How do you protect against a dead battery?

[clemsondds]

I went out to my boat the other day, to find that I had accidentally forgot to turn the main power switch off. So my battery was dead. Long story short, I had to bring the battery home and put it on a trickle charger. It got me thinking though, what’s the best way to prevent this and what can I do to create a backup plan if it does happen? So can you share with me how you protect against a dead battery? Also, do you carry a portable charger or something with you as a backup plan? Thanks for the help! 

[A-Jay]

I developed a set routine I use to both pull out & rig my boat trailer to the truck,

as well as a set routine when I put it up and secure the rig after use.

Part of that routine is ensuring that the on board battery charger power is secured and cord removed  before I hook up to the truck and  then the unit gets plugged in & and energized when I return.

I perform this routine the same way every time I do it 

and have a check list hanging in plain site to ensure that I do.

The 'system' works perfectly and the only variable is Me.

As long as I exercise the self-discipline to follow it - I'm good to go.

If & when I chose to 'free-lance' the deal -

that's when things get missed and can cost me  time & $$$.

 

As for a portable charger - I carry the NOCO GB70  in my boat all open water season and I put it in my truck box for the winter. This unit is amazingly powerful and will easily start both my V8 4.6L outboard as well as the V8 6.2L motor in my truck.  Additionally can charge or run other small devices (cell phone, Go Pro) and it holds a charge for a ridiculously long time, so it's always ready when needed.

I highly recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB70-UltraSafe-Lithium-Gasoline/dp/B016UG6PWE/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=LGsFWwsSnoGQx4yqn-SK7w&hsa_cr_id=7008608300801&ref_=sb_s_sparkle_slot

 

I fish big water, usually by myself, and do a good bit of very early season, very late season and night fishing, when there are not a lot of other boaters on the water (OK usually None).  No one's coming right away to offer assistance.

While nothing fool proof this unit does offer peace of mind. 

A-Jay

 

[Bluebasser86]

First thing I do after I unhook the boat in the garage is plug it in, every time. If I stray from that, that's the only way the boat doesn't get plugged in.

 

So another vote for following a routine.

[clemsondds]

5 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I developed a set routine I use to both pull out & rig my boat trailer to the truck,

as well as a set routine when I put it up and secure the rig after use.

Part of that routine is ensuring that the on board battery charger power is secured and cord removed  before I hook up to the truck and  then the unit gets plugged in & and energized when I return.

I perform this routine the same way every time I do it 

and have a check list hanging in plain site to ensure that I do.

The 'system' works perfectly and the only variable is Me.

As long as I exercise the self-discipline to follow it - I'm good to go.

If & when I chose to 'free-lance' the deal -

that's when things get missed and can cost me  time & $$$.

 

As for a portable charger - I carry the NOCO GB70  in my boat all open water season and I put it in my truck box for the winter. This unit is amazingly powerful and will easily start both my V8 4.6L outboard as well as the V8 6.2L motor in my truck.  Additionally can charge or run other small devices (cell phone, Go Pro) and it holds a charge for a ridiculously long time, so it's always ready when needed.

I highly recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB70-UltraSafe-Lithium-Gasoline/dp/B016UG6PWE/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=LGsFWwsSnoGQx4yqn-SK7w&hsa_cr_id=7008608300801&ref_=sb_s_sparkle_slot

 

I fish big water, usually by myself, and do a good bit of very early season, very late season and night fishing, when there are not a lot of other boaters on the water (OK usually None).  No one's coming right away to offer assistance.

While nothing fool proof this unit does offer peace of mind. 

A-Jay

 

Thanks!! Great advice! Unfortunately I have to keep my boat at a storage unit so I can’t keep it plugged in. But I’ll definitely pick that charger up. Which unit did you go with? 2000amps?

[Dirtyeggroll]

Routine. Make it the first AND last thing you check.

 

Put the master switch somewhere painfully obvious so it’s harder to miss.

 

[A-Jay]

59 minutes ago, clemsondds said:

Thanks!! Great advice! Unfortunately I have to keep my boat at a storage unit so I can’t keep it plugged in. But I’ll definitely pick that charger up. Which unit did you go with? 2000amps?

You're Welcome.

I have the GB70 which is in fact 2000 Amps.

I prefer to have more than I expect to need, rather than not enough.

Perhaps consider the unit that's right for you & your gear. 

btw - regardless of where or how you stow your rig,

you can still benefit from a routine.

A-Jay

[813basstard]

I’ve included a fail safe way to prevent a dead battery;

 

Step 1: Charge it

 

This technique works for me and others I’ve heard.

[clemsondds]

Would love to do that if I kept my boat at home, but I don’t and they (storage unit) don’t allow connecting your battery to an outlet without being present. 
that being said, is it possible to use a charger like the one A-jay recommended to connect a trickle charger and my trolling motor batteries to, to top them off and leave it sitting in the boat while in storage? Does that make any sense? 

[A-Jay]

22 minutes ago, clemsondds said:

Would love to do that if I kept my boat at home, but I don’t and they (storage unit) don’t allow connecting your battery to an outlet without being present. 
that being said, is it possible to use a charger like the one A-jay recommended to connect a trickle charger and my trolling motor batteries to, to top them off and leave it sitting in the boat while in storage? Does that make any sense? 

No.

These units can not provide that type of feature.

The only real solution to your deal I can see, and this may require some rearranging or set up in advance, but it's to remove your batteries at the end of every trip.

Fully Recharge them properly at home and reinstall them right before the next one.

Otherwise you'll be chasing dead batteries for ever and their 'life span' will most likely decrease quite a bit as well. 

A-Jay

[Way2slow]

Couple words of caution jumping off a boat motor. First let me say this applies to most two stroke motors.  Since I have never run or even placed my hands on a four stroke, I can't speak about those.

1.  When connecting jumper cables to a cranking battery, the arc created connecting and disconnecting them can cause damage to the ECU or Voltage regulator.  Both make for a very expensive repair.

2.  The charging system are not robust, heavy duty like a vehicles and using the charging system to charge a fully dead battery or running a bad battery that will not accept a full charge can fry the charging system.  Again, very expensive repair.

Now, you might say you have the key switch turned off when you connect the jumper cables so the spark won't get to the electronics, which may be true.  However, the bulk of the time after jumping it off, you take the cables off with the engine running so the switch is on and the hundreds of volts that can be created by the arc, goes through the whole system.

Just something to think about if you ever feel you need to jump one off.

Actually, you can blow a lot of automobile charging system jumping them off.

 

As mentioned, develop a routine and stick to it.  Altering from it can leave room for all kinds of bad things to happen.

You can install a power disconnect on the battery, but if you don't have a mental or written checklist, you can still forget that like you did the power switch on the dash.

[WRB]

Install a 40-50 amp battery switch and switch power off to the OB whenever charging the cranking battery or jumping it. I have rocker switches with LED lights to warm me if anything is on. The common switch to hit accidentally is bow running light/anchor light switch so my routine is check all switch lights, switch off the cranking battery to the OB when I get home and plug in the onboard charger. 

Tom

[clemsondds]

Ok thank you. Anyone know if there has been any improvements in solar power to use to charge my trolling motors while in storage?  I found a few threads a few years old about it but sounded like at that time there weren’t simple panels strong enough to do the job. Any thoughts? Just looking for ideas to power my batteries while in storage. 

[gim]

A voltmeter to test the remaining life of your battery might help too. They tend to lose their charging capacity over time...

[WRB]

You need between 10 to 12 amps when charging a marine deep cycle battery or cranking battery. Trickle or 3 amp charging only maintains the charge and can create a false surface charge on the plates in lieu of fully charging batteries.

Tom

[clemsondds]

Here is what I have: two 27 deep cycle batteries for the trolling motor with a 12 amp battery charger.  
what’s a way to charge it? Thanks! 

[clemsondds]

13 hours ago, A-Jay said:

You're Welcome.

I have the GB70 which is in fact 2000 Amps.

I prefer to have more than I expect to need, rather than not enough.

Perhaps consider the unit that's right for you & your gear. 

btw - regardless of where or how you stow your rig,

you can still benefit from a routine.

A-Jay

Yes, I definitely am getting a routine/checklist setup...great idea! 

So do you have a charger on your trolling motor batteries as well as your crank battery?  I have a dual bank charger for my TM batteries but nothing on my crank battery.  It looks like everyone is recommending getting a charger on my crank battery as well, correct? So if I got a charger, I need to figure out a way to charge it since I don't have access to a regular 120vac plug.  Is there any way, other than a generator, to charge these without a 120vac plugin?  (ie solar, battery backup...) . Sorry if these are dumb questions...this is all new to me and electrical issues are not my forte. I can have a crank charger installed (might even install another crank battery and a dual charger) but I still have the issue of no electricity at my storage unit. Any thoughts? Could I use something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Battery-Rechargeable-Starter-Outdoors/dp/B01MA4YVNP/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1511056175&sr=8-3&keywords=chafon&dpID=41wbW6ELDyL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&linkCode=sl1&tag=l08722-20&linkId=5140f54040bc975d6c0f64b4a5978d24

[A-Jay]

39 minutes ago, clemsondds said:

Yes, I definitely am getting a routine/checklist setup...great idea! 

So do you have a charger on your trolling motor batteries as well as your crank battery?  I have a dual bank charger for my TM batteries but nothing on my crank battery.  It looks like everyone is recommending getting a charger on my crank battery as well, correct? So if I got a charger, I need to figure out a way to charge it since I don't have access to a regular 120vac plug.  Is there any way, other than a generator, to charge these without a 120vac plugin?  (ie solar, battery backup...) . Sorry if these are dumb questions...this is all new to me and electrical issues are not my forte. I can have a crank charger installed (might even install another crank battery and a dual charger) but I still have the issue of no electricity at my storage unit. Any thoughts? Could I use something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Battery-Rechargeable-Starter-Outdoors/dp/B01MA4YVNP/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1511056175&sr=8-3&keywords=chafon&dpID=41wbW6ELDyL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&linkCode=sl1&tag=l08722-20&linkId=5140f54040bc975d6c0f64b4a5978d24

Yes ~

I have a 4 bank on board charger installed in my rig.

It charges my three 12v trolling motor batteries as well as my 12 volt cranking battery.

 

I am unfamiliar with the product you linked above.

Do not know what it's features are nor it's capabilities.

 

As for a 'solution' - you need juice my man.

If you cannot bring your batteries to the juice - you'll need to bring the juice to your batteries.

And the sooner and fast we can get depleted batteries back to fully charged - the better it is for the life of the batteries. When run down batteries sit for long periods of time before being recharged - they tend to offer less than peak performance. 

 

I'd be working hard to find a more suitable storage situation, rather than looking to make this one work,

because IMO - It's not going to. 

 

A-Jay

 

[clemsondds]

Unfortunately that’s the only storage unit in the area.  I’m working on getting some access to electricity but in the meantime I’ll have to try to find a charger that will work. I did speak with zero goal and they said that their 1000 or 3000 unit would charge the batteries. But unfortunately that’s the cost of those as well ($1000-3000).

[A-Jay]

9 minutes ago, clemsondds said:

Unfortunately that’s the only storage unit in the area.  I’m working on getting some access to electricity but in the meantime I’ll have to try to find a charger that will work. I did speak with zero goal and they said that their 1000 or 3000 unit would charge the batteries. But unfortunately that’s the cost of those as well ($1000-3000).

Once that storage didn't offer electrical power - you were essentially out of reasonable options. 

Perhaps put an add or something out into the local social media, that says you're looking to store your rig and will pay - but need electrical power.  Never know - someone may have an out building, a barn or something you could use.

Worth a shot. 

A-Jay

[clemsondds]

Well they do have electrical...I just have to be present for it to be plugged in. It just isn’t feasible for me to be there the entire time though. I might give one of these portable chargers a try and see how it does. Also buying that noco you recommended! Thanks for the advice! 

[NHBull]

Got one in each car and one in the boat.

Gave one to each kid for Christmas.

https://www.batterymart.com/p-gb70-boost-hd-lithium-jump-start.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsbrxBRDpARIsAAnnz_N9B62B5ibv7l3FaC6iBWUqYSRgSnPVCRSowcR_7CDcZ1sAfWyuJwkaAi1cEALw_wcB

[clemsondds]

Just now, NHBull said:

Got one in each car and one in the boat.

Gave one to each kid for Christmas.

https://www.batterymart.com/p-gb70-boost-hd-lithium-jump-start.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsbrxBRDpARIsAAnnz_N9B62B5ibv7l3FaC6iBWUqYSRgSnPVCRSowcR_7CDcZ1sAfWyuJwkaAi1cEALw_wcB

Yeh I am looking at getting one now.  Do you really need the 2000?  I see where the 1000 ($99) will start a v8...just wondering if it would be overkill to have the 2000.  Thanks

[NHBull]

9 minutes ago, clemsondds said:

Yeh I am looking at getting one now.  Do you really need the 2000?  I see where the 1000 ($99) will start a v8...just wondering if it would be overkill to have the 2000.  Thanks

1000 is fine and actually what I use....and the one in my boat holds a charge  all Summer

[clemsondds]

Just now, NHBull said:

1000 is fine and actually what I use....and the one in my boat holds a charge  all Summer

awesome thanks

[gnappi]

If you have a pre float plan checklist, follow it in reverse order when you stow the boat. 

 

Failing that if your storage area is outdoors and secure, a decent solar battery charger will for sure keep your battery topped off even if some small stuff is left on.

 

I made mine out of two 40 watt panels with an inexpensive charge controller (do not use a solar panel connected directly to a battery) mounted to 1" aluminum material from home depot. 

 

I bought used panels on Craig's list from a guy upgrading his sailboat to 200 watt panels, I think I have less than $80 or so in making it. It's totally bullet proof, well unless it has several days of cloud cover, or gets covered with snow :-)