Hey all, I have winterized my boat and tucked it away but I left the batteries in it.  I do plan on going out there say once a month to trickle charge them for a day. Do you guys leave your batteries in the boat or take them inside for the winter? This is my first boat so still in the learning stage.

Harpoon

I keep mine in the boat and on charge 24/7. I normally fish during the winter, but have been out very little since October.

I keep mine in the boat and on charge 24/7. I normally fish during the winter, but have been out very little since October.

X2. On board chargers are great for this. Plug them in and leave it.

If you don't plan on using your boat until spring. I'd take the batteries out and put them in the house. My batteries are usally plugged in all winter long and the boat's inside out of the cold.

Where you store them is usually not a problem, unless you're getting way down into the sub-zero temps.  It's how you maintain them that's important.

It they are on a maintainer that's putting out approx 13.2VDC or on a charger that cycles back on at a set level of discharge like the Dual Pro, all you have to do is check the water level every couple of months or so.  Maintainers are cheap if stored where you have power.   

If not on a maintainer, it's what ever is most convenient to charge them every four to eight weeks.  You just don't want to let the sit at a charge level below 12.6 - 12.65 VDC for any length of time.

I let my motor charge them while I'm fishing. Sorry. Had to rub it in.

Phoenix Arizona

Way2slow, thanks for the great information. I do not have a "maintainer" not even sure what that is but I don't have power right next to the boat so I need to run a 50foot ext. cord to it. So from what you said if I just trickle charge them every 6-8 weeks I should be all set?

Bass or Bass. thanks alot for rubbing that in. :'(

Something like this  http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1296395&CAWELAID=155761151

There are numbers of different ones from $10 - what ever you want to pay.   I prefer this one http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200332201_200332201 because it also desulphates the battery. 

You only need one maintainer, just hook the batteries in parallel while stored and one maintainer will keep all the batteries nice and fresh (as long as it's at least a 1 amp or larger).  You're not going to be cutting your grass, why worry about a drop cord across the yard for the winter.

For trailers.....tires may not fair well left on pavement in cold weather non use, roll them onto wood planks.

Way2Slow, again thanks for the awesome info. The term Maintainer just confused me I have a battery charger, it has several settings and one of them is a trickle charge at 2Amp I believe. But I am not sure about it protecting from overcharging though. I will have to look that up. So if I just use this how would I connect it to two batteries? it just has two clips on the cables.

SirSnookalot I WAS worried about that, I don't have it on concrete but actually on dirt, would I still need to place wood or some jack stands under the trailer frame?

Thanks guys you rock

Harpoon

Time Out!!!

NO! Do not use the 2amp trickle charge mode of your battery charger, totally different function and will fry your batteries.

When a Charger/Maintainer drops into the maintainer mode, it's going into what's caller the float mode. This is approx a 13.2VDC that's only holding the current state of charge on the battery once it's fully charged, it is not charging the battery. It does not harm the battery when left on 24/7. It's not really a charger per say, it only puts out enough charge to top off a battery (unless it's an extremely small battery) then it goes into the float mode to maintain it.

To connect the batteries, just run a #10 or #12 jumper wire between each positive post and another jumper to between each negative post. Then it's recommended you connect the chargers positive to the positive on one battery and the chargers negative to the negative on the other battery. Being in parallel, I don't see where that matters but that's what the engineers recommend, so I don't second guess the experts.

WOW Way2slow, thanks for the Time out!  I don't want to fry my batteries especially since I bought then this past summer.  I pretty much understand your explaination on the connections, just not sure how I can connect the positive on the maintainer to battery 1 then the negative to battery 2 since they are so far apart.

If that's the case, just connect the positive and negative of the maintainer to one battery.  Being in parallel the other battery should see the same thing from the maintainer.  I've got over 30 years electronics and been messing with batteries professionally for about 15 years and I've never seen the point of connecting the way the engineers say.  They say it ensures current flow through both, but to me, a straight piece of #10 or #12 wire for that short of a distance and that small of a current, would never know which end the charger is connected to.

Even if you don't get a maintainer, connect them in parallel anyway.  That way, each time you connect your charger for their monthly feeding,  you only have to connect to the one battery and it will charge both.  No need to charge one, then have to move it to the other.   The only down side to being in parallel, if one battery goes down, it takes the other down with it but with new batteries, that should not happen.

Way2Slow, again thanks for the awesome info. The term Maintainer just confused me I have a battery charger, it has several settings and one of them is a trickle charge at 2Amp I believe. But I am not sure about it protecting from overcharging though. I will have to look that up. So if I just use this how would I connect it to two batteries? it just has two clips on the cables.

SirSnookalot I WAS worried about that, I don't have it on concrete but actually on dirt, would I still need to place wood or some jack stands under the trailer frame?

Thanks guys you rock

Harpoon

I had a collection of classic cars that just sat idle in the winter in a non heated warehouse, I put them up on blocks to take the weight off the tire, ever hear the term "winter thump", that's a flat spot created by the cold more common in bias ply than radial.  It drives out after a while but it was annoying and I thought to try and protect my stuff as much as possible.