Is the battery charger the same as the AC converter?

[Paladin]

ditto for Promariner

"if i remove the charger do I need to turn off all of the DC items on the Boat (e.g. frig)??? I'm not sure if the boat has a true AC converter that will keep these items running while on shore power or if it just runs off of the
batteries and the charger keeps the batteries charged"

My Norcold fridge will preferentially run on AC if the shore power is plugged in. It will automatically flip to DC if the shorepower is unplugged. So, you might be able to use your fridge without a charger, if you had to or wanted to. Check your fridge manual.

[magstang1]

Your c-charger is almost certainly a single bank charger.

I replaced the old c-charger with a triple bank Pro Mariner on my last 280ss. It was ~$200 at West Marine.

The benefits of the triple bank charging system alone are worth replacing the charger.