Battery & charger question/advice

[LFK]

I went to put my boat in yesterday and the blower wouldn't' start (still on the trailer, but in the water, trying to start the boat up). So I pulled up the battery cover and found that the cables were very loose. I pulled the boat trailer/ out to a staging area and tightened the cables. When I went back in and tried to start it up the battery was dead. I always have the charger hooked up and plugged in when home (see question concerning this bellow), so I'm' faced with two possibilities. 1) The loose cables caused the battery to not charge. or 2) The battery (it's old, I bought the boat used a year ago, and it was not a strong battery then) can't hold a charge anymore.

Questions:

What's your guess as to the problem?

If the battery is no longer good, what battery should I replace it with. 17' bow rider. The battery gets used to start it up and sometimes to listen to some music while anchored.

I'm' in the habit of plugging my trickle charger in every time I get home from the water. Sometimes it stays plugged in for a week, before I go out again. Is that bad for the battery? Should I only plug it in the day (or night) before I'm' heading out?

Thank you for your help.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Battery & charger question/advice

The problem you had could have been any or all three of the situations you mentioned. If you had the charger hooked to cable end instead of the post and the cable was loose, obviously the battery can't charge. The loose cables likewise can't deliver the current required to start the engine or run accessories. If the battery is old (bad cell or cells) or dead, it also can't deliver the current required to start the engine or run accessories. You can have the battery load tested at most auto parts store but since you said its old, why not replace it. Replace it with the largest capacity (amp/hour) marine starting battery you have room for. You can't have too much power. You can only have too little. Since we have no idea what engine you have we can't possibly make a "minimum" size recommendation. the difference in price between large and small starting batteries is minimal. Buy a big one and you won't have to worry. Check your trickle charger to make sure it is automatic so it doesn't overcharge the batter if left on indefinitely.

 

[LFK]

Re: Battery & charger question/advice

Silvertip:
Thank you. Actually the trickle charger is hooked up to seperate (smaller) posts, so I can rule out the loose connection.

I'll check to make sure it automatically shuts off, or else I will only use it right before trips.

The engine is a 1989 3.7L Mercruiser (Alpha 1).