Onboard battery chargers

[Erik CR,IA]

Looking for some advice. There are many different ones out there. Which are the best or work better than others? I have 2 trolling motor batteries and a starting battery. Are there any chargers that would allow the outboard to charge the other batteries? Any advice would help immensely.

Thanks!

[Rods]

I got at Guest and it has two ten bank chargers for the trolling motor and one 5 bank for the starting. I hope this helps. I love it.

[ggg]

I also have 2 trolling motor batteries and 1 cranking one. Two
years ago I put in a Cabela's Pro Tournament On-Board Charger
that delivers 15 amps to all 3 outposts. When you put your boat
to bed for the nite, just plug it in and forget about it. It's
been great ! No more surprises at the ramp !

[John N]

Erik, I wonder if CR, IA is an abbreviation for Cedar Rapids, Iowa. If so, isn't it nice to see our Hawk wrestlers putting some whupass on those weenies from Minnesota in the NCAA's. Now, on to the charger...
I'm sure there are a number of good brands. CSI's chargers (dual pro, three bank pro, etc.) and Guest's are two fine units. I have a Guest 10/10/3 (I think the model number might be 2623 - something like that) for my two trolling batteries and the cranking battery (which gets the 3), been real happy so far. Guest's 3 bank chargers seem to be a little less expensive than a 3 bank pro, though the CSI chargers are temperature sensitive in charging the individual batteries. One variable for you to consider is how much time you'll generally have between charges. That 10/10/3 charger brings my Absorbed Glass Mat batteries back up real fast, in just a few hours. Might be that a 5/5/3 amp charger such as the Guest 2613 will do fine if you don't need such a quick recharge, and also, perhaps you're comfortable without having your cranking battery on the circuit at all. In my case, I run a lot of stuff off the cranking battery (live wells, bilge, electronics, etc., and might not even start the gas engine where I fish. So I need to have my cranking battery on the circuit. As for charging using the excess amperage from your motor's alternator with a phase charger such as the ProXtra or Bass Pro's model, recent posts here have resulted in mixed opinions. Some substantive factors to consider are the amount of excess capacity your motor provides, and the amount of running time you'll usually do out on the water between fishing spots (assuming you'll start each day with a full charge). For example, my '99 Merc 115 has an 18 amp alternator. If a fellow moves around on the water to 6-10 fishing spots, perhaps 5 minutes apart, that's not enough to give you much of a boost with MY alternator. In a remote Canadian lake with no power available for a nightly electrical recharge, then the phase chargers might have some real good application. And there, my friend, is my 50 or 60 cents worth. Good luck. John.

[WIF]

>Erik, I wonder if CR, IA
>is an abbreviation for Cedar
>Rapids, Iowa. If so,
>isn't it nice to see
>our Hawk wrestlers putting some
>whupass on those weenies from
>Minnesota in the NCAA's.
>Now, on to the charger...
>

Let's see.. Natl Duals Champs, Big Ten regular season and Tournament champs, defeat of mighty Iowa in a dual meet at Iowa City.. NOW 10 ALL AMERICANS (first time ever done by ANY team!) and THE NCAA WRESTLING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!! I'll take that team of weanies any day. Way to go GOPHER wrestlers. 2001 NCAA Champs.

[John N]

Oh no! I didn't see the outcome. Busy watching my son's soccer game today (which was the best game that'll be played anywhere today in any sport)...
Congratulations to the Golden Gophers. And you know where J Robinson came from, don't you... :)

[Skeeter]

I also have the Quest 3 bank charger. I have used it for
about a year now and all through the winter. It really
works great. Another good thing is the service on these.
If you have any trouble with it or questions just leave
a message here fro Sue D. She works for Quest and is
very informative on the subject. Good luck. Nels

[Erik CR,IA]

John N, yes that is short for Cedar Rapids, IA. Nice to hear from someone local on this site. Thanks for the info. Like you I run my accessories off of my cranking battery and sometimes don't even start the big motor (Pleasant Creek, MacBride). Sounds like the 10/10/3 would suffice. The reason I asked about charging my system from the big motor's alternator was specifically for Canada but that is only one trip a year.

thanks again!

Erik

[John N]

Hi Erik. Same application here. Pleasant Creek and MacBride, and a few trips to Wisconsin for muskies. In Canada, where our group has gone the last several years (www.oldpost.com), we have access to power to recharge 'em every night, so no problem there. I had Kennedy's in CR put the Guest 2623 in. My friend Fred (fishes all the same waters) had 'em put a 2630 (10/10/10)in his brand new boat. From my understanding, if you're at all handy, they aren't too difficult to install, and they're quite a lot less expensive through Cabela's (than through Kennedy's), or many other sources. I didn't mind paying Kennedy's more, as I'm pretty fussy and they've taken pretty good care of me on lots of other stuff. Might see you on the water. Won't be long now.... John.

[Dave M]

I hope I didn't screw up, I just got the Minn Kota 330 via UPS last Friday. My boat will be in this week some time. I also purchased the Genesis trolling motor. Has anyone used the 330 charger? I liked the fact that I could charge any type of battery available, it charges at 10 amps per bank, 2 year warranty, it has 7 stage charging, etc. etc. etc. I also noticed on their web site the following "Marine UL 1236 Listed- Minn Kota chargers are the only chargers that have been tested and listed by UL as meeting all the requirements for marine applications. Your assurance of safety and performance.
", is there any truth to this? I just thought it was the best that money could buy, I hope I'm right. Any comments would be appreciated since I haven't used it yet and I could return it if there was something better out there. Thanks.

Dave

[Paul Dickson]

I installed a MinnKota 330 last spring and like it very much. Easy install hooked to the 2 12 volt parallel batteries for the TM and to the starter/accessory battery.

Handles lead acid as well as other batteries and does the job nicely.

[John N]

Just read about your charger in Bass & Walleye boats. Looks like a nice rig. And while I like my Guest, I note that the warranty on yours is twice as long....Good luck. John.

[Erik Sjobakken]

Hey, John N (from CR). Not to change the subject, but you mentioned you chase muskies in Wisconsin. I have fished mainly in Minnesota and Canada. I am still going to Canada this year but also make a second trip here in the states. Any suggestions for Wisconsin? Right now I am back and forth between Minn and WI. Looking for insight from those that fish in Wisconsin. Have you fished Minn, to be able to compare the two?? Just wondering. Send me an email if that may be easier for discussion than this post.

Thanks for your input on the chargers, though.

Erik

[EYES]

Erik
There are a no. of good chargers on the market, I've had Guest now fo 4 years and no problems they make a very good product. You would be very satisfied. Good luck neighbor I'm in Marion. Save some for seed.