Mister G Posted February 6, 2015 Report Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) When I'm perch fishing and just anchored I have 2 Lowrance LMS 520c units going, VHF radio, live well on a auto timer going, am/fm radio going and a auto bilge pump going because da boats leaks a bit now and then. You sit there for 5-8 hours and it adds up. Then I head back a whopping 1.3 miles back to the launch and my starting battery never gets recharged even though my E-Tech motor has a GREAT charging system. Edited February 9, 2015 by Mister G
Mister G Posted February 6, 2015 Report Posted February 6, 2015 That reminds me... I should put the charger on my starter to top it up... Been sitting outside since Christmas... GOOD LUCK...with these conditions I hope all is well.
SuperDave Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Posted February 9, 2015 Thanks for all the input guys. Ended up buying a Promariner 2 bank 12Amp charger. My fishing buddy has this one and has had no issues with it.
Old Ironmaker Posted February 9, 2015 Report Posted February 9, 2015 I never had need to charge my starter battery. Until the first time out with the new kicker. My electronics killed the battery. That electric start kicker paid for itself to bring us in 8 miles out. But if I didn't have the kicker I wouldn't kill the start battery. Had just enough to start the 15HP kicker. Something I need to address for this year. I don't want to kill the battery again. I might just buy a booster pack. Draining batteries kill them.
Mister G Posted February 9, 2015 Report Posted February 9, 2015 Old Iron, you are starting to see the light......a on-board charger also hooked up to the starting motor is really the way to go to get the most out of your battery because it maintains it while it not in use. Another good tip is a battery tender for those who have ATV because how long they sometimes sit without being used. This charger is also equal to our boat on-board chargers because it initialization, bulk charge, absorption mode, float mode. I have this one from Cabela's. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Battery-Tenderreg/734156.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch%2F%3FN%3D%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dbattery%2Bcharger%26Ntx%3Dmode%252Bmatchallpartial%26WTz_l%3DHeader%25253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26form_state%3DsearchForm%26recordsPerPage%3D80%26search%3Dbattery%2Bcharger%26searchTypeByFilter%3DAllProducts%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&Ntt=battery+charger&WTz_l=Header%253BSearch-All+Products
Mister G Posted February 9, 2015 Report Posted February 9, 2015 Thanks for all the input guys. Ended up buying a Promariner 2 bank 12Amp charger. My fishing buddy has this one and has had no issues with it. Great choice...........that is the same one I have but it has Cabela's name on it......I love it. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Advanced-Anglers8482-ProSeries-On-Board-Marine-Battery-Chargers/1309718.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch%2F%3FN%3D%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dbattery%2Bcharger%26Ntx%3Dmode%252Bmatchallpartial%26WTz_l%3DHeader%25253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26form_state%3DsearchForm%26recordsPerPage%3D80%26search%3Dbattery%2Bcharger%26searchTypeByFilter%3DAllProducts%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&Ntt=battery+charger&WTz_l=Header%253BSearch-All+Products
Gerry Posted February 9, 2015 Report Posted February 9, 2015 Hooking up a charger to a cranking (main) battery is a good idea. As Lew stated, you can leave your batteries in the boat all winter. Also, if you park your boat for extended periods, the on-board computer on the main engine draws constant power, as does your GPS antenna. And, if you happen to leave a light on in the boat, this can draw the cranking power below which is needed to fire up those bigger motors. If you mkae short runs, the alternator might not have enough running time to replace the charge that you used up with electronis, downriggers, etc. A car is the same.
Mister G Posted February 9, 2015 Report Posted February 9, 2015 I'm another that's never seen a need for hooking a charger to the cranking battery. Actually old Lew has spoken against hooking up a on-board charger to the cranking / main battery. However, a few others including myself have posted that it really is a good idea. I never thought of the on-board computer systems now prevalent in today's modern outboards that could be a battery drain......good tip. I have a am/fm radio on-board that like a car radio has digital clock display that is ALWAYS on and over time can draw the battery down. And of course who knows if you have a battery drain/short somewhere in your boat's electrical system. As far a GPS antennas, my LMS 520c units work off the round disk antenna that Lowrance recommended to be installed with a separate on/off switch that I did install. This not only protects the battery but also protects the antenna from burning out because it's always on. I believe that was Lowrance's main concern because older units the 19c did not mention running a separate switch and may have caused these antennas to fail prematurely. Now almost all of the new units on the market have built in antennas that I'm sure are not activated when the unit is shut down.
lew Posted February 9, 2015 Report Posted February 9, 2015 Actually old Lew has spoken Not old, just very experienced
Mister G Posted February 9, 2015 Report Posted February 9, 2015 Not old, just very experienced When I looked up "very experienced" it did not mention you........however when I looked up "OLD" your picture came up....LOL....JK
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