Battery charger recomendations?

[Redstar]

I bought my first boat a couple months ago and have been gathering all the required / necessary / shiny parts before fishing season officially opens.

I still need something to charge the deep cycle battery for my electric trolling motor, but I'm a little overwhelmed by the battery charger options.

Ideally I'd like something that won't fry the battery when I accidentally forget I left it on the charger for a few days... What battery chargers are you guys using for your deep cycle batteries?

Thanks!

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Battery charger recomendations?

Get an on-board charger. They are made to be plugged in and left that way until time to go fishing again.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Battery charger recomendations?

A good many of the chargers now a days have a circuit in them that will taper or drop the charge rate when it senses the battery being at full charge, any good quality charger will work just fine..

 

[Boatist]

Re: Battery charger recomendations?

Most charger for autos or boats work very well.
The key is to get one that is automatic or smart charger.
Every on board charger I have seen is smart or automatic so they are good but higher priced.
The Portable models for your boat or car work about the same but are not sealed up the same as well as the onboard chargers.
They work the same way.

I think the best charger are 3 stage and some have voltage readouts or current readout. Some even have circuits to check your alternator.

I suggest for trolling motor batteries you get a automatic or smart charger that has at least 10 amp output. Anything smaller and after a day of running it will take more than 15 hours to charge a single group 27 battery.

If you have more than one trolling motor battery and they are wired is series for 24 volts then the on board charger is the way to go. Get one that has 2 banks if you have just 2 batteries.
If you have 2 trolling motor batteries and a starting battery the get one with 3 banks. These are expensive but very good and 6 amps per bank would be the smallest I would consider.

Do not buy a trickle charger. They take forever to recharge your battery so a lot of damage is done, also they usually continue to charge even after the battery is fully charged doing damage again.

Remember with Lead acid batteries the longer they are left discharged the more damage is done to you battery.
So Recharge as soon as soon as possible and at least once a month in summer. In cold winter every other month is ok.

One last note some will tell you to get a low amp model because they are better for the battery. I feel just the opposite as they take too long to recharge. On my boat I charge both batteries with a 65 amp alternator thru a battery isolator and my 1980 boat has not had a battery that did not last at least 6 years. Most cars and trucks today have alternators 100 amps or more.

One thing that I do not do is charge my batteries when temperature is too high. Like my boat which is in the direct sun every afternoon covered with a dark blue cover the inside temperature reach 140 degrees every summer afternoon.

 

[Redstar]

Re: Battery charger recomendations?

Thanks for the input!

I guess I should have given a little more info with my post. I have a 12v trolling motor and the boat is a 12' aluminum fishing boat. Also have a 9hp outboard as the main motor.

Not too much extra real estate for gear, would an onboard charger still be a good idea?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Battery charger recomendations?

On a 12 foot boat you don't need an on-board charger unless you dislike carrying a portable charger down to the boat. But since you would need to pull a power cord down to anyway, why not carry a portable with you at the same time. A six amp Guest or Pro-Mariner charger will work fine for you and are about as small as I would go with an on-board charger. They will top off the troller just fine overnight. Remember, deep cycles should never be discharged more than half way to get optimum life out of them. If you fish in the morning, come in at noon, plug in the charger, go out again in the afternoon, come in at dusk or for supper, plug in and go out again to fish at night, plug in when you return and next morning the battery will be ready to go. Leave the cord at the dock and when not in use, plug it in. The two chargers I mentioned (as well as nearly all new chargers) are automatic and will not overcharge a battery if left on continuously.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Battery charger recomendations?

I agree with sliver except I still like a 10 amp charger.
Now in your case with a 12 foot boat your are not going to use near as much current as we do with a 19 foot bass boat with a 175 hp motor.
Still with a 6 or 10 amp charger hooked up after a few minutes the current is going to start tapering down. After a couple of hours it will likely taper down to half of the 6 or 10 amps so only be 3 to 5 amps. It will continue to taper down until it reaches zero amps but the 10 amp will not over charge and complete the charge quicker.

When we prefish on Saturday before a Sunday tournament we launch about 5 am and fish until 12 noon then drive home and put the group 27 battery on charge by 1400 with a 10 amp charger.
Most days it is fully charged by 4AM but on days where the wind was blowing it will not be fully charged by 4 AM.
Also that day when you get up in the morning and find out your dorm light in your car was on all night and your car will not turn over the 10 amp gets you going much quicker.

I would check chargers here at IBoats but I think most are on board chargers. I would also check Walmart.
Just get one that will not harm the battery if left connected. Any automatic or smart charger. Charger are much better today than 30 years back.