I live in the North East and was wondering if everyone pulls their batteries for the winter or just plug a trickle charger in, the boat will be under a cover on the driveway. I have a lead acid for the cranking battery and a 24v  lithium for the trolling motor.

Thanks

None of the two.  I just charge them up and leave them for 6 months.  I have AGM's.  

My boat is in my garage and never gets below freezing so I do not. If I stored my boat outside, I would pull them and put them in the garage or basement.  I would do that for two reasons, freezing of course but that is subjective but mainly so if critters got into the boat, I know an electrical fire can’t happen. 

Rv's, bass boats, 4 wheelers....... never once have I pulled a battery for winter storage.

Just keep them charged.

Of course I know many who do store their batteries inside for the winter and nothing wrong with it.

37 minutes ago, Bird said:

Rv's, bass boats, 4 wheelers....... never once have I pulled a battery for winter storage.

 

 

This really depends on how low the temperature goes and for how long. Freezing does have an effect on batteries. I did a search on damage to batts that extended freezing temps can cause:

 

"Why remove and store batteries inside?

Freezing damage:

Freezing temperatures can cause lead-acid batteries to crack and potentially leak, leading to permanent damage and safety hazards. 

Reduced lifespan:

Even if not cracked, freezing can shorten the overall lifespan of the battery."

 

So minimal freezing and batts can stay outside. But if there is extended temps well below freezing, then best case scenario according to the book is it is in the batteries' best interest to be stored inside above freezing temps. And as said always charged or on maintenance charge.

 

Here in Florida I can get away with leaving them outside in boat year round. But waaaaaaaaay up north?

I am on my 2nd set (4 total) of 31M AGM Blue tops.  Past 9 winters my rig has  hibernated in my attached insulated but not heated garage. Garage ambient temps average in the mid 30's. I do not remove batteries but do leave them plugged in on a trickle charge.  This happens all year actually.  

No problems with this deal for me.

A-Jay

I live in Minnesota - I bring all three 27M AGM batteries into the basement and put them on a trickle charger - I don't look forward to removing them in the fall/putting them back into the boat in the spring as they each weight about 70 pounds and are a bit awkward to carry up and down the stairs - the boat is kept outside under cover (un-insulated)

Boat stays in headed garage. Plugged into the charger/ tender always. 

 

All modern chargers have a maintenance mode that keeps your batteries topped off.  That is important because as far as freezing they must be at full charge:

 

Lead Acid- freeze at -80f

AGM- freeze at -30

Lithium- they don’t freeze but shouldn’t be exposed to low temperatures while charging.  Some of the modern lithium have built in warmers.  

no........what is winter I keep hearing about ?????

1 hour ago, crypt said:

no........what is winter I keep hearing about ?????

 

It's that time of year when the water goes all hard, white and crunchy on top.  I've heard that you can drill holes in the crunch stuff to get to the wet stuff underneath and keep on fishing.  I've even heard that solid water falls from the sky also.  

2 hours ago, crypt said:

no........what is winter I keep hearing about ?????

You Funny.

Winter is what us ardent northers get instead of this season . . . . 

Stay Frosty

A-Jay

2 hours ago, crypt said:

no........what is winter I keep hearing about ?????

An atmospheric change which caused me to move 600 miles south.  My boat stays in the slip and batteries plugged in all year.

So they should be brought inside to play it safe, the battery in the stern is easy to access the battery in the bow won’t fit through the hatch door on my 1754 without taking the hatch and frame out, at least I replaced the rivets with screws and nylon locknuts.

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm in Minnesota.  I store my boat in an unheated detached garage all winter.  I just charge the batteries and then disconnect the negative connection on each battery.  I have never had a problem.  The batteries are all fully charged when I get my boat in the spring.

I'm also in Minnesota.  My boat stays in my insulated (unheated) garage all winter.  I periodically plug them into the charger, about twice a month.  They are two AGM batteries and a lead acid cranking/starter battery.

 

As @TOXIC stated, lithium batteries cannot be charged in below freezing temps.  The OP stated he has one too.  You might want to remove that one and bring it inside.  They tend to be about half the weight anyways.

First years I left batteries in my boat (lead acid) and kept boat on-board charger plugged in. 

 

Unheated, uninsulated pole-barn / shop. 

 

I keep John Deere lawn tractor and two ATV's in the same shop...they all have trickle chargers attached 24/7/365. It gets below zero down there...all start with no issues. 

 

Last years I pulled the Lund boat batteries, and kept them in the attached garage up at the house, on trickle chargers. 

 

Both options seemed to have worked well. 

12 hours ago, DaubsNU1 said:

First years I left batteries in my boat (lead acid) and kept boat on-board charger plugged in. 

 

Unheated, uninsulated pole-barn / shop. 

 

I keep John Deere lawn tractor and two ATV's in the same shop...they all have trickle chargers attached 24/7/365. It gets below zero down there...all start with no issues. 

 

Last years I pulled the Lund boat batteries, and kept them in the attached garage up at the house, on trickle chargers. 

 

Both options seemed to have worked well. 

good to know.

Thank you

My boat is stored in a pole barn in mid MI and I don't remove the batteries.  I leave trickle charger on them, one that is said to not charged if they don't need it.  My three batteries (AGM starting batterry, conventional trolling motor batteries) are in their 8th season and I still don't detect deterioration.    While warmer storage may be ideal, based on my experience it is not necessary.  

59 minutes ago, MickD said:

are in their 8th season and I still don't detect deterioration

 

That's a good run already.  Anything now is just a bonus.

 

I just bought Duracell AGMs the year before last so I am hoping for a decade of use.

4 hours ago, gim said:

That's a good run already.

Yes, pleasantly surprised.  Mine don't get run as hard as many since my fishing time is limited, but still, 8th season is a good run.

no. only gets cold enough down in N Mississippi a couple weeks to really worry about flooded so we just leave them on the onboard 4 bank and charging . it will keep them warm and wont freeze. AGM and Lithium are the same.  if your worried and dont want to to haul them out, get a animal light and put it in the compartment. we have done this and it keeps it above at a  warm temp just put something at the bottom of the batteries as a insulator.