Battery charging, part 2

[Rogue Hunter]

If you read part one, you know I'm trying to get a handle on what it takes to maintain a charge on a deep cycle battery.

I was talking to my brother this P.M. and he had an idea that I wanted to run past this group.

He wondered if a person could run wires back from the battery or alternator of your vehicle, and recharge your boat battery while driving to and from the lake...heavy wire, plug on front of boat, full charge meter/cutoff.....

Anyopne ever tried this? Pros..Cons?

Thanks,

Rogue Hunter

[danfall]

I'm far from a battery expert, but I understand a trickle charge to be a better charge and the car wouldn't do that. A better idea is to get a solar panel and trickle a charge to the boat batteries, imo. I've talked with a few guys with docks and this really works great for them.

[Giant_Jackpot]

It can be done, but not sure it is worth the bother. The setup really should include a battery isolator like they use in RVs. One thing to consider is how the battery gets charged. The battery manufacturers do not recommend “quick” charging deep cycle batteries since it can shorten their life. And connecting it to your alternator would be doing just that. The onboard chargers put out a set current until a certain voltage is reached and then they cycle through absorption mode to maintenance mode. Your truck’s alternator/voltage regulator cannot do that. Would it hurt the battery to charge this way once in a while? Probably not, but again is it worth the bother? If you are a tourney fisherman who needs to positively, without a doubt, have a full charge guaranteed each day then maybe. Otherwise just plug it in when you get home and you will be good to go in the morning.