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Second battery

Perko Marine Products in Miami Fl U.S.A.. You can pick one up at Overtons for under &40.00,

Good products never had a problem with one.
 
goldnrod24 said:
Yups, I just looked in the EM catalog and it's the exact same model. Best part? Made in Boston, MA, USA. I can guess where the Perkos are made. Install looks dope simple; I think this is the route I'm going, too. Keep us posted as to your progress.

Here it is:

M-750web.jpg
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That's the one, i should get it today or tomorrow, a couple battery cables from the local parts store, and another battery box, now it's just a decision on where to mount it.
 
Team Bennington said:
Members, a properly installed second battery will not affect your Bennington warranty. If you do not have the expertise to do it yourself, please DO have your dealer handle the install. Improper installation and its after-effects (whatever they may be) are not covered by Bennington!

Thank you team Bennington, we like to hear your opinions when it comes to mods to our boats. Keep up the good work!
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Team Bennington said:
In general, you should be able to run your stereo for at least a couple of hours without draining the battery. It's a good idea to start the engine every hour or so and let the boat idle for 5 minutes to keep the battery charged! Test your battery every spring. They do need to be replaced every now and again.
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Thanks for the response. That should work out just fine for my needs.
 
Well, i got my battery selector switch, and promptly sent it back. I ordered it through my local O'reilly parts store, never asked them about the price, being a shop owner, i thought i would get a decent price. Not the case, they wanted $77.00-wow! And, it is made in Mexico. So i got on e-bay and found a Perko for $38.00, and it is made in the U.S.A. So, i'll post more when the Perko unit comes in.
 
I think the dealer who said your 40hp outboard can't charge 2 batterys has a point, if you set the switch to both and your alternator fails they are not going to cover it under warrenty. If you set it to Batt. 2 and are out for a night cruise, the main battery may not have enough volts. I completly isolated the radio and the 2nd battery from the boats eletrical system and charge it from shore power. This has worked for me without a problem. If you have a 350 I/O this won't be a problem, but with a small outboard it is something to consider.
 
An alternative to adding a second battery might be to consider carrying a battery booster on board such as the one below.

This is what I am seriously considering. What I like about this is It's portable, stores easy, and does not add the weight of a second battery.

Seems like it would get you back underway by giving the jump start needed in the event of a drained battery.

I think you can purchase a decent battery booster for $100-150.00.

ipd-1800.jpg


Schumacher IPD-1800 Instant Power Jump Starter with 18-AH Internal Battery/Docking Station and External Recharging Pack
 
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I like your idea toons up. That way you leave the boats electrical system stock and no drilling any holes. And you could use it for starting other vehicles if needed.
 
Ok, I stand corrected, i did say 'both to keep them both charged', i should have said select 1 or 2 which ever one needs the charge. Yamaha's spec sheet says the alternator puts out between 13 & 17 amps depending on which model you have. That current rating is, in reality, just enough to replenish the surface charge taken from the battery to start your engine. To recharge a dead battery would take several hours of engine run time, and would have your alternator running at full output for that time. If you use your starting battery to run acessories, and run it to the point of needing a jump to start your engine, then you will be running your alternator at full output until the battery is fully charged again. If you run a second battery, you have the choice of how much load you put on the alternator, after all, you don't really need a fully charged battery to run a stereo or depth finder as they draw current at a much slower rate than the surge of amperage needed to start your engine. Your alternators longevity is directly related to how hard it has to work, and if your dealer has to replace your alternator because you continually run the battery down, he may consider that to be abuse. Take it as my 2cents, but i'll go with 2 batteries.
 
The charge amps Yamaha specs out is at WOT(wide open throttle). I just want members to be able to make an informed decision. If you want to put a 2nd battery in your boat, thats fine with me, it's your boat. The one other thing I want to let members know is that if you want to mount a battery on the carpet you have to cut a hole in the carpet before drilling. If you don't it will pull a fiber and wrap it around the bit, it can go 12" fast before you notice and stop drilling.
 
Clark said:
I like your idea toons up. That way you leave the boats electrical system stock and no drilling any holes. And you could use it for starting other vehicles if needed.
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Clark,

Adding any addional weight is not something I am interested in with the second battery. I did install an onboard marine charger.

When we finish with our pontoon for the day, we just clean it up, cover it up and plug it in. :D It stays on trickle charge until we take it out again.
 
TOON said:
Clark,

Adding any addional weight is not something I am interested in with the second battery. I did install an onboard marine charger.

When we finish with our pontoon for the day, we just clean it up, cover it up and plug it in. :D It stays on trickle charge until we take it out again.
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I'm with you about keeping the weight down and it's one less battery during the winter to keep charged in storage. Since I have electrical power to my dock I'm considering an on board charger too.
 
kanop44 said:
I'm with you about keeping the weight down and it's one less battery during the winter to keep charged in storage. Since I have electrical power to my dock I'm considering an on board charger too.
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very smart. :D
 
TOON said:
An alternative to adding a second battery might be to consider carrying a battery booster on board such as the one below.

This is what I am seriously considering. What I like about this is It's portable, stores easy, and does not add the weight of a second battery.

Seems like it would get you back underway by giving the jump start needed in the event of a drained battery.

I think you can purchase a decent battery booster for $100-150.00.

ipd-1800.jpg


Schumacher IPD-1800 Instant Power Jump Starter with 18-AH Internal Battery/Docking Station and External Recharging Pack
Click to expand...
This is my solution. This week, my college student son informed me that the battery in his (my) car was dead. Not only wouldn't the trunk opener work (where the cables are kept and the key won't open) but he was parked nose in at the apartment complex with cars on both sides.

I shopped for another set of cables and ran across the Stanley (in name only; they are made in China and imported by someone other than Stanley). It's a jump starter/air compressor/emergency light/USB port unit with 500 amps of starting power and 1000 peak amps. It was $80. True, more than jumper cables, but less than another battery, switch, box, etc. I'll carry it in the boat in the event that the starting battery is run down.

Plus, it's available for when Junior leaves his headlights on again or some other calamity arises.

Thanks for the great solution!
 
goldnrod24 said:
This is my solution. This week, my college student son informed me that the battery in his (my) car was dead. Not only wouldn't the trunk opener work (where the cables are kept and the key won't open) but he was parked nose in at the apartment complex with cars on both sides.

I shopped for another set of cables and ran across the Stanley (in name only; they are made in China and imported by someone other than Stanley). It's a jump starter/air compressor/emergency light/USB port unit with 500 amps of starting power and 1000 peak amps. It was $80. True, more than jumper cables, but less than another battery, switch, box, etc. I'll carry it in the boat in the event that the starting battery is run down.

Plus, it's available for when Junior leaves his headlights on again or some other calamity arises.

Thanks for the great solution!
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This is the route I am going. The second battery is extra weight in my toon I just don't want. Your Welcome. :D
 
I also have one of these portable batteries. With the 12 volt socket, it also has the added capability of powering and recharging small devices, especially with the addition of an inverter, anywhere on the boat I want to use it. In addition to being my backup for starting, I use it to charge my iPhone, my GPS, the airpump for tubes, etc.

Mine weighs about 18 pounds but has a solid handle and is easy enough to carry around. Since I trailer my pontoon and don't have an electrical source at the storage facility, I just bring it home after each trip and recharge it in the garage.
 
I do have a 2nd battery on my pontoon for the radio and it did not affect the balance or speed of the boat. If I was going to start over I think I would go with a portable jump box though because of the versitility and not drilling into a new boat.
 
For those interested, here is how my second battery install turned out. No lost space, battery fit nicely in the corner, i would have liked the switch to be easier to get to, but that would have added alot more cable. Pretty easy job. Edit Post............... Ok this is not how this post was supposed to work out, apparently i don't understand how to post pictures. Anyone have a quick tutorial for me? I tried the insert image box on the toolbar and all it did was put the info before my script.
 
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Team Bennington said:
Members, a properly installed second battery will not affect your Bennington warranty. If you do not have the expertise to do it yourself, please DO have your dealer handle the install. Improper installation and its after-effects (whatever they may be) are not covered by Bennington!
Click to expand...
Bump, I had asked this question a while back and actually found the answer here.
 
goldnrod24 said:
This is my solution. This week, my college student son informed me that the battery in his (my) car was dead. Not only wouldn't the trunk opener work (where the cables are kept and the key won't open) but he was parked nose in at the apartment complex with cars on both sides.

I shopped for another set of cables and ran across the Stanley (in name only; they are made in China and imported by someone other than Stanley). It's a jump starter/air compressor/emergency light/USB port unit with 500 amps of starting power and 1000 peak amps. It was $80. True, more than jumper cables, but less than another battery, switch, box, etc. I'll carry it in the boat in the event that the starting battery is run down.

Plus, it's available for when Junior leaves his headlights on again or some other calamity arises.

Thanks for the great solution!
Click to expand...

This is my solution as well. I figure if I'm ever out long enough to kill the primary battery I will just use this to jump it and let it run till the primary battery charges back up. And like was stated earlier, you could use it for multiple issues like if you left the lights on, on your tow vehicle or if someone else you're out with kills their battery. You can easily let them borrow your jump start and help out a fellow boater. 
 
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