# Battery Charger recomendations



## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)

I have a brand new 55-pound thrust riptide Edge








with a brand new dedicated group 29 battery in the front deck of my skiff.









I currently own a digital small smart charger by Black & Decker but is it only 2 Amps.








I have studied the previous post on Microskiff.com and hulltruth.com and I am a bit confused on what charger I need. I would like to avoid installing the charger on board so I have the option to charge other batteries once in a while like a mower, cars, motorbikes ect.

I understand that more amps = faster charging. But what charging rate (amps) is best for battery life?

There could be times where I return from fishing Friday night and plan to go Saturday morning but not very often.

Ideally, I would like a portable charger that I can put a quick connect trolling motor plug on and directly into the deck.

Then switch it back to alligator clips when needed for the mower or scooters.

Growing up we had chargers that could trickle charge or charge at 15 or 20 Amps for a quick charge but if you forgot to unplug them they messed up the battery.
I do not see Smart multi-amp chargers that are digital for sale.










Thanks for any advise.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Noco Genius 7200, I have pigtails (quick connects) on both of my diesel truck batteries, my son’s souped up power wheels, boat, lawnmower, tractor and spare truck. It also charges Lithiums. You can pick them up for about $100


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## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Noco Genius 7200, I have pigtails (quick connects) on both of my diesel truck batteries, my son’s souped up power wheels, boat, lawnmower, tractor and spare truck. It also charges Lithiums. You can pick them up for about $100


I saw that one. Is 7 Amps a good charging rate?


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Yes, it’s fast enough for my needs. You really don’t want to charge your batteries too fast, a slower charge is better for longevity. The NOCO is truly a smart charger. It has other settings as well that you can manually select.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Dual Pro all the way. I have 2 of them.


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## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)

devrep said:


> Dual Pro all the way. I have 2 of them.


 I did not see a portable dual pro that would allow me to charge boat, truck, scooter, mower, ect


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

I use a Battery Tender Plus charger which only charges at 1.25amps. It is a slower charge rate, but the charger is a "smart" charger, and I don't mind the slower rate. It also came with a quick connect pigtail which makes the hook-up easy.


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

I will add a +1 for the NOCO. I have had a couple of them for different boats and they have all been excellent.


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## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)

yobata said:


> I use a Battery Tender Plus charger which only charges at 1.25amps. It is a slower charge rate, but the charger is a "smart" charger, and I don't mind the slower rate. It also came with a quick connect pigtail which makes the hook-up easy.
> View attachment 93362


How long does it take the 1.25 AMP charger to recharge the deep cycle trolling battery?
My 2AMP charger is basically the same as that but I figured going out 2 days in a row would be out of the question.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

Panamakid said:


> How long does it take the 1.25 AMP charger to recharge the deep cycle trolling battery?
> My 2AMP charger is basically the same as that but I figured going out 2 days in a row would be out of the question.


I don't normally use the trolling motor that often, maybe an hour or 2 at most during a fishing trip, so an overnight charge is more than adequate to top the batter off. BUT after one particularly battery heavy outing, it did take almost 2 days (I was at work for those 2 days so not a big deal)


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## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)

https://www.suberon.com/products/amp-battery-g7200-and-noco-charger-7-2-genius-maintainer-12v-24v

if anyone else needs one I found one cheap. I used PayPal in case it is not legit.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Panamakid said:


> https://www.suberon.com/products/amp-battery-g7200-and-noco-charger-7-2-genius-maintainer-12v-24v
> 
> if anyone else needs one I found one cheap. I used PayPal in case it is not legit.


Two month shipping from Hong Kong...


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## SeaWave (Sep 10, 2018)

For what it's worth, I spoke to a battery company local to my area and after picking up my deep cycle group 29 battery, he mentioned that I would want at least 10 amps to charge and then a low amperage to maintain if needed. 
Now, I'm no battery expert but my first battery I had, optima blue top, I was having issues on a the near new battery and noticed my battery would deplete rather quickly and wouldnt fully charge. He mentioned that charger i had, 2 amps, didn't have enough azz to charge and bring to back to full charge. Not sure if this is all true or was because it didnt like the AGM but so far 10 amps seems to be keeping the battery pretty strong and not experiencing any issues thus far. 

I believe i got a shumacker 10, 5, 2 amp charger from Amazon for $50 or somewheres around there.


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## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)

SeaWave said:


> For what it's worth, I spoke to a battery company local to my area and after picking up my deep cycle group 29 battery, he mentioned that I would want at least 10 amps to charge and then a low amperage to maintain if needed.
> Now, I'm no battery expert but my first battery I had, optima blue top, I was having issues on a the near new battery and noticed my battery would deplete rather quickly and wouldnt fully charge. He mentioned that charger i had, 2 amps, didn't have enough azz to charge and bring to back to full charge. Not sure if this is all true or was because it didnt like the AGM but so far 10 amps seems to be keeping the battery pretty strong and not experiencing any issues thus far.
> 
> I believe i got a shumacker 10, 5, 2 amp charger from Amazon for $50 or somewheres around there.


I was always told that you want to charge batteries slow and low. I am not sure who is correct, but I know the portable chargers from Minn Kota offer 5 or 10 Amp.


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## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Two month shipping from Hong Kong...


you are probably right. Or it is drop shipped. The webpage says 3-5 days to ship via USPS.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

minnkota chargers are crap. at least in my experience. battery tender has customer service on the level of powerpole which is outstanding. I've heard and read good things about noco, which is Chinese. dual pro and battery tender are made in USA. battery tender is based in DeLand fl. I use some Chinese stuff so not being holier than thou, just sayin.


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

Back when I had a boat full of batteries I was told that the optimum charge rate was the same rate at which they were discharged. Don't know if that still holds true, but it seemed to be the conventional wisdom back then.


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## State fish rob (Jan 25, 2017)

I use pro sport multi bank charger/ maintainer on skiff. Ive got an optimax maintainer/charger on truck. I like it much better


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## MITCH_NEWTON (Mar 2, 2009)

Panamakid said:


> I did not see a portable dual pro that would allow me to charge boat, truck, scooter, mower, ect


I have 2 Dual Pro chargers 10 amp. 1 is 10 yrs old. They both have been great. I use them as portable chargers because I don't want the weight in the boat. 1 is 3 bank , 1 is 4 bank. They have both been terrific. I use them to charge whatever I need to charge.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

I have a stealth charging system in the boat. It’s nice to charge the trolling batteries while running with the flip of a switch then plug it in with just an extension cord at the house.


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## Gatorgrizz27 (Apr 4, 2015)

I like the Noco Genius 10 amp charger I have in my enclosed trailer, I’ll be using one on my skiff also. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JSHQW0/ref=twister_B0185ZYJUS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I did set mine up with quick connect plugs, the same ones as on my lithium jump starter pack. With those, I can charge either my starting or trolling motor battery, or plug in alligator clips to charge another vehicle. I can also plug in my jumper pack directly or use it with the clips on another vehicle, and plug in a flounder or spot light to run off the trolling motor battery.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Not to long ago my company used to sell deep cycle batteries (12 to 48 V DC) commercial/industrial stuff. Led/acid charge rates generally ran 2 hours charging for each hour of the batteries discharge (use).

My current chargers,
12 V DC charger 2 amp (maintainer with a control chip which drops down to almost nothing as the battery reaches full charge).

A 2/10/40/200, 12 V DC amp charger which also drops amps as the battery charges.

One 24 V DC and a 36 V DC ,
both are 20 amp DC chargers.
Their actual amp charging rate depends on the batteries voltage /amp condition. As the batteries reach full charge the amps drop accordingly and turn off automatically upon full charge.
Retail for this type of charger used to be around $350 to $500.00.

Properly maintained deep cycle batteries will last 4 to 7 years.

First was that they were to be charged right after each use. Water level checked before charging, water added before charging only enough to cover plates, then water added after charging to reach a level half way between the plates and the bottom of plastic above the plates.
If the battery had not been in use for 30 days then it was to be placed upon the charger.

Never sold the agm batteries


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## troutozark (Mar 16, 2013)

I use a 1.5 amp “ Battery Tender” from Autozone. Direct wired to my 27 series Duralast Marine Battery. Powers my MK 12v 55 thrust iPilot for three trips before charging. It takes 12 hours to full charge.Think I paid $49 for it, small and light and I used 5200 to mount to my front hatch, mounted hatch door upside down for that very purpose.


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## hipshot (Sep 29, 2018)

troutozark said:


> I use a 1.5 amp “ Battery Tender” from Autozone. Direct wired to my 27 series Duralast Marine Battery. Powers my MK 12v 55 thrust iPilot for three trips before charging. It takes 12 hours to full charge.Think I paid $49 for it, small and light and I used 5200 to mount to my front hatch, mounted hatch door upside down for that very purpose.


Your battery will last longer if it is fully recharged after each use.


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## troutozark (Mar 16, 2013)

hipshot said:


> Your battery will last longer if it is fully recharged after each use.


Been doing it this way for years haven’t had a fail until several years old and by then it’s time for a new one anyway. Thanks


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