Guest ChargePro2

[nofearengineer]

I just scored a really good deal on a Guest 36202-24 ChargePro2.



I couldn't find a single review of it on the web, so I figured I'd be a guinea pig for the site.

It is a two-bank, 10-amp per bank smart charger (3-stage) that has an alternator module built in to charge the 24V trolling motor battery setup from the outboard after the cranking battery is topped off. I would hope my trolling batteries would never get below 80-90% now, as I would be charging them while running in between spots on the lake. This should extend their life considerably. I also bought the optional remote indicator for my dashboard which lets you know which batteries are being charged.

I'm thinking this is going to be a big help on long days, and especially on multiple-day fishing trips like we will have on Dale Hollow.

It should also spare me the trouble of yanking my batteries out of my boat during the winter (my boat is a real PITA to get the batteries in and out). My current on-board charger only maintains my trolling motor batteries; if my cranking battery were to get low, I would need to pull it out and put it on a separate charger (luckily, it has never gotten low...yet). Plugged into the wall, my new charger should maintain all three of my batteries at full charge over winter. My boat stays in my attached garage, so thankfully, there should be no freezing involved.

I will post some pics of the install when I get it, and hopefully give a positive review of the performance for anyone who might be curious about switching to this sort of system for their boat.

[bassboogieman]

Can't beat a Guest charger. I have one, not like this one, as I haven't seen the benifit to justify the additional cost of this type of charger. I've not had problems with loss of battery power fishing all day, but I have a 36v system and use AGM batteries. It takes time to restore a charge to deep cycle batteries, and short runs between spots (10 minutes +/-) isn't putting much charge into your t/m bats as it charges the cranking bat first, most importantly to keep the electronics, livewells, etc powered.
If you got a good deal, that's great and it cannot hurt having this style or charger on board. For me a charger that runs off my outboard between spots, isn't going to help me much if any. The overnight charge gets me where I need to be the next morning. The AGM batteries, again for me, is where I spend the extra $$$. When I'm fishing lakes that are not electric only - I can fish 2 days without charging the t/m batteries without issues, if I have to. I like to keep them fully charged, but if the need is there those AGM's are up to it.
The other great think about AGM's is that they will not freeze, you never add water, and hold a charge a long time. I fully charge mine at storage time and 4 months later, I can still start my outboard. If pulling your batteries for the winter, or keeping the water level in your wet cells is a problem, consider the AGM when it's time to replace them.
Good luck with the Guest, they are a fine product.