Onboard battery chargers....

Jimbob

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I'm looking to get a 2 bank, 10amp per bank onboard charger and am wanting y'alls opinions on what brands are best. I did a search here already, only found threads about leaving them plugged in longterm and fires.
Rite now I'm looking at the Minn Kota, Guest, and a Schumacher. All these have seperate indicators for each bank, whick I'd perfer.
Thanks in advance for any opins.:beer:
 

catfish123

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I have always liked Dual Pro and their customer service is excellent.
 

Jimbob

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I've heard that quite a bit about Dual Pro. It might be worth spending another $30-40 for a quality product with real customer service. And I think they are American made also.
 

F2008

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Another vote for Dual Pro.

Had a 2 bank 15 amp in my previous boat for 10 years and it still worked fine when I sold the rig.

Current boat has a Dual Pro 3 bank 15 amp. Going on my fourth year with this one, still works great.

Suckers are heavy though. Dual is 15#, triple is 22.
 

catfish123

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That's OK Don.....your boat is too fast for Craig anyway!
 

fnshrmaster

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I had a guest 2 bank on my Ranger and it puked in one season. It was a 10 amp, 5 per side.
I don't know if my unit was defective or if guest is not a quality product? It wasn't terribly expensive so as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for.
 

Allyfishing

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That's OK Don.....your boat is too fast for Craig anyway!
:blah blah blah:LMAO:
Hey, I'm trying to stay out of trouble here!!!! LOL!!!!

Bob, you should see all the stuff Don has crammed into that boat!!! But it is very neat and tidy, I gotta give him that!!
 

baitcaster

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I have owned 4 different brands, all triple blank, since putting them in my boats. I currently have a duel pro and it is a good unit. But prob the best one I owned for the price was a Bass Pro Extreem, yep a Bass Pro Extreem. It did a great job... was completely sealed, mounted easily, had charge indicators and had the longest life (still working in a boat I sold 7 years ago). I also had a Cabela's that did pretty well. It was a little smaller (lighter) and easier to mount (a 5 amp per blank system), which is what I had in the Allison due to the size and weight.

As far as amp. advise, I would not recommend one higher than 15 amp per blank, because you will shorten the life of your batteries, w/10 amp per blank being my recommendation. 5 amp. per blank mods are cheaper, tend to be a little smaller, but take longer to charge. Just make sure the mod. you choose has auto shut off in order not to overcharge and burn your batteries and/or over heat. Also mount it where it can breath to prevent overheating and fire hazards. If you get a vented water resistant mod, consider putting it in a side box where it will not get water on it and make sure you don't crowd the unit.
 
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allison xtb

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MIN KOTA SUCKS. I HAVE TWO 4 bank and both are junk. As for weight I mounted mine on the garage wall and put a plug like the troller. Back the boat in the garage and unplug the troller and plug in the charger
 

Jimbob

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Yea, I don't plan on mounting the charger in the boat either. I'll use a 4 pin connector setup for a quick connect.
I'm leaning hard towards the Dual Pro, the Sportsman line are made in Nashville. I'll call their tech line Monday to make sure it won't affect warranty if I installed the 4pin connector.
Thanks all for y'alls opinions and experiences.:gone fishing
 
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baitcaster

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I wouldn't think that it would since you are not doing anything to the unit itself and only changing the battery connectors on the blanks, but calling may be a good idea. Better safe than sorry.

The only negative I can see about mounting it outside of the boat would be convenience if you are on an overnight trip away from home. I have had to charge the batteries while the boat sat in the water tied to the dock and got to admit having to just plug it into an extension cord was a real convenience. Also, being able to lock my boxes and plug it in at a hotel or fishing resort without worrying about anything being stolen was also a comfort and made for simple recharging.

I can understand wanting to keep it out of the boat in a garage, etc. It has merit, but I personally have never had a problem with mounting one in the boat and really like the simplicity of charging, especially when I am away from home....
 
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