11-02-2019, 02:30 PM
[quote catchinon]I recently bought an older V17 with a 90 hp. I wasn't sure if the motor charged the battery or not (please don't laugh at me for being greener than spring grass). [font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]The outboard does in fact charge the battery while running the motor - and I'm not laughing.[/size][/#800000][/font]
While I was charging my trolling battery I decided to check the cranking one. It said it was down some and took quite a while to get up to full charge. Is that normal? [font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]It could be normal depending on how you were charging it - low amps vs high amps.[/size][/#800000][/font]
One day I got to the lake and had a completely dead battery. I took it back home and put a 25 amp charger on it for a few hours and then it was fine. I can only guess that between me and an eight year old we left a switch on overnight somehow. [font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]Yep, that will do it - every time its tried. (Now I'm laughing, but only a little).[/size][/#800000][/font]
Could it be anything else? How do you quickly check charge before heading out? [font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I don't. But I do make sure all switches on the dash are turned off at the end of every trip, the downriggers are off and unplugged, and the sonar is turned off. If you REALLY want to check the battery before every trip, just carry a simple volt meter in the boat and check the battery voltage before leaving home. It should always be at least 13 volts or more. If it's less, then you have a very small draw somewhere in the boat. [/size][/#800000][/font] Would seeing if you can trim the motor a bit mean you have sufficient charge to start the motor?[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]You could install one of these battery switches and turn it to the 'OFF' position between trips to eliminate any possibility of a draw on the battery.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[url "https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fbaymarinesupply.com%2Fmedia%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct%2Fe%2F-%2Fe-series-switch-features.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fbaymarinesupply.com%2Fbattery-switch-5511e.html&docid=kXZ1sY9JbOEGbM&tbnid=0AUbeZnYukvp7M%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiDq92S3svlAhUCP6wKHYqkA-8QMwizAigEMAQ..i&w=540&h=276&client=firefox-b-1-d&bih=764&biw=1600&q=marine%20battery%20switches&ved=0ahUKEwiDq92S3svlAhUCP6wKHYqkA-8QMwizAigEMAQ&iact=mrc&uact=8"][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Marine Battery Switch[/size][/font][/url]
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While I was charging my trolling battery I decided to check the cranking one. It said it was down some and took quite a while to get up to full charge. Is that normal? [font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]It could be normal depending on how you were charging it - low amps vs high amps.[/size][/#800000][/font]
One day I got to the lake and had a completely dead battery. I took it back home and put a 25 amp charger on it for a few hours and then it was fine. I can only guess that between me and an eight year old we left a switch on overnight somehow. [font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]Yep, that will do it - every time its tried. (Now I'm laughing, but only a little).[/size][/#800000][/font]
Could it be anything else? How do you quickly check charge before heading out? [font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I don't. But I do make sure all switches on the dash are turned off at the end of every trip, the downriggers are off and unplugged, and the sonar is turned off. If you REALLY want to check the battery before every trip, just carry a simple volt meter in the boat and check the battery voltage before leaving home. It should always be at least 13 volts or more. If it's less, then you have a very small draw somewhere in the boat. [/size][/#800000][/font] Would seeing if you can trim the motor a bit mean you have sufficient charge to start the motor?[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]You could install one of these battery switches and turn it to the 'OFF' position between trips to eliminate any possibility of a draw on the battery.[/size][/#800000][/font]
[url "https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fbaymarinesupply.com%2Fmedia%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct%2Fe%2F-%2Fe-series-switch-features.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fbaymarinesupply.com%2Fbattery-switch-5511e.html&docid=kXZ1sY9JbOEGbM&tbnid=0AUbeZnYukvp7M%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiDq92S3svlAhUCP6wKHYqkA-8QMwizAigEMAQ..i&w=540&h=276&client=firefox-b-1-d&bih=764&biw=1600&q=marine%20battery%20switches&ved=0ahUKEwiDq92S3svlAhUCP6wKHYqkA-8QMwizAigEMAQ&iact=mrc&uact=8"][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Marine Battery Switch[/size][/font][/url]
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
I'm 83 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."
I'm 83 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."