Dual Pro on board charger

[Jax]

what is the best amps to get for an onboard charger? 10 amps per bank or 15 amps per bank or less? Advice appreciated. thanks

[deantre]

a good charger will taper the charge to lower amps as it gets closer to full charge which should prevent overcharge damage. If you need to refresh your battery at midday suppose I would go with the bigger one. Another thought is that perhaps if that is the case go to a multibank system so you have plenty of amps for a day on the water and then charge at night. The bigger charger is going to be heavier and larger think space available. Would it matter if your charge is complete at 3am versus 5am? Make sure your charger has ventilation to to get rid of heat and always go with the largest wire possible and a properly rated 60 amp typically marine rated circuit breaker that you can reach. Had a few problems with powerpro chargers, they replaced them readily but a hassle to reinstall and the holes seemed to always be different. The last replacement has been in service for 2 years now and seems to be holding up well, is has a conditioning mode which should keep the batteries from sulfating and it seems to be doing it's job. Have had to increase the battery ventilation a bit, was getting condensation in the area even from sealed batteries, probably a bit of heat is generated during charge.

[Ty Sennett]

I think it all depends on the time you have to recharge your boat batteries. If you fish late and get up early then the 15 amp will be better for you but hard on your batteries. If you get a full eight hours of sleep every night and your batteries get the same time to charge then a 10 amp charge will be just fine to fully charge your batteries. Also, if you have Gel cell batteries like Optima Batteries, they charge faster so a 10 amp charge will fully charge those in four to six hours. I don't know a lot about the new batteries that are out like the pure lead batteries. I try not to buy important items like batteries or motors the first year or two they are out.

[Jax]

Thanks Guys. As far as batteries go - What batteries would you recommend? My setup would be a Tuffy Esox Magnum with 60hp Suzuki Tiller, 24v minnkota trolling motor, and two Humminbird 800 series. You hear good and bad things about any battery you research so what would brand and series would you recommend for the above setup?

[Ty Sennett]

If you fish an average amount of days every year a gel cell battery will last your about eight years where a standard wet cell battery will last you half that. In other words, if you want to spend the extra money and buy good batteries right away, great, or if you want to spend half the money twice in the next eight years, that works also.

[Jax]

If I have 3 batteries for my boat (2 deep cycle 24v for trolling motors) should I get another deep cylce (group 29 or 31) for my starting battery?.... since I will be running electronics, bilge, aerator,lights etc. of this batter as well? Don't think cranking battery would be best for this............

[shorts]

I would and I do run 2 deep cycle batteries for my trolling motor, and 1 cranking battery for everything else. They do make deep cycle starting batteries but they have less capacity and charge slower since a deep cycle battery is best suited for a trickle charge. In saying this if you fish all day without starting your big motor frequently you may find yourself with a dead starting battery when it is time to go home. This would be similar to listening to the radio all day without starting your car.

[Mark Benson]

"In saying this if you fish all day without starting your big motor frequently you may find yourself with a dead starting battery when it is time to go home. This would be similar to listening to the radio all day without starting your car."

Yep, shorts, I've pull started my 75 after not starting the big motor for a period of time...

Mark

[deantre]

never tried pull starting my 40, should probably try it sometime just to see if I can do it, that 75 must have been a handful

[Mark Benson]

deatre:

Its actually easier than one would think!!! There was one night where I thought I was going to spend it on the lake... Luckily it finally turned over and I was glad cause it was midnight on an October night, so it would have been cold and long...

Mark