beginner - battery never recharges

[thedrex]

i'm a beginner to boating and have a johnson 115 hp ocean runner 1997 model. i have been doing a lot of fishing over the past 8 months and have had to replace the battery a few times. i don't know anything about outboards so i'm going to get a pro to have a look at it.<br /><br />i only have one battery which is hooked up to the engine, lights & depth sounder, and i only cruise for about 20 minutes to get to the fishing spot where i often sit for hours, sometimes into the night with the lights and the sounder on. the few times i have been running lights of the battery i can't start it again to get home, but i have a portable jumpstarter which gets the engine going. <br /><br />is this bad for the engine?? and what can i do so that the battery doesn't run out of charge while i'm fishing? do i need 2 batteries?? can you get a battery charger that you can take on the boat?? do i have to charge the battery at home after every use??<br /><br />any input would be appreciated cause i'm missing out on so much fishing at the moment!!

 

[DJ]

Re: beginner - battery never recharges

thedrex,<br /><br />Your engine does not have a high capacity alternator. You're, from the sounds of it, asking too much from the system.<br /><br />I would suggest a second battery with a switch.<br /><br />Charging between outings is a must with your current set up.<br /><br />Continual jump starting is NOT good. You stand the chance of a pole reversal and cooking some expensive engine components.

 

[thedrex]

Re: beginner - battery never recharges

so if i have 2 batteries, i assume that both need to be connected to the engine with a swithch, and one is connected to the lights and sounder. then the switch is set to the battery without the lights, etc to start the engine.<br /><br />then while i'm cruising around do i set the swith to both batteries (if that's possible) so that they both charge??<br /><br />and when i'm fishing and using the light/sounder the switch is set to the other battery??<br /><br />does that sound right?? and if i'm only cruising for 20 minutes or so either way, will the batteries charge enough, or will i still have to take them home and charge them??<br /><br />thanks for the help, and sorry if these are repeat questions, but i had a good search through the other topics and couldn't find any exact answers!

 

[UmmaGumma]

Re: beginner - battery never recharges

I had a similiar problem, so I put two batteries in the boat, one starting battery and one deep-cycle battery. To the starting batter I just have the motor and the running lights hooked up. To the second battery, I hooked up the depthfinder, a spot light, the radio, and the trolling motor (all wires hooked up using battery clamps). At the end of the fishing day, I just take the deep-cycle out of the boat, hook it up to a charger, and throw it back in next time I go out. Haven't had a problem since I isolated the two "systems" of power requirements. My starting battery is always between 12.6 and 12.8 volts and hasn't been on a charger in 2 years.<br /><br />Best of luck getting it figured out!

 

[rolmops]

Re: beginner - battery never recharges

hello.<br />There are small trickle chargers in the market.<br />It is possible to have these hooked permanently to your battery.When you are done for the the day you just plug them into your power grid and your battery is full the next time you go fishing.<br />They are cheaper than batteries and last longer!

 

[skydad]

Re: beginner - battery never recharges

If a trickle charger is used, it can eventually overcharge your battery. They make a unit called a battery maintainer that will stop charging when the battery is charged and will keep it charged without overcharging.

 

[Reel Appeal]

Re: beginner - battery never recharges

thedrex,<br /> Although two batteries would be better,there is another way also.Purchase a larger battery,like a group 27,30.(Most car batterys are grp.24)This should be a deep cycle(not maintenance free),or a dual-purpose(deep cycle/starting)battery.Starting batteries are not designed for(draining voltage).The use your giving them.Find one with the most CCA(cold cranking amps) and the highest"reserve capacity" that will fit into your boat or battery box.I use two(2) grp.27 Marine Diehards(deep-cycle) w/electronics and no problems.'96 Johnson 225.<br />Just check the water on the batts. occasionally.

 

[BKool68]

Re: beginner - battery never recharges

You can also buy a solar charger to let the sun recharge your batteries while it sits.

 

[Damien]

Re: beginner - battery never recharges

thedrex<br /><br />I use two heavy duty marine batteries connected through a switch (this switch has four positions, 1:Off, 2:Battery 1, 3:Both, 4:Battery 2). I switch to position 3 to allow me to start the engine and when running I keep it in this position to charge both batteries. When anchored I switch to either position 2 or 4 and use this battery for the duration of my trip. I then switch back to position 3 to restart the enging giving all the power in both batteries to fire up. These switchs are easy enough to connect up and this should end your problem once and for all.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: beginner - battery never recharges

Wal-Mart sells a battery charger that has an auto setting on it to keep the battery charged without over charging it. Just my .02 worth.

 

[Solittle]

Re: beginner - battery never recharges

Damien - I have the same set-up as you do and used to manage the batteries the same way. I have since learned that there is a flaw with this unless both batteries are fully charged to start with.<br /><br />And the flaw is - - drum roll- - Lets say that one battery is fully charged and one (for whatever reason) is only half charged. When the the battery switch is turned to both, the charge in the good battery will flow to the bad battery until the charge is level or equal between the two. The result may be that neither battery may not have enough charge when it comes time to fire the motor up at the end of the day.<br /><br />What do I do now? - - Well I try to make sure that both batteries are fully charged before I leave the driveway (not rocket science). At the ramp I start with one or the other but not both. I run with this battery to wherever I'm going. The alternator, even a low powered one, should maintain the charge. Before I head back to the ramp I switch to the other battery for the ride home. If it is low by chance I still can run back on the battery that the alternator has been charging all day.<br /><br />Your way works fine but this way gives you a tad more confidence should one battery be low.<br /><br />If I were to run a lot of "stuff" off of the battery in addition to starting I would probably carry a seperate battery for that and charge it when I got home.