Battery Charger- On or Off?

[spimik]

What a great forum for a new boat owner- I expect to have lots of questions in the next few weeks and am appreciative of any feedback from you more experienced boaters.

What is the general opinion on leaving the battery charger switch ON when hooked to shore power? I have been told two different things since delivery of the boat last week.

One theory is that the new boat, a 2008 330DA, is designed to leave the battery switch on whenever we are hooked up to shore power. The other is that we should not leave the boat for any amount of time with this switch on, due to the possibility of "burning" out a battery.

Thanks!

 

[gredmer]

What a great forum for a new boat owner- I expect to have lots of questions in the next few weeks and am appreciative of any feedback from you more experienced boaters.

What is the general opinion on leaving the battery charger switch ON when hooked to shore power? I have been told two different things since delivery of the boat last week.

One theory is that the new boat, a 2008 330DA, is designed to leave the battery switch on whenever we are hooked up to shore power. The other is that we should not leave the boat for any amount of time with this switch on, due to the possibility of "burning" out a battery.

Thanks!

If you occasionally check the water level in the batteries you should have no problem leaving the charger on.

 

[spimik]

Thanks for the quick response- when you indicate occasionally, are you suggesting a weekly type check- or less often.

 

[ssupko]

Yup, keep an eye on the water level, and only top off with distilled H20. Manual says before every use, but I go every 30 days during the season. Additionally, check your manual for the recommended time to leave the charger on. Although I can't recall the battery brand in my 260 at the moment, they are deep cell as I know yours are, and no more than 48 hours is recommended.
Question regarding the new 330...I'm guessing it came new from the dealer...It's somewhat of a buyer’s market these days in the world of boating, and I'd love to know what you paid, along with the configuration/options. I'm looking at upgrading, and have heard of some great deals being had in recent months.
Thanks.

 

[RiverRat]

I check my batteries about once every three months. I also leave my battery charger on all the time when hooked to shore power. The newer chargers Shouldn't "cook" the batteries since they detect the battery charge condition and automaticly trickle the charge according to the state of the batteries charge.

 

[spimik]

ssupko,

Thanks for the input. I will have a good go over the manual as suggested, although I have been over a few times and do not recall any specific info on this.

As for the boat, it is a brand new 2008, and YES I know, I am the sucker that is going to take the depreciation on the nose. My wife and I started out looking at used 340s, but she fell in love with the high mount bucket swivel on the port side and I had to have the DTS with dock and sync feature. (Too bad the dealer had this on the floor!!!)

The boat is fairly well equipped, Horizon 8.1 V-Drives with bow and stern thrusters. Cockpit grill and 15 inch flat screen in the cockpit. Sundpad up front and two Sea Ray dock chairs included. Also on board, cockpit refrigerator, central vac and generator.

List price, for what that is worth was over $270,000. We dealt the boat at just over $200,000. Got a decent number on my 2005 Cobalt 255, so the deal made great sense when we compared it to a used boat. We did drive a 2009 330DA as well with Axius, but we found that the noise level and the vibration created by the Axius was an issue. Axius is VERY impressive, but I am hearing that there are some issues with the computer. In fact, this Axius boat was part or our local Aquapalooza and they had to bring it in to the shop to work on the Axius half way through the tour. (A little embarrasing.)

The boat is a dream. The bow and stern thrusters are the envy of the other Ray owners at our marina and they sure do add an element of confidence, although the V-Drives off of the DTS handle great. I have only had the boat for a week and feel very confident thus far. (Have to wait until I get hit with a strong cross wind in at a busy dock however before I give myself an A+ rating on docking! LOL!)

Lookng forward to hearing how other new 330 owners are fairing, but I think Sea Ray has a winner here from a layout perspective. The rumble seat on the swim platform is amazing and the cockpit is perfect in our opinion. The acutating V Berth is also a huge feature and really opens the cabin up.

The new 350 is nice, but there appears to be some mixed emotions on the look of those large windows. I think the 330 is going to be the mover for Sea Ray in this size.

Thanks again for the info!

 

[spimik]

Thanks Fred- I understand that the trickle feed works well. Will keep an eye on things.

 

[mawyatt]

As mentioned the newer chargers sense the battery voltage and adjust accordingly. They also run a higher voltage for a short period (15min) once every 21hrs I believe. This causes a better mixing of the H2SO4 acid with the water and helps extend the battery life.
Like you I decided to take the depreciation

Mike

 

[spimik]

Like you I decided to take the depreciation

Mike

The industry needs a few brave soles like us Mike!! If not, the whole system would collapse! LOL!

Enjoy the new 38!

Mike

 

[mawyatt]

The industry needs a few brave soles like us Mike!! If not, the whole system would collapse! LOL!

Enjoy the new 38!

Mike

Yeah. But now I've got to try a save as much on all the little things to make ends meet, plus my wife and daughter try and out spend me....and always revert back to the boat cost (and my car...another expense). Heck I got the boat for them, if it was just me I would have an airplane and I know they would never want to fly with me!!

Mike