I'm looking for battery charging suggestions. I'm thinking about purchasing a 10A Truecharge unit from West Marine for my CD25, which has 2 batteries. I'm looking at purchasing either the portable unit or the bulkhead mounted hard-wired one. West Marine also sells a 20A charger but I think it may be overkill. My Honda 10hp outboard has an alternator hookup. The current batteries need replaced, and since I only have an auto-type charger, I thought this may be a good time to upgrade. Although my boat originally sailed in the Anapolis area, I now sail it on an inland lake. I only use battery power for the radio, gauges and lights. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
dhodossr@aol.com
Battery Chargers
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Chris Reinke
Re: Battery Chargers
David - It really depends on the requirements you will be making on the system and the resources available to you. If you are using your house banks for occasional use on the weekends with extended recharging time between demand, then the smaller bulkhead mounted unit would be fine, or perhaps even a solar charger. If you will be making daily demands on the system (cabin lighting, electronics, 12v accessories) at the same time you are trying to recharge then perhaps the larger bulkhead mounted unit would be better. My only suggestion is to purchase a charger capable of monitoring and charging the two batteries independently. Otherwise a strong battery may mask a problem developing in a weaker cell.
David Hodos wrote: I'm looking for battery charging suggestions. I'm thinking about purchasing a 10A Truecharge unit from West Marine for my CD25, which has 2 batteries. I'm looking at purchasing either the portable unit or the bulkhead mounted hard-wired one. West Marine also sells a 20A charger but I think it may be overkill. My Honda 10hp outboard has an alternator hookup. The current batteries need replaced, and since I only have an auto-type charger, I thought this may be a good time to upgrade. Although my boat originally sailed in the Anapolis area, I now sail it on an inland lake. I only use battery power for the radio, gauges and lights. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks