Battery question

[prayingmantis]

Hello everyone. I live in the Buffalo,NY area. I'm pretty new to having a outboard. Up til now I have been running my boat on the lower Niagara River pretty regularly. Am I safe to leave my batteries in the boat which is covered outside as long as I have them plugged in. I have a Minn kota 3 bank charger 10A/10A/10A. Now that the weather has changed a little it might be 2 or 3 weeks or so before I can get out again. Also is there anything else I should be going while it is cold ?

 

[shaw520]

Some more info is duly needed,... are these trolling motor batteries,..is there a gas outboard involved,..did you winterize,.. Buffalo get mighty cold.

 

[prayingmantis]

2 are for the trolling motor and 1 starting battery. It was not winterized. I'm planning on running it all year. I was told on here that since it is an outboard motor and I intend on using it all year i don't need to winterize. Just drain all the water out. Maybe some stabizer. The lower niagara river doesn't freeze so the plan is to use it as much as possible for trout fishing

 

[dingbat]

No need to do anything special. I run stabilizer starting in November. Usually get to the end of December before the weather starts getting shaky but you never know when a good fishing day might pop up.

A fully charged battery will not freeze to 70 degrees below 0 or so.

Discharge rates are very slow when cold. A fully charged battery will drop roughly 10% per month.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I don't brave the cold but a buddy fishes all winter including the lower Niagara. He just makes sure he runs the water out by kicking the outboard and clearing the water out. If he goes for a few weeks he puts the batteries on a trickle charge. Plus a splash of gas line anti freeze. Never had a problem.

 

[Watermann]

The batteries are fine being stored charged up. On winterizing it also depends on the outboard. I've heard that some newer 4 strokes retain water and freezing weather will damage them if not drained.

 

[Blind Date]

Plus a splash of gas line anti freeze. Never had a problem.

If you run ethanol blended fuel I wouldn't bother with that. Completely unnecessary.

 

[bruceb58]

Am I safe to leave my batteries in the boat which is covered outside as long as I have them plugged in. I have a Minn kota 3 bank charger 10A/10A/10A.

You are doing the best thing you can do by keeping them plugged into the charger. Keeping them fully charged is the best thing you can do for them.