On Wed, 13 May 2009 23:52:55 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Wed, 13 May 2009 22:35:11 -0400, "BetaB4"
wrote:

Thank you all. Well, I sure am glad I posted the question. I am now in the
middle of looking online for battery chargers to see what is available, what
they cost, where to buy them, etc. Over the next few days, I'll check some
auto parts stores to see what hey sell. Obviously, I need a charger that I
can leave on and not have to worry about the battery being overcharged.

The cheapest solution if you already have a 2 amp charger is to put an
automatic timer on it as gfretwell suggested.

Go to the thrift store and get a 50milliamp 12v power supply for a
calculator or whatever. One of those cubes that plugs in the wall.
In a week, 50ma comes to some 6 AH, not enough to cook the battery.
If you add water once a week, it should be all right. It would be
better to get a smart charger.

Casady

"Richard Casady" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 13 May 2009 23:52:55 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Wed, 13 May 2009 22:35:11 -0400, "BetaB4"
wrote:

Thank you all. Well, I sure am glad I posted the question. I am now in
the
middle of looking online for battery chargers to see what is available,
what
they cost, where to buy them, etc. Over the next few days, I'll check
some
auto parts stores to see what hey sell. Obviously, I need a charger that
I
can leave on and not have to worry about the battery being overcharged.

The cheapest solution if you already have a 2 amp charger is to put an
automatic timer on it as gfretwell suggested.

Go to the thrift store and get a 50milliamp 12v power supply for a
calculator or whatever. One of those cubes that plugs in the wall.
In a week, 50ma comes to some 6 AH, not enough to cook the battery.
If you add water once a week, it should be all right. It would be
better to get a smart charger.

Casady

I've had boats and RV's with the old school, voltage controlled chargers and
the newer, 3 stage smart chargers.
The ferro-resonant type used to keep big boat batteries charged (multiple
8-D's) also have a nasty habit of cooking the batteries if you don't keep a
watchful eye on the water. For many years the newer, switching power
supply "smart" chargers just weren't big enough (current wise) for this
application.

But over the past few years the 3 stage smart chargers have been improved
and increased in capacity.
We have a little 2005 Sprinter based RV built by Pleasure-Way.
Pleasure-Way builds RV conversions with an excellent quality reputation and
use top shelf components. The "smart" battery charger in it has kept the
original 2005 house battery in excellent, like new condition and I've never
had to add water to it in 4 years.
With the older type chargers, I'd have certainly had to replace the house
battery by now.

Eisboch

Eisboch wrote:

"Richard Casady" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 13 May 2009 23:52:55 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Wed, 13 May 2009 22:35:11 -0400, "BetaB4"
wrote:

Thank you all. Well, I sure am glad I posted the question. I am
now in the
middle of looking online for battery chargers to see what is
available, what
they cost, where to buy them, etc. Over the next few days, I'll
check some
auto parts stores to see what hey sell. Obviously, I need a charger
that I
can leave on and not have to worry about the battery being overcharged.

The cheapest solution if you already have a 2 amp charger is to put an
automatic timer on it as gfretwell suggested.

Go to the thrift store and get a 50milliamp 12v power supply for a
calculator or whatever. One of those cubes that plugs in the wall.
In a week, 50ma comes to some 6 AH, not enough to cook the battery.
If you add water once a week, it should be all right. It would be
better to get a smart charger.

Casady

I've had boats and RV's with the old school, voltage controlled chargers
and the newer, 3 stage smart chargers.
The ferro-resonant type used to keep big boat batteries charged
(multiple 8-D's) also have a nasty habit of cooking the batteries if
you don't keep a watchful eye on the water. For many years the newer,
switching power supply "smart" chargers just weren't big enough (current
wise) for this application.

But over the past few years the 3 stage smart chargers have been
improved and increased in capacity.
We have a little 2005 Sprinter based RV built by Pleasure-Way.
Pleasure-Way builds RV conversions with an excellent quality reputation
and use top shelf components. The "smart" battery charger in it has
kept the original 2005 house battery in excellent, like new condition
and I've never had to add water to it in 4 years.
With the older type chargers, I'd have certainly had to replace the
house battery by now.

Eisboch

Water usage seems to be a good measure of proper charging. My old camper
used almost a quart a month in the 2 golf car batteries. It had a
supposedly smart charger that switched modes and when charged it
maintained 13.2V BUT and,a Big BUT, every 24 hours it automatically
switched to desulfate mode (16V) for an hour. I never replaced the
batteries in the 7 years I owned it but I had to be vigilant about
checking the water.
My new camper Maintains the batteries including the starting battery at
13.2V and I might use a couple of ounces of water.
Both units were in converter/chargers.

Why don't they design chargers to charge to 14 to 14.5V and maintain
that voltage, as car alternators do?

On May 13, 2:24*pm, "BetaB4" wrote:
I have a battery charger for charging the 12-volt boat battery. *The charger
has two settings -- 2 amps or 6 amps.

My question is, if I have the charger set at 2 amps, how long is it okay for
me to leave the charger on? *My boat is in a garage at a location that I
usually only get to about once a week or so. *Is it okay if the charger is
left on at the 2-amp setting for say, a week?

My question is this. Why do you feel you need a battery charger on the
boat? If the charging system is good and there is no electrical draw
(leakage) your boat battery should stay up for the whole summer. My
daughter has been in college all year and her 2003 Pontiac GrandAm has
sat for literally three months at a time, and has always started like
new.

I have two boats. both are mercruisers with Delco alternators. I pull
the batteries out for witer storage and will take them in the house
where they stay at a 68 degree (+/-) for the winter. Well, I may take
an older one and put it in my tractor to blade snow in the winter,
but....

In the spring I put them on a charger for a couple hours then install
them in the boats and that's all. when I park the boat[s] I make sure
everything is shut off and the batteries stay up all season.

On Wed, 13 May 2009 21:24:13 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

My question is this. Why do you feel you need a battery charger on the
boat? If the charging system is good and there is no electrical draw
(leakage) your boat battery should stay up for the whole summer.

That's fine for engine starting batteries that never get discharged to
any real depth and are otherwise in good condition. "House"
batteries and trolling motor batteries rarely see enough run time on
the boat to be completely recharged however. Fully recharging them at
home or dockside will greatly extend their life as long as they don't
get over charged in the process.

On May 14, 12:29*am, Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 13 May 2009 21:24:13 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

My question is this. Why do you feel you need a battery charger on the
boat? *If the charging system is good and there is no electrical draw
(leakage) your boat battery should stay up for the whole summer.

That's fine for engine starting batteries that never get discharged to
any real depth and are otherwise in good condition. * "House"
batteries and trolling motor batteries rarely see enough run time on
the boat to be completely recharged however. *Fully recharging them at
home or dockside will greatly extend their life as long as they don't
get over charged in the process.

True, Wayne, but well, he's never mentioned the boat type options
etc.

But what I was seeing in his OP was that he was panning on having a
charger on a battery 24/7 because he was afraid he'd get to his boat
and the battery would be 'mystically' drained. Well, maybe not
"mystically", But giving the impression that there was a natural
process that boats needed to have chargers on them at all times.


Maybe I'm geting carried away and trying to read way to much
betweenthe lines, but I've seen that thought process concerning
batteries and baots on here before.

either way though, it sure beats the political foolishness.

Tim wrote:

My question is this. Why do you feel you need a battery charger on the
boat?

I probably should have explained that I have a 13-foot aluminum boat
with a 9.9 HP gas engine and a 12-volt electric motor. I bought the boat
about a year ago and I have only used it a few times so far using the
electric
motor. So, when I take the boat out and use the electric motor, I need to
recharge the battery when I get home.

"BetaB4" wrote in message
...
Tim wrote:

My question is this. Why do you feel you need a battery charger on the
boat?

I probably should have explained that I have a 13-foot aluminum boat
with a 9.9 HP gas engine and a 12-volt electric motor. I bought the boat
about a year ago and I have only used it a few times so far using the
electric
motor. So, when I take the boat out and use the electric motor, I need to
recharge the battery when I get home.


I'm in a similar situation.
A 15' open aluminum boat with a 25 hp outboard with electric start.
I also have a MinnKota electric. When I first got the boat, I seemed to
discharge the battery fairly quickly, but the PO warned me that there might
be a nick in the wire that travels to the fish finder/depth gague
transducer.
I slathered liquid electrical tape all over the wire, cleaned & tightened
the connections to the battery and all seems well.
I do recharge the battery after each trip when I get back home.

Don White wrote:

I'm in a similar situation.
A 15' open aluminum boat with a 25 hp outboard with electric start.
I also have a MinnKota electric. When I first got the boat, I seemed to
discharge the battery fairly quickly, but the PO warned me that there might
be a nick in the wire that travels to the fish finder/depth gague
transducer.
I slathered liquid electrical tape all over the wire, cleaned & tightened
the connections to the battery and all seems well.
I do recharge the battery after each trip when I get back home.



You should have two batteries, dummy.

"BetaB4" wrote in message
...
Tim wrote:

My question is this. Why do you feel you need a battery charger on the
boat?

I probably should have explained that I have a 13-foot aluminum boat
with a 9.9 HP gas engine and a 12-volt electric motor. I bought the boat
about a year ago and I have only used it a few times so far using the
electric
motor. So, when I take the boat out and use the electric motor, I need to
recharge the battery when I get home.



Just use a cheap timer to charge the battery for 10-12 hours after you
return from fishing. The battery sitting unused will not discharge much.