N00B Question About Boat Generators

[beerpilot]

I just picked up a 1999 Crestliner 14 Angler. It has a 1999 15 HP Johnson with steering, electric start and a bilge pump. There's a battery laying on the deck, obviously for the electric starter and pump.

My question is, do those small motors come with a generator to keep the battery charged?

I took a quick look under the cowl and could see the starter but didn't see what I thought a generator would look like.

I've never had a boat that required electrical, this is all new to me.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Alumarine]

If it has electric start it probably has a "generator".
It won't look like a belt driven alternator on your car.
An easy way to check if it has the ability to charge a battery is to check the voltage at the battery when the motor is running above idle.
You should get 13-15 volts.

 

[dwco5051]

What Alumarine said is correct. The alternator is driven by magnets inside the flywheel and pick up coils. This will keep your battery charged under normal operation but if you plan on running the trolling motor a lot more than the gas motor you may run the battery down. I am just guessing but the output is only 3 or 4 amps. If you plan on using the trolling motor for long periods get a second deep cycle battery for it and charge it overnight with a battery charger. Otherwise you may have to pull start the gas omoto if you run the battery down too much.

 

[Scott Danforth]

technically its a charging stator. similar to the ignition stator, however higher output