Advice for newbie who bought new Lund

[Burger]

Hey guys,

 

Just bought a lund adventure 1775. Came with a 90hp merc, an Ipilot minnkota (70lb thrust, 24v), and a small little 5” lowrance.

 

I’m very new to a boat of this stature and am a little confused with all the battery talk and charging etc.

 

Should I be plugging in my trolling motor every time I take the boat out? Or does it charge itself when I run the engine?

 

Any other advice you can think of for someone who is essentially clueless to this topic would be greatly appreciated (maintenance, care, general advice)

 

Thanks

 

 

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[shawn393]

Is it brand new? If so you should call the dealer and ask how they rigged it. There are different on board battery chargers that do different things. Most likely you have to charge the batteries

Edited March 14, 2020 by shawn393

[jimski2]

Your electric motor will take 24 or 36 volts. Your main engine is a 12 volt system. Your electronics and down riggers are 12 volt systems that can be charged by your main and kicker engine charging systems. When I  run my Honda 10 hp kicker and the down rigger is pulling, the engine lugs down some so I know it is charging my 12 volt systems 

[Burger]

Your electric motor will take 24 or 36 volts. Your main engine is a 12 volt system. Your electronics and down riggers are 12 volt systems that can be charged by your main and kicker engine charging systems. When I  run my Honda 10 hp kicker and the down rigger is pulling, the engine lugs down some so I know it is charging my 12 volt systems 

thanks for this


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[Burger]

Is it brand new? If so you should call the dealer and ask how they rigged it. There are different on board battery chargers that do different things. Most likely you have to charge the batteries

ok thanks for reply


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[Bozeman Bob]

Plug the charger in whenever you can. I would not rely on my engine ,especially a kicker , [which you don't have,] to charge my batteries. Deep cycle batteries like to be charged at a low amp rate , and if drained will take all night to get a complete charge.

Edited March 15, 2020 by Bozeman Bob

[jimski2]

My 12 volt charger is plugged in 24/7/365 including all winter. 2 batteries, another charger should be hooked up for the 24/36 volt system. they have higher starting rates, regular charging rates and a maintaining pulse rate to finish off the battery without boiling off the distilled water in your batteries.

[Burger]

My 12 volt charger is plugged in 24/7/365 including all winter. 2 batteries, another charger should be hooked up for the 24/36 volt system. they have higher starting rates, regular charging rates and a maintaining pulse rate to finish off the battery without boiling off the distilled water in your batteries.

thanks for this


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[Burger]

Plug the charger in whenever you can. I would not rely on my engine ,especially a kicker , [which you don't have,] to charge my batteries. Deep cycle batteries like to be charged at a low amp rate , and if drained will take all night to get a complete charge.

thanks much appreciated


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[Jomat]

I was in the same situation last year...just bought a 17.5 alumacraft.  I used my trolling motor ALOT.  I have one of the older powerdrives that has the autopilot functionality. It works great in everything but a stiff headwind for keeping the boat straight and letting me fine tune my speed.  If you use it the same way I used mine chances are the first thing you’ll want to buy is an onboard charger to charge those batteries as a full day of trolling will def wear them out.  I have a 24 volt trolling motor so bought a 3 bank charger to handle those plus my cranking/electronics battery.

[Hunted]

Ditto to everyone above. Make sure the trolling motor can/is charged I did this set up which was game changing for making sure I had a full battery all the time. I do decent runs from spot to spot, so I bought an inverter to hook up to the on board 12V system, when the boat is running, the trolling motor batteries are charging through the on bank charger. Plus you can hook up a Kuerig if you want a cup of coffee...

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[Burger]

I was in the same situation last year...just bought a 17.5 alumacraft.  I used my trolling motor ALOT.  I have one of the older powerdrives that has the autopilot functionality. It works great in everything but a stiff headwind for keeping the boat straight and letting me fine tune my speed.  If you use it the same way I used mine chances are the first thing you’ll want to buy is an onboard charger to charge those batteries as a full day of trolling will def wear them out.  I have a 24 volt trolling motor so bought a 3 bank charger to handle those plus my cranking/electronics battery.

Jimski-

Thanks. Mine did come with an onboard charger. also have 24volt 70# thrust motor...does this mean I don’t have to physically plug it in to an outlet? this is kind of what i was confused about


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[Jomat]

Great so if you’ve already got an onboard charger it’s probably wired up to those batteries already and all you need to do is plug the charger into an extension cord to charge all those batteries overnight.  Def saved you some time and money that it’s already there.  I would recommend you take a few minutes though and trace all the wires out just to familiarize yourself with the system.  There are in line fuses and whatnot.

[Capt Vince Pierleoni]

If it's new or used from a dealer, they owe it to you to go over everything. If they took it in on a trade it may not be wired properly and it should be gone through. If you bought it from a prior owner, that owner should be a wealth of info. Do not be ashamed to ask the last owner or the dealer any and all questions. Even 12 volt systems can be a fire hazard if connected wrong or not fused properly. At the very least the battery life can be shortened so try to get the back story.

If everything is wired and fused properly then all the above info applies. Todays "smart" chargers can be plugged in after each use without concern that the batteries will be overcharged. Enjoy your new rig.  

[jimski2]

Using a 12 volt to 110 volt 60 cycle ac converter  and then charging your trolling batteries from that will steal the power to your engine starting battery, I can only guess what will happen next.

[AnglingAddict]

On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2020 at 9:01 PM, Capt Vince Pierleoni said:

If it's new or used from a dealer, they owe it to you to go over everything. If they took it in on a trade it may not be wired properly and it should be gone through. If you bought it from a prior owner, that owner should be a wealth of info. Do not be ashamed to ask the last owner or the dealer any and all questions. Even 12 volt systems can be a fire hazard if connected wrong or not fused properly. At the very least the battery life can be shortened so try to get the back story.

If everything is wired and fused properly then all the above info applies. Todays "smart" chargers can be plugged in after each use without concern that the batteries will be overcharged. Enjoy your new rig.  

I bought my current boat 6 years ago and share a bond with the previous owner - got to know him well as he let me stay at his place when I went out for survey and then later for sea-trial and shipping (boat was in Wisconsin).  Text him a few times a year and my wife and his wife are FB friends.  He knew every nook and cranny of the boat and helped me initially as I was doing some work or just getting to know the boat.  They now receive a x-mas card every year and we still text about other stuff quite a bit.  Ask questions and get to know the PO of your vessel if you bought it in private sale - well worth it. 

[Burger]

Great so if you’ve already got an onboard charger it’s probably wired up to those batteries already and all you need to do is plug the charger into an extension cord to charge all those batteries overnight.  Def saved you some time and money that it’s already there.  I would recommend you take a few minutes though and trace all the wires out just to familiarize yourself with the system.  There are in line fuses and whatnot.

Jomat-

thanks for this. exactly what I needed to hear.


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[jimski2]

A volt meter across the battery terminals will indicate a charging condition. With an internal battery voltage drop of 1,5 volts, a 12 volt battery will read 13.5 volts at a fully charged condition. With a charger on, engine charging or plug in charger your voltage will read plus or minus 14.5 volts. With a charging rate of up to 16 volts, your battery is low and cooking up a high rate. Most dashboard instrument panels have an engine voltage reading around 14+ volts for your engine starting battery system and down riggers operation and radio service and electronic gps fishfinder systems. You 12 volt bilge pump, live well system, running lights, search lights and deck lighting are also loaded off your engine starting battery system.

[jimski2]

Add on your cigarette lighter cell phone chargers.

[Burger]

A volt meter across the battery terminals will indicate a charging condition. With an internal battery voltage drop of 1,5 volts, a 12 volt battery will read 13.5 volts at a fully charged condition. With a charger on, engine charging or plug in charger your voltage will read plus or minus 14.5 volts. With a charging rate of up to 16 volts, your battery is low and cooking up a high rate. Most dashboard instrument panels have an engine voltage reading around 14+ volts for your engine starting battery system and down riggers operation and radio service and electronic gps fishfinder systems. You 12 volt bilge pump, live well system, running lights, search lights and deck lighting are also loaded off your engine starting battery system.

Thanks Jimski - really appreciate the input from all you guys.


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[dbitting]

In my opinion if you want to  be sure  as every one has said i would take the time to get to know your boat BEFORE you are on the water.  So lets take the batteries in this case  you probably have 3 because 2x 12v for Trolling and 1x 12v for starting and accessories.  If this is the case and you have an onboard charging unit (not the engine)  it SHOULD be a 3 bank charger. each bank would be a 12v output which should have a red and black lead per bank these should be fused at the rating of the charger. If you follow the trolling motor battery wire you will find 2- 12v batteries connected together 1  wire to - on 1 battery and the red connected to the + on the other battery which leaves a + and - where a heavy wire joins them  together. this is supplying you trolling motor 24V. the charger will have 2 of the 3 sets of wires going to batteries blacks to - and reds to the + supplying 12v to each battery charging them independently. the 3rd bank of the charger will be marked START that gets connected to the Start battery connecting to your gas motor.  Your gas motor  will generally only charge that battery and nothing else. There are some chargers specifically for 24v or36v systems however if you have a battery issue you cannot isolate the battery and charge them with that type of charger.  There are charge relays you can add where they isolate the trolling batteries until after the gas motor is running and when it senses the voltage above battery voltage it will close charging the trolling batteries while under way. These units are sold by BlueSea  as a kit or just the relay.

 

On my Tracker 16 i had i had 3 1000 CCA deep cycle batteries and a 3 bank charger hooked up i would troll all day long and when i got home i connected the umbilical cord parked in the garage until the next adventure. On that boat i almost NEVER used the gas motor. Note that was a complete 12 system for good reason if i drained the trolling batteries i still had the start battery to use as reserve. 

 

My new bot has 2 batteries  1 start  and 1 for accessories, they are separated by the mentioned charge relay and a switch. should i need a boost to start the boat i switch to combine joining the batteries t o fire up the motor.

 

https://www.bluesea.com/products/category/35/Automatic_Charging_Relays

Edited March 19, 2020 by dbitting
Wrong Manufacturer

[jimski2]

Your battery fluid level needs to be checked occasionally. It should cover the plates in the battery. Only add distilled water to your battery. Our tap water contains a lot calcium and other bad things  that neutralizes the acid in your battery and it will kill the life of your battery. Twenty six years in a water treatment plant led me to state  "don't drink the water". Well that was why I had to quit the beer.

[Burger]

In my opinion if you want to  be sure  as every one has said i would take the time to get to know your boat BEFORE you are on the water.  So lets take the batteries in this case  you probably have 3 because 2x 12v for Trolling and 1x 12v for starting and accessories.  If this is the case and you have an onboard charging unit (not the engine)  it SHOULD be a 3 bank charger. each bank would be a 12v output which should have a red and black lead per bank these should be fused at the rating of the charger. If you follow the trolling motor battery wire you will find 2- 12v batteries connected together 1  wire to - on 1 battery and the red connected to the + on the other battery which leaves a + and - where a heavy wire joins them  together. this is supplying you trolling motor 24V. the charger will have 2 of the 3 sets of wires going to batteries blacks to - and reds to the + supplying 12v to each battery charging them independently. the 3rd bank of the charger will be marked START that gets connected to the Start battery connecting to your gas motor.  Your gas motor  will generally only charge that battery and nothing else. There are some chargers specifically for 24v or36v systems however if you have a battery issue you cannot isolate the battery and charge them with that type of charger.  There are charge relays you can add where they isolate the trolling batteries until after the gas motor is running and when it senses the voltage above battery voltage it will close charging the trolling batteries while under way. These units are sold by BlueSea  as a kit or just the relay.
 
On my Tracker 16 i had i had 3 1000 CCA deep cycle batteries and a 3 bank charger hooked up i would troll all day long and when i got home i connected the umbilical cord parked in the garage until the next adventure. On that boat i almost NEVER used the gas motor. Note that was a complete 12 system for good reason if i drained the trolling batteries i still had the start battery to use as reserve. 
 
My new bot has 2 batteries  1 start  and 1 for accessories, they are separated by the mentioned charge relay and a switch. should i need a boost to start the boat i switch to combine joining the batteries t o fire up the motor.
 
https://www.bluesea.com/products/category/35/Automatic_Charging_Relays

Thanks - appreciate the time you took to help me with all that


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[Burger]

Your battery fluid level needs to be checked occasionally. It should cover the plates in the battery. Only add distilled water to your battery. Our tap water contains a lot calcium and other bad things  that neutralizes the acid in your battery and it will kill the life of your battery. Twenty six years in a water treatment plant led me to state  "don't drink the water". Well that was why I had to quit the beer.

Thanks. Interesting, always thought we had super clean tap water!

Thanks again, Jimski


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