Battery bank charger suggestions.

[Armyguy]

So I finished installing my stereo(except for the new sub which still has to be put in) and am looking for a good IN BOAT charger. I have 4-6 volt trojan batteries in parallel and 1 stinger SPP2150. I want to use the stinger as a backup battery in case I completely used the four trojans and needed to start the boat. I am curious which battery chargers you guys are using. I was suggested the Xantrex Procharge2 60amp charger but after reading the negative reviews, I am thinking I should stray away from it.

[NorrisMike]

have you looked at the Noco chargers? Not sure if they will fit your application but they seem to work well and have great reviews.

I have this one - http://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GEN3-On-Board-Battery-Charger/dp/B003JSO1X2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1338727320&sr=8-2

[cstk421]

I have 2 6volts and 1 12 v starter and use the pro sport 20 amp 3 bank. I like it and it does a great job.

Claudio

[Armyguy]

I am just curious what the amps really does? Is it just faster charging?

[Earmark Marine]

Unless you are a tournament fisherman and in a big hurry, the speed of the recharge is seldomly important. The amperage capacity of the battery charger should be in line with two factors. One, the amp/hour capacity of your collective batteries. Two, how deeply you discharge the batteries. So one size of charger does not fit all. Under-charging is as harmful as over-charging. The balance is important. As you have more reserve capacity that is discharged deeper you need a certain amount of current capacity to chemically excite the battery and reverse the effects of sulphation. We should be simply following the example set and understood by fisherman who have had a handle on this forever. Pretty much all the battery and charger manufacturers are on the same page with this.

David

[Deephaven]

Being my other ride is a bass boat, I am a fan of buying chargers from Cabelas. They are geared definitely to the tournament fisherman in their speed, but the also have a condition step for when they are left on. I've had batteries last much longer than expected considering they were run from full to way low more than 100x a summer. Cabelas carries some cheaper Cabela's labelled units (made by Pro Mariner) which are notorious for not lasting (although I've had great luck), but also will take things back and support their own products when things do go wrong.

[Armyguy]

Yeah I guess I could always get the extended warranty with the xantrex.

[Earmark Marine]

Armyguy,

Dual Pro, Xantrex, IntelliPower, ProTech or ProSport by ProMariner, Guest and Ctek are common chargers.

If you are using both an AGM and flooded batteries then make certain that the charger banks are independently selectable.

As long as the charger features 'distribute on demand' don't be concerned whether it has two, three or four banks. With four six volts and one 12 volt you will be using two or three of the banks in any case with the identical results.

Check with your local dealers/shops that service the fishermen. They know charging.

David

[Murphy8166]

If you are charging optima batteries - this is some info that i got from the mfgr.

You do not need a special battery charger for our batteries. Normal battery chargers will work just fine, although it's important to clarify that our batteries are lead-acid batteries in a SpiralCell, AGM design. “Gel” or “Gel/AGM” charger settings will not fully-charge our batteries and could damage them over time.

We do recommend a maximum charging rate of 10 amps, 13.8-15 volts for regular charging. For float-charging, we recommend a 1 amp maximum rate, 13.2-13.8 volts.

[JTech]

I have 2 6volts and 1 12 v starter and use the pro sport 20 amp 3 bank. I like it and it does a great job.

Claudio

I have this exact setup as well. Looking forward to trying out the 6v's this year.