ON Board Chargers??

[LB-EyesAllTheWay]

ok this might sound like a stupid question but how does a onboard charger work? I just purchased a new trolling motor for my boat and tested it out a little last year and i could only get about 5 to 6 hours of good operating time out of it with a fresh interstate deep cycle battery on a calm day. the boat is a 16ft alum. lund and trolling motor is a 55pd thrust minn kota powerdrive with autopilot and copilot 12v. so i was wondering if a onboard charger would help me get more run time with being able to keep my battery fresher longer or if there was anything i could do to get more run time out of my trolling motor becuase id like to use it more now that i have one that works since the old one that i got with the boat didnt work. thanks in advance and any help would be great.. thanks

[Eric_CO]

Onboard chargers allow you to leave the battery in the boat, not have to hook anything to it to charge and simply plug in the AC cord that is attached the charger.

THe other thing about most onboard charger is that they are computer controlled and the charge rate adjusts as the battery gets charged. It then goes into a floating maintenance mode that won't boil your batteries.

Get a 2 bank one and run one set of leads to your trolling motor battery and the other one to your cranking battery if you have one.

Good luck.

[muskyhunter47]

your on bord charger is just that a charger. if you want longer run time think abought a 24v motor.

[maxxum]

The easiest way to increase your battery life is to add another battery. The charger only allows you to easily recharge the batteries. It won't extend your run time. If you're short on space get a bigger battery. The biggest is a group 31.

[sinkingboat]

Originally Posted by LB-EyesAllTheWay

ok this might sound like a stupid question but how does a onboard charger work? I just purchased a new trolling motor for my boat and tested it out a little last year and i could only get about 5 to 6 hours of good operating time out of it with a fresh interstate deep cycle battery on a calm day. the boat is a 16ft alum. lund and trolling motor is a 55pd thrust minn kota powerdrive with autopilot and copilot 12v. so i was wondering if a onboard charger would help me get more run time with being able to keep my battery fresher longer or if there was anything i could do to get more run time out of my trolling motor becuase id like to use it more now that i have one that works since the old one that i got with the boat didnt work. thanks in advance and any help would be great.. thanks

Sounds about right for time frame use.

[oilguy]

If you have the room, wire in a second battery (in PARALLEL ONLY) and you shouldn't have any problems getting through a full day of fishing before needing to recharge the batteries.

Before you buy a second battery, you may also want to check out the stealth battery chargers. They will use the alternator from your main motor to supply a charge to your trolling motor battery while you have the main motor running. The charger can also be plugged in to AC and used like a normal battery charger once you hit shore. I don't know much more about them because my service people told me they wouldn't fit my needs (because I have a 36V trolling motor and would have to run a LONG way across the lake to get any kind of "real" recharge to my trolling motor batteries) but for your 12V trolling motor, the stealth may be your best answer. It's worth a look anyway!

[rwl]

I don't know, sounds like its a short time to me. I had a 55 PD and could easily get a full day, or more in a 17 Lund. That was with a group 31.

Are you at max speed alot? Lots of current? I was working weedlines/shorelines casting for musky. I did switch to an 80 terrova just for i-pilot and could go 3+ days, so maybe I am easy on the batteries.

[The Canuck]

Ya I have 1750 Outfitter with 55# PD with autopilot and I can last the day with some left over.

[haybay larry]

You didn't mention if you only have 1 battery on board. The main battery should be a starting type and for the trolling motor you want a deep cycle type of battery. The on board chargers work well but be sure you charge up the batteries[especially the deep cycle one] after every use. Tbhis will allow for maximum usage and lifespan.

[bassin08]

When buying a on-board battery charger you can buy them with 1-2-3-4 banks. That means that each bank is a charger in itself. The best one would be a charger with 10 amps per bank. You may want a charger with two banks, one for your trolling battery and one for your starting battery. It is always the best practice to never leave your battery in a state of dis-charge overnight. When your done fishing for the day, plug in your charger as soon as you get home, and bring the battery up to a full charge. When running a 12V system, or trolling motor it is best to get a group 31 battery with the highest reserve capacity(RC) that you can find. Do not get this confused with cranking amps, as this does not have anything to do with a trolling motor battery.

My new boat will have the variable speed trolling motor, with a group 31 battery with 245 RC. Most group 27 batteries have 160 RC capacity.

If I wanted 2 trolling motor batteries, I would have bought a 24V trolling motor. Some boats are not set up right for a 24V trolling motor.

Hope this helps.