Thread: battery & charger questions

Originally Posted by boat49

Ive been using a dual pro 2 bank for 5 yrs and its going strong. No problems with interference and batteries are always ready to go. Just thought I'd throw that in the mix of things!

Which supports my belief that the dealer and mfr where blowing me off. Too bad the knee jerk is to make excuses or give false explanations.
Thanks for the reply.
Scott

Ain't that the truth! I spent all day Friday trying to find a spare for the boat. Everyone I called said they didn't have one. I finally went to Bass Pro and paid $132.00 for one. My husband called people too. Then he stopped by one place in person and the guy told him he did have one. He just didn't want to stop working and look for it.

So...back to Bass Pro to return their tire. Paid $59.00 for the other one. Much better.

Peke

I have a minn kota 3 bank on the Kenner and a XPS 5/5/5 on my bass boat. I've had the XPS for 4yrs now and the minn kota was on the Kenner when i bought it two years ago and if I remember right its about 3 or 4 yrs old and they both are still working great. I keep them plugged in 24/7 so both boats are ready to go any time I get a wild hair.

Not positive, but I believe the XPS chargers are also made by Pro Mariner, like the Cabelas branded ones.

Yes, I just found that out online. I am thinking I should get a 3 bank just in case I ever get a 24 volt trolling motor.

Peke

Hey Peke,

If you'll be running a 24 volt battery, then you'll only need a 2 bank. 2-12 volt batteries = 24 volts.

If your engine has an alternator, I see no reason to have one of the banks hooked to the cranking battery.

Just MHO

Originally Posted by OkieDon

Hey Peke,

If your engine has an alternator, I see no reason to have one of the banks hooked to the cranking battery.

Just MHO

I had a problem with my cranking battery running down. I couldn't find what was draining it so I purchased a $2 cutoff and after attaching it and cuting the power after returning home from fishing I no longer have that problem. With that being said, I now agree with what you said about not needing a charger for your cranking battery.

Originally Posted by OkieDon

Hey Peke,

If you'll be running a 24 volt battery, then you'll only need a 2 bank. 2-12 volt batteries = 24 volts.

If your engine has an alternator, I see no reason to have one of the banks hooked to the cranking battery.

Just MHO

Peke, OkieDon is right, in a way. But, just for consideration ... You will want your electronics running off of your cranking battery and your trolling motor battery (batteries) just running your trolling motor, because of interference issues. As such, you can get into a situation where you might indeed want your cranking battery to be on a charger as well. Also, it is just better for the battery to be maintained at a fully charged state.

My cranking battery, which was not on a charger, once failed to start my motor after a long day of fishing. This was strange, as I had had many long days of fishing with no problems. What I figured out was that I was running my cranking battery down over a period of days. I would run the big motor a short distance, kill it and begin fishing. I might run it off and on during the day for very short periods of time and then fire it up for the short run back to the ramp. Bottom line was that I was not running the big motor enough to charge the battery up completely, while putting current drain on it all day with livewell pumps, locators, etc. After a few days, the battery just got too low to crank. When my 2 bank charger crapped out, I upgraded to a 3 bank, put the cranking battery on and have not that problem since.

I have had a XPS 15A three bank on my boat since 2001, best thing I ever bought!! I bought it from Bass Pro in 2001. Just shot craps, called Pro Mariner, a live person pick up the phone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!( 1800-824-0524) to ask about troubleshooting. After trouble shooting he told me that it was in need of service. Of coarse being out of warranty after 9 years of use. He said that he could send me an upgraded new model for $120 something on a customer loyalty plan, I needed it in two days so with 2nd day shipping total was cheaper than Bass Pro or Cabela's sale price without shipping!!!!!!!!!Great customer service!!!!!!!!!! If you are going to buy one give them a call!!!!!

Many of the newer engines will put a small drain on the battery when sitting. I have a bigfoot 60 and it will run the battery down in about 4 weeks if I don't have it on the charger.