Battery Charger Help

[canvsbk]

My birthday is near and I deserve something nice so I've decided to try and put an end to my battery charging woes.
I have 1 bank with 2 12vlt to make my 24 and a single 12vlt for the BIG BOY in the back.
Who makes what that will fill 'em up over night??
Thanks.

[dhuff]

There are alot of companies that manufacture good chargers.  I have used the Minn Kota onboard three bank 30 amp charger for the last two years and I like it.  Charges my batteries up fast.  But there are lots of good ones out there.

[Revtro]

I've had great luck with the 3 bank ProXL.  Seems to charge 'em up completely overnight according to it's charge meter. 

[Cheetam]

I'm with Rev on this one...Dual Pro XL.  If you ever have a problem with one of their units, call em up and they will bend over backwards to help you out.

[Skulley]

I am with Rev and Jeff on the chargers.  I have always gone with the 3 Band Dual Pro XL.  Reliable.  I have never used any other charger.

BD             

[yukonjack2]

I have a 4- bank Ranger  -and it works great . My suggestion, make sure its a minimum of 10 amps per bank dedicated. The pro xl is an excellent unit.  I spoke with the rep for them, and there is an add-on charge as you run unit as well - might be worth consideration.

[blakstr1]

i was thinking about the 4 bank Minnkota charger MK-440, but if I understand correctly they discontinued it..maybe somebody here know for sure.  I'm also looking at the Stealth Charger, small and powerful..DOWD uses it and swears by it, he is trying to persuade me...its almost working..

[smbassman]

I have the Dual Pro 3 bank and it works okay.  One bank went out in a few months, but they replaced the whole unit.

I have just received a StayNCharge unit for my boat and this seems like it will be a very good system.  Charges all batteries on the run(w/ outboard) and you can hook up to the tow vehicle to charge while trailering to and from the lake.  The same company (stayNcharge) is finishing the testing now of a portable charger to top off the batteries if they aren't at full charge from the other sources (outboard and truck).  Much cheaper and more reliable.  Also, charging with the outboard and truck alternator is much faster and will actually bring your batteries to a full charge (Something that AC chargers don't do - they only charge to about 85-90%).

[djkimmel]

I like my Pro Mariner 3-bank charger. Up to 30 amps per channel and compensates for poor juice at campgrounds and other places with low voltage. I have an old one. The new ones are more streamlined and sharp looking.

Bass & Walleye Boats did a great comparison study on chargers that was very educational. I could not find it online, but I imagine there are others. All the chargers had differences in what they did and how they did it. The Pro Mariner was the best overall choice for my circumstances (the article backed up what the company techs had told me).

[huston]

My question about that Stay&Charge is when traveling in the boat , will it damage some intricate, electronic gizmo on these high tech outboards and while on land and when your vehicles Stay &Charge is charging the boat batteries, will this cause a over amp draw on your towing vehicles charging system?

[Dan]

My partner has a 2004 Basscat with a 225 rude and he has a stealth charging system and when we travel he hardly ever even needs to plug it in even when we have been out for 8 hours. It really impressed me. He had some trouble early because of a switch being in the wrong position  and the stealth guy stayed on the phone with him at 10:00 at night for an hour and a half tearing things apart and testing this and that over the phone and took care of him. Can't beat their customer service.

[smbassman]

My question about that Stay&Charge is when traveling in the boat , will it damage some intricate, electronic gizmo on these high tech outboards and while on land and when your vehicles Stay &Charge is charging the boat batteries, will this cause a over amp draw on your towing vehicles charging system?

It really isn't any different than plugging in a AC charger, so no there should be no problem with the outboard.  The newer outboard alternaters are pretty high in amperage anyways and the system only diverts the charging power to the different batteries at different times - not all three(or four) at once.  The amperage draw for your tow vehicle should be no problem either.  The good part about this system, is the batteries are taken to full charge and they are charged quickly - like in 1 hour drive home from the lake, the batteries are fully charged for the next day.

I have checked on this system a lot and I haven't found anyone with a problem.  If you really want more info, go to bassboatcentral.com and check the electronics forum.  Jim Payne is the owner of StaynCharge and he is on that board a lot.  Just post a question there or PM him.  If you are not registered there, I can get a hold of him for you and have him e-mail you.  Just remember, you will need two systems to charge from the truck and outboard.  The original stayNcharge alone charges from the truck to one battery.  Then the AllCharge system alone will charge up to 36v from the outboard.  Getting both systems allows you to charge 36V from the truck or outboard.