Onboard Charger

[TetraFish'n]

I'm looking at different brands of onboard chargers to install on a new boat, specifically a 4 bank charger. I want a quality piece of equipment. I'm not a tournament fisherman, I get once or twice a week. My question is pertaining to the Minn Kota precision onboard charger. For those with experience, is the Minn Kota going to perform well enough to justify the extra money spent. If not, what are your preferred brands and why? Thanks

 

[Fishing Cop]

I am thinking about the same charger. That one was recommended to me but still looking. I need a 3 bank charger.

[Jig Man]

Not familiar with the MK but I have Dual Pro and it is a very good unit.  After one bank went out on the original after 10 years of hard use, they gave me a good deal on a new one.

[Kevin22]

I have a MK but not that exact one. It has never let me down. If I had to buy a new one it would be MK for sure. The dual pro lasted 3 years and it was toast, MK has been going strong for 4 years now. 

[Wayne P.]

I am in my 6th year with Dual Pro.3-bank.

 

Some boat companies use the Dual Pro with their brand name on it.

[slonezp]

I am in my 6th year with Dual Pro.3-bank.

 

Some boat companies use the Dual Pro with their brand name on it.

My Lund Pro series charger is a Dual Pro. I had a MK on my last boat. It lasted 7 years before it took a crap.

[Fishing Cop]

I saw the MK at Academy for 170. Where do I find the Dual Pro? How much?

[slonezp]

I saw the MK at Academy for 170. Where do I find the Dual Pro? How much?

I added a 2nd Dual pro and a 4th battery this year. This was the best pricing I found for Dual Pro. They carry both brands http://www.threeriversmarine.net/batterychargers.aspx

[TetraFish'n]

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

Slonezp- do you have three dedicated to the trolling motor and one for cranking and electronics?

 

[slonezp]

Yes, and a 3 bank and single bank charger connected to an outdoor, multi receptacle extension cord under the deck. That way I only have 1 cord to plug in to charge all the batteries. 

[Fishing Cop]

Thanks for the web add. Slonezp. The Dual Pro is 360.00 and the MK from Academy is 170.00. Big difference for 3 bank chargers. I have no experience with either. Is there that much difference in the two?

[slonezp]

The 3 bank MK charger I see listed is the 315D http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/minn-kota-mk-315d-on-board-digital-charger/pid-135405?N=581132546

This charger is 3 banks @ 5 amps per bank for a total of 15 amps. The Dual Pro pro series is 15 amps per bank for a total of 45 amps. You are comparing apples to oranges. The higher the amp rating the faster the charge. Everything I've read about battery charging/maintenance says a faster charge is better for the batteries. The MK Precision charger on the academy site is a dual bank @ 15 amps per bank and costs $300. The Dual Pro is serviceable, the MK is a throw away. I was happy with the MK in my last boat and I'm happy with the Dual Pros in the new boat.  

[Fishing Cop]

Ok thanks for pointing out the difference that I overlooked. 

[Long Mike]

If you are economy minded, you can go to the DualPro site and buy a rebuilt unit for a greatly reduced price.  They come with a one year warranty, but mine is going into its 4th year.  Incidentally, my 4-bank re-built unit has Skeeter written on it.  Do I care? No.  It fits into my Tracker very well, and continues to do its job.

[Kevin22]

Usually, the slower the charge the better. But it really doesn't matter much with these smart chargers, they all maintain batteries very well.

 

The big advantage of the 15a/bank vs 5a/bank is that it will charge 3 times faster. So if you are draining your batteries each day and need to recharge overnight for the next days fishing you will want the higher amp capacity. With that being said, you probably do not need it. My MK is a 5a per bank and it is plenty for me. Once a year we take a family trip for a week where the boat gets used quiet a bit. From 5am to 9pm on and off. The batteries are pretty wore down by the end of the day. I just plug in the charger before going to bed and by morning they are fully charged (group 27). Only once did it not get a full charge overnight, and that is when I forgot and went 2 days on one charge.But even then they were to 75% by morning which was plenty for that day and they were charged by the following morning. 

 

 

10a per bank would be my suggestion, I don't see when you would NEED 15a per bank unless you only have a couple hours to plug in the charger and need to fish the next day. 

[TetraFish'n]

 

Yes, and a 3 bank and single bank charger connected to an outdoor, multi receptacle extension cord under the deck. That way I only have 1 cord to plug in to charge all the batteries. 

 

Are you ever concerned about draining the cranking battery with the draw from your fish finders?

 

I may have asked you a similar question before. My concern is that I will be running a 6L V8 in my jet boat and do not want to deplete the cranking battery so it's not able to fire up the motor. I'm also trying to keep weight to a minimum and would like to avoid having an extra battery just for cranking.

 

[slonezp]

So far it hasn't been an issue. Between the electronics and livewell pumps and 8 hours of tourney fishing where I spend most of that time on the trolling motor, I haven't drained the starting battery. I do keep a portable jump box in the boat but, knock on wood, have never had to use it. Your motor will have minimum starting requirements. My 225 ProXS requires 1000mca/800cca. The higher reserve capacity rating of the battery, the longer it will take to drain the battery. For a V8 jet, I'd bet the starting requirements are similar to mine. You're probably looking for a group 31 battery with the highest RC. A lot of guys are running DieHards but they ain't cheap. They do come with the best warranty on the market. I've got Deka's which were installed when I bought the boat last year.

[S Hovanec]

Been running a Promariner ProTournament 150 for 9 years. Its a 3 bank, 15amp charger. 5amp/bank.

[tcbass]

I heavily researched chargers before I got my Dual Pro. I have read problems with Pro Mariner, Minn Kota, and others. The only one I didn't hear about problems with was Dual Pro. Yes, they aren't the cheapest, but if I'm up fishing somewhere far away I don't want my gear to crap out on me. If I'm just fishing a local lake I wouldn't care as much. I found out that Pro Mariner is what Cabelas puts their label on. My friend had one and it went bad, exchanged it for a new one and a year later that one went bad too. He's on his 3rd Pro Mariner from Cabelas. The only good thing is that Cabelas changes them out for free. I didn't want that kind of trouble though.

 

I also saw that Dual Pro is put into some major boats standard. So obviously those boat companies see Dual Pro as a reliable charger.

 

 

 

I went with the more expensive 3 bank charger and couldn't be happier. It's a really fast charge and hasn't let me down yet. I have my electronics and livewell hooked up to my starting battery. Only my trolling motor is hooked up by itself. It's been 2 years now with no problems with my batteries or charger.

 

 

 

I will also say that I have screwed up batteries in my boat. I have a Deep Cycle battery (sealed) and a Starting battery (unsealed) connected together for my Minn Kota Terrova trolling motor and it charges them both and I still get about 5 1/2 hours of use before they drain. I know I should be using two deep cycle batteries but I got both of these batteries free, one came with the boat and the other was my dads. I'll keep using them until they don't work anymore. Might as well. Also, neither battery is a marine battery. Strange.

 

 

 

*** Note: I will say one thing about getting a higher amperage, quicker charging charger, if you forget to plug in your boat (which I've done often), it's nice to be able to connect it and get a charge quickly and save the day rather then be SOL.

[TetraFish'n]

Another question. I have been considering a four bank charger because that is the number of batteries will be on my boat. Since the three batteries dedicated to the trolling motor will be in series, can they be charged off of one bank?

 

[slonezp]

No, Get a 4 bank. I've got a 3 and a single because I upgraded to a 36v

[TetraFish'n]

 

No, Get a 4 bank. I've got a 3 and a single because I upgraded to a 36v

 

If it were set up that way, one bank charging three in a series, would it just result in a very slow charge? Or would other problems arise?

 

[slonezp]

It won't work. Think about it. A 36v trolling motor will have battery #1 with + lead connected to motor and - lead connected to + lead of battery #2 which will have - lead connected to + lead of battery # 3 and - lead connected to the trolling motor. If you connect the charger leads to the + and - leads on battery #1 there is no way the other 2 batteries will charge. Theoretically, if the batteries were wired in parallel, it may work, but I think you would at least triple the charging time if not more.  

[Kevin22]

Three 12V in series would be 36V. Your charger would only put out 12V which would distribute to 4V per battery. Not going to work. 

[Fishing Cop]

So, I have two trolling motor batteries. I put my single charger on one battery at a time. Is this right or am I  wrong in doing this?