Deep Cycle Charging 
jlh42581
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 1885
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2004/10/13 07:56:43
- Location: Bellefonte
- Status: offline
Deep Cycle Charging
Got a few questions I hope to have answered here. 1: Is a 6amp medium charge enough to charge a deep cycle battery? 2: Onboard chargers... If you buy an onboard that has two banks and you buy one thats ten amps vs six amps per bank... will they charge faster? I assume they will but is that a recipe for disaster? 3: Onboard Chargers(linked to the vehicle) - will they really charge your batteries in 45 minutes of driving? As you may see, Im buying justins john boat and I plan to 3/4 deck it for fly fishing. I want to keep the swaping of batteries to a minimum. No Im not going to deck it to the gunwale  , affraid it will tip, lets not go there.
post edited by jlh42581 - 2008/01/19 10:42:00
|
mikeg
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 2533
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2004/05/11 11:58:32
- Location: Erie, PA
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/19 11:13:08
(permalink)
Based off of my opinions and experiance with deep cycles...
1) Yes if it isn't all the way dead. And if you keep it on charge when not in use.
2) Most chargers will not over charge a battery. You will be safe there. As far as charging it faster...not sure, but I think it depends on your battery.
3) No way...Been there, done that! It only works for your cranking battery. Doens't give enough to charge your deep cycle.
Best advice I can give is to buy a "Smart Charger" from Walmart. It's cheap and works very well. I've used on board and all sorts of chargers, but I find this charger to work very well. It charges until the battery is charged and then turns off. If you leave it connected, it will come back on if the battery starts to wear down.
Tips for keeping batteries working great.
1. ALWAYS store your batteries on a full charge. Hook up the charger when you are done using it. Don't just do it the night before you use it.
2. Disconnect your battery when not in use. (This will prevent your cables from drawing the charge while in storage)
3. DON'T go cheep when it comes to your battery. Get a good one, and as long as you do the above things, it will last a long time and will keep you on the water all day long.
4. Buy a sealed, "No Maintence" type battery.
Good luck with your new ride.
|
mikeg
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 2533
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2004/05/11 11:58:32
- Location: Erie, PA
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/19 11:17:38
(permalink)
One more thing... "No Im not going to deck it to the gunwale , affraid it will tip, lets not go there. " That will not make it tip! I use to hunt ducks out of small jons and use to deck it all the way to the gunwale. Never had a problem other than losing gear that was left out...lol
|
jlh42581
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 1885
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2004/10/13 07:56:43
- Location: Bellefonte
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/19 11:27:31
(permalink)
ORIGINAL: mikeg
One more thing...
"No Im not going to deck it to the gunwale , affraid it will tip, lets not go there. "
That will not make it tip! I use to hunt ducks out of small jons and use to deck it all the way to the gunwale. Never had a problem other than losing gear that was left out...lol
How did the added weight of the wood affect the ride... theres some low water ill be in. Thanks for the battery info.
|
mikeg
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 2533
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2004/05/11 11:58:32
- Location: Erie, PA
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/19 11:45:52
(permalink)
How much power do you have on it?
AS far as the weight. Go with 1/2 ply wood. Use a fiberglass resin to seal it.
Use a lot of foam for flotation. You will ride a little lower but as long as you don't over do it, you'll be fine.
Make sure you don't over-do the stringer system with wood. It doesn't take a lot stringers to support the deck. Most of the support will come from the foam in betweeen the stringers.
|
jlh42581
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 1885
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2004/10/13 07:56:43
- Location: Bellefonte
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/19 12:09:56
(permalink)
Its not a speed demon by any means... its a 5hp briggs.
When you say foam inbetween the stringers, what would you use, closed cell? Im planning to span the seats for the casting deck. I just dont see how foam would be beneficial.
|
mikeg
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 2533
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2004/05/11 11:58:32
- Location: Erie, PA
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/19 12:44:54
(permalink)
If you have the extra cash, use the spray foam and fill ever extra space you can. I used regular styro foam made for boats. It's harder and more boyant. Cut peices to fit under the deck and make the foam sit about a 1/4 inch taller than the deck will lay. Once you put the deck on it will compact the foam to add support and additional flotation. The foam will create a more boyant boat that will sit higher in the water and will not allow the boat to sink if a situation should arise. Trust me on this one...Add foam to your jon and it WILL make a differance. I had a 16 foot jon that had a fifty on the back. Most people looked at me like I was crazy becasue of the size motor. I added foam under the deck and had a buddy weld to rear "pontoons" (foam filled) on the back. They worked awesome. I've built and reconditions a few boats in my day. I even build this one from the mold up...  A company called Tops-n-Towers build the raised paltform, bow platform, and poling platform, but I built the boat. Here's the same boat before the platforms were built... 
|
2dog
Expert Angler
- Total Posts : 468
- Reward points: 0
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/19 14:15:54
(permalink)
"The foam will create a more boyant boat that will sit higher in the water and will not allow the boat to sink if a situation should arise."
How is the foam making it sit higher in the water? Agree with the rest of that. The extra foam will keep the boat near the surfaceof the water should it fill with water for any reason.
|
mikeg
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 2533
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2004/05/11 11:58:32
- Location: Erie, PA
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/19 14:52:05
(permalink)
I use to think that way also, but through my own trial and error, I've found that it makes a huge differance. It does add bouyancy. Throw a cooler in the water, and then throw a plastic box of equal size and weight and see which one floats better. The cooler will due to the foam inside of it creating a bouyancy. When boat builders started puting closed cell foam in boats, it wasn't because of USCG standards for safety, it was to create a boat that was more stable and to add bouyancy. I grew up fishing out of very skinny water boats like the one above. We use to make our own scooters (flats skiffs) and have seen them both ways. With or without foam, the foamed rigs always sat in much less water.
post edited by mikeg - 2008/01/19 14:59:11
|
mikeg
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 2533
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2004/05/11 11:58:32
- Location: Erie, PA
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/19 14:54:49
(permalink)
To add... Take a look at the bottom pic. That boat is drawing about 1 1/2 inches of water and weighs a lot due to all the wood and fiberglass.
post edited by mikeg - 2008/01/19 14:55:07
|
jlh42581
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 1885
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2004/10/13 07:56:43
- Location: Bellefonte
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/19 18:13:46
(permalink)
|
sstaz69
Expert Angler
- Total Posts : 314
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2007/05/31 00:21:29
- Location: Erie
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/20 01:00:36
(permalink)
Foam WILL NOT make your boat sit higher in the water. That is unless it has already started to sink or you encapsulate it and fill it with helium  The foam is meant to keep the boat afloat if it has takin on water. The only way a material could make a boat sit higher in the water is it was lighter than air. Does foam float or fall to the ground? Here is a test for you, put a 4 oz wieght in 2 milk jugs. Fill one with foam and the other with nothing, put in the water and look at the results. Or maybe we could just call Myth Busters 
|
chauncy
Pro Angler
- Total Posts : 1298
- Reward points: 0
- Joined: 2002/02/03 00:26:40
- Status: offline
RE: Deep Cycle Charging
2008/01/20 10:52:59
(permalink)
On question #3, the vehicle charger to battery in boat. I've been using a stayncharge system for 5 years and it works great for me. I do get a full charge on my trolling battery in 45 minutes or less if i dont drain it all the way down. I started using this system because i moved into an apartment building and didn't have an outside plug to charge my batteries. Found this system at www.stayncharge.com and been very happy with it. I plug it in on my way to the lake and get a good charge. When i pull the boat out, after fishing, hook it up for the ride home. Unplug when i drop my boat or leave it plugged if i dont. Drive back to lake next morning and have a full charge by the time i get there. Now if you were talking about the boat motor charging your trolling battery, thats diffrent. They have an add on for that at their website too. But a motors altenator wont charge a trolling battery enough to use by itself for a long period of time. A starting battery, yes, because it wont draw a constant amp. Hope this answers your question number 3.
|
|
|