Boat Batteries

[ronjhall]

Unless you run your boat for over an hour after starting it. You may not have a fully charged battery.
My boat is put away for the winter late October. When it is put in the water in mid May the engines start without any charging. All negative wires to batteries are disconnected for winter storage.

 

[thcri]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Unless you run your boat for over an hour after starting it. )</font>

I put the battery on a trickle charger for two complete week-ends. Along with that we did jump my boat and I ran it for for an hour, still no hold. We then put the battery in my neighbors boat which has two batteries and he ran it all day long and at day's end it still was not holding a charge. I think it is shot.

murph

 

[Moon]

Murph,
Sure sounds like you need a new battery. I had one with those same symptoms.
I've left the batteries in the boat connected with no charge and still have them start right up. Our boating season is from May to Sept. So the batteries sat 7 months or so. But, the times I did pull the battery and charged it every 60 days, it never needed much of a charge. Thats when I started leaving it in the boat. A few years ago one battery was giving me problems (much like yours), so I got the battery tender in the off season to keep it charged. It still had problems the following season, so that's when I replaced it with a die hard. This year I replaced the #2 battery with a die hard (deep cycle). I think it was 70 bucks, tax and all. My experience is that once a boat battery starts acting like yours, your better off to just replace it and move on. Hope this helps.

 

[Jagmandave]

Ype, replace it, but if you put a battery minder on there, the nwe one will last a whole lot longer, and be ready anytime you need it.

 

[slowrev]

Just an observation of mine....Batteries kept towards the stern of the boat seem to last longer than those kept towards the bow. Less bouncing and vibration I suppose. And I agree with the others on the use of battery minder types of float chargers.

Ben

 

[gsxr1100]

Good call! I have an Optima (red) in my car and my BX and bike will be getting one soon. I hear the yellows are great fo deep cycle. For the price, they are cheap!

 

[ronjhall]

In your first post you stated that you have replaced 4 batteries in 7 years. Most wet type batteries do not like being left without a full charge. Keeping your next battery on a charger should help to stop the short battery life you are experiencing.

 

[themichelob]

Nor do they like being out in freezing temps for extended periods such as midwest winters. I store mine in a closet in the house for the off-season, and charge them every 45 days or so. In the spring they quickly take a full charge and are ready to go for the season. Regards, Mike