Battery Recharge Issue : 1998 Sea Ray 260 Signature BowRider

[henriks]

Hi all
I wonder if anybody can help me.
I have bought my first (used) boat and it came with with no manual, a little worn-out and lots of smaller issues to fix..... Lucky me.
Anyway, something puzzles me and thats how to recharge power. It has 2 fairly new batteries but already after a few runs Im not sure the boat properly rechages the batteries.
I found one plug on the inside of the boat with a Male Standard Plug and (I suppose) its use to recharge, but when I plug it into a 30 amp recharger at the Marina ... Nothing happens .... other than the light on the Electrical Cord is lighting up, but the Batteries are not recharging.
I have talked with 2 other people and one says this boat does not have a recharger and the other one says it has. But why else would there be a Male Standard Plug build into the boat ? Can anybody give me some advice to either investigate this further og give up and just install a new recharger.
Thanks all.

 

[Lyle29464]

Re: Battery Recharge Issue : 1998 Sea Ray 260 Signature BowRider

If you have a volt meter on the dash or a hand held hooked to the battery just check the voltage. It should be above 12. Now start the engine it should be above 14. You can try plugging in the cord and test the battery again.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Battery Recharge Issue : 1998 Sea Ray 260 Signature BowRider

Wondering about things doesn't get you any concrete answers so sometimes it is just a simple matter to use your eyes to discover what you have. You have two electrical systems on a boat (sometimes three but lets start with just the 12 volt systems). The engine has an alternator that charges the starting battery. Since you have two batteries, somewhere on this boat you should find something called a dual battery switch which has OFF, 1, BOTH, 2 markings, OR you will find a device called an ACR (automatic charge relay) OR a device called an Isolator. To locate these items follow the large POSITIVE cables from both batteries. They should lead you to one of the devices I just mentioned. If you have a dual battery switch, use the SEARCH feature on this forum to search for discussions about DUAL BATTERY SWITCHES as there are dozens of them. How is it you determined the batteries are not charging? A simple hand held voltmeter will tell you that. As for the male plug you found, follow the wires and see where it takes you. Chances are it takes you to an on-board charger. And by the way, when you plug-in at the dock you are plugging into 120 volt AC shore power. That's the same as plugging in a lamp or any other appliance in your home. The cord you are plugging is must be connected to something. Find where it is. We can help identify stuff if you take pictures. But remember that we can't see your boat. Details, details, details.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Battery Recharge Issue : 1998 Sea Ray 260 Signature BowRider

You have a shore power hookup, but not necessarily a battery charger. Trace all the wires from the batteries to see if any of them lead to a charger (this is likely going to be a little easier than tracing from the other direction as suggested by Silvertip ). But you should be able to answer the question for sure if you trace the wires from both ends.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Battery Recharge Issue : 1998 Sea Ray 260 Signature BowRider

You have a shore power hookup, but not necessarily a battery charger. Trace all the wires from the batteries to see if any of them lead to a charger (this is likely going to be a little easier than tracing from the other direction as suggested by Silvertip ). But you should be able to answer the question for sure if you trace the wires from both ends.

I thought that's what I told him to do!!!!! And look for a switch, acr, isolator in the process.

 

[henriks]

Re: Battery Recharge Issue : 1998 Sea Ray 260 Signature BowRider

Thanks all, for your answers.
I dived into the back of the boat yesterday and found a web of cut wires all over.
Most of them was attached on one or both batteries and ended up blindly / cut somewhere else on the boat.
I traced the cord from the charger that ended up cut someplace where the must have been a charger at some time, but not anymore so I will just go at get a new charger.
oh ... the joy of buying old/used S...
In any case I need one because after having the boat running for 10 min yesterday in the dock, it wont restart and even though the onboard voltmeter states there is betweem 12 and 14 volts, it just "caugh" or clicks a few times and dies.

But maybe some of you clever heads can clear this for me.
I have downloaded the manuals from Sea Ray and it seems to give some different indications on when the boat engine is recharging.
In one place it says that its recharing when the Engine is Idel like when its docked and another place only when the engine is running in high speed, but NOT when its sailing Idel.
Do you understand what I mean ?
The onboard Voltmeter seem to indicate that it was charging when I had it Idel while docking, but shortly after turning it off and trying to restart, the Voltmeter was back between 12 and 14.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Battery Recharge Issue : 1998 Sea Ray 260 Signature BowRider

Your terminology is a little confusing but here is what happens.

Sitting at the dock (or anywhere else for that matter) with the engine NOT running, the battery is obviously not being charged. With the engine OFF but the key in the RUN position, the voltmeter should read about 12.6 volts which is the voltage one gets from a 12 volt battery.

When you start the engine, the alternator is producing current and the battery will be charging. The faster the engine runs the more the alternator charges. Voltage under these conditions should be between 13.2 and 14.8 volts.

The cord you keep mentioning is not a recharger. It is a power cord. It provides shore power (115 volts AC) to a battery charger or more properly termed an "on-board charger".

 

[JoLin]

Re: Battery Recharge Issue : 1998 Sea Ray 260 Signature BowRider

If the engine is running, the alternator is producing current. You'll typically see a voltmeter reading of 13.5 - 14 volts when the alternator is charging.

A fully charged, wet cell or AGM battery (when not being charged) produces a reading of 12.6 volts (2.1 volts per cell), give or take a little bit depending on temperature. That's a consequence of the lead-acid chemical reaction inside the battery and doesn't vary. Gel cell batt readings are a little different. A bit lower if I remember correctly.

If you're installing an onboard charger, get a '2 bank' model that you will then tie directly to both batteries. That'll charge them both regardless of how your battery selector switch (assuming you have one) is set. I'd recommend at least 10 amps per bank in charge output. A higher rating will charge them quicker, but cost goes up, too. If you have plans to mount a third battery down the road, you can buy a 3-bank charger and just not use the 3rd charge circuit for now.

Good luck!

My .02

 

[henriks]

Re: Battery Recharge Issue : 1998 Sea Ray 260 Signature BowRider

Thank you all
I installed a 2 bank yesterday directly to the 2 batteries and this morning it was fully charged as never before.
Too bad the boat wouldt start .... it just clicks when Im turning the key.
I had experienced that a few times during the last week, but it always seem to suddenly start after a while and I had hoped it was a under charged Battery "thing", but I guess not.
I have called for a mechanics now to look at the problem.
Im pretty sure it has nothing to do with me installing the Charger.

 

[ChampionShip]

Re: Battery Recharge Issue : 1998 Sea Ray 260 Signature BowRider

Another question I have is why are your batteries going dead if you aren't using the boat? There seems to be a drain somewhere- better locate that too or shut off your battery switch.