For those who are using or have tried dry stack storage what about the batteries? The battery switches need to be turned off when the boat is pulled from the water. The AC charger will never get used. No keeping any cold ones in the refrig. The only charging the batteries will get is when the engine is running. Is that enough?
Dry stack storage & batteries
- Thread starter ddurand
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That was a concern I had as well when we sold our express cruiser several years ago and moved to a 24' single outboard engine day boat. Although I keep it wet slipped 6 months of the year, the same thing applies. I have no on board battery charger and no fridge. I do have two batteries. When we leave the boat, I turn off both batteries. When we return to the boat, I turn on battery A, turn off all batteries when we leave the boat. Next voyage I use Battery B. Rinse and repeat. The only time I have had both batteries dead is when one of my children has used the boat and left both batteries on - and left the GPS, radio, stereo, etc. on as well. If you are diligent with this procedure, there should not be a problem, except for springerizing. You will need to charge the batteries for a day before use that one time.
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How many batteries do you have, and how many motors ( alternators)? Unless you have two batteries, with one motor, and the common ‘1-2-both’ switch, running the motor will be enough to charge the battery to 100% with no effort from you. If it is two batteries, with one motor - still not a problem, but you should alternate between battery one and two while running - because on ‘both’ it will take longer to get them to 100%.
is your rack indoor, or out? If outside, I believe you will still need power to the bilge pump, becuse i don’t think they generally take the drain plug out. So if yours is wired through the battery switch, don’t turn the switch off.
i keep my boat on a trailer, with a small solar panel plugged in all week, laying on the back of the boat. One battery, no switch. I don’t think I’ve ever had a dead battery. Not sure if solar will work on your rack, but it’s been great for me.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/natu...crystalline-solar-panel--14996284?recordNum=7
is your rack indoor, or out? If outside, I believe you will still need power to the bilge pump, becuse i don’t think they generally take the drain plug out. So if yours is wired through the battery switch, don’t turn the switch off.
i keep my boat on a trailer, with a small solar panel plugged in all week, laying on the back of the boat. One battery, no switch. I don’t think I’ve ever had a dead battery. Not sure if solar will work on your rack, but it’s been great for me.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/natu...crystalline-solar-panel--14996284?recordNum=7
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I kept a 23' CC single OB w/2 batteries and an onboard charger on an indoor rack for over a year with no issues. The marina would plug in the power cord and charge the batteries anytime I asked.
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We did storage racks for years, ... both indoor and outdoor racks. Batteries were never a problem. Use AGM batteries for more assurance. Turn off batts before the boat is put away. For the outdoor rack, the loading crew removed the drain plug.
This is an indoor storage rack. Three batteries. One under cabin seating for the bow thruster I believe. It has 2 or 3 battery switches. I cannot remember. At present I need one new battery so it will be AGM. The other two are flooded.
How does the marina hook up charging if the boat is 20 feet in the air on a storage rack?
They will pull the boat off the storage rack and put it on a ground level work rack, but seem like a lot of effort just to charge the batteries.
How does the marina hook up charging if the boat is 20 feet in the air on a storage rack?
They will pull the boat off the storage rack and put it on a ground level work rack, but seem like a lot of effort just to charge the batteries.
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does the third battery charge when the boat is underway? Probably not.
i highly advise against mixing flooded and agm. It can be done, but you need to be very aware and careful of how you design the system and charge the batteries. You put them on the same charging circuit, I am somewhat certain that you will end up with one type overcharged and the other undercharged. To make it work, you would only be able to charge one type at a time, and then would have to change the settings on your charger before hitting the other battery. I’ve never seen a charger that lets you mix types , check your chargers manual before attempting this.
i highly advise against mixing flooded and agm. It can be done, but you need to be very aware and careful of how you design the system and charge the batteries. You put them on the same charging circuit, I am somewhat certain that you will end up with one type overcharged and the other undercharged. To make it work, you would only be able to charge one type at a time, and then would have to change the settings on your charger before hitting the other battery. I’ve never seen a charger that lets you mix types , check your chargers manual before attempting this.
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It seems you might be overthinking this. In about 9 years of rack storage, we had never once had to charge the batteries. Just turn your batteries off before the boat is put away. No, you're not going to be able to keep drinks cold in an onboard fridge. We just broguht along a cooler with ice and/or frozen water bottles from home when we we took the boat out.
We had 31 series DieHard AGM batts.
We had 31 series DieHard AGM batts.
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if you are only replacing one battery, don’t buy an AGM. Match the type of the other two. Unless you can confirm that your charger allows charging of different types. My charger does not - i have ONE setting for Flooded/AGM - once set, all banks charge with that profile. If you have a similar charger, if you set it on AGM, to keep your new battery charged, I believe you will boil the water off your other batteries. I’ve seen some newer chargers that let you set each bank. And the really old chargers don’t know anything about AGM, and will just charge all as if they are flooded. But if you have a middle aged charger, don’t mix battery types.
you may have a combiner, which charges your bow battery off the alternator, you may not. That is something you will have to look into. Put a voltmeter on the battery, it should be around 12 Volts. Start the motor(s), if the voltage goes up above 13, you are charging from the alternators, else you are not. my guess is that if the bow thruster came as original equipment, the battery is charging correctly. If someone added it later, all depends on who added it.
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If the battery switches are off they will be fine for a couple of months. No need to switch to AGMs... especially if you don’t replace all of them. AGMs are over rated anyway.
No experience with racks but I can’t imagine they would not remove the plug. Imagine the excess weight from rain water on the rack!
No experience with racks but I can’t imagine they would not remove the plug. Imagine the excess weight from rain water on the rack!
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I racked the boat for several years. One notable effect is that when you remove the plug, then place the boat on a upper rack ( they were three high ), the upper boats dribble on the lower boats!
RE: The Law of Unintended Consequences
Also: If the boat owner failed to disconnect the battery, sometimes the bilge pump float switch would flip up and stick, causing the pump to switch on dry, till the battery died or the pump failed.
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I've been in dry storage for 7yrs, never any issues with batteries, I switch between 1 - 2 each time out and turn them off when I am not using the boat. I am in a totally enclosed building now, my boat doesn't even get dirty. I am in the back of the building on the 1st level, nice to be able to walk right up to the boat - lots of times I will go in and give it a wipedown after use. Occasional drips from the boats above, but never a problem. Prior when I was outside in a rack with 3 walls and a roof, only negative was the boat got dirty, dust and some soot from the lifts. I was on the 2nd level outside, once my boat dripped gear lube all over the brand new Yamaha outboard below me - I felt bad and made sure everything got cleaned up to the owner's satisfaction. They put my boat in "timeout" on a wash rack with a bucket under it until I got it sorted - kind of embarrassing, boat basically soiled itself all over the shiny new hot girl on the hall!
I don't think I would do it any other way with a smaller day boat - boat stays clean out of the weather, I am not worrying about it when I am not around, a text 15min ahead get's it launched and there is a nice area with work racks available.
I don't think I would do it any other way with a smaller day boat - boat stays clean out of the weather, I am not worrying about it when I am not around, a text 15min ahead get's it launched and there is a nice area with work racks available.
Inside rack. So should be no rain.