"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 29 Dec 2006 10:21:08 -0500, Stan (the Man) penned the
following well considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

Now, to once again keep things on-topic, does anyone know if any
permanent damage will be done to my batteries if they're simply left
connected in the boat for the winter?

Nah, but you do need to keep them charged so that they don't freeze or
weaken....


The only problem I ever had was with my Scout when it was in rack storage in
Florida.
Some rodent, squirrel or something found his way into one of the battery
compartments and chewed the insulation off of the positive lead running from
the battery. As luck would have it, the bare cable shorted to the negative
battery post. The current overheated the cables and caused a small fire
when some of the remaining insulation got too hot. Fortunately, this
happened during working hours at the storage facility and someone noticed
the smoke.

But ... you should be fine as long as you keep the batteries charged as
Gene suggested.

Eisboch