics on /electric trolling motor , they like to have freshly charged batteries. Bigger than that and you have AC/DC refrigerators along with AC and who knows what else running all the time , so they plug into shore power to charge there 3-6 batteries and enjoy the 110 running the rest of the boat while slipped.
Why don't you Google your boat and or engine model asking if it has a alternator / is old school magnets and rotor . The 80's Mercruiser 470s had them and the magnets over time fell off .didn't have a sterling reputation for charging compared to a alternator , which was factory installed in the last years of production [ if I recall correctly ] or they came out with a aftermarket retrofit kit for it.

 

[poconojoe]

Not to worry. Your engine will charge the battery while it's running, just like your land vehicles.

If you are paranoid, add a second battery and a battery switch. It will give you a choice which battery to use or you can combine the two batteries if needed for additional boost. Only the battery that is selected will charge, unless you switch it to (combine) both.
If you want an automatic way to select which battery gets charged, you can add an ACR (automatic charging relay). It will decide which or both batteries need charging.

You want to make sure nothing but the automatic bilge pump is energized while the boat is docked or the battery may get drained. I had to disconnect the radio memory wire which was always hot. It drained my battery once.
The only thing I have directly connected to the battery now is the automatic bilge pump.

And since you are keeping your boat in a slip, make sure your bilge pump is an automatic one. Some are strictly manual.
You can add the automatic switch to yours if it is a manual one or buy a complete new automatic one.