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boat batteries
hondacat 
 		    11/17/2005 19:21
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Posts: 664
 

Boaters ask me all the time

Q:what's up with my boat batteries? they only last a year or two. The same battery in my car lasts 5 to 10 years

A: batteries can loose up to one percent of their charge per day while your boat is not used .in your car you recharge the battery every time you start the motor starting the motor in most cases uses 2-4%of the capacity of the battery and the alternator puts it rite back in keeping the battery 95% charged all the time

so lets say you let the boat set 4 months at this point the battery is just about dead even before you go to start the boat . this cycling up and down kills the batteries

If you would like to take better care of your batteries and give them a chance to last as long as they do in a car they need to maintained kept charged especially in the winter . A discharged battery will freeze just like a water pipe or engine block when water is left in them . Most will prefer to take the batteries out during the winter and charge them with a trickle type charger over night a couple times a month . during the summer the new solar panels are nice and the price has come down considerably the last couple of year If you have not used the boat in the last three weeks or so a small charger the night before you plan on going boating. And remember to keep the battery and especially the cable connections clean and tight . If you been having problems with the longevity of the batteries in you boat this usually makes all the difference in the world


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Re:boat batteries
t3pt6k 
 		  Port: Grand Haven, MI   11/17/2005 20:05
Admin
Posts: 2447
 

We run out onboard charger in the heated storage I assume that will help protect the battery?

I think the other thing that wasn't mentioned is that marine batteries take a beating compared to your car. I don't hop over 6 foot sand dunes at 20 mph very often in my truck and certainly not for hours at a time like I do on the boat on occasion. Does that have an affect on the battery life as well?
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Re:boat batteries
hondacat 
 		    11/17/2005 20:58
Moderator
Posts: 664
 

fully regulated chargers like the onboard units put on the big boats like yours greg are a great way to maintain the charge level of the batteries and eliminate the need to put any aditional charge on the batteries . the batteries still should be free from dirt dust and the cables should be removed and cleaned before she goes back in the water and a by product of batteries charging is hydrogen gas . (the same gas the zeplin used)and we know what happened to it ? may be slightly safer to remove the batteries for cleaning and charging especially when the boat is stored inside a heated building with out much ventilazation . when the boat is out doors the gas vapor build up would not be enough to be conceren about . batteries should allways be charged in a well ventilated areas as per the instructions on the chargers.in some cases batteries need water added to the batteries that will be lost during charging depending on the type and style of the batteries .
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