Battery recommendations

[rocky]

I am new to this site and have never owned a boat. I am thinking of buying a triumph 170cc with a 70 HP 2 stroke Yamaha engine. My concerns are for what battery or batteries to use.

* What accessories can be connected to the start up battery without impeding the starting of your engine. I plan on using a VHF radio and fishfinder(Should this be connected to a deep cycling battery). Is it better to use a hand held VHF radio/fishfinder to avoid this problem.

* Can the Bilge pump when connected to the starting battery strain the battery. Should your engine remain on when using the bilge pump.

* What type of wiring system is suggested for a dual battery setup. Should there be a cutoff switch between batteries.

* Does a portable car battery booster work for a boat.

* Should I charge a battery during periods of no usage. If so, what is considered the legnth of no usage requiring a charge, and what equipment is effective in order to charge the battery.

 

[Dave LeGear]

Welcome Aboard!
On your first question this thread should help http://www.performanceoutdoors.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1157 and I have 4 of them and love them

On the bilge pump question, I installed a 3 way switch (up for constant on, center off, down is auto) and a red LED light so I could tell when it was running or just checking. This why I can leave the battery on and kill the pump so it would not kill my batteries.

On any second battery system I would have a 4 way switch. This way you can isolate one from another. I just run on a different battery each trip to help keep them charged up.

Now my buddy Osprey Vic has a real fancy charging system, but here again he travels way offshore and needs the extra insurance for all that gear (radar, sonar) he is running (the guy could run Naval Flight OPS off all those toys) So I would touch base with him (or he will chime in) on how his system is designed


Here again the constant with Vic and myself is the AGM batteries for those wet cell units just cannot take the pounding a boat dishes out...

 

[ILLOGICAL GGC]

In 2001 I Bought 2 Agm Batteries To Use As Trolling Motor Power For The 186 Logic.
In 04 I Sold The 186 But Kept The Agms And They Are Still Being Used In The 210 That I Replaced The 186 With. One Is The Start And Any Circuit That Will Be On While The Motor Is Running And Everything Else Is On The 2nd One And I Have The Off-1-2--all Switch Between Them. I Usually Switch To The 2nd Battery On The Run In To The Dock Or If I Am Doing Alot Of Trolling Once I Reach The Fishing Grounds. I Have An On Board 2 Battery Charger That I Keep Plugged In To Keep Them Fully Charged While I'm Out Dancing!!!

 

[OspreyVic]

Rocky, welcome to the site. You ask many good questions.

Some of your questions come with the answers of "how much money can you spend" and "how much safety do you want to build into your boat."

We have two AGM batteries and a switching system for the batteries that we feel serves us better. We recently purchased an AGM battery for the tow vehicle, if you wonder if we are really sold on that technology. The two batteries give us redundancy in case one fails, a safety feature. You can read about the batteries we purchased and the electrical system modifications if you go to the "Articles" section and then look for "Additions & Modifications to our 2005 Triumph 210". We have one battery dedicated to the motor and another for everything else.

You do not state if your boat will stay in the water or be stored outside on its trailer. That complicates the bilge pump question. You list your locations as Florida, so that at least should eliminate water freezing inside the bilge pump. If like most of your boat is stored on your trailer, then I would NOT want the bilge pump to be able to drain a battery when the boat is not in use. Another reason we have our switches set up the way we do.

As to charging your batteries, one thing I was told by the manufacturer was to never put the boat to bed with partially drained batteries. So every time we return home and after using the pressure washer, we connect the charger. If for some reason we can't go out for a few weeks, we hook the charger back up for a couple of hours. We also hook up the charger before we take the boat out. As I was told, a fully charged battery is a happy battery that will perform for you and have a longer life.

The type of battery charger you purchase might be dictated by the type of batteries you purchase. Our battery manufacturer recommended the Tru Charge 20+ Battery Charger for our AGM batteries. I am sure others would work, but I followed what the manufacturer recommended.

If you have two batteries, especially if they are hooked up like mine are, and you take care of them, then I would not worry about having a portable car battery booster for your boat. My personal opinion.

Good luck on your decisions. Learning before you make that purchase helps ensure that you only have to spend the money once, and not a second time to fix your first mistake.