How Does Your Marina Maintain Your Batteries?

Labor Day is behind us and for boaters in much of the country, that means the remaining days on the water are limited. With some boats already getting ready for storage and others in storage, we thought now was an appropriate time to ask how you planned on maintaining your boat battery (or batteries) while your boat is in storage? Contrary to popular belief, cold weather isn't nearly as hard on batteries as hot weather. However, leaving a partially or deeply-discharged battery in a cold climate can be very hard on a battery.

Whether your battery remains in your boat or you pull it for the winter, proper voltage maintenance will be a key in long-term battery health and performance. Fully-charged, our BLUETOP batteries will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts, except for the 34M, which will measure about 12.6-12.8 volts. Keeping batteries properly-maintained and fully-charged all year round will greatly increase performance and lifespan. Recently, OPTIMA Jim visited Tinus Marine and was very impressed to see they had a dedicated battery charging station for their stored customer boats.

The folks at Tinus explained it just makes sense for them and saves them money in the long run, when they know the voltage of a battery and know that it has been properly-maintained while in storage. Some boats have small parasitic draws on them, that can discharge any battery, if given enough time. Removing the battery from the boat and storing it under charge in a temperature-controlled environment can save everyone a lot of headaches when boating season rolls around.

Before you put your boat in storage for the winter, ask your dealer (or yourself) what the plan is for keeping your battery maintained through the winter months. Simply disconnecting a battery often isn't enough, as many batteries go into storage in a partially-discharged state. Fully-charging and disconnecting a battery is a better option, but keeping the battery on a quality battery maintenance device is the preferred option, if it is available. If you're in the market for such a device, the OPTIMA Chargers Digital 400 takes the guesswork out of maintaining batteries.

If the place where you store your boat during the off season doesn't have a plan or the capability to maintain your battery during the winter, consider removing the battery and taking it home with you. OPTIMA batteries do best when stored in cool, dry locations (which can include a concrete floor) in a fully-charged state.