Battery question
 

I have had my boat sitting on the trailer since late November.
Yesterday, I decided it was nice enough to check it out...I turned
the key and got the familiar sound, and was able to raise the motor
to normal position.

My question is: Is it necessary for me to charge the battery or will
running it up and down the lake for an hour or two be enough to charge
it to sit? I only use it once or twice a week normally.
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Battery question
 

If you really wish to get inteligent answers, you may want to try
rec.boats.cruising. It's a moderated group with boaters. No O.T. posts.

Battery question
 

Thanks. I will subscribe to that newsgroup....meantime, I hope
someone will give me an answer here.

Florida Keyz wrote:

If you really wish to get inteligent answers, you may want to try
rec.boats.cruising. It's a moderated group with boaters. No O.T. posts.

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Battery question
 

Jim Woodard wrote in message
...
I have had my boat sitting on the trailer since late November.
Yesterday, I decided it was nice enough to check it out...I turned
the key and got the familiar sound, and was able to raise the motor
to normal position.

My question is: Is it necessary for me to charge the battery or will
running it up and down the lake for an hour or two be enough to charge
it to sit? I only use it once or twice a week normally.
--

It's a bit late now...but I would have taken the battery indoors and topped
it up with my battery charger once a month.
That is supposed to make the battery live a longer life.
(note: we have prolonged periods of below freezing weather)

Battery question
 

Jim Woodard wrote:
I have had my boat sitting on the trailer since late November.
Yesterday, I decided it was nice enough to check it out...I turned
the key and got the familiar sound, and was able to raise the motor
to normal position.

My question is: Is it necessary for me to charge the battery or will
running it up and down the lake for an hour or two be enough to charge
it to sit? I only use it once or twice a week normally.

If it won't start then you've not got much choice obviously, but if it
can get you going having sat so long in the cold then it's probably an
OK battery.

Save you spend lots & lots of money on a big professional charger, the
best thing to charge the battery(s) is the engine's system, which by
design usually does everything just about right, a good initial high amp
hit to get the charging underway & replace the start loss, but it only
does this when it knows the battery is "cold" & can safely take it, then
it will settle to keep feeding the battery at a fully controlled optimal
rate till it's completely charged & then not overcharge it.

So check the water & good luck.

K

Battery question
 

Thanks.....we have few periods of below freezing weather or at least,
this year we have had few periods...I am near Dallas, and though it
has been near 32 a number of times, below freezing has been limited
to no more than 9 or 10 nights....The average last freeze here is
the 15th of March, so the boat is going back on the lift next week...
if it starts when I put it in the water at the marina...will probably
put it on charge for a day or so before hand, just to be sure...


Don White wrote:

Jim Woodard wrote in message
...
I have had my boat sitting on the trailer since late November.
Yesterday, I decided it was nice enough to check it out...I turned
the key and got the familiar sound, and was able to raise the motor
to normal position.

My question is: Is it necessary for me to charge the battery or will
running it up and down the lake for an hour or two be enough to charge
it to sit? I only use it once or twice a week normally.
--

It's a bit late now...but I would have taken the battery indoors and topped
it up with my battery charger once a month.
That is supposed to make the battery live a longer life.
(note: we have prolonged periods of below freezing weather)

--
-
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Battery question
 

Checking the level of the water is a good tip.....I had planned to
do that first thing.

"K. Smith" wrote:

Jim Woodard wrote:
I have had my boat sitting on the trailer since late November.
Yesterday, I decided it was nice enough to check it out...I turned
the key and got the familiar sound, and was able to raise the motor
to normal position.

My question is: Is it necessary for me to charge the battery or will
running it up and down the lake for an hour or two be enough to charge
it to sit? I only use it once or twice a week normally.

If it won't start then you've not got much choice obviously, but if it
can get you going having sat so long in the cold then it's probably an
OK battery.

Save you spend lots & lots of money on a big professional charger, the
best thing to charge the battery(s) is the engine's system, which by
design usually does everything just about right, a good initial high amp
hit to get the charging underway & replace the start loss, but it only
does this when it knows the battery is "cold" & can safely take it, then
it will settle to keep feeding the battery at a fully controlled optimal
rate till it's completely charged & then not overcharge it.

So check the water & good luck.

K

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-
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
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Battery question
 

I would bring the battery to a service center and have them test the battery
to make sure it will hold a charge. The battery sitting in the boat over
the winter months can be very damaging to the battery.

If the battery is in good condition, your engine will recharge the battery,
if the battery is on it's last legs, it will peter out on you at the worst
time.


"Jim Woodard" wrote in message
...
I have had my boat sitting on the trailer since late November.
Yesterday, I decided it was nice enough to check it out...I turned
the key and got the familiar sound, and was able to raise the motor
to normal position.

My question is: Is it necessary for me to charge the battery or will
running it up and down the lake for an hour or two be enough to charge
it to sit? I only use it once or twice a week normally.
--
-
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Battery question... RBC unmoderated
 

Florida Keyz wrote:
If you really wish to get inteligent answers, you may want to try
rec.boats.cruising. It's a moderated group with boaters. No O.T. posts.

Wrong. The newsgroup 'rec.boats.cruising' is not moderated. It is
exactly the same as THIS newsgroup, only the name is different.

For some reason, behavior over at rec.boats.cruising is a lot more
friendly and productive. Maybe it's because there isn't a flock of
cawing Krause-obsessed neocon sock puppets over there.

DSK

Battery question
 

"K. Smith" wrote in message
...


the
best thing to charge the battery(s) is the engine's system, which by
design usually does everything just about right, a good initial high amp
hit to get the charging underway & replace the start loss, but it only
does this when it knows the battery is "cold" & can safely take it, then
it will settle to keep feeding the battery at a fully controlled optimal
rate till it's completely charged & then not overcharge it.



Man, I don't know what type of engine system that you have that came with
such an intelligent charging system, but no automobile based engine or
outboard motor that I have ever seen came that way stock from the factory.

Most factory alternators these days are the built in regulator types that
don't even give you the option of using a smart regulator. The regulators
simply crank full alternator output till the voltage reaches 13 volts, then
they decrease the output current as the voltage increases, reducing it to
the minimum (which usually is not zero) when the voltage reaches 14.2 volts.
The regulators are cheap and dumb.

If your alternator has an external regulator you can replace it with a
"smart" multi-stage regulator that will treat the batteries much better.
They will hold full alternator output until the battery voltage reaches 14.2
volts to assure a rapid return to full charge, then drop the voltage down to
13.2 volts to "float" the battery so it doesn't have any additional strain
on it.

The multi-stage battery chargers do the same and are much. much gentler on
the batteries than a cheap unregulated battery charger.


Rod McInnis

Battery question
 

"Jim Woodard" wrote in message
...

My question is: Is it necessary for me to charge the battery or will
running it up and down the lake for an hour or two be enough to charge
it to sit? I only use it once or twice a week normally.


If the battery has enough power to start the boat then running it for an
hour will sufficiently recharge it for weekly use.

There is a significant chance, however, that when you back the boat into the
water and turn the key the starter motor will grind slowly for a few turns
and stop. Batteries "self discharge" over time, and many electronics
(including the electronic ignition) continues to draw small amounts of power
even when they are "off".

If you have provisions for hooking a hose up to the engine, start it up
while it is still on the trailer in your driveway. It is a whole lot easier
to resolve any problems now rather than waiting till you are at the launch
ramp. It wouldn't hurt to hook up a battery charger for few hours just to
hedge your bets.


Rod McInnis

Battery question
 

I would recommend you top off the batteries with distilled water, then
connect a trickle charger for several days. A standard flooded cell lead
acid battery will quickly regain about 85% of capacity, but the balance of
the charge is accepted in the "absorbsion" phase, and can take 72 hours or
longer to reach 100% of capacity. You may also want to jostle the batteries
a bit during this time to release any bubbles formed on the plates, and to
stir up the electrolyte as it tends to stratify when batteries sit for long
periods of time.

Good Luck

Battery question
 

Jim,
If your engine has a charging system then running the boat should
sufficiently charge your battery. If you just did a lot of starting and
stopping without enough run time in between then it might not. Pretty much
like your car. I'd suggest having two batteries and an "A-B-Both-Off" switch
to give yourself insurance. I used to subscribe to rec.boats.cruising, it
wasn't moderated when I did. I'd be surprised to know that's been changed.
But there did seem to be less OT posting than over here. Happy boating.
Paul

"Jim Woodard" wrote in message
...
Thanks. I will subscribe to that newsgroup....meantime, I hope
someone will give me an answer here.

Florida Keyz wrote:

If you really wish to get inteligent answers, you may want to try
rec.boats.cruising. It's a moderated group with boaters. No O.T. posts.

--
-
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Battery question
 

Don,
Good advice. If you have the battery in freezing temperatures and it is
not charged up, good bye battery. As I well know.
Paul

"Don White" wrote in message
...
It's a bit late now...but I would have taken the battery indoors and
topped
it up with my battery charger once a month.
That is supposed to make the battery live a longer life.
(note: we have prolonged periods of below freezing weather)

Battery question
 

If it were mine, I'd put a nice fresh charge on the battery and then check
the electrolyte with a hydrometer to be satisfied that all cells took a good
charge. If any cells are low, I'd replace the battery.

I don't go to the lake to work on boats, I try to get that all done at home
before I head out. Nothing ruins a nice day like a battery that cranked
good at home, but didn't quite make it starting the engine for the first
time out of the season since the motor has not been run since November!

Don Dando




"Jim Woodard" wrote in message
...
I have had my boat sitting on the trailer since late November.
Yesterday, I decided it was nice enough to check it out...I turned
the key and got the familiar sound, and was able to raise the motor
to normal position.

My question is: Is it necessary for me to charge the battery or will
running it up and down the lake for an hour or two be enough to charge
it to sit? I only use it once or twice a week normally.
--
-
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Battery question
 

Thanks...I will hook up the charger, just to be sure.


Rod McInnis wrote:

"Jim Woodard" wrote in message
...

My question is: Is it necessary for me to charge the battery or will
running it up and down the lake for an hour or two be enough to charge
it to sit? I only use it once or twice a week normally.

If the battery has enough power to start the boat then running it for an
hour will sufficiently recharge it for weekly use.

There is a significant chance, however, that when you back the boat into the
water and turn the key the starter motor will grind slowly for a few turns
and stop. Batteries "self discharge" over time, and many electronics
(including the electronic ignition) continues to draw small amounts of power
even when they are "off".

If you have provisions for hooking a hose up to the engine, start it up
while it is still on the trailer in your driveway. It is a whole lot easier
to resolve any problems now rather than waiting till you are at the launch
ramp. It wouldn't hurt to hook up a battery charger for few hours just to
hedge your bets.

Rod McInnis

--
-
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Battery question
 

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 00:20:10 GMT, "Don Dando"
wrote:

If it were mine, I'd put a nice fresh charge on the battery and then check
the electrolyte with a hydrometer to be satisfied that all cells took a good
charge. If any cells are low, I'd replace the battery.

I don't go to the lake to work on boats, I try to get that all done at home
before I head out. Nothing ruins a nice day like a battery that cranked
good at home, but didn't quite make it starting the engine for the first
time out of the season since the motor has not been run since November!

Don Dando


If the engine hasn't been run since November, I would think it should
be run a while at home on the muffs before heading out anyway.

Darn, I left my batteries on the cement floor again this year.
I hear this is bad for the batteries.... -grin-
John C.

Battery question
 

"jchaplain" wrote in message
...

Darn, I left my batteries on the cement floor again this year.
I hear this is bad for the batteries.... -grin-
John C.

Oh, No! You didn't "ground" the battery did you?

:-)

Rod

Battery question
 

Rod McInnis wrote:
"K. Smith" wrote in message
...


the
best thing to charge the battery(s) is the engine's system, which by
design usually does everything just about right, a good initial high amp
hit to get the charging underway & replace the start loss, but it only
does this when it knows the battery is "cold" & can safely take it, then
it will settle to keep feeding the battery at a fully controlled optimal
rate till it's completely charged & then not overcharge it.




Man, I don't know what type of engine system that you have that came with
such an intelligent charging system, but no automobile based engine or
outboard motor that I have ever seen came that way stock from the factory.

Most factory alternators these days are the built in regulator types that
don't even give you the option of using a smart regulator. The regulators
simply crank full alternator output till the voltage reaches 13 volts, then
they decrease the output current as the voltage increases, reducing it to
the minimum (which usually is not zero) when the voltage reaches 14.2 volts.
The regulators are cheap and dumb.

If your alternator has an external regulator you can replace it with a
"smart" multi-stage regulator that will treat the batteries much better.
They will hold full alternator output until the battery voltage reaches 14.2
volts to assure a rapid return to full charge, then drop the voltage down to
13.2 volts to "float" the battery so it doesn't have any additional strain
on it.

The multi-stage battery chargers do the same and are much. much gentler on
the batteries than a cheap unregulated battery charger.


Rod McInnis



Most of those builtin ones are much cleverer than you think, put some
gauges over one & see, they do it just about right & usually have the
brute force to maintain that as other loads (lights etc) come & go

K