trickle charge now or later

(supreme_rob) · (supreme_rob) **Join Date: Sep 2005** 10-15-2005, 11:13 AM

storing my boat for the winter unfortunately in my driveway.Should I trickle charge my batteries all winter long or just wait untill early spring to charge them and is it better to remove them from the boat and just store in the garage with or without a trickle charger on them.

(ghostrider_2) · (ghostrider_2) **Join Date: Aug 2004** 10-15-2005, 11:42 AM

float charger, only charges them as they need vise trickle which is always sending a charge..

barryb 10-15-2005, 2:12 PM

Like Kenny says, the only safe thing to leave on your battery all winter is a float charger. A trickle charger will ruin your battery. Slow overcharging will eventually dry out the cells.

You should fully charge your battery with a normal battery charger before storing it whether you use a float charger or not.

Whether you remove the battery from the boat is up to you, but removal is safer. You should disconnect one of the battery terminals if you leave it in the boat just in case there's a parasitic drain somewhere.

(peter_c) · (peter_c) **Join Date: Sep 2001** 10-15-2005, 3:06 PM

Where do you live that you have to winterize it? Does it freeze? Because that changes a lot of things. No matter where you are make sure your fuel tank is full too. Should do that every time you are storing it for more than a week, especially in wet climates.

(rodmcinnis) · (rodmcinnis) **Join Date: Sep 2002** 10-17-2005, 2:09 PM

I would not leave a charger of any type on the boat sitting in the driveway all winter, it will create more problems than it will solve.

The definition of "trickle" depends on the size of your battery. If the trickle charger is more than half an amp then I would be very concerned about over charging.

Running an extension cord outdoors to your boat has a bunch of problems associated with it. If the extension cord isn't intended for continuous outdoor use then you create shock hazards. If the charger gets wet or otherwise develops a problem (such as overheating) you could end up destroying your boat from fire.

My recommendation would be to hook the charger up once a month. If the boat is easily accessed then I would simply undo the cover and hook up the charger for an afternoon. This will also give you the opportunity to take a look at what's going on and fix any mildew issues that might be forming.

If you are going to shrink wrap then I would hang the cord of the charger out the wrap and seal it in a baggie. Once a month run the cord out to it and leave it connected for a few hours.

Another option is to remove the battery(s) from the boat and put them in the garage for the winter. Again, hook the charger up once a month for a few hours to keep them topped off.

(sangerlover) · (sangerlover) **Join Date: Sep 2005** 10-18-2005, 1:35 PM

I have always charged both of my batteries seperately in the garage but a buddy said to just leave them in the boat and take the negative cables off ea. battery and charge them together . Is this the norm ? What is the best procedure ? Boat is under cover so wet conditions is not a issue .