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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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.

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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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)

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

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).

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

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

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).

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

"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