Do you leave your batteries in the boat or take them out? I always charge mine before I put them away for the winter. I would like to leave them in but afraid if they ever froze they would crack? I do not have a way to put a maintainer charger on them.
They won’t crack, but I always take mine in. I’ve got a nice spot under the workbench in the basement shop where they sit. I can easily charge them just to keep them topped up, but I only do that once a winter. I take all my batteries in. Lawn tractor, boat, etc.
It may not be a necessity, but I have space and the ability to do it, so it seems to me to be a prudent investment because it’s so easy.
If this is very difficult or you don’t have the space, I’ve also had good luck with those little solar battery maintainers for my ATV and tractor. I don’t have power at my hunting property, so I just put everything on solar maintainer and put the panels in a south-facing window. Come spring everything fires right up.
Grouse
I take mine inside and keep them on a battery tender.
I take mine out and keep them under work bench in basement same as grouse. If I kept my boat in my garage through winter like it is in summer I’d maybe leave them and put on maintainer, but it winters in a friend’s pole shed.
Leave em for me. I’ve taken them in and charged them middle of winter but after seeing em take a charge for a minute then being full it’s alot of hassle for lil gain IMO. Plus I pulled a back muscle few years back dealing with a group 31 and still haunts me.
I leave them in the boat and put on the tender… year round. Nothing different for winter. Mine sits in an unheated garage.
If you do leave them in the boat just be sure you turn off the main disconnect or disconnect the cables from the battery terminals.
Cold is not a problem for lead acid batteries. It actually prolongs their life ever so slightly. They just need to be full of fluid, fully charged and disconnected. Maintainer is a good idea too.
I leave them in the boat and put on the tender… year round. Nothing different for winter. Mine sits in an unheated garage.
X2 Been doing it this way for years.
SR
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>big_g wrote:</div>
I leave them in the boat and put on the tender… year round. Nothing different for winter. Mine sits in an unheated garage.X2 Been doing it this way for years.
SR
X3 or 4 or 5 or…?
I think we’re finding a consensus! Years ago I’d pull them out and bring them inside swaddled in a blanket. Don’t have that same opportunity now with where I store it. Last 3 years left them in the boat, no way to even charge during the winter. No issues yet, almost full power come spring. If they croak in the next year or two, what’s the replacement cost? It would average out at $20-$40 a year to replace. I spend that much in beer a week.
I use my boat through the duck season which is the end of November. Usually at the end of the season my boat is full of snow and ice and I just don’t want to deal with it so I park it that way and deal with it in the spring. My battery may not always be fully charged and this battery is on its 5th season. It’s a group 29 from Walmart.
DT
Cold is not a problem for lead acid batteries. It actually prolongs their life ever so slightly. They just need to be full of fluid, fully charged and disconnected. Maintainer is a good idea too.
they are better off out in the cold as long as they are fully charged, they seem to last longer
My boat goes in unheated remote storage. I quit pulling batteries years ago. Check the water level, charge them fully and then disconnect all the leads, tie-wrapping all the negatives together and all the positives together. That way you’ll be sure to clean all the connections next spring. Check the battery voltage a few hours after charging to be sure your batteries are good.
I take mine out, mainly so I can clean the compartments. They are stored in the garage which stays relatively warm all winter.
before i bought a charger to leave on all the time, i always just left them in and have never had a problem.
I bring them in and top off a couple times over winter. If I had access to the boat in winter I would leave the in.
I had afriend that used to be in the battery business . He said store them like the battery Co. fully charged in cold storage. Since then I have left in my boat using a bttery tender and never had a problem and my batteries have lasted longer as well. I have been doing this for about 15 years. My lead acid batteries give me 6 to 7 years. I also keep them filled with water and charge after every use. I also have friends that bring inside with good results. Mine are tough to take out as they are in a bassboat .
Mwal
I leave them in. My trolling motor batteries are connected to a minnkota charger. I plan on getting another charger/tender for the starting battery. I will use my boat any time the temps get anywhere close to 30 degrees or so.
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