Killing yer starting battery, Let be real about this.....

[Evil Sports]

Now I know we have tendency to be Mod crazy here and some of the elaborate battery configs I have read over the past years had me chuckling. Really if you have the Stock radio set up and listen to it for 6-8 hours does it pull enough power to prevent you from getting these jet ski motors running?
Now I can say I only have 1 starting battery and never worry because Im set up for fishing and have 2 DC Trolling batteries for my 24 volt Terrova. I had a similar set up on my 4winns and never had to jump from my Trolling batteries in 10 seasons. I listen to music ALL the time but dont have a jacked up sound sys with amps and stuff.
If I didnt have my 24 volts the most I might consider is a jump pack .
But just listening to the radio all day on the Yam I have not had any starting issues.
I have a

But I dont always get to plug it in after a days use.

 

[David Analog]

It depends on the type of battery and the depth of discharge. A starting battery won't tolerate it for long. Some boat electronics, especially starters, last longer when operated at higher voltages.

 

[Evil Sports]

would it make sense to have a mid size DC battery for your starting battery

 

[davel501]

Even the marine batteries lose a lot of capacity if you run them down with the bilge pump while wet slipping. I think I killed one of my blue tops last season by not getting the charger plugged in soon enough.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Keeping your batteries maintained by a smart charger is the real benefit, not playing the stereo for 12 hours at top volume. Extending the life of my batteries is why I have a charger and "peace of mind" is why I have 2 batteries.

 

[maboat]

On other boats its a bigger concern. But in practice, with these tiny engines, I've never had a problem starting. Even when all the batteries - including the start battery - were so low the stereo wouldn't play. I still carry a jump-pack for peace of mind, but its only been used to start OTHER stranded boats, not mine

 

[billyb]

I just had my boat walk through last sat when I picked up my boat. The guy seemed really knowledgable and really nice. He said to NEVER use a jump pack on these boats. I was a bit surprised by that.

 

[Evil Sports]

I just had my boat walk through last sat when I picked up my boat. The guy seemed really knowledgable and really nice. He said to NEVER use a jump pack on these boats. I was a bit surprised by that.

Why??

 

[billyb]

Something to do with too much amps...frying something. Sorry, didn't really get into it with him as he was pretty adamant about it. Have you ever used it?

 

[Evil Sports]

No never killed my starting batteries bad enough in 12 years to require a jump pack

 

[davel501]

I have used a jump pack on mine. Negative on the engine lifting hook on starboard engine, positive on positive terminal and it fired right up. Let it run for a bit then try the port engine. Only problem I ever had was not letting it run long enough before trying the port engine and killing the starboard.

 

[David Analog]

I just had my boat walk through last sat when I picked up my boat. The guy seemed really knowledgable and really nice. He said to NEVER use a jump pack on these boats. I was a bit surprised by that.

I would like to know more about this as it could prove to be important. I'm not doubting it but would really like to know the reason why.

 

[Gym]

I have a single battery setup. It's the original battery from 2006. I only charge it during the winter when it comes out of the boat and it works fine. I do carry a jump pack and I don't buy what your dealer told you @billyb. A battery doesn't push current, the device it powers draws the current it needs from the battery. I'd like to hear what @David Analog or the @ChargerGuy have to say about your dealer's statement.

 

[Zeus2013]

I have two batteries 'cause you never know what life has in store for you...

 

[Volffas]

Something to do with too much amps...frying something. Sorry, didn't really get into it with him as he was pretty adamant about it. Have you ever used it?

I was looking on Amazon for a battery pack not too long ago. I saw them from 400 amps to 3,600 amps. I wonder if too many amps could do damage?

 

[2devine]

I have two batteries and have never used a charger during the summer. Stock radio ect. I have been nervous about how long to listen to the radio and will shut it down probably earlier than I need to.

I have two questions for the group. First- The voltage display on the 242 as you toggle thru the gauges is that the output of the engines or will it show the voltage of the batteries when the engine is off?
Two- has anyone ever done a mod of a battery voltage meter that you could just take a quick peek at while listening to music like this:
http://www.amazon.com/VvW-Waterproo...r=8-10&keywords=waterproof+battery+volt+gauge

 

[Wayloncle]

I have two batteries and am paranoid about draining a battery so when I anchor and have the radio (stock) on I switch it to the one battery, but I've never had a problem with it starting afterwards ( I usually start the engines before I remember to switch the batteries back to both).
I also carry a jump pack with me just in case. I can't see any reason at all to not use a jump pack, that guy probably tried to use one and hooked it up backwards or something...

 

[jetboater4life]

My single battery died on me in the middle of the night after the fourth of July fireworks. I hooked up my Clore jump pack to positive and negative terminals of the battery. Both engines started up. Then I disconnected negative and positive. I know it's better to hook the negative up to a ground away from the battery so that sparks don't ignite any battery fumes, but it was at night, boat load of people, super windy and the shore was approaching quickly. I don't have a trolling motor battery bank and plan on using my stock radio more this year so I purchased two AGMs. I'm more concerned about the batteries failing vs my radio usage. When a battery fails minimal radio use can drain it to the point where it won't start the engines.

 

[Gym]

" I know it's better to hook the negative up to a ground away from the battery so that sparks don't ignite any battery fumes"
That really only applies to jumping from another live battery. All the jump packs I have utilize an on/off switch. You connect the jump pack to the battery, then turn the jump pack on, then start your motor. You can't get any sparks if the jump pack is in the off position while connecting to the battery.

 

[jcyamaharider]

I would like to know more about this as it could prove to be important. I'm not doubting it but would really like to know the reason why.

It CAN fry the stators on our boats which would be a costly repair. You are not supposed to use a jump box and jumper cables on any motors that use stators to charge. And yes I have had it happen to my Rhino so I know first hand that it can happen.