wiring batteries?

[p.m.]

I am curious to know if it is possible for me to charge my trolling batteries off of the alternator on my motor....if so...does anyone know how i would go about this.......thank you.........

[MLD]

Dual Pro makes a product called the ProXtra II with which you connect your starting battery to your trolling motor batteries and then they are charged by the alternator.

http://www.dualpro.com/accesoriespurchase.htm

I have no idea how well this product works but I think you would have to run the motor a while to get any amount of charge.

Mike

[Mal]

I have one on my boat. And yes, they do work. But they only work when: You make long runs. Found this out in Canada. Had a number of 3 to 4 mile runs and the trolling batteries did not get charged. The times it worked for me was when I made the 10+ mile run. Would I have it put on if I got a new boat - in a heartbeat - yes!

[Peanut]

They do not work real well. It is not the charger, it's mostly that there's not alot of spare amps from your main battery, especially if running electronics off it as well (stereo, finder, lights, etc.).

The above post is right - unless you're making long runs, they are of limited value, IMHO.

derrek.

CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY "EH"!

[REW]

If you think about it - many outboards only have 10 amp alternators on them. If they have 50 or 100 amp alternators - as is the case for the HPDi or OPTIMAX motors - the bulk of that energy is needed to run the compressors and other components on the motor. So the result is that there is still not a lot of extra left over for charging a battery.


Also, think about your fishing and boating habits.
The vast majority of fisherman - run their big motors about 5 % of the time - and either drift or run their kicker or electric trolling motor 95% of the time.

Basically, irrespective of the size of the alternator - the 5% 95% ratio - never lets you get your trolling motor batteries reasonaly charged.

Save your money, time and trouble - and charge your batteries at the dock.

Take care
REW

[Ron]

Unless REW your kicker is electric start which means it has an alternator and you're say.....oh.....a few remote miles from civilization for ...oh.....a week lets say.... out camping, fishing, and having the time of your life. I'm tired of switching batteries. I'll buy the switch thingamagig. Unless REW,you'll buy me a long extension cord..... or maybe you can come with and swap my batteries. hmmmm.....are you are cheap date????

[Stotch]

REW.

Is their a way ( I'm sure you can come up with one ) to connect all of your boat batteries, either the starting and/or the trolling batteries to the tow vehicle and charge them up while driving to or from home.

Thnks......Stotch

[Walizz 1]

If I'm not mistaken, when an alternator has charged a battery, doesn't it shut down or cut back? If the batteries are in need of a charge all the time wouldn't you shorten the life of your alternator?If you jump start a car the alternator has to work a long time to recharge the battery. That's why mechanics will tell you to use a charger for a dead battery. That's my opinion. Good luck.

[Bradnd]

I think it depends alot on how you fish. I troll with my 9.9 most of the time. Even if I am drifting, I will leave my 9.9 running in N many times, just to be able to throw it in gear & turn back on track.
Therefore, I have a perco swith mounted in the rear of the boat. Both alternators are wired to that switch, (1) starting batt. (2) troll. batt. or both. If I need to make a long run, I will just switch it to (2) or both, depending on batt. condition. I do run my electric motor at times on (2) so I dont drain both batt.s & can charge it up some on a long run. Might be just enough charge to keep me fishing another hour or two.
I also have a guest charger mounted for charging at home.
Too many times (before I got the guest) I would get to the dock early only to find my main batt. wasn't fully charged. Would still spin the starter, but not alot. I then switched to (both) & fired it right up.

Take care,

Brad

[MK]

Guest and a couple of others make a "battery isolator" that allows for the engine to charge multiple batteries. Check their web page for specifics. You still have to have an altenator with adequate output. I think they are designed more for inboard/IO use than outboard motors but they would probably still work on outboards it it had enough alternator output.

I'm not sure they're practical for weekend fishermen, more for cruising boaters, but you might give them a try. Other than that, the manual switch method is always an option. I had one on an older boat and it worked fine. You just have to be careful and keep at least one battery charged enough to start the main engine.