BOAT BATTERY MAINTENANCE...CHECK IT OUT

[Leojay]

Time to maintain your boat battery, here is how I roll...

 

[Betik]

doesn't matter if you know the info already. @Leojay videos are always fun to watch

 

[gthh]

what charges up... must drain down... one battery on board... it’s got to be sound... might be a good idea ....to carry a spare... ...or get yourself a BoatUs towing membership if you are the kind of guy that just wants to boat and don’t really want to care! (about battery maintenance).

Classic Song of the 70’s. I will be humming it all night!!

 

[Leojay]

what charges up... must drain down... one battery on board... it’s got to be sound... might be a good idea ....to carry a spare... ...or get yourself a BoatUs towing membership if you are the kind of guy that just wants to boat and don’t really want to care! (about battery maintenance).

Classic Song of the 70’s. I will be humming it all night!!

Love it! Thanks.

 

[gthh]

...it’ a gift.

 

[2kwik4u]

what charges up... must drain down... one battery on board... it’s got to be sound... might be a good idea ....to carry a spare... ...or get yourself a BoatUs towing membership if you are the kind of guy that just wants to boat and don’t really want to care! (about battery maintenance).

Classic Song of the 70’s. I will be humming it all night!!

Does a jump box/pack count as a spare?
What about jumper cables?

 

[gthh]

Does a jump box/pack count as a spare?
What about jumper cables?

Jump pack -yep, cables? Maybe not.

 

[PJ73]

what charges up... must drain down... one battery on board... it’s got to be sound... might be a good idea ....to carry a spare... ...or get yourself a BoatUs towing membership if you are the kind of guy that just wants to boat and don’t really want to care! (about battery maintenance).

Classic Song of the 70’s. I will be humming it all night!!

Although, I think it needs more cowbell!!

 

[KC-AR240]

So here's a question I've been thinking lately. I have an '18 AR240 with 2 batteries in it factory. I do believe I can read that everything runs off if 1 battery and the 2nd is for emergency purposes ? Could someone enlighten me please.

 

[MidnightRider]

So here's a question I've been thinking lately. I have an '18 AR240 with 2 batteries in it factory. I do believe I can read that everything runs off if 1 battery and the 2nd is for emergency purposes ? Could someone enlighten me please.

I'm no expert in this area but if it is setup correctly one battery is start battery and the other battery runs everything else.

 

[haknslash]

1 battery is for engine/starting and the other is your house battery (stereo and everything else). In the event your main battery is dead you can switch to use your house to crank with. Also depending on the switch you can combine both in the event both are weak but enough to crank and get you home.

 

[2kwik4u]

If the boat is stored in the garage. Any reason to remove the battery? I've got an extension cord tossed over the side of the boat now. Battery still completely hooked up in the boat with the tender hooked to the terminals. Did this last year with no ill effects, am I missing something, or can that thing just sit in there and hang out all winter?

 

[KC-AR240]

Again sorry for being new but I am learning ….. Do boat batteries get charged by the boat while running similar to a car ? Or do I need to keep constant awareness of the voltage of the batteries . I ran my boat probably over 20 some hours (both batteries are new) and had zero issues .

 

[swatski]

Again sorry for being new but I am learning ….. Do boat batteries get charged by the boat while running similar to a car ? Or do I need to keep constant awareness of the voltage of the batteries . I ran my boat probably over 20 some hours (both batteries are new) and had zero issues .

Yes and no. You have a stator instead of an alternator in a modern car. Those boat engine stators do not supply enough charging power, generally speaking, unless you do a lot of cruising frequently. Even then, with the dual system it is marginal. So having a so-called intelligent charger hooked up when in storage is always advisable for the best battery life.

—

 

[haknslash]

If the boat is stored in the garage. Any reason to remove the battery? I've got an extension cord tossed over the side of the boat now. Battery still completely hooked up in the boat with the tender hooked to the terminals. Did this last year with no ill effects, am I missing something, or can that thing just sit in there and hang out all winter?

My boat also lives in the garage. I always use the onboard charger anytime the boat is not in use and never an issue.

 

[2kwik4u]

My boat also lives in the garage. I always use the onboard charger anytime the boat is not in use and never an issue.

Glad I don't have to unhook that thing. Not that it looks that difficult, just one more thing to the already long list of "things I need to get done instead of surfing the internet"

Whats the advantage of an onboard charger versus the Battery Tender with extension cord over the side? Convenience? Better maintenance on the battery?

 

[haknslash]

Glad I don't have to unhook that thing. Not that it looks that difficult, just one more thing to the already long list of "things I need to get done instead of surfing the internet"

Whats the advantage of an onboard charger versus the Battery Tender with extension cord over the side? Convenience? Better maintenance on the battery?

Battery Tenders and modern onboard chargers are typically the same in that regard. They both monitor the battery state and apply charge when needed. Some also have maintenance features to help keep the battery in the best state possible, They are far more intelligent than the old trickle chargers we'd use many many years ago which didn't have any monitoring whatsoever and always applied a charge to the battery regardless if it was full or not.

I guess for me the advantage is not having to keep up with where my charger is and that it's rated for marine use/abuse. Other than that they both do the job the same I think.

 

[KC-AR240]

Has anyone here added a Solar Charger to their boat ? Success?

 

[2kwik4u]

Has anyone here added a Solar Charger to their boat ? Success?

They new E-Series boats have them from the factory. Mixed reviews on how well they work though.

 

[F.M.]

I have a 2017 E-Series and I did not remove my batteries last winter or hook any form of other charger to them from Nov.-March. When I hooked up the hose and fired up the boat in late March to get ready to go out, according to my Connext screen, both batteries seemed to be fully charged, and lasted the entire 2018 season with no worries of running the stereo or starting. As of right now, my 2 solar panels are all she's getting again. I'll be the guinea pig to see if the solar panels are worth it without any other form of maintainer.

And if it doesn't go well, I get to replace them with AGMs and add an on board charger in the spring.