Charging batteries on the run to the ramp

[inveratta]

When I pick up boat from storage its about an hours run to the ramp...always concerned that the boat batteries might be low in charge during the break....was thinking ...I have a power winch on the trailer with appropriate wiring back to car battery......is there any reason why I cant run a set of wires from the powerwinch coupling to the boat engine battery and top up the battery on the way to the ramp?

[ranmar850]

No reason at all. But why can't you just check by turning on your ignition and looking at the voltage. Anything from 12.0 V up will be fine, unless the battery is shot and has no cranking reserve. Or you have a cranky old two stroke that takes a lot of starting after a break ;)

[Dignity]

Easy to do if you have and Anderson plug at the back of the car, or is your winch cable wired all the way which would unusual although I have seen it otherwise. I would include regulator in the additional circuit though if your wiring is Direct to the battery, easy enough to do.

[shakey55]

I have anderson plug at rear of my patrol, straight off second battery (there is a fuse near battery).

I have made up a long cable with anderson plugs both ends. Plug one into rear of vehicle and the other to an anderson plug I have permanently attached to boat battery.

Gets about 45min charge on way to ramp.


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[Volvo]

Easier to charge whilst boat is parked up beside your house either via battery charger or solar panel otherwise if your fair dinkum about charging on the go then ide suggest a 12v to 12v charger sety up beside your batteries in the boat then anderson p[lug back of your vehicle to anderson plug leading to your 12v to 12v charger .
Enough lead to reach it and make sure your lead is secure and the charger is as close up to your batteries as possible.
If you have a hardtop on your boat then best bet is a solar panel up top to a regulator to the battery.

[ericcs]

Note - as above. if you you have a newer car with a SMART alternator, you may struggle to get a decent charge, unless you fit a dc/dc charger!

[Noelm]

The way I see it, if you have to tool around charging your battery on the way to the ramp, your battery is stuffed, or you haven't used the boat enough and should have had a charger connected long before heading to the ramp.

[552Evo]

Maybe it’s difficult to have battery on charge when it’s “in storage” ?
Another idea instead of the dc/dc charger is a boost diode, they’re only about $30-40.
Suits the new style alternators.
Simple to install.



Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.

[NomadNoosa]

Grab a booster diode, I get them from Leigh at HKB Electronics, no affiliation just good service. Secured cable to your boat battery from anderson at the rear of the car and put a fused anderson in at your boat battery as well. For the cable recommend 6B&S or larger to minimize voltage drop. No need for a BCDC charger. Will cost you probably $100.

[Noelm]

Please explain the function of this booster diode, never heard of a "booster" diode.

[inveratta]

HKB Electronics (https://www.hkbelect.com/)
https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/5AUBF.JPG https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/7.5AUBF.JPG https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/5AMBF.jpg https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/7.5AMB.jpg https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/7.5AMBF.jpg https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/10AMB.jpg https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/10AMBF.jpg
Welcome to HKB Electronics the home of the Alternator Voltage Booster.
The Alternator Voltage Booster was the first of its type on the market and is the only unit available that was has been purpose built for alternator voltage boosting.
The alternator voltage booster is an essential item when installing a dual battery system in modern vehicle that has a low output voltage alternator. The alternator voltage booster is the simplest and cheapest way to obtain a suitable charge voltage for the main and dual battery, it will increase the alternator output voltage by approximately .5V - .6V giving a much improved charge voltage for your batteries and greatly reducing the time it takes to recharge them. Why buy an expensive DC/DC charger when the Alternator Voltage Booster will do the job better at a fraction of the cost?
The Alternator Voltage Booster is also ideal for the following applications:
* When a conventional lead acid battery is being replaced by a calcium hybrid type.
* High performance engine improvements.
* Maximising the output power on high power car audio equipment.
If you would like to purchase an Alternator Voltage Booster please click on your car manufactures link below. For further information please refer to the FAQ area or contact our help line.

HKB Electronics (https://www.hkbelect.com/)
https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/5AUBF.JPG https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/7.5AUBF.JPG https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/5AMBF.jpg https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/7.5AMB.jpg https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/7.5AMBF.jpg https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/10AMB.jpg https://www.hkbelect.com/uploads/products/10AMBF.jpg
Welcome to HKB Electronics the home of the Alternator Voltage Booster.
The Alternator Voltage Booster was the first of its type on the market and is the only unit available that was has been purpose built for alternator voltage boosting.
The alternator voltage booster is an essential item when installing a dual battery system in modern vehicle that has a low output voltage alternator. The alternator voltage booster is the simplest and cheapest way to obtain a suitable charge voltage for the main and dual battery, it will increase the alternator output voltage by approximately .5V - .6V giving a much improved charge voltage for your batteries and greatly reducing the time it takes to recharge them. Why buy an expensive DC/DC charger when the Alternator Voltage Booster will do the job better at a fraction of the cost?
The Alternator Voltage Booster is also ideal for the following applications:
* When a conventional lead acid battery is being replaced by a calcium hybrid type.
* High performance engine improvements.
* Maximising the output power on high power car audio equipment.
If you would like to purchase an Alternator Voltage Booster please click on your car manufactures link below. For further information please refer to the FAQ area or contact our help line.



I guess this it ..thanks for the info.....

[Noelm]

Not much mention of diodes, can't see any diode boosting anything, not exactly sure a half a volt increase, without some increase in current (amps) will do a whole lot either.

[GBC]

Correct, current doesn't change, nor does the voltage drop running back to the boat = there are much better solutions.

These things were invented for Toyota owners when temperature compensated alternators were introduced into their range.

Of course temperature compensated alternators were invented for a very good reason too.

[Noelm]

In very simple terms (it's much more complicated) an alernator puts out plenty of volts, much more than 12, it's current (amps) production is limited by various things by design, heat dissipation is a big one, so is size and weight, it produces AC, alternating current, and this needs to be converted to DC (like the battery) to charge, this is where the diode/s comes in, it's kind of like a one way valve, converting AC to DC, it is not boosting anything. Battery chargers are sold as 4amp, or 10 amp or more, at 12 volts, none are sold as 12.6 volt chargers. Now let's be very clear here, I am not knocking this product, know nothing about it, I just like to know what's what when "gizmos" are advertised or spoken about.

[Dirtyfuzz]

Why don’t you just take batteries out after every trip, it’s what I do and put on trickle charge at home


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[552Evo]

In very simple terms (it's much more complicated) an alernator puts out plenty of volts, much more than 12, it's current (amps) production is limited by various things by design, heat dissipation is a big one, so is size and weight, it produces AC, alternating current, and this needs to be converted to DC (like the battery) to charge, this is where the diode/s comes in, it's kind of like a one way valve, converting AC to DC, it is not boosting anything. Battery chargers are sold as 4amp, or 10 amp or more, at 12 volts, none are sold as 12.6 volt chargers. Now let's be very clear here, I am not knocking this product, know nothing about it, I just like to know what's what when "gizmos" are advertised or spoken about.

All true but there's different types of diodes, also diodes can be used in different ways.
Diodes used inside an alternator - there's 4 of them, connected in such a way to convert the AC into DC. These diodes act like you say as a one way valve.
I'm going by trade school memory here but: there's another type of diode called a zenner diode, these diodes can be configured to act like a gate that opens one way at a specific voltage, and closes or blocks100% the reversed voltage.
So these booster diodes would work like that, in that they would allow an extra 0.5 volt (thereabouts) output from the alternator.
The booster diode slightly changes the voltage sensing circuit within the alternator.
It's a simple idea and it works fine.
Is it the theoretical best way to charge all types of batteries in all conditions, no.
The extra 0.5 volt is beneficial in 2 ways,
if your second battery is mounted away from your primary the voltage drop is compensated for
and
If the two batteries require different charge rates ( ie one more flat than the other) then the half volt will be adequate to charge both without over charging either.
The dc/dc chargers are the best method for multiple batteries and calcium, lead crystal etc but both ways work fine for regular lead acid batteries. Depending on the setup the diode may be adequate for a second calcium battery as well.
Is it getting too detailed in tech now for the OP question ?



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[Force3]

I run 2 batteries, 1 dedicated start and one house. I have Ctek DC-DC charger connected to the start battery which then charges the house battery while the engine is running. For storage, I connect a 40w solar panel, via an anderson plug, to the solar input of the DC-DC charger and it looks after both batteries. I have Ctek bluetooth battery monitors on the batteries and an app on my phone gives me the state of charge for both batteries. I never have to worry about batteries.

[ranmar850]

I can put my old boat, running a dual battery setup, one house, one start, with a parallelling switch always left in the off position, with a VSR across it, away for 6 weeks or more at a time, without bothering to turn the battery switches off, or connect a charger. Motor is an F115 Yamaha with Command Link gauges, it has a Lowrance GPS combo plus a Sitex GPS, VHF, 27mhz, etc. Batteries are now 2 yrs old, never had an issue. You should not need to keep batteries on charge, unless you are A) storing them unused for a very long time, B) they are stuffed, or C) there is something left on. Every accessory runs via a simple switch panel, make sure they are all off.
I never have to worry about batteries, either.