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Onboard battery charger for R series with dual batteries

Spoonman

Spoonman

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Hey all,

Hope all is well. As we are in the middle of winter, it reminded me to ask the question of what onboard charger would work best for my R23 FB that has the dual batteries, but one is on the aft port side and the other on the aft starboard side.

I have an onboad charger for my Mastercraft, but the Benny is sitting there with nothing on her. I ran her the end of December but I know what happens when they sit with no charge I can use my battery tenders for short term, but they highly recommend to take the batteries out. Being lazy, I would prefer to install an onboard charger for year round use. The issue is that the batteries are separted on each side of the aft seating areas.

Anyone had this issue/question?

Thanks,

JS
 
Our dual batteries are on the port side so not exactly sure of your configuration but would think you could hook a dual output charger to both batteries at the 1-2-Both-Off selector switch.
 
What kind of climate are you in? As in how cold. I'm assuming not too bad since you say you ran the boat in December! Are you looking for something just to cover the winter months? I used Northstar batteries, best on the market. They have a 2 year shelf life without charging (if fully charged obviously) my 4 batteries used to sit in my basement (yes I took mine out since I live in Manitoba Canada where it gets to -30C to -40C regularly throughout winter) and never put a charge on them at all. That's usually for around 8 months!! Can't say enough good things about them. If you read up on them, they are without question the best.

As for just a charger, not sure. Mine was overkill for probably 99% of people, probably overkill for me too, but it was one of the best I could find, with a ton of customizable options. It was a ProNautic 1250p

Do you have the factory switch / distribution panel that Bennington puts in?
 
BulldogsCadillac said:
What kind of climate are you in? As in how cold. I'm assuming not too bad since you say you ran the boat in December! Are you looking for something just to cover the winter months? I used Northstar batteries, best on the market. They have a 2 year shelf life without charging (if fully charged obviously) my 4 batteries used to sit in my basement (yes I took mine out since I live in Manitoba Canada where it gets to -30C to -40C regularly throughout winter) and never put a charge on them at all. That's usually for around 8 months!! Can't say enough good things about them. If you read up on them, they are without question the best.

As for just a charger, not sure. Mine was overkill for probably 99% of people, probably overkill for me too, but it was one of the best I could find, with a ton of customizable options. It was a ProNautic 1250p

Do you have the factory switch / distribution panel that Bennington puts in?
Click to expand...

Yes I have the dual battery switch that is located by the starboard aft battery under the rear seat.
 
Yeah, I go out about once a month during the winter (Nov-Mar) for an hour or two just to give the engine some exercise. You get some decent days here in NC. I have a switch and it's always on off while connected. I leave them connected all winter except when I go out. It keeps my batteries about 12.4v-12.5v. I don't use them during the summer as I go out almost every week at least once.
 
Hmm, I wish I had a boat to look at! Haha I was always told in multiple battery setups that the best way to get an even charge is have the charging positive connected on one end of the battery bank and the negative on the other end. That way the voltages should be very close throughout the bank. If both + and - are on the same battery in the bank, that battery may end up getting a higher charge. Yes, as long as your switch is in 1+2 position it should balance itself in a fairly short amount of time.
I don't think it would be overly tough to run a negative cable over to the other side of the boat where the second battery is though.
 
I haven't looked for a while but I think my 6 battery golf cart is set up the way you are describing Bulldog
 
ProMariner makes a dual bank and three bank marine charger. I've had their three bank in my bass boat for years. Each bank is a 15 amp charger with a float mode. I believe the come with 15' long leads for connecting each battery. It's a high frequency charger so it's not very heavy, waterproof and extends battery life for sure. I just replaced the cranking battery on the bass boat this past year and it was 14 years old!
 
I've had great luck with ProMariner's. I've had them in every boat I've owned and have never had an issue with the charger or batteries. I'm using the 2 bank Elite in my Benny.
 
I was able to take a pic last weekend of the setup (only took a pic of the starboard battery. The other is a cranking battery as well that is located on the port side aft.

I sent an email to ProMariner and this is what they asked:

...To be able to suggest a charger we would need to know the size and amp-hour capacity of your batteries. Also, how are they wired (series or parallel or independent)? And what are they used for? A charger should be sized to at least 10% of the battery system capacity. And the type of charger will depend on the battery usage and how you plan to charge the batteries. If you call the toll free number below we could discuss your options and find the best solution for your needs.


ProMariner Support

800-824-0524

www.pmariner.com

...Idiot question but how do I determine if they are in parallel or independent. As you can see, my selector switch allows battery 1 or battery 2 or both.
 

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They are wired separately (1 & 2) but can be combined by using "all" or "both" on the battery switch (can't read what the actual wording is). I very rarely run mine at both. Usually when I go out I'll run 1 one day and 2 the next. Even stopping and running the stereo for several hours never runs the battery down where it can't start. Obviously, the goal is to always have a fully charged battery for back-up cranking. As for my charger, mine is a two-bank so each battery is wired separately to it and they charge independent of each other. When one battery is charged to full and the other partial, the charger automatically senses that and changes it's charging accordingly (hence "Smartcharger"). My ProMariner Elite Pro has lighted indicators on the top so I always know what the battery levels are and that everything is working properly.
 
Havasu said:
They are wired separately (1 & 2) but can be combined by using "all" or "both" on the battery switch (can't read what the actual wording is). I very rarely run mine at both. Usually when I go out I'll run 1 one day and 2 the next. Even stopping and running the stereo for several hours never runs the battery down where it can't start. Obviously, the goal is to always have a fully charged battery for back-up cranking. As for my charger, mine is a two-bank so each battery is wired separately to it and they charge independent of each other. When one battery is charged to full and the other partial, the charger automatically senses that and changes it's charging accordingly (hence "Smartcharger"). My ProMariner Elite Pro has lighted indicators on the top so I always know what the battery levels are and that everything is working properly.
Click to expand...
Thanks Randy. I'll definitely go ProMariner. Appreciate the feedback.
 
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