Need Advise on 2 Bank or 3 Bank Onboard Charger

I am looking for input about onboard chargers, should I go with a 2 bank for just my trolling motor batteries, or a 3 bank for trolling motor batteries and cranking battery? Any advise is welcome

Heck why not go with a 3 bank charger...It will only keep your batteries in tip top shape...Plus if the boat sits for any period of time your main battery might go down enough that it won't be able to start the big motor, then you will have to jump start it off the trolling motor batteries....I got mine on bank chargers, better to be ready than not in my opinion.....

What MSgmills said. Keep all batteries charged up.

Thanks guys, looks like I'm getting a 3 bank. I was already looking at 3 bank chargers but wondered if there was any problems with hooking cranking battery to one

I use a dual pro and have have great success with it. They will turn off and on as the battery drops below a specified voltage. Some chargers keep the charge on all the time, they just drop the amps when the battery gets up to 90% charged. Best of Luck.

I would buy a 15 amp single bank charger and use the Stay N Charge all charge with the system. It will allow your charger to charge all the batteries and let you outboard charge your batteries going down the lake. The original will charge your bateries while driving to the lake. Check them out.

[url]www.stayncharge.com[/url]

Shawn

[B][I]3 bank, I got my first one this year a BassPro XPS, it is nice. I have a badhabit of leaving something one and used to goto get ready and have to charge my starting battery. Now when I get home just plugin and I'm ready to go. The XPS has a feature that moves the charge to which ever battery needs it and they say it won't over charge. GoodLuck...[/I][/B]
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[B][I]PS I think they went on sale a BPS today.[/I][/B]
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[B][I]Carl[/I][/B]

[QUOTE=bigcarl6446;287349][B][I]3 bank, I got my first one this year a BassPro XPS, it is nice. I have a badhabit of leaving something one and used to goto get ready and have to charge my starting battery. Now when I get home just plugin and I'm ready to go. The XPS has a feature that moves the charge to which ever battery needs it and they say it won't over charge. GoodLuck...[/I][/B]
[B][/B]
[B][I]PS I think they went on sale a BPS today.[/I][/B]
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[B][I]Carl[/I][/B][/QUOTE]

I got the same thing as your self big carl, 15 amp/ 3 bank (5 amps per battery) . I have had mine going on the third season. I use to leave mine plugged up all the time as well, until last year when I was night fishing on center hill when I noticed that my black lights were getting dimmer. They finally went plum out and the running lights were almost gone as well and we were a pretty good ways from the launch ramp. I started the big motor and told my partner that the fishing is over for the night if he didn't want to be paddling in. We made it back to the launch ramp, loaded the boat on the trailer and came home. When I backed the boat in the basement and started to plug the on board charger in, I stopped and popped the caps on my 3 batteries and found all of them bone dry of water/acid. The charger did not kick off and had sucked the life out of all 3 batteries, and had to replace all three of them at one time...OUCH. I now plug them in as usual when I arrive home and usually after 6-8 hours the green light comes on and I unplug them. When I am going to go again I plug it back up and it is topped off in a hour or less and good to go. I would NOT leave them plugged in all the time after they have been charged back up, enen thou the mfg. says you can and no harm will be done. Oh, by the way they didn't buy my 3 new batteries either, that came off my hip...good luck

You have to do the proper maintenance on wet cell batteries, regardless of what kind of charger you choose. That means checking the water level regularly.

[QUOTE=phoenix;287371]You have to do the proper maintenance on wet cell batteries, regardless of what kind of charger you choose. That means checking the water level regularly.[/QUOTE]

Maybe so, I don't know on this one. I can see that on older batteries or alot of use on them. However these were less than a year old and had been out less than a 8 times in use when that happened. I don't think you should have to check levels or keep that close of tabs on a battery that was that new. I still say the charger was at fault for not cutting off when the mfg. said it would, and keep throwing a full charge on the batteries when they were done and should have been responsible for replacing not in full, but a portion of the money that I spent to replace them. Just my opinion, and you know what they say about them.

I would go with the 3 bank charger. A long day of fishing and running electronics and pumps can drain your cranking battery. Doesn't hurt to always keep a good charge on it jmo

Thanks Guys, am planning on going to Bass Pro Shop In Clarksville 1st. weekend in March while the sale is still going on and get a 3 bank charger. All the advise was very helpful