For a charger, this means shock resistance, water-resistance and secure mounting. Personally, anything I buy that goes outside with me must have a good degree of durability. If you have 3 different batteries, but they only need 5 amps each, then a 3 bank 15-amp charger is probably what you need.
To answer this, you must look at what you must charge and consider how many separate batteries you need to charge.
How to Choose an Onboard Boat Battery Charger Is undercharging a marine battery as bad as overcharging it?.Why can’t I use a regular charger for my deep cell battery?.How much power does my onboard charger need to have?.How many banks do I need in my onboard charger?.How does an onboard marine battery charger work?.Frequently Asked Questions About Onboard Chargers.NOCO Genius GENPRO 4-Bank 40 AMP Charger.ProMariner Prosport Dual-Bank 8 AMP Charger.NOCO Genius GENPRO 1-Bank 10 AMP Charger.4 Best Onboard Battery Chargers From 1-Bank to 4-Bank.How to Choose an Onboard Boat Battery Charger.For the purposes of demonstration, we will discuss 1 through 4-bank battery chargers. As a rule of thumb when shopping for a marine onboard battery charger, just think of them in terms of banks. In This article, I am hoping to illustrate a better understanding of these devices and offer you some great examples to get you started on your decision as to which to buy. These include waterproof design, shock resistance, the ability to specify what kind of battery you are charging, and circuitry that protects the battery from being overcharged/undercharged. Most of today’s onboard chargers also come with other useful features that enhance their performance and extend the life of your battery. The beauty of an onboard battery charger is that you can conveniently charge many batteries at once and, depending on the output of the model you get, you can customize the speed at which they charge as well. Trolling motors, depth gauges, fish finders, even marine radios and stereos. Why is it important to consider a higher amperage charger? Because most folks have more than a few electronics happening in their boat. The difference is, one handles power output faster and more efficiently. There are standard wall plugs to charge a phone and there are what are called “lightning wall plugs”. To simplify a higher amp charger such as a 15-amp, compare it to charging a cell phone. Essentially, to simplify the math, a 15-amp charger (which is a faster charger) will charge a 30-amp per hour battery in a little over 2 hours. Marine batteries and auto batteries can be measured in Amp Hours and this number can determine what charger you will need. The first thing that you should consider is what you are going to need in terms of power and then ask yourself how fast you want the batteries to charge. This article may send some of you back to school on these chargers but I want to cover the basics as well for the novice angler so he or she can better understand this important piece of equipment.
Thankfully, we have on-board battery chargers that take the lifting out of it.
The first complaint I have about all of that is that the batteries were very heavy, and most fishing boats operate several so it would be a chore to charge them manually. I remember charging batteries in my garage the night before the trip so we could use the equipment and how much of a chore that was. When I was in college, we were doing research using sonar technology on the Yellowstone River here in Montana. One piece of that being electronics and how they are powered. It operates so many systems and functions that it can be hard to understand and comprehend them all. We may earn commissions when you buy through links on this post.Ī boat is a complicated machine. Reel Adventure Fishing Your Source for Everything Fishing! Menu Skip to content Main MenuĪs an Amazon Associate, Reel Adventure Fishing earns from qualifying purchases.