21ft boat in a 20ft garage?

[Sidarousmg]

Why didn't you just park it outside in your drive?

HOA. I can only "temporarily" keep it in my driveway.

 

[HangOutdoors]

HOA. I can only "temporarily" keep it in my driveway.

back yard?

 

[Sidarousmg]

back yard?

Basement lot, the grade would be too steep to get boat back there. Even then, no fence so it would still be visible to HOA

 

[F.M.]

There’s an easy solution. Every time someone from the HOA points out the boat simply stare at them like they’re crazy and ask “what boat”. You could even invite friends over to play along.

 

[Gap22]

I read all this stuff about chargers, etc.... My boat is 3 years old. Never put it on a charger once. Just turn off the battery after coming off the water. Have not had one single issue ever. Always carry a jumper pack but the only time I've used it was to jump off someone else's boat.

 

[Sidarousmg]

ordered a solar trickle charger from Amazon last night, not very expensive (20w). I'll give it a shot, even if it just slows down the battery depletion, that would be good enough. and I'll hook up the NOCO charger the night before outings.

 

[CastawayRK]

The solar charger is for sure better than nothing. And really 20 watts should be more than enough to keep a battery full. It won't charge a depleted one very fast. If you drain your house battery for some reason you might want to plug it in at the house and charge it before putting in storage.
Congrats on the boat!

 

[Sidarousmg]

thank you, i'm pretty excited. next big hurdle is figuring out how to get a 2 year old to take a nap on the boat, or let him push through and deal with the inevitable consequences later at night...

 

[biffdotorg]

ordered a solar trickle charger from Amazon last night, not very expensive (20w). I'll give it a shot, even if it just slows down the battery depletion, that would be good enough. and I'll hook up the NOCO charger the night before outings.

Flip the script on that plan. When you come off, top the batteries. Store them as charged as possible. Storing depleted batteries is harder on them.

We have learned that from storing our batteries in sub zero weather. They actually store well, but should be topped. I mean, if you are going to take the time to charge them, do it right after your outing, and they will be ready to rock the next time you go out. Especially if it is one of those spur of the moment trips.

You will also get a better grasp of how much juice you are actually using too. My neighbors AR210 sits on the lift all summer and her batteries never touch a charger all season. And they only run the radio when stopped. So your mileage will vary. The starting battery will probably never need a charge.

 

[Sidarousmg]

Flip the script on that plan. When you come off, top the batteries. Store them as charged as possible. Storing depleted batteries is harder on them.

We have learned that from storing our batteries in sub zero weather. They actually store well, but should be topped. I mean, if you are going to take the time to charge them, do it right after your outing, and they will be ready to rock the next time you go out. Especially if it is one of those spur of the moment trips.

You will also get a better grasp of how much juice you are actually using too. My neighbors AR210 sits on the lift all summer and her batteries never touch a charger all season. And they only run the radio when stopped. So your mileage will vary. The starting battery will probably never need a charge.

hard to argue with that logic! looks like i will book end each trip with some time on the charger.

 

[biffdotorg]

hard to argue with that logic! looks like i will book end each trip with some time on the charger.

They won't loose that much charge sitting. With the switches off, my batteries could sit for months. The parasitic drain is minimal. when there is no draw. Wire in a voltmeter if needed. I have one, then I know when I should plug into shore power on the lift.

 

[anmut]

can't hook up a charger because there are no outlets at the storage yard. mooring cover is good quality and relatively new, so that's good to know. maybe just put a couple of damprid containers to keep moisture/mold to a minimum. Hull is in very good condition. i already bought some "spray-on" waxes and plan on applying every time I take it out/clean. sufficient? or is a real carnuba wax required every so often?

I would consider an investment in a deep cell battery, a nice solar panel charging system, a 110v converter, a timer. You might be able to get away with simply running a fan inside the boat during the heat of the day when evaporation is at it's highest and the battery is charging.

Damprid is OK, but it doesn't last forever, and it's for sure not made to get out post-boating wetness.

 

[anmut]

I read all this stuff about chargers, etc.... My boat is 3 years old. Never put it on a charger once. Just turn off the battery after coming off the water. Have not had one single issue ever. Always carry a jumper pack but the only time I've used it was to jump off someone else's boat.

I think someone could go boating bi-weekly in the summer and not have to charge their batteries. But there is constant drain, so charge them to keep from spending a few hundred dollars on batteries later, or don't and have to deal with overly worn batteries at some point. My boat is charged and fan dried constantly - nice peace of mind for whenever we want to go out.

 

[anmut]

They won't loose that much charge sitting. With the switches off, my batteries could sit for months. The parasitic drain is minimal. when there is no draw. Wire in a voltmeter if needed. I have one, then I know when I should plug into shore power on the lift.

"Parasitic drain is minimal..." on decent batteries. Because Yamaha doesn't include batteries with the boat originally, there's no guarantee that dealer didn't cheap out or even put used batteries in. If was guaranteed by Yamaha that ever boat came with nice AGMs that were backed up by a four year warranty, hardly anyone would need a NOCO.

Probably a Yamaha-NOCO conspiracy, now that I think about it...

 

[CastawayRK]

I have a couple cars that don't get driven a lot and I was replacing batteries every couple of years until I wired in Battery Tenders. I know that 1 of the cars had parasitic drain and the other for sure did not (race car with kill switch killed) and it didn't seem to make much difference. Keeping the batteries topped off is key to long life.