What is the Best Way to Charge a Boat Battery?
What is the best way to charge a boat battery? Our rule of thumb is to make sure your boat battery (or batteries, if you have more than one) are being charged with a quality battery charger whenever you are not using your boat. Doing that ensures the voltage will always be properly maintained and your boat will always be ready to go when it's time to hit the water.
The reason this is important is because when a lead-acid battery (flooded or AGM) gets discharged below 12.4 volts, it starts to sulfate, which diminishes capacity and lifespan. We sometimes hear of boaters, who come off the water and don't think about charging their battery until the night before or a few hours before their next trip out on the water. If that allows weeks or months to pass by, that can potentially lead to a lot of sulfation in your battery.
Another reason this is a good habit to form, is because some boats offer a lot of opportunities to leave accessories on, that draw electrical current. We've heard stories of an ignition button being turned on (even with the key turned off), which powered the ignition button light and hour meter for several days until the battery died, leaving the boat owner with dozens of additional "hours" on their boat! In that scenario, you're probably going to want to get your hour meter reset either way, but if you had your battery on a charger, you at least wouldn't also be dealing with a dead battery.
A third reason why you should always charge your boat battery as soon as you come off the water, is because some battery brands (not OPTIMA), will void your battery warranty, if you allow your battery to be discharged below a minimum voltage level Some of those battery brands will also void your warranty if you use a battery charger that is not on their "approved" list, so read your battery warranty terms & conditions!
In terms of what type of charger is best for your boat battery, we hear lots of debates about trickle chargers versus smart chargers and what those terms even mean. At the end of the day, using any charger is generally a better option than not using any charger and OPTIMA offers a full line of chargers and maintainers! What you may want to pay attention to is what type of charger you have, versus what type of battery you have now or may have in the future.
Most chargers and charger settings work just fine on OPTIMA AGM batteries, but if you have a choice, we'd recommend chargers with specific settings for AGM batteries. Some chargers have "gel" or confusing "gel/AGM" settings. You should avoid using those for OPTIMA AGM batteries as "gel" charger settings may not fully charge non-gel batteries and could damage them over time. In those instances, we'd recommend a "regular" or "deep-cycle" setting, if an AGM-specific option isn't available.
If you are using an OPTIMA lithium battery (and we do offer dual purpose engine starting/deep-cycle lithium batteries), you will need to use a battery charger or charger settings designed specifically for lithium batteries. All of OPTIMA's battery chargers and maintainershttps://www.optimabatteries.com/products/chargers can charge all types of 12-volt lead-acid (flooded or AGM) or 12-volt lithium batteries.
The reason this is important is because when a lead-acid battery (flooded or AGM) gets discharged below 12.4 volts, it starts to sulfate, which diminishes capacity and lifespan. We sometimes hear of boaters, who come off the water and don't think about charging their battery until the night before or a few hours before their next trip out on the water. If that allows weeks or months to pass by, that can potentially lead to a lot of sulfation in your battery.
Another reason this is a good habit to form, is because some boats offer a lot of opportunities to leave accessories on, that draw electrical current. We've heard stories of an ignition button being turned on (even with the key turned off), which powered the ignition button light and hour meter for several days until the battery died, leaving the boat owner with dozens of additional "hours" on their boat! In that scenario, you're probably going to want to get your hour meter reset either way, but if you had your battery on a charger, you at least wouldn't also be dealing with a dead battery.
A third reason why you should always charge your boat battery as soon as you come off the water, is because some battery brands (not OPTIMA), will void your battery warranty, if you allow your battery to be discharged below a minimum voltage level Some of those battery brands will also void your warranty if you use a battery charger that is not on their "approved" list, so read your battery warranty terms & conditions!
In terms of what type of charger is best for your boat battery, we hear lots of debates about trickle chargers versus smart chargers and what those terms even mean. At the end of the day, using any charger is generally a better option than not using any charger and OPTIMA offers a full line of chargers and maintainers! What you may want to pay attention to is what type of charger you have, versus what type of battery you have now or may have in the future.
Most chargers and charger settings work just fine on OPTIMA AGM batteries, but if you have a choice, we'd recommend chargers with specific settings for AGM batteries. Some chargers have "gel" or confusing "gel/AGM" settings. You should avoid using those for OPTIMA AGM batteries as "gel" charger settings may not fully charge non-gel batteries and could damage them over time. In those instances, we'd recommend a "regular" or "deep-cycle" setting, if an AGM-specific option isn't available.
If you are using an OPTIMA lithium battery (and we do offer dual purpose engine starting/deep-cycle lithium batteries), you will need to use a battery charger or charger settings designed specifically for lithium batteries. All of OPTIMA's battery chargers and maintainershttps://www.optimabatteries.com/products/chargers can charge all types of 12-volt lead-acid (flooded or AGM) or 12-volt lithium batteries.
