Battery Question

Dev75

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NYS Finger Lakes Region - Skaneateles Lake
Good morning everyone.  We picked up our boat from storage in mid April thinking we would have it in the water by now but the weather is not looking good for our area.  Add in the record rainfall and many marinas will be flooded for who knows how long.  Since the boat will probably be sitting at our house for the next few weeks, possibly more, is there anything I should be doing to keep the batteries fresh?  Should I have a trickle charger on them?  I have very little knowledge in this area.  
 
If your boat is only going to sit for a few weeks the batteries should be fine if they're relatively charged up already.  If it's longer than that than a trickle charger (Battery Tender) is fine to use.  I have a ProMariner battery charger permanently mounted in my boat  and even with that I only top off my batteries a couple times a year in the cooler months.  I'm very wary about just leaving a battery charger on and forgetting about it.  I charge the batteries to full then disconnect the charger.  My buddy left his Battery Tender on for about a month and I was with him when he went over to his boat and discovered one of his batteries had exploded.  Battery acid everywhere including the interior.  I'm surprised it didn't start a fire.
 
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I pull my batteries one at a time and put them on my workbench to charge for a full day.  I use my automotive battery charger and set it for 10 amp charge.  I've only had to do this 2x, but it's not a bad idea to do so once/year.


 I like to monitor their progress under my supervision.  Wouldn't leave them alone.
 
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Thanks for the responses!
 
Yeah a couple weeks should not be a problem.I generally pull mine in the winter time although since I had warranty work done this year i did not.
 
My marina pulls the batteries when they shrink wrap the boat in October and then trickle charge them over the winter.  When I picked the boat up last week I asked for the batteries and the guy at the marina said here's your battery.  I asked where the other one was and he said that they only removed one.  I checked the boat and the second battery was still in place.  I flipped the battery switch and hit the tilt on the motor and the battery was still charged, this was 6 months after it's last use.  When I checked it at home it only took a few hours to fully charge.  So sitting for a few weeks shouldn't be a problem unless the battery was somehow being used while it's idle.
 
I normally take my battery out, but last year I didn't. I put it in storage in October and in April when I pulled it out I expected it to be dead. I turned the key, and nothing. I was dreading bringing the jump starter to the boat as the marina was doing dock work and the ramp was not attached. I had to climb down an attached ladder the lift operators use to get to the dock. Only thing was the lake was so far down, the bottom rung was 3 feet from the dock and I knew getting the jump starter down would be hard. Then I realized I turned the battery switch off when I stored it. Turned the switch on, turned the key and the motor cranked. That with a 7 year old battery.


That being said, I think you will be ok for a few weeks.
 
I have a similar question; I just purchased my boat a couple of weeks ago. The lake is about an hour away from home and we store our boat near the lake in an enclosed storage garage that has power. The boat as a single 12v battery and Perko battery switch. We probably won't be able to go to the lake but every 2-3 weeks. Do you think I need to put a Battery Tender on the battery or will the single battery stay charged sufficiently to operate the boat? Another question I have is, what keeps the battery charged when used with an outboard motor? Is there any type of alternator like an I/O motor? What is the normal procedure for keeping marine batteries healthy?
 
If you turn the switch off there's nothing to drain the battery. Yes, an outboard has an alternator. Our boat has sat for months and started without a tender.
 
If you don't take your battery with you at the end of the season, my dealer will just put it on a shelf until spring. Unless you have an older battery, you should be fine. That said, I use a "smart" charger that you can leave on all winter. With our last boat, my battery lasted seven years which I tend to attribute to the "smart" charger.
 
I have never taken battery out and don’t trickle charge it either. My boat turns over every year. I just turn them off. Sits for 7 months.
 
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My battery is original equipment , never had an issue and never had to charge it. I expected it to be dead 2 years ago. 7 years old. If it doesn't work this weekend I'm satisfied
 
In the winter months I have always taken my battery home and charge it once a month. Letting it sit for a few weeks or a month won't kill it.......unless it's old and weak.
 
Mine used to sit in my basement for 7-8 months and never put any charge to them. Keep in mind a fully charged Northstar brand battery says it can sit on the shelf for 2 years and not need a charge. Quality of the batteries makes a big difference.
 
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