Battery Recharge Question

[NWAngler]

I just purchaed two new batteries a few months ago. While fishing last weekend one of the batteries was drained. I ran the main engine for quite some time but didn't really run it much since we were trolling all day. What do I need to do to make sure I get the maximum life out of this battery? Recharge it or just run it with the main engine for longer.

Thanks.

[EULACHON]

I would recharge it overnight on a trickle type charger.

You might want to figure out why it was drained so it does not happen again

Paul

[NWAngler]

I think it drained because I was running the radio, UHF radio, and fish finder for quite some time. This was the second day in a row doing this.

I don't have a trickle recharger are these expensive or should I just run it down to the local Les Schwab or something like that?

[Starfish]

Lead-acid batteries should always be kept fully charged. You should definitely get it on a charger right away, but also you'll want to figure out why the battery got discharged and fix it. I highly recommend installing an onboard charger so you can just plug in the boat when you get home, if you use an electric trolling motor or have a lot of accessories. You probably wouldn't need a very large one (5 amp two-bank charger would probably work well).