BATTERY CHARGE GOES DOWN QUICKLY

[dfantelli]

So i have a 2019 sx 190. New to me this year. One battery. When i anchor and play music and engine off the battery seems to drain quite quickly. I can imaging the battery is that bas this quick. Is this common to you guys? i start it up and it quickly charges up.....

 

[anmut]

I think the misnomer is that "I start it up and it quickly charges up...."

Yamaha puts stators, not alternators, on their motors. They do charge the battery, but it's slower than your automotive-type alternator. When you see your voltage at 14v, that's running voltage, not charged voltage. Yamaha also does not ship new boats with batteries, that's something provided by the dealership - this means the dealership has the choice to put in a cheap battery to get the boat delivered and out the door.

If I were you:
1) Buy a battery tender and charge your battery while the boat's on the trailer. These are cheap and a great way to assure 100% charge when you get to the landing.
2) Consider upgrading your current battery to a better battery. If the boat was bought used, there's no way to know what the previous owner did to maintain the battery. If he let it discharge all winter, then your battery probably has some issues already.
3) Buy a small jump start kit or upgrade to a second battery setup to give you a peace of mind about not being stranded.

 

[dfantelli]

I think the misnomer is that "I start it up and it quickly charges up...."

Yamaha puts stators, not alternators, on their motors. They do charge the battery, but it's slower than your automotive-type alternator. When you see your voltage at 14v, that's running voltage, not charged voltage. Yamaha also does not ship new boats with batteries, that's something provided by the dealership - this means the dealership has the choice to put in a cheap battery to get the boat delivered and out the door.

If I were you:
1) Buy a battery tender and charge your battery while the boat's on the trailer. These are cheap and a great way to assure 100% charge when you get to the landing.
2) Consider upgrading your current battery to a better battery. If the boat was bought used, there's no way to know what the previous owner did to maintain the battery. If he let it discharge all winter, then your battery probably has some issues already.
3) Buy a small jump start kit or upgrade to a second battery setup to give you a peace of mind about not being stranded.

Thank you. Quite Helpful

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Add a second house battery that is deep cycle.

 

[ripler]

I ran 2 deep cycle batteries in my Yamaha, there is no need for a cranking battery in a Yamaha. I ran 2 amps and never had a battery die.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

I ran 2 deep cycle batteries in my Yamaha, there is no need for a cranking battery in a Yamaha. I ran 2 amps and never had a battery die.

Until your stranded... lol

 

[Julian]

I ran 2 deep cycle batteries in my Yamaha, there is no need for a cranking battery in a Yamaha. I ran 2 amps and never had a battery die.

I run a cheaper cranking battery for the engines, and a larger deep cycle battery for the house side. Yes....you could run two deep cycles, but that would suggest you will use both for your house load....and I wouldn't run it that way.

 

[biffdotorg]

I run a cheaper cranking battery for the engines, and a larger deep cycle battery for the house side. Yes....you could run two deep cycles, but that would suggest you will use both for your house load....and I wouldn't run it that way.

I could be wrong, but I think what he meant is he has one on each circuit, just for standardization purposes. CCA required for these waverunner engines is so low, that it makes little difference if the starting circuit has "deep cycle" or "starting" or "Hybrid" batteries on it.

I have two Group 27 Deep Cycles, but I never run them parallel or switched to the emergency setting unless I truly needed too. And draining my house battery is not an emergency in my eyes. (smile) What I should do, since they are both the same age is swap my house/starting batteries. As their charge and drain cycles have been totally different since new. Obviously the house battery has had much greater duty cycles weekly.

 

[ripler]

Until your stranded... lol

OK, why would I be stranded? I ran this configuration for 10 years.
Please explain why you would need a starting battery to start a PWC engine?

 

[ripler]

I could be wrong, but I think what he meant is he has one on each circuit, just for standardization purposes. CCA required for these waverunner engines is so low, that it makes little difference if the starting circuit has "cranking" or "starting" or "Hybrid" batteries on it.

I have two Group 27 Deep Cycles, but I never run them parallel or switched to the emergency setting unless I truly needed too. And draining my house battery is not an emergency in my eyes. (smile) What I should do, since they are both the same age is swap my house/starting batteries. As their charge and drain cycles have been totally different since new. Obviously the house battery has had much greater duty cycles weekly.

This.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

OK, why would I be stranded? I ran this configuration for 10 years.
Please explain why you would need a starting battery to start a PWC engine?

For if you kill both your batteries... while it can be rare. You could forget to charge them overnight, forget a portable charger etc. Personally I don't prefer to play that game...I always keep house and start separate.

 

[Julian]

For if you kill both your batteries... while it can be rare. You could forget to charge them overnight, forget a portable charger etc. Personally I don't prefer to play that game...I always keep house and start separate.

This is my point.....it doesn't really matter what your start battery is if you are only using it to start the engines - that takes relatively little power. So go ahead and use a starting battery OR a deep cycle - whatever floats your boat. Just ensure you have that separation of HOUSE VS START - this way you'll only be in a pickle if you have two failures (both batteries become depleted for some reason - which is why some people carry a 3rd jump pack!).

 

[ripler]

For if you kill both your batteries... while it can be rare. You could forget to charge them overnight, forget a portable charger etc. Personally I don't prefer to play that game...I always keep house and start separate.

This is my point.....it doesn't really matter what your start battery is if you are only using it to start the engines - that takes relatively little power. So go ahead and use a starting battery OR a deep cycle - whatever floats your boat. Just ensure you have that separation of HOUSE VS START - this way you'll only be in a pickle if you have two failures (both batteries become depleted for some reason - which is why some people carry a 3rd jump pack!).

The OP said he has one battery and you can't simply just add a second house battery without a VSR or battery switch.

Thanks for all the advice, maybe I was just too competent or lucky not to kill my batteries in the 10 years that I had my Yamaha. Just because my setup was different than yours or the way the boats now come from the factory with a VSR, doesn't make it wrong. I'm feeling a lot better now since my new boat came with a house and start battery on a VSR.

Just like the OP my boat came with 1 battery. I chose to use a 1-OFF-2-COMBINE switch and not install a VSR, I used a 2 circuit on board charger that got plugged in when I got home. All of my loads were either connected to battery 1 or 2 depending on the switch setting and I always had the combine position if needed, I had redundant batteries.

 

[Beachbummer]

I left something powered on I should not have and discharged one of the batteries. So I switched the perko from 2 to 1, and away we go. 2 marine "deep cycle" group 24 batteries. $80 each. ACR keeps them both charged, swap between them with the switch every so often to make sure both do the deed. If you kill one, the other one brings you home. Not much to make it work. I believe this is the easiest way to make this work well. One Perko 1,2,ALL, Off. One ACR. Two batteries. Done.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

On my old SX210, I was able to pick up a cheapo switch off amazon for $20... pretty easy to come by. What the new boats have is probably too fancy.