I only get to fish about a dozen times a year. A handfull around opener, a couple in the middle of the season, and another handfull in the fall. Then I put the boat away for the winter, and bring the batteries in the house, only charging them once in the winter months.
Will this on board charger benefit me, or should I just plan on buying new batteries every 2 years?
Can I bring this in the house and leave it plugged in all winter?
Here is a pic of my on board charger, it puts out 1.5 amps a very slow charge. You can pick one of these up at fleet farm or Batteries Plus for around $29. This one works good for me because I do not fish every day so there is plenty of time between trips for them to charge up. This is also a good unit for when you store your rig in the winter as it will maintain and prolong the life of your batteries, your batteries should last allot longer than 2 years. I leave this unit hooked up and plugged in to my batteries all year long, I use to pull the batteries out in the winter and store them in my basement also (on a block of wood) but now I have OPTIMA Batteries. They can stay in the boat year round and they will not freeze up on you in the winter, but if you do need to pull your batteries out in the winter this unit is small and compact so its great to use when storing batteries in the basement, it does not make any nose and it is fully automatic so it will not overcharge. If you fish almost every day this might not be the unit for you.
You should consider a Minn Kota onboard charger if you want to go the onboard route. The Minn Kota chargers are a multi-stage charger meaning they automatically controll the current and voltage during the bulk, absorption and maintenance cycles of the charge thus preventing overcharging. These chargers also automatically changes the output voltage to assure your battery reaches its gassing threshold and achieves a full charge; without “boiling” at high temps and not reaching a full charge at low temps.
They are great chargers if you want to maintain your batteries during storage or if you want to quickly recharge your batteries when you want to use them.
Tight lines!
Adam
Thanks again 
Quote:
I only get to fish about a dozen times a year. A handfull around opener, a couple in the middle of the season, and another handfull in the fall. Then I put the boat away for the winter, and bring the batteries in the house, only charging them once in the winter months.
Will this on board charger benefit me, or should I just plan on buying new batteries every 2 years?
Can I bring this in the house and leave it plugged in all winter?
You do not necessarily need an on-board charger. Do you need to recharge quickly on your fishing trips? Do you get tired of hauling the portable charger around? If yes, then you might want to invest in an on-board charger. For maintenance, you can do what you’re already doing – put a full charge on it when you store it. If you get a good battery and you take care of it you should not have to get a new one every one to two years.
Good luck!
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