Once I drive to my destination in the boat, I fish mostly with my trolling motor with GPS units on. I may fish several hours and if I don't turn my gas engine on once in awhile the starter battery will drain and then "click." This is a new boat, electronics, batteries. Happened with my last boat too. Aggravating and unsafe --
What do you guys do to keep your starter battery charged while you're out on the water?
Get a bigger battery or start the motor more often.. I added another battery for electronics..
these new motors take a LOT of juice to start..
Used to have the same issue. Get the biggest battery you can afford. Don't run your electronics off the boats dedicated power sources at the bow or counsel. Run them all individually on 10-12g wire directly to your cranking battery /w a 3a fuse at the positive lead at the battery for each unit. Solder and heat shrink the connections.
You can also run wires from your cranking battery to it's own fuse box and then wires to your unit's power cords from the fuse box if you want.
As others have said get a bigger battery but make sure it is a deep cycle AGM with enough cranking amps for your main engine. An AGM can handle the discharges the electronics and livewells will put on the battery whereas a regular lead acid cranking battery will get weaker with the repetitive discharges.
2013 Ranger Z520c, 2013 Yamaha 250 SHO
2018 Ranger RT198p, 2013 Mercury 150 Optimax
I am with every one , unless you have a bad battery ......what battery does you have , Have you had it check out and do you charge it to full charge after each use ?
Hard for just a GPS unit to kill a battery ......now running pumps 4 or 5 units and other items all day may .
Here is the specs on the new Northern brand starter battery that came with it. Brand new Mercury 150 4 stroke
I have a routine developed. When I get to my destination, I put my Lowrance at the console into standby and when I pick the trolling motor up, I put the front unit into standby. It is almost instantaneous for the units to come back on, as long as it is standby.
Also, since these are basically computers, I personally feel it is important to power the units down correctly, as opposed to simply turning the master power switch off.
I've been told I over think this, but hey, I used to do all my analysis on computers and have seen the effects of not shutting down correctly and have also seen the old "screen burn" from an image being left on all the time.
But, a new battery can have a bad cell... or maybe not completely bad but weak, I would suppose. I don't really know that much about batteries. Lots of good suggestions above, and it is strange because I spent a lot of time today researching the idea of adding a second starting battery and running it in parallel to the my main one. I also researched how to charge. Learned some interesting things today.
Good luck,
Danny
Originally Posted by FryDog62
Get one of these (and a new battery tray) and call it a day. You'll be fine. I would still run all your electronics on their own wiring directly to the battery though.
https://www.batteriesplus.com/batter...1m/sli31agmdpm
https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-31-PC.../dp/B002498NR2
24 series battery is way to small. use at least a 29 series.
2004 Stratos 201 Pro Xl
250 HPDI Yamaha
That 24 series battery just doesn't have enough RC (reserve capacity) to run all the electronics all day. Like most have already said grab a 29/31series AGM battery with at around 200 RC and you will have no problems. Also like said before, put graph at console on standby to save power! Real fast and easy to do!
Going back to my dealer to tell him this won't do. In the meantime I can't trim the motor to drive out of my garage because the battery is dead. I have a neighbors battery charger and I have to set on Wet, AGM or Gel. Looking at my specs above which is it? Thanks all, -Fry
Wet
2013 Ranger Z520c, 2013 Yamaha 250 SHO
2018 Ranger RT198p, 2013 Mercury 150 Optimax
Do you not have an on board charger?
2004 Stratos 201 Pro Xl
250 HPDI Yamaha
Yep. Told my dealer I needed the 4 bank charger. First time out on the water after 6 hours the motor wouldn't start. Checked it out, sure enough They only installed a 3 bank for the 3 trolling motor batteries and nothing for the starter battery.
24 is to small, it amazes me how dealers seem to never put in the right batteries. Just to make a few more bucks. And, not to put in a four bank charger is just incompetent.
Lake Norman, N.C./New Britain, CT.
An Khe 66-67
Another reason I have rigged my own boats for years.. Also it helps when you have a problem to at least know where to start looking..
most times the guy rigging the boat has the least experience in the shop..
That is pretty ridiculous on the dealers side of things. I went to a 31 series agm because of electronics and pumps.
If your battery isn't charging and you need it charged before you get it in you may need to jump it since it is so drained the charger doesn't know it's even there.
Yeah, I think the 800 cold cranking amps barely meets the engine's requirements when fully charged...in fact I want to say the Optis take 850cc amps. You can also dial down the ambient screen light. I always knock my Hummingbirds down to 7 or 8 after I start them up. Helps them pull a little less.
2019 Bass Cat Caracal, Mercury 225 Pro XS 4 stroke
For Northern IN/Southern MI action and BCB love, follow me on instagram: @professorbeard
I think you will find this interesting -- also most new opti's require a minimum of 1000 CC amps.
In the winter even with 1000 cca my motor struggles at times.
http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread....batteries+meet
Now we cooking with fish grease . You need at least a 1000 CCA and the highest RC amps you kind find .....180 - 230 amps. with that new 4 stroke .
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