Question.. i have a 27 ft '' Chase '' just put two new batteries in it.... I'll prob. be using it once ever two weeks or so... do i need a battery tender ???? I'ts in So Cal........ do you have a recommendation on a solar powered one or all they all pretty much the same on Amazon or at West Marine ?? , and here's the key question, do i need 2 of them or can i just hook one up to the so called'' starting '' battery.. the batteries are joined by a negative jumper. Thx
Battery tender
- Thread starter Pzapato
- Start date
You'll be fine even if it was once a month... as long as you remember to turn everything off when you leave
Save your money - you'll have plenty of chances to spend it elsewhere on the boat!
There are some loads that are unswitched. Their drain is small but it's not zero. One example is a memory feed for a stereo ( to keep the memorized stations). Another possible load is an electronic water sensing bilge pump. I don't like the auto style since it checks every few minutes to see if there is water in the bilge. There are some alarm systems that also draw some standby power.
I suspect you will be OK if all your equipment is original or replaced with similar parts.
On a side note, on my 208, for the winter, I disconnect the battery grounds. I top off the batteries with a smart charger. I do not remove them, they sit in the boat all winter. I have done this for 17 years and my batteries always have enough omph to crank over the motor in the spring. Of course during the course of the boating season, I look for any battery weakness and if needed, replace the batteries. For some unknown reason, the batterers in my 208 last about 7 years
I live in SoCal as well. I charge with 2 separate solar charges, 1 to each battery. It may be overkill, but I know my batteries are charged when I need them. I also try to use my boat every 2 weeks, but often more times goes by before I get that opportunity.
Fishtales
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You will be fine. Battery maintenance is the key. Charge in the fall and spring. Change on an aggressive schedule. Some guys do it yearly (too short if you ask me), 2 or 3 year interval is best if you want trouble free. Just remember to turn both battery switches off. Most recent years models have the breaker panel. Ensure all are off as well. Check the bilge pumps. GW has a cored area that the pump and float switches mount to. I'd get the pump/float switch separated vs the combined units - I've heard the combo ones sometime malfunction and the pump can run - to each his own.