Batteries and Battery Chargers

[JigMaster]

Just wondering from the experience on this forum, what are the best batteries and charging system/method?
The first batteries (not sure of make) that came with my boat lasted about four years and the new starting battery (Everstart) I purchased from Walmart has gone down in a year. I want to believe that its the battery because the trolling battery is still good and the first two lasted for a considerable time. But want to be sure about charging as well.

[papasage]

i use deep cyckle batteries on my boat even the cranking battery . 3 daye`s fishing and a cranking battery will go down . the charging system dont put enough to kep it up for several dayes cranking and the depth finder ..
had to put depth finder on the cranking battery as it had interfearance from the troling motor .
batteries are made in the same plant are made with the customers specification and price .
we have a delphi plant here and they have built all kinds and brands . built some for sears . . i have several that i have used for 5 years or more still working

[Barnacle Bill]

There are a lot of people raving about the the new Optima batteries. They are expensive but so far I've not heard anything negative about them. As for chargers, on board is the way to go. When you get home, you plug it in and forget about it until its time to go fishing again. The good ones are self regulating and once the batteries are charged they go into a maintenance mode. The 2 most importantant things you can do to prolong battery life is keep the water level up and recharge them immediately (within 24 hours) after each use. There has been a lot of discussions on the subject here, you might try doing search. BTW, 4 years use out of a marine batttery is outstanding!

[jfraley]

Hi JigMaster,

I learned that I have to disconnect my hot wire from my cranking battery if I am not going fishing for a while (Over a month). Something slowly drains my battery over time. This year I installed an on board charger on my boat. It has two banks so I can charge two trolling batteries constantly. When on battery gets fully charge, it throws all the remaining amps to the uncharged battery (faster). It is convenient to come home and plug the cord in and walk away. You need to keep your batteries charged. They need to be put on charge right when you get back from the water. Checking the water level is also very important, and when you refill the water be sure to use distilled water. You can get it at any walmart. I am sure others will have more to add to my comments, but I hope this helps. Good luck!

[CrappiePappy]

I'd have to ask how, if, when, & how often you charged that "starting battery". If the battery is really bad & not holding a charge - take it back to Wal-mart & trade it in for a new one (you will get a pro-rated discount).

I may not be the best person to comment about batteries/chargers - I've used a single Stowaway 850 battery, as both starting & trolling battery, on my boat. I've gone thru about 5 of them since 1984. I charged them with a Shumacher 10amp charger. I test the residual charge, after a days use, with a Altus Technology Battery Tester ... then set the charger for the appropriate amount of time (tester came with mathmatical formula to determine charge time). Charger automatically cuts off when time is up. But, then, my situation is a bit different than most. I live in an apt complex ... so I have to remove battery (and all other valuables) from boat - bring it in the apt, and charge it (when making local trips). Of course, when camping or staying at a Marina, over night, I leave battery in boat when charging.
Nowadays - with the state of technology being where it is ... bank chargers, gel batteries, and such are the "new" wave of powering/charging your batteries. It's a whole new ballgame, now. There are several good sites that go into the whole battery charging & maintenance thing - here's one :
http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/index.htm (check the first link - FAQ's) It's a long and involved article, but it pretty well covers everything you'd want to know about batteries. Hope it helps ........ luck2ya ...cp

[drill instructor]

Get the best on board charging system, I think that is key. If my batteries last 4yrs I would be very happy as much as I troll. Now watch when I get home all 3 will be dead

[J White]

This from my old days as an auto mechanic - Wal-Mart "Neverstart",
AutoZone "Neverlast" :D Seriously, there may be some alot better, but
I have had great luck with Delco Voyagers, the 27 for trolling and 24 for
cranking. My first 24 lasted 7 years, have one 27 thats 9 and it still sort
of works! I really believe in on boards, got a Dual Pro XL (5amps per bank)
that stays plugged in when I'm not on the water. It's on my trolling batteries
tho- the alternator keeps the cranking bat up fine unless I go a month+
without fishin - not often. Unless you are a hard core, 2-3 day tournament
man, I just can't see shelling out the dough for those 10-15 amp per bank
chargers - my 5+5 will easy top off dead ones in 7 or 8 hours.

[JigMaster]

Thanks guys for the comments and suggestions.

CP - I am going to take the battery back to Walmart to check out and see what is going on. I did check the water level and it is full.
My charging method on the original batteries was charging both batteries after each trip. Basically had two portable chargers and would take the batteries out hook up and plug in.
After moving, somehow they got lost and I only replaced with one charger. I then resulted to charging the trolling battery (T-motor and D Finder) after each trip and the cranking battery about every two to three trips. This maybe part of the problem. I think I am going to look into an onboard charger and possibly an additional battery for trolling as I plan to do more of it.
JWhite - Thanks for the tip on the 5+5. Any additional tips on what to look for in a two or three battery on board charger! Thanks again to all!

[fiddlefarter]

I have to second DI on the Dual-Pro. I have the Dual Pro Pro Series 15 amps per bank and it does a dang good job. I plug it in when I get home and forget it till next trip. They are made in America here in Nashville and they have awesome customer service. Many of the guys on another site had 2 bank chargers come with their boats some of them more than a year old well it got around that DP would let you upgrade to a 3 bank and you only would have to pay the difference between the 2. They even shipped the new one to you before they got the old one. If you ever have a problem they will ship you a new one plus the postage to ship the defective back to them after you recieve it. I know guys around here that had a problem after the warranty ran out, when they carried it to them for repair they just gave them new ones. Some people have good luck with the Bass Pro XPS chargers but I know of stories of people having problems with them. BPS replaced the chargers but their batts were burnt up and if they ain't BPS batts a sorry is all you get.

Unheard of these days. I've always thought American Batteries were pretty good. But I don't know if they sell in your area.

[whizkids]

This from my old days as an auto mechanic - Wal-Mart "Neverstart",
AutoZone "Neverlast" :D Seriously, there may be some alot better, but
I have had great luck with Delco Voyagers, the 27 for trolling and 24 for
cranking. My first 24 lasted 7 years, one 27 thats 9 and it still sort
of works! I really believe in on boards, got a Dual Pro XL (5amps per bank)
that stays plugged in when I'm not on the water. It's on my trolling batteries
tho- the alternator keeps the cranking bat up fine unless I go a month+
without fishin - not often. Unless you are a hard core, 2-3 day tournament
man, I just can't see shelling out the dough for those 10-15 amp per bank
chargers - my 5+5 will easy top off dead ones in 7 or 8 hours.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Amen and Amen :D Delco Voyagers:D there is no better conventional marine battery made. Delphi ( another GM brand) is not the same battery.