I just scored some moorage for my boat. I have 2, 12 volt deep-cycle batteries that I want to keep charged, so I want to put an on board charging system on the boat.
Any recommendations?


Kev

Guest makes a good 2-bank charger that comes with everything to install for around $250, there are some cheaper units (Vector) that is just the charger, no wiring, by the time you wire this unit you don't save much money, and I think the Guest is better quality. Both Boaters World and West Marine should have these and be similarly priced. Tip, wait till boat show and save 10%.

I just use the charger I used to keep in my garage. When I get back to the marina plug it in and go... Of course the charger has auto shut off...

Ditto what AK said. Get a good quality guest charger and hard wire it into your system. You will need to hook up shorepower to do this and make sure you have good grounding. Most units are setup to automatically start charging when you insert the power plug. They usually apply a high charge initially and then drop to a float voltage of 13.64 or so. That way you don't boil out your water if you have wet cell batteries.
I have an inverter/charger system that I installed in my boat 12 years ago and haven't touched it since. Works great and keeps my big deep cycles charged.

I wired in a Guest onboard charger last year. First I wired the boat for shore power which I did not get when the boat was new (mistake). I wired a GFI outlet at the stern inside near the batteries. The Guest circuitry is all sealed in epoxy so it will not corrode. The charger plugs into the outlet and whenever shore power is connected it is operational. If you leave something on like the VHF your batteries will not be dead next time you come down to the boat to go fishing. No overcharging either as would be the case using a standard battery charger.