Boat battery charging time

mswlogo · 06-05-2021, 08:01 AM

10 min really isn’t enough, but it shouldn’t be stone dead the next time you use it.

Lead Acid batteries don’t like being left discharged.

I always disconnect battery for winter.

“Trickle charger” may not cut it. You want a “smart charger”. It can also tell you if the battery is any good when it’s done.

Chargers like these have brought batteries back that I thought were surely gone. My first battery lasted like 3 years. My 2nd battery (after buying a similar charger) lasted 14 years, and was still good when I sold the boat.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CZG91FV

It’s also possible you have a leak in the boat. A crude old test I used to do was use a tail light bulb and put it in series with the (charged) battery connection. If it lights up, you have a significant leak.

But today I’d use an amp meter like this one. One of my favorite tools.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TCWL1E

06-05-2021, 08:01 AM	#3
mswlogo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 660 Thanks: 196 Thanked 222 Times in 143 Posts	10 min really isn’t enough, but it shouldn’t be stone dead the next time you use it. Lead Acid batteries don’t like being left discharged. I always disconnect battery for winter. “Trickle charger” may not cut it. You want a “smart charger”. It can also tell you if the battery is any good when it’s done. Chargers like these have brought batteries back that I thought were surely gone. My first battery lasted like 3 years. My 2nd battery (after buying a similar charger) lasted 14 years, and was still good when I sold the boat. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CZG91FV It’s also possible you have a leak in the boat. A crude old test I used to do was use a tail light bulb and put it in series with the (charged) battery connection. If it lights up, you have a significant leak. But today I’d use an amp meter like this one. One of my favorite tools. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TCWL1E