Greetings all,
I’ve grown tired of hauling batteries at the end of the day and would like to have an on-board charger installed in my Fish Hawk this year. Can I get a couple of recommendations on which products have worked best for those of you who use an on-board system.
Secondly, if there is anyone out there who does this type of rigging, what do you charge for this type of service?
Thanks all….
Figure_8em
An onboard charger is the best item I ever put on my boats. My choice is the Guest model 2620. I have used these chargers for the past 6 years no fail. You have mail.
I’ll second Guest. Have used one for 6 years. Not difficult to rig. Not sure what one would pay.
Theres a few things to look for in an onboard charger;
How many batteries do you want to charge will determine how many banks on the charger you will need.
What type of fishing do you do? Do want a fast charging charger or a less aggressive charger?
Do you plan on using gel cell or wet cell batteries?
And how much do you want to spend?
There are a few key items that are a must when selecting a charger.
1.Equalization and temperature compensation are good features. Flooded cell batteries need to be equalized at least twice a year. Temperature compensation adjusts the charger output according to ambient conditions. This is good when charging in cold and hot ambient (outdoor) air temps.
2. Low line voltage outputs: Most onboard chargers require at least 105 volts AC to put out the max amps it needs to charge the batteries. Sometimes however in the heat of the summer, there can be a voltage drop in some resorts, RV parks or marinas. AC voltage can drop below 100 AC volts. A good charger will keep charging with a voltage drop. Some chargers quit all together.
3.Maximum charge amps. Probably the most important feature. Deep cycle wet cell batteries need to be charged at 14.0 volts. At 14.0 volts the batteries begin to “gas”. Gassing creates greater capacity of the battery and will insure a full charge of the full capacity of the battery.
4.Recharged percentage. A good charger need to put out 105-130 percent of the amps that were lost to properly bring the battery back to its full capacity. This works in conjunction with gassing. Undercharging and overcharging can damage a deep cycle battery and lessen its life expectancy.
5. Waterproof or weatherproof. Make sure your onboard charger is WATERproof and shock resistant.
6. Warranty- A good charger will have at least a 2 or 3 year warranty.
Two chargers that will have all these features and carry a three year warranty are the Minn-kota brand onboard charger http://www.jollyannsales.com . And the Dura Charge brand onboard charger.
Wiring of an onboard charger is simple. Mounting it can be tricky if you need to pull up the floor or snake wires to your batteries.
Good Luck
Here is another recent discussion on battery chargers on IDA.
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