Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

[wilieha]

Evening all,
Almost finished with trailer overhaul/remake--still will need tires and rims before any long haul but that not the question for this thread. 86 Starcraft 24' hardtop standard electrical stuff. I will be adding electronics-- fishfinder/deapth guage and trolling motor and docking lights. Question is 1 or 2 batteries? or a better solution. And what about solar battery chargers anyone have experience with these?

 

[MinUph]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

I prefer to have two batteries. I also prefer to have two motors. I like the feeling of backup systems if one fails. That said with the electronics you mention you would be fine with one good battery as long as you have a good alternator on the OB. And you run it enough to charge the battery. If you go the 2 route, add a 2 bat switch and charge them on both while cruising and switch to one when not.
No experience with solar but would be nice if done properly.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

Any time you throw a troller on a boat it is best to have 2 batteries, a house for the troller lights ect and a dedicated starting batt, then you know you can always start the boat and get home, I run 2 house batts and a starter on my fishing boat.

No experience with solar but it has to add a bit of a charge any how.

 

[DonNZ]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

2 batteries connected via a 'voltage sensitive relay' search bep marine vsr

this joins the batteries once the voltage exceeds around 13.5 and disconect around 13v so automatically connects and disconnects. You dont have to do anything.
Size your house / trolling battery so you don't discharge beyond 50 % depth oif discharge)( dod) or you won't get the life from it
a very easy and accurate way to tell 50% is with a $5 hydrometer.

Re solar, unless you got cash burning a hole I'd not.
If your wanting to be kind to your seperate house and start batteries then buy a good quality 'regulated' plug in smart battery charger, need not be huge or expensive $50-$100 5 amp. Put this on your batteries as soon as you get home for 24 hrs or so and once a month over night including the off season and do the rest of your fleet too.
Biggest kiler of the flooded lead acid battery is sitting flat, also a flat battery will freeze earlier than a fully charged one.

Regards Don

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

I agree with all of the posts above. The VSR is kinda pricey so you may want the switch instead. The solar is very expensive and is only effective if you have lots of sun for the majority of each day. And unless you have a big solar array, that may not be sufficient to recharge a drained trolling battery in a week.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

Also depends on the charging capability of the motor you have. If it's a small motor with only a few amps charging system, a vsr setup and even a switch will not do much good unless you are running the motor at higher RPM's for a long time. Might also consider carrying a jump box..

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

Forget solar charging. Read the numbers on the smaller panels and you will quickly come to the conclusion that you would need a panel the size of your boat to do any appreciable chargine. If you store your boat at home, a small panel would serve as a "maintenance charger" but no more. An on board charger and two batteries is the only way to fly with your setup. I agree that a VSR is only of value with an engine that has a very high charging capacity. If that's not the case, you would need to run for hours at wide open throttle to do any appreciable charging of the troller battery.

 

[washburn2010]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

Converting from a sailboat to a pontoon, I'm still hanging on the the theory that the more batteries the better. I got used to running the toys without running the motor. However now I'm moving over to a pontoon, and in the process of restoring a 24 foot Sundancer. I've been thinking about power for this thing as well, and support the toy habit! I'm planning on deploying three batteries, utilizing an A/B/All switch. I like to use the A bank for starting and running the motor. Use the B bank for all the accessories. After a while, run the motor on the B bank to charge it back up. The third battery, I just like to keep on board, and keep it hot. Occasionally I'll rotate the batteries around. After a battery reaches about 5 years old, I replace them.
A lot of it depends on how much you use them and for how long, and where you go boating. With the sailboat, I needed plenty of power for several days. Our sailing trips on Lake Erie would last two, three or four days, with a couple of times during the season, even a week long. And we were out where no land is in site.
I have used one of the solar trickle chargers (1.5A). It worked great. The one I had, I could plug into a cig lighter, so could put it on which ever battery with just some pig tails. However, it's no good when you got a dead battery. I mainly used it when I got back to the dock, and would just leave it on the battery I didn't use over the weekend, and would put the battery charger on the others.
I had a buddy there that put a 15w solar charger, and he swore by it. It's a nice size that you can easily remove when need to, and it's quite small.
Keep in mind though, we were out sailing for days on end. If your just hitting the lake on the weekend, I don't think it's worth it.

 

[wilieha]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

Thanks to all for you knowledge. I was thinking of the smaller trickle charger while docked/ancored but now will return to original plan of small Generator for use with regular charger. I have not looked at charging system on engine-it's a 87 Yamaha 90hp.
Thanks again
wilieha aka. Bill

 

[washburn2010]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

I hear ya. I'd go with a small Honda. They are really quite. I've used a 2 cycle, which I don't like. Though they are smaller and lighter, you have to mix gas, and they STINK! I have a 1000W 4 cycle which is really nice. Paid about $250 for. But it's a little on the loud side. My next one will be a Honda.

 

[wilieha]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

Exactly Cap. I have a friend that has one of those it is smaller than the old "boomboxes" and works just fine. I can see it and a cheap plug in charger working well for my application.
Now if I can just get my pics resized and posted I would be reeeal happy. I know I know buy a program....buythisbuythat....I am about buyouted. LOL
Bill

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

Buying a generator just for charging boat batteries seems like an overkill to me. You will have to run the generator for several hours to fully charge a 50% drained battery. You should just pull the batteries out and take them with you for charging.

 

[wilieha]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

Thanks for the reply EGlide; Pulling the batteries and hauling them to the charger is something that would not bother me 50 years ago, but now it seems like just more work after a day on the water. Plus would enable me to use my power tools should the need arise.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

Many generators, large and small, have a 12 volt battery charging port on them so a separate charger is not needed.

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

If your wanting to be kind to your seperate house and start batteries then buy a good quality 'regulated' plug in smart battery charger, need not be huge or expensive $50-$100 5 amp. Put this on your batteries as soon as you get home for 24 hrs or so and once a month over night including the off season and do the rest of your fleet too.
Biggest kiler of the flooded lead acid battery is sitting flat, also a flat battery will freeze earlier than a fully charged one.

Regards Don

Agreed!

Thanks to all for you knowledge. I was thinking of the smaller trickle charger while docked/ancored but now will return to original plan of small Generator for use with regular charger. I have not looked at charging system on engine-it's a 87 Yamaha 90hp.
Thanks again
wilieha aka. Bill

Go with the trickle charger if you have power available. Your Yamaha will likely not run long enough to replenish a low battery/batteries.
You also want to charge a deep cycle battery (trolling battery) for extended lengths of time. Do you really want to run a generator for 2 - 3 days!

Buying a generator just for charging boat batteries seems like an overkill to me. You will have to run the generator for several hours to fully charge a 50% drained battery. .

Agreed!!

 

[wilieha]

Re: Batteries or Battery and onboard chargers???

See! That's why I have you folks on my quick find list. I am so new to pontoons and with little experience boating in general, the shine is still like new money. But learning fast