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Sea Legs Info

Vikingstaff

Vikingstaff

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I had 2 big components of my 5 year old Sea Legs system fail this year coming out of winter storage. Main motor and remote control box/remote system. The main motor was somewhat reasonable price range, but the remote system was VERY expensive in my mind for what it is.

I spoke at length directly with Sea Legs today about my concerns over these parts failures after only 5 years and 12 combined months of useage total (and high combined repair costs). Learned something new to pass along to others in regards to the main motor on the system.

Sea Legs said the system requires a battery with a MINIMUM of 850 CCA, deep cycle. However, they recommend one with 1000 CCA, and that 1000 CCA is what they personally in fact have on their own boats with Sea Legs. They say they stress this in all their literature and with install dealerships.

My current batteries were new in 2022, and register fine in terms of volts on my dash. They were put on by and at the direction of my purchase and Sea Legs install dealership. However, in talking with Sea Legs directly I went out to the boat to go over my Sea Legs connected battery (battery #2, non-starter battery, on my boat) while I was on the phone with them. My secondary battery is a 750 CCA.

The Sea Legs rep said he is 100% sure that my battery is what caused my motor to burn out. He said it doesn’t have the juice to fully power Sea Legs properly during operation, and the motor is overworking and overheating. He said over time it surely burned through internal wiring in the Sea Legs motor. He advised immediately upgrading my second battery (that the Sea Legs is connected to) to one with more CCA.

So, #1, I want to pass this battery info along to all other Sea Legs owners. Check your batteries now. FWIW: The motor itself is about $500, plus tech travel service charge, diagnostic service charge and labor time. Protect your system by having a properly rated battery.

I’ll discuss my battery situation separately with my dealership and see why they recommended what I have in light of the above. Regardless, I will be upgrading my secondary battery somewhat asap to meet the recommendations for my Sea Legs.

As for my remote system, which was double the motor repair/replacement, they had no answer. They said it’s typically a reliable system, and doesn’t fail often. However, the replacement system and new remote are different. They said they are a new and improved version, and should work flawlessly for years to come. They said they are much more robust, particularly the actual remote. In only 1 week of usage, I can verify better reception, quicker reception, quicker responsiveness. I have not tested for longer range, but I will soon.

Still love my Sea Legs, even though these premature repairs rattle me a little bit. However, for fellow Sea Legs owners, check your Sea Legs connected battery. Having the right CCA could save you some costly repairs.
 
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Good info for those that want or have Sea Legs
 
Vikingstaff said:
As for my remote system, which was double the motor repair/replacement, they had no answer. They said it’s typically a reliable system, and doesn’t fail often. However, the replacement system and new remote are different.
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It's very frustrating when all you need is a remote, but you are forced to buy a new 'brain box' because SeaLegs did not acquire enough remotes to support the product they have sold. (seen this multiple times)
 
One thing to clarify with Sea Legs, and possibly the reason for the discrepancy with the dealer,

MCA and CCA are measurements of a battery's starting power, measured at different temperatures, 32 degrees and 0 degrees F, repectively. (As ambient temp gets colder, battery gets colder resulting in less power output. Accordingly, MCA will in theory be higher than CCA on the same battery.) Per Mercury's site, states 750 CCA/1000MCA

MCA is the commonly used rating for marine/RV starting power. It is the number of amperes a lead acid battery at 32 degrees F (0 degrees C) can deliver for 30 seconds and maintain at least 1.2 volts per cell (7.2 volts for a 12-volt battery). This lets you know how much power you have to start your boat's engine. (Source: Excide battery technologies)

Cold Cranking Amps is a rating used in the battery industry to define a battery's ability to start an engine in cold temperatures. The rating is the number of amps a new, fully charged battery can deliver at 0° Farenheit for 30 seconds, while maintaining a voltage of at least 7.2 volts, for a 12 volt battery. The higher the CCA rating, the greater the starting power of the battery. (Source:battery . com)
 
Bill N said:
It's very frustrating when all you need is a remote, but you are forced to buy a new 'brain box' because SeaLegs did not acquire enough remotes to support the product they have sold. (seen this multiple times)
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This! I suspect both items were not bad and I only need one or the other. My money is on remote, but they are phasing out the old remote system. So new system it is. I think that may have led to the full remote box + remote replacement. Super frustrating. And ridiculously expensive for what it is (basically a receiver and remote).
 
BulldogsCadillac said:
One thing to clarify with Sea Legs, and possibly the reason for the discrepancy with the dealer,

MCA and CCA are measurements of a battery's starting power, measured at different temperatures,
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Thank you! I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to electronics, batteries, etc… I’ve even stayed at a Holiday Inn before, and it hasn’t helped. :D

I REALLY appreciate this extra information and insight!!! That does make it worthwhile for me to reach back out to Sea Legs and get clarification.

I know I shared my initial SL info with my dealership yesterday. They were surprised and told me they’ve never been told any of that by Sea Legs, by their techs…no one. They also shared dismay that if true, why was it not flagged during repair, and then we talk and take care of my battery then? I echoed the same thing myself. So they too were going to be following up with Sea Legs after the holiday to sort this info out.

I am going to hold off on any battery change until I speak with Sea Legs again with your info in mind Bulldog. See if we’re all on the same page, of the discrepancy is with assumptions on CCA vs MCA battery rating.

I will also update this thread once I can get clarity between CCA vs MCA needs with Sea Legs attached battery. :cool:
 
This site is produced by Rod Collins, arguably one of the most knowledgeable men anywhere regarding marine batteries and systems. Everything you might want to know on batteries in boats is there somewhere.
Marine How To - Rod Collins

Be aware also that Mercury has special requirements for their motors that requires some interpretation. For a long time it was AGM only for start and dual purpose. Not sure that's still true, but for your previous gen Verado it definitely was.
 
TomS said:
Be aware also that Mercury has special requirements for their motors that requires some interpretation. For a long time it was AGM only for start and dual purpose. Not sure that's still true, but for your previous gen Verado it definitely was.
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Thanks for that resource. I will absolutely be checking it out!!!

Correct on battery/motor pairing. My current set is what is specifically recommended by Mercury for 200HP Verado Pro. They recommended my specs, with the 750 CCA. So what I need to do is find one that is higher CCA, but meets Mercuries recommended specs/recommendations. Hopefully that’s a non-issue. Maybe something is literally sitting on a Mercury rec. list somewhere.

This issue is a post Memorial Day one for me at this point. By mid-June (post Mayflies) I want to be good to go for the long haul again.
 
Vikingstaff said:
This! I suspect both items were not bad and I only need one or the other. My money is on remote, but they are phasing out the old remote system. So new system it is. I think that may have led to the full remote box + remote replacement. Super frustrating. And ridiculously expensive for what it is (basically a receiver and remote).
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What did your remote look like? Maybe 2"x4" kinda half round on top and bottom? Blue and grey? If so, yeah those were kind of junk. Hard to press, almost as if the overlay wasn't right to begin with. Both Sea-legs and Ultra-legs went away from that remote system. You can now get a jumper to go from a Sea-legs pump to and Ultra-legs remote systems, for about $100 less. What does your pump look like? Is it gold with a say 2" wide yellow cap on the oil reservoir? Those pumps and that parker motor were great when the first came out, but as toons got bigger, heavier, and more powerful, they started seeing more and more issues. Generally that trombetta switch where the battery cables hook up to gets hot and melts the contacters inside. That's why they ran a 60amp resettable in-line breaker that should pop before that switch melts. Sea-legs also no longer uses those pumps anymore. They are a low voltage high amp draw system so as your battery gets weaker, the higher amp draw can start to cause stress to the brushes inside those motors. The guys at sea-legs almost always tend to blame all issues on bad batteries, not any flaws with their product. At least you could get just a motor, and they didn't try to sell you a whole new pump!
 
Oh yes…that older version junk remote is precisely the one we had. I will have to double check pump and what not another time. Hopefully I am good to go now. I guess we will see over time. Here’s the new remote:

image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg
 
Got the new batteries set on the boat to go with Sea Legs guidelines and approved by Mercury for my Verado Pro motor. x2 of these Optima’s:
IMG_6761.jpeg IMG_6762.jpeg
 
Another follow up of info. Bought a TopDon Battery diagnostic tool to try to figure out a problem with my house battery not charging or behaving normally. Anyway, the TopDon is awesome AND cost effective. In using it I found my Sea Legs power draw:

Raising the boat once: Draws 28% of the house batteries total charge.

Dropping the boat down once: Draws 20% of the house batteries total charge.

WOW!!!

When Sea Legs says it’s a “big draw” they are not kidding at all. I remain stunned on the power consumption of those things. No wonder you have to be well dialed into your battery management if you add a Sea Legs system.

Oh…here is the device I was using to get results:

IMG_6891.jpegIMG_6890.jpegIMG_6898.jpegIMG_6893.jpeg
 
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So if you are not constantly on top of your house battery state of charge, you run the risk of damage to the motor/drive system. If you just use the Sea Legs to moor the boat after use, assuming you have 120 V power at your landing/dock, why wouldn't you be able to run an AC to DC inverter to separatley raise or lower the Sea Legs without fear of battery drainage. Just an idea.
 
fitz73222 said:
So if you are not constantly on top of your house battery state of charge, you run the risk of damage to the motor/drive system. If you just use the Sea Legs to moor the boat after use, assuming you have 120 V power at your landing/dock, why wouldn't you be able to run an AC to DC inverter to separatley raise or lower the Sea Legs without fear of battery drainage. Just an idea.
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I’ve had them for 6 years now, and knew it works the batteries pretty hard. However, until now I didn’t have data. Kinda of crazy really. So yes, for those that have Sea Legs (I’d think Ultra legs too) monitoring that connected battery is going to be very important.

I think your idea would be a good possibility for some. Those with permanent docks, boat houses, etc in the water all year.

For me, running electrical to the dock is not really an option here. Being in N. Michigan with winters on our lake, EVERYTHING legally has to be pulled out seasonally: docks, lifts, etc. I am considering a solar powers trickle charger with cable hook ups as a possibility. That way I could have a slow charge happening via Mother Nature when its simply parked dockside.

We use them dockside, but also anytime we hit up a sandbar/beach area. We’ll pop it up in those situations too.

As for winter lake conditions up here in the Great White North…
Ice thickness is about 20-30” and it pushes and moves throughout a normal winter season. Here is what happens as winter unfolds and ice and snow push up our sea wall onto land.

IMG_1637.jpegIMG_1631.jpeg

Thick enough to drive a truck on the lake:
IMG_8952.jpeg

And every 1-2 years a couple places have a massive ice wall pushed up onto their yard at the end of the season when the ice breaks up and a storm gets it all going in one direction across our 5x7mi size lake.

IMG_0192.jpegIMG_1858.jpeg
 
Jeff,
Portable solar panel charger can top off your batteries easily between outings. There a ton of options, but I’m a Renogy fan. Building a solar light system for my deck/shed/workshop. I even can charge my cordless drill batteries with the setup I plan on building. I bought a 12v Ryobi charger specifically for that purpose.
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
Jeff,
Portable solar panel charger can top off your batteries easily between outings. There a ton of options, but I’m a Renogy fan. Building a solar light system for my deck/shed/workshop. I even can charge my cordless drill batteries with the setup I plan on building. I bought a 12v Ryobi charger specifically for that purpose.
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This is what I am thinking for my intended use and desire for flexibility. Fitz got me thinking and if a small portable solar charger like this works well I was thinking in the future I can just get an extension cable and do a dock mount bracket. Mount solar charging panel on dock and plug into boat when dockside.

I was looking at a couple Powoxi options on Amazon. I’ll take a second look at the Renogy too. A couple other brands I was looking at that all offer the same features pretty economically.
 
Great idea. Those of us with Sea Legs / Ultra Legs and lack of expertise would love to follow how this could work. Thanks to all for sharing.
 
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Vikingstaff said:
This is what I am thinking for my intended use and desire for flexibility. Fitz got me thinking and if a small portable solar charger like this works well I was thinking in the future I can just get an extension cable and do a dock mount bracket. Mount solar charging panel on dock and plug into boat when dockside.
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This would be so simple. You’d use a connector just like a battery tender. You want to try to get a charging setup that does not convert dc to ac then back to dc.
Ac inverters are energy hogs. Just remember the old adage, KISS. Don’t overthink or over engineer it. You need a solar panel, a controller, and a connector.
 
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