On Board Charging system?

[MSURoss]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking to get a charging system for my boat. I have a 16.5ft smokercraft with a 50hp Yamaha 4 stroke. Is the engine even big enough to charge my batteries? Really don't know much about charging systems. Also came across this http://www.stayncharge.com/proddetail.php?prod=SNC-TowNCharge charging your batteries as you tow your boat, looks cool anyone do this? thanks.

[Waterfoul]

Your motor will probably keep the starting battery topped off if you run the motor enough.  Problem is most bass fishermen don't do that... we tend to run to a spot and fish a while... run to a spot... fish a while.  It's prolonged running that does the charging.  Been thinking about getting one of those stayncharge systems myself.

[huston]

Are you refering to your trolling motor batteries?

[MSURoss]

Yes I have a battery for my graphs and trolling motor. I store my boat in a storage unit so I have to take my batteries out to charge them, which is a pain.

[t-bone]

Most people run their graphs off of the starting battery and then have a bank of batteries dedicated to the trolling motor. They have different voltage needs and people tend to be on those batteries all day. I've heard of people having a dedicated battery for their graphs as they are needing more juice for larger screens and side-imaging units, etc. 4 Batteries is enough for me with a 36 volt trolling motor. The weight really starts to add up.

Run you engine often enough and long enough and it will charge the cranking battery. I have a 4 bank charger that tops off all of them.

Another tip - don't jump a starter battery by using the 36volt battery system, not a good idea. Isolate one of the batteries and start it with that.

[huston]

AS T-Bone indicated, you need a dedicated battery or batteries for your trolling motor. Minn Kota makes good charging systems for this task. Installation  is the problem, but it isn't rocket science. Look into the Minn Kota website. Depending if your TM is 12, 24 or 36 volt, will determine what charging system is required.

[Dan]

I bought a Stay in Charge with the Tow and Charge package. The tow in charge actually worked great. The Stay in Charge onboard unit did not work well at all. I tried to get a hold of someone forever to get a plug fixed. I was not happy with them at all and have now taken the unit out of my boat in favor of what I really wanted to begin with but didn't want to spend the extra money. I bought a Stealth Charging System. It is the best I've ever seen or used. I have been totally impressed by it and the service is out standing. http://www.stealth1charging.com/

[LennyB]

Everyone I know for the most part has it setup like T-Bone said, myself included. For the best price on an on-board charger, I called Dual Pro which is the brand I've had good success with, and asked if they had any refurbished units. Most of the time they do at a fraction of the price of brand new and when you receive it you won't be able to tell the difference.

[Rangerman]

CSI mfg of dual pro are almost bullet proof. The service if you have a problem is outstanding. My 3 bank had one of the banks go out after about 7 years, called for a repair price the swapped em out with a re man,(New) for about 1/2 the price of a replacement. On my 6th year the the reman and going strong. CSI is a great company to do business with.

[fiker]

Also make sure the batteries have enough distilled water in them.  Low water means less capacity no matter what charging system you use.  Low water levels also shorten the life of the battery. 

[MSURoss]

Just got my tow n charge in the mail. Ill report with my findings .