Boat Storage and Batteries

McGunner · 01-06-07, 07:26 PM

Hello, newbie here to the site and I have a question.

I bought a 2006 Bass Tracker PT175 with a Mercury 50 HP outboard at Bass Pro back in July of 2005 and only got it out on the water for 3 1/2 hours last summer before I winterized it and put it away for the winter. I ended up getting mobilized and sent to Iraq so i couldn't exactly use it this past spring/summer.

I just returned home a few weeks ago and today I went out to the carport in my back yard to check it out. I untarped it and (after calming down after cleaning up after the neighbor's cat that crawled under the tarp for shelter) I realized that the batteries were still hooked up and had been since I'd winterized it late last summer.

I retrieved the key and turned it to accessory and the gauges all fired right up without missing a beat. The boat has been sitting tarped on a concrete slab under a carport for about 15-16 months now.

My question is this; Are the batteries okay would you say? I was thinking that come this spring I would plug in the built in trickle charger a day or so before I take it out and I would imagine it would be good to go. Am i correct in this assumption?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

zooker · 01-06-07, 08:05 PM

were they charged prior to storage? did you see if it would roll over? gauges firing up means it has some voltage left.. did you test to see if they were still good??

zooker

McGunner · 01-06-07, 10:48 PM

Yes, the batteries were fully charged before I put the boat away last year as it was a brand new boat purchased at the dealership and had only been on the water for 3 1/2 hours total. I charged the batteries, winterized it and put it away then was gone up until recently.

No, i didn't try and turn it over as I had disconnected the fuel line before storing it. The gauges, specifically the amp gauge, vent all the way up to about mid way immediately upion turning the key to accessory.

I'm still new at this so bear with me as this is really my first actual bass boat. I have only had one other one and it was just an old beater that half the features didn't work on anymore (to include the outboard half the time). With deployments a thing of the past, I'm looking forward to really devoting alot of time bass fishing this year finally.

Rebbasser · 01-07-07, 12:06 AM

McGunner, welcome to the forum, welcome home, and thank you for your service!

Easy solution: I'd pull the batteries out and take them to an auto parts store and see if they will test them for you. Most will test them for free, and then you can be sure. I'd be leery of getting out on the water not knowing if they are good or not. Better safe than sorry.

Regarding batteries-you may already know this, but if not: As soon as you get back from the lake get the deep cycle battery on the charger, don't wait until the night before the next trip. The reason is that deep cycles are designed to be charged and discharged many times, and if you wait to recharge the battery may take a set, meaning the battery will not hold a full charge.

I'd highly recommend getting an on-board battery charger. They are designed to be left plugged in all the time to keep the batteries fully charged. Get back from the lake, plug the charger in and forget about it until the next trip.

Jackl · 01-07-07, 07:10 PM

McGUNNER,
The biggest problem with boat batteries is that people forget to check the water after charging them. If you let the water get low, the plates will sulfate and overheat. (Hello new batteries) If you ever have to replace your batt's, I would suggest spending the extra bucks and purchase the AGM (Absorbed Glas Mat) batteries. They charge up in 1/2 the time and never need to add water (You can't, they are sealed) I am on my 5th year on the ones in my boat.

JackL

1FASTLASER · 01-12-07, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebbasser

McGunner, welcome to the forum, welcome home, and thank you for your service!

Easy solution: I'd pull the batteries out and take them to an auto parts store and see if they will test them for you. Most will test them for free, and then you can be sure. I'd be leery of getting out on the water not knowing if they are good or not. Better safe than sorry.

Regarding batteries-you may already know this, but if not: As soon as you get back from the lake get the deep cycle battery on the charger, don't wait until the night before the next trip. The reason is that deep cycles are designed to be charged and discharged many times, and if you wait to recharge the battery may take a set, meaning the battery will not hold a full charge.

Ole Reb got this one right on the head. Also I would like to take this time and remind folks to DISCONNECT the batteries when sroring for the winter months are what ever the reason. When left hooked up the wreak havoc on the wiring system in the boat AND the motor. Its called electrolosis and it EATS up wires.If ya store your boat for more than say a month it takes less than 5 minutes to disconnect and save you BIG BUCKS

I'd highly recommend getting an on-board battery charger. They are designed to be left plugged in all the time to keep the batteries fully charged. Get back from the lake, plug the charger in and forget about it until the next trip.

LMAO I forgot to scroll all the way down and psoted in the middle of rebs post

McGunner · 01-13-07, 02:21 AM

Hey Rebbasser, my boat has the on board battery chargers. You just flip open the cover and plug an extension cord into it. You are recommending that I do this after each fishing excursion then? This will help prolong the life of the batteries?

Weather went nasty again here so as soon as it clears off I'll get those batteries in and get them tested as well. Good advice, thanks.

Jackl · 01-13-07, 05:55 PM

McGUNNER
I sent you a private message in ref to batteries. Did you get it?
JackL

skeeter944 · 01-13-07, 08:42 PM

welcome to the forum mcgunner! hey jackl,its good to see yah around!

McGunner · 01-14-07, 07:56 AM

Jackl,

Yes, I got your PM and adjusted (I believe) those settings and responded back to you (couple of days ago).

I'm still trying to figure this out so let me know if you did or didn't get my PM response please.

Rebbasser · 01-16-07, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McGunner

Hey Rebbasser, my boat has the on board battery chargers. You just flip open the cover and plug an extension cord into it. You are recommending that I do this after each fishing excursion then? This will help prolong the life of the batteries?

Weather went nasty again here so as soon as it clears off I'll get those batteries in and get them tested as well. Good advice, thanks.

Yessir. As soon as you get back from the lake. With the on-board charger just plug it in and forget it. It does 2 things: Keeps them at and taking a full charge, and saves you the "Oh, crap-forgot to charge the batteries" the morning you are heading for the lake

.

McGunner · 01-28-07, 02:51 PM

Thanks for the response guys. I had the batteries tested and they were good to go. They charged them up after they tested them, brought them home and placed them on my work bench in the garage for the rest of this winter. Once the weather warms up I'll plan on putting them back in my boat, trickle charging them and then heading out on the lake. Thanks again for all of the help.

McGunner · 05-29-07, 03:48 PM

Well, I've taken the boat out a few times and the batteries are working great. One question that I had in reference to plugging the charger in between uses is this.

I store my boat under a carport in the backyard on a concrete slab with the boat cover on in between uses. Is it okay to plug the charger in with the battery compartment closed and the cover on the boat?

I prefer to leave it this way as the carport does not protect it from the weather without the cover on in and of itself with the wind we have around here. I would like to leave the boat cover on and in order to do this, I'd want to just plug it in and leave it. Is their any reason or need to open things up while it's being charged for ventiliation purposes?

zooker · 05-29-07, 05:41 PM

i am forced to cover mine -dam boring bees- and yes i charge it while covered..

zooker

McGunner · 05-29-07, 06:06 PM

Great, thanks for letting me know. That puts me at ease.

You guys are a great help.

01-06-07, 07:26 PM	#1
McGunner BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wichita, Kansaa Posts: 13	Boat Storage and Batteries Hello, newbie here to the site and I have a question. I bought a 2006 Bass Tracker PT175 with a Mercury 50 HP outboard at Bass Pro back in July of 2005 and only got it out on the water for 3 1/2 hours last summer before I winterized it and put it away for the winter. I ended up getting mobilized and sent to Iraq so i couldn't exactly use it this past spring/summer. I just returned home a few weeks ago and today I went out to the carport in my back yard to check it out. I untarped it and (after calming down after cleaning up after the neighbor's cat that crawled under the tarp for shelter) I realized that the batteries were still hooked up and had been since I'd winterized it late last summer. I retrieved the key and turned it to accessory and the gauges all fired right up without missing a beat. The boat has been sitting tarped on a concrete slab under a carport for about 15-16 months now. My question is this; Are the batteries okay would you say? I was thinking that come this spring I would plug in the built in trickle charger a day or so before I take it out and I would imagine it would be good to go. Am i correct in this assumption? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. __________________ "An Irishman has an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains him thru temporary periods of joy."

01-06-07, 08:05 PM	#2
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	were they charged prior to storage? did you see if it would roll over? gauges firing up means it has some voltage left.. did you test to see if they were still good?? zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

01-06-07, 10:48 PM	#3
McGunner BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wichita, Kansaa Posts: 13	Yes, the batteries were fully charged before I put the boat away last year as it was a brand new boat purchased at the dealership and had only been on the water for 3 1/2 hours total. I charged the batteries, winterized it and put it away then was gone up until recently. No, i didn't try and turn it over as I had disconnected the fuel line before storing it. The gauges, specifically the amp gauge, vent all the way up to about mid way immediately upion turning the key to accessory. I'm still new at this so bear with me as this is really my first actual bass boat. I have only had one other one and it was just an old beater that half the features didn't work on anymore (to include the outboard half the time). With deployments a thing of the past, I'm looking forward to really devoting alot of time bass fishing this year finally. __________________ "An Irishman has an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains him thru temporary periods of joy."

01-07-07, 12:06 AM	#4
Rebbasser BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 10,142	McGunner, welcome to the forum, welcome home, and thank you for your service! Easy solution: I'd pull the batteries out and take them to an auto parts store and see if they will test them for you. Most will test them for free, and then you can be sure. I'd be leery of getting out on the water not knowing if they are good or not. Better safe than sorry. Regarding batteries-you may already know this, but if not: As soon as you get back from the lake get the deep cycle battery on the charger, don't wait until the night before the next trip. The reason is that deep cycles are designed to be charged and discharged many times, and if you wait to recharge the battery may take a set, meaning the battery will not hold a full charge. I'd highly recommend getting an on-board battery charger. They are designed to be left plugged in all the time to keep the batteries fully charged. Get back from the lake, plug the charger in and forget about it until the next trip. __________________ It's happened to the best of them: John 21:3

01-07-07, 07:10 PM	#5
Jackl BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Great Bend, KS Posts: 2,960	McGUNNER, The biggest problem with boat batteries is that people forget to check the water after charging them. If you let the water get low, the plates will sulfate and overheat. (Hello new batteries) If you ever have to replace your batt's, I would suggest spending the extra bucks and purchase the AGM (Absorbed Glas Mat) batteries. They charge up in 1/2 the time and never need to add water (You can't, they are sealed) I am on my 5th year on the ones in my boat. JackL __________________ There are two theories about argueing with women...........Neither one works!

01-13-07, 02:21 AM	#7
McGunner BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wichita, Kansaa Posts: 13	Hey Rebbasser, my boat has the on board battery chargers. You just flip open the cover and plug an extension cord into it. You are recommending that I do this after each fishing excursion then? This will help prolong the life of the batteries? Weather went nasty again here so as soon as it clears off I'll get those batteries in and get them tested as well. Good advice, thanks. __________________ "An Irishman has an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains him thru temporary periods of joy."

01-13-07, 05:55 PM	#8
Jackl BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Great Bend, KS Posts: 2,960	McGUNNER I sent you a private message in ref to batteries. Did you get it? JackL __________________ There are two theories about argueing with women...........Neither one works!

01-13-07, 08:42 PM	#9
skeeter944 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Somewhere in South Carolina Posts: 2,377	welcome to the forum mcgunner! hey jackl,its good to see yah around!

01-14-07, 07:56 AM	#10
McGunner BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wichita, Kansaa Posts: 13	Jackl, Yes, I got your PM and adjusted (I believe) those settings and responded back to you (couple of days ago). I'm still trying to figure this out so let me know if you did or didn't get my PM response please. __________________ "An Irishman has an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains him thru temporary periods of joy."

01-28-07, 02:51 PM	#12
McGunner BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wichita, Kansaa Posts: 13	Thanks for the response guys. I had the batteries tested and they were good to go. They charged them up after they tested them, brought them home and placed them on my work bench in the garage for the rest of this winter. Once the weather warms up I'll plan on putting them back in my boat, trickle charging them and then heading out on the lake. Thanks again for all of the help. __________________ "An Irishman has an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains him thru temporary periods of joy."

05-29-07, 03:48 PM	#13
McGunner BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wichita, Kansaa Posts: 13	Well, I've taken the boat out a few times and the batteries are working great. One question that I had in reference to plugging the charger in between uses is this. I store my boat under a carport in the backyard on a concrete slab with the boat cover on in between uses. Is it okay to plug the charger in with the battery compartment closed and the cover on the boat? I prefer to leave it this way as the carport does not protect it from the weather without the cover on in and of itself with the wind we have around here. I would like to leave the boat cover on and in order to do this, I'd want to just plug it in and leave it. Is their any reason or need to open things up while it's being charged for ventiliation purposes? __________________ "An Irishman has an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains him thru temporary periods of joy."

05-29-07, 05:41 PM	#14
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	i am forced to cover mine -dam boring bees- and yes i charge it while covered.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

05-29-07, 06:06 PM	#15
McGunner BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wichita, Kansaa Posts: 13	Great, thanks for letting me know. That puts me at ease. You guys are a great help. __________________ "An Irishman has an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains him thru temporary periods of joy."

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