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spring shakedown run @ bullards


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Did our first run of the year yesterday at Bullards Bar. A little breezy at times, but nothing that you'd consider wind, and we could definitely get "flat enough" water. Air temp was 70-78 and water (as indicated on the boat's gauge) was 65/66. With a full 3mm wetsuit on the water was great.

So the one weird thing was my batteries. Batteries are wired with blue seas add a battery switch and acr so one is a starter and the other is house/stereo. I'd put the batteries on the charger before we left, hooking the charger to the starter battery. Checked the ACR and it showed that the batteries were combined, and then the charger showed a complete charge before I disconnected.

When we showed up to the ramp, I turned the switch from off to on, and on key-up the dash flashed a low voltage warning. Well I know that the combine batteries option on the switch is for "emergencies", but what bigger emergency is there than showing up at the lake after a 2 hour drive and the boat won't start? :) Flipped it over to combine and the boat started right up. My wife was in the boat at the time so I didn't see what the voltage read after it was flipped to combined, but once we were under way it showed 14.4v.

We cruised around for 20 minutes or so, letting the boat warm up and checking out the lake. We stopped, turned the boat off and floated for a while and I flipped the switch back to "on" from combined. Voltage immediately dropped to 12.1. Started the boat and cruised a bit more. I noticed when I flipped the stereo on (but by no means cranked) that the voltage immediately dropped to 11.9, then 11.7, and eventually we got the low voltage warning again (all while the boat is under way and the engine running). Turn the stereo off and the voltage immediately started to climb back up. We just left the stereo off and were fine for the rest of the day. Voltage was always in the 12's though, never in the 14s as it was when the batteries were combined at the beginning of the day.

So I've got an issue and need some troubleshooting advice. First off, I'm assuming that the voltage meter on the dash is reading from the house bank. Since I've got my stereo and house bank on the same battery, that would suggest that the stereo battery is either (a) bad (boat was purchased used and I don't know how old that battery is) or (b) that I've got a bad connection between the switch and the battery. Sound right so far?

I was going to pull the house/stereo battery and put it on a charger overnight then take it to the auto parts store and have it tested. If it's bad, then I've found my problem, yes? If it's not bad, I was going to replace the cable from the switch to the battery and see if that does it.

Additionally, once I get this issue sorted, I'm going to switch the house bank to run off of the starting battery, so that the dash gauge is reading the true voltage of the primary battery.

Any other troubleshooting thoughts?

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Look at the lake level, sweet! I was working around the house on Sunday wondering why I didn't head to Bullards. The water was warmer than I expected it would have been. Too bad next weekend is supposed to be cold.

On your batteries, I bet one is fed up. I would pull them out and individually charge each one and check that each of them maintain the voltage after charging.

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Look at the lake level, sweet! I was working around the house on Sunday wondering why I didn't head to Bullards. The water was warmer than I expected it would have been. Too bad next weekend is supposed to be cold.

On your batteries, I bet one is fed up. I would pull them out and individually charge each one and check that each of them maintain the voltage after charging.

Yeah we put in at Dark Day... I should have taken a picture of the ramp. As compared to last september (only other time I've been there), the ramp was about 15% as long. The wide turnaround before the dogleg was under 40' of water at least.

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There is a good chance that one of the batteries wasn't completely charged. Did the charger show that they were completely charged indiviually? Can you run off of one or the other and check the voltage that way? Anyway good to see that bullards is full went to Oroville Sat and it was good.

How was the debris minimal, have they cleaned up the lake yet? Oroville wasn't to bad. Where you located in Reno? I'm up in the N. West.

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No I didn't hook them up individually because blue seas says you can hook up one and the ACR will take care of the other. Prolly should have tho. And no, I can't run off of one or the other. Unlike a perko, where your whole system is wired to one or the other or both banks, With the add a battery, you split your system between banks and then can charge both batteries at the same time through the ACR.

Gonna pull the bat tonight and charge and then check voltage and see what it keeps. If it stays charged I'll replace the cable from the switch and see if that does it.

I'm in Caughlin, up by the elementary school. Debris at bullards was not too bad. A couple of big chunks you wouldn't want to hit, but they weren't hard to see either. Fair amount of smaller stuff, but even then not so much you couldn't adjust course.

Edited by shawndoggy
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Sorry many, nothing to add on the batteries, other then test them separately - might as well take them both to the auto shop and have them checked.

Bullard's rocks. Can't wait until the end of June when we will be there for a week! WooHoo!!! :yahoo:

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Bullard's rocks. Can't wait until the end of June when we will be there for a week! WooHoo!!!

Shhhh!!! :fingerwag:

Oh great, Andy is invading. Next thing you know he'll be bringing a tube with him. :Doh:

:biggrin:

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update... and a little confusion.

I checked both the starter and stereo/house (deep cycle) batteries last night. Starter was showing 12.6v, stereo was showing 12.2. Pulled the stereo battery and put it on the charger for a couple of hours. Charger indicated full charge and battery showed 12.7v. This morning, having been rested off of the charger for 8 hours, the stereo battery is showing 12.3v.

I guess I'm a bit confused because the boat's gauge was showing in the 11s on sunday... but now that I think about it, that was after I'd put the battery under load.

Battery is out of the boat and I don't have anything readily available to load test the stereo battery, but do these symptoms sound like I've got a bad stereo/house battery?

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Here is a chart for you:

State of Charge Voltage

100% 12.7

75% 12.4

50% 12.2

25% 12.0

Discharged 11.9

Your stereo battery does not seem to be 100% imo. My boat's battery was fully charged 18 days ago and is reading at 12.7 today. I would take the battery to batteries plus and have them load test it. I can't wait until I get to charge my boat's battery with the boat instead of a charger. I charge my battery every month during the winter.

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Shhhh!!! :fingerwag:

Oh great, Andy is invading. Next thing you know he'll be bringing a tube with him. :Doh:

:biggrin:

Can't wait to hear about the interesting adventure and/or disasters that will be happening that week. :biggrin:

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