Had anyone got any experience with the Stealth products that allow you to charge your boat batteries while trailering your boat down the road? I have several tournaments this season that are back to back to back which won't allow a lot of charging time. If I could charge while driving down the road it would be awesome!
I looked here but there really isn't a lot of information, and no pricing. Local Michigan dealers???
www.stealth1charging.com
My buddy Don has a BassCat and the Stealth Charging System came with the boat new. I travelled with him for several years and the on the water charging with Stealth is phenomenal! Many trips to St. Clair or Erie after long runs back in to the ramp the batteries would be full. He would put the charger on at the motel, but really didn't need to.
He didn't have the trailering option to charge.
I was very impressed with Stealth and with its owner Danny. Danny came down to Cherokee Lake to fix an issue we had with the older unit. Danny drove two and a half hours one way to make sure Don was on the water the next day. He answers the phone when you call with a question and will literally walk you through any problem.
You get what you pay for many times, but trying to save money I bought a "Stay N Charge" system. I was never happy with it at all. Very difficult to get tech support or parts. I was, however, happy with how fast the unit charged the batteries when I trailered it. I would drive from Interlochen to Baldwin and my batteries would be almost at full charge. Very fast!
I have to buy a new charging unit, because I'm trashing my Stay N Charge. I will definitely call Danny at Stealth and have one in my boat this spring.
Have you gave thought to a 12vdc inverter to 120 vac? If your boat has a battery charger on board, then powering it up with the inverter is an option when trailering. Also this type of set up allows for powering other 120vac gadgets. You just have to do the math about amps and wire size etc...
The stealth on board charger is the best money I've spent on the boat. The way you run on the great lakes, you really never need to plug in. Having a full or close to full charge everytime you get to a new spot is great. You can really get on the tm and not worry about the batteries. It really helps in current when you burn the batteries fast. IMO the trailering charger is not necessary if you have the on board.
-Matt
Thanks Matt, that's what the kind of information I'm looking for.
Quote from: Waterfoul on January 24, 2011, 12:13:35 AM
Thanks Matt, that's what the kind of information I'm looking for.
Make sure you get the gauge, it's pretty cheap but nice to have. Make sure you have some time when you call, that guy can talk for hours about those chargers. Install was pretty easy, hardest part was making the jumper wires and finding a place to mount the thing. I've actually been meaning to order the 120v charger, it mounts to the onboard charger and saves space. Between all the jackplate and powerpole pumps/controls and oil and batteries I need any room I can get.
-Matt
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Bargain-Cave/New-This-Week/Boating-Fishing%7C/pc/105591780/c/105633180/sc/105638580/Pro-Xtra-II-High-Performance-Waterproof-Battery-Chargers/738063.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fbargain-cave-new-this-week-boating-fishing%2F_%2FN-1102644%2FNo-144%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_105638580%3FWTz_l%3DHome%253Bcat105591780%253Bcat105633180%26WTz_stype%3DGNP&WTz_l=Home%3Bcat105591780%3Bcat105633180%3Bcat105638580
This looks like something I might be able to use. Charging my trolling motor battery while making a run. Anyone ever use this?
Well both reviews on it were 5 star