Recommend a charger

I don't have some fancy 10k dollar stereo with 18 batteries, just two, but my cheap POS west marine charger finally bit the dust. I'd like to get something a little nicer this go around, but don't know squat about them.

I would take a look at Dual Pro Chargers. These are what come in all the really nice bass boats.

I have the Dual Pro RS-2. I extended the leads and a put alligator clips on them.

Costs about $150. These are top notch.

Xantrex makes the highest quality charges and inverters in the business. My company sells them if you have any questions. Just PM me if you do. These are going to be more expensive and mount in the boat.

We also carry Associated Equipment chargers if you just want a portable one or something a little cheaper. They are all industrial grade stuff. Here is a link to some of their products.

http://www.associatedequip.com/associated/

(Message edited by polarbill on December 09, 2008)

Are you batteries setup as 2 different banks or are they wired in parallel to be one bank?

I've used these for the last 3 years w/o any issues, my battery's still hold a very good charge, and they are realtively cheap ...$50

http://www.batterytender.com/

I've also used this one with good success for my bigger battery banks, plus they haev a lifetiem warranty--battery sentinel

http://www.automotive-battery-chargers.com/battery_maintainer_trickle_chargers.html

For two batteries connected in parallel would it be ok to to use just one of the sentinels, or would you need one for each battery (the batteries are identical)?

http://www.ineedparts.com/tools-and-equipment/battery-chargers/12-volt-battery-chargers/battery-sentinel-plus-car-and-light-truck-charger-12-volt-3-amp-.html

Let's do the math...

1 optima blue top is 55 amp hours. 1 sentinel battery charger is 3 amps. With 100% efficency the sentinel will take 18 hours to charge 1 dead optima. By the way...most battery chargers are only about 80% efficent, hence the heat created by the charger.

If you go out on back to back days and run your batterys low...the sentinel will not handle the task.

Murphy, the reason I choose the sentinel is they make a 7 amp automatic charger. ( based on their data it is similar to a standard 14 amp charger) weather that's true or not , I don't know, but they do charge relatively fast w/o overcharging.

http://soneil.com/12_volt.html the 1214S is what I have along with the battery tender ( 1.5 amps trickle)

You are correct a 3 amp trickle charger is not going to work for a larger battery bank or battery's that are run down quite a bit...which is not good for the battery anyway.

billy, I use one sentinel 7 amp "trickle" charger for 3 batteries. It's worked fine for me. I also have a battttery tender plus trickle charger hooked up to all three. I use that when I know I'm not using the boat all week. On the weekends the sentinel is used . Both chargers are mounted in my boat for easy plug in.

If parts network is still offering the lifetime warranty...it's a deal that's hard to beat.

i just got one of these to put on my battery off and on for the winter.
http://www.ase-supply.com/category_s/179.htm

xtreme maintenance charger

Did not know they made 7 amp...but that would be the way to go.

I'm not planning on charging a dead battery and my storage unit isn't powered so no plans to charge between uses during the season. I am planning on removing my two good batteries and keeping them in my garage over the winter. I just need something to keep them topped off and ready for the spring or the occasional warm day.

I am thinking the 3A sentinel would be fine for this use as the batteries will be connected for weeks at a time not hours. Just wanted to check if there was a need to keep batteries disconnected from each other while charging/storing.

Billy, I would wire the batteries in parallel (+to+ and -to-) for the winter and put the leads from the charger on one battery. This will charge them both.

If it is a true charger/maintainer then leave it hooked up and plugged in all year long.

PS. Do not put your against a concrete floor when storing. Place a 2x6 underneath.

battery tender

I love my Vector Smart Charger. Not an onboard charger but has worked very well for me.

charles or lamarche are the brands used on many industrial generator sets.

Charles chargers are marine rated, SS housing. get one with auto float/equalize feature. They are slightly less expensive than Lamarche. You can expect to pay around $150ish.

http://www.charlesindustries.com/main/ma_chargers.html

I installed a Pro-Tech 1240i Plus, because I had a two battery system...with different sized batteries. This is a shore power style charger...permanently installed on the boat. I just plug it in, flip the breaker I installed, and it does its thing. Flawless operation.

Pro-Tech 1240i Plus

(Message edited by kitewake on December 14, 2008)

The battery on the concrete floor isn't true... This was the case when lead acid batteries were constructed out of wooden boxes.

7 amps output is 7 amps. If someone sells you a 7 amp charger and it only puts out 80% of that take it back.

Efficiency doesn't really matter. A coffee pot uses more power.

Charger type is also dependant on battery types. Flooded cells float generally above 14 while AGM batteries float below 14. Check the manufactures specs.

Don't leave batteries in parallel for long periods if they are not being used or charged. They will discharge quicker.

Bass Pro Shops has their own brand called "XPS", but they are just rebranded ProMariner chargers sold at lower prices... I think I got mine that does two banks for $59 or so.