Marine Battery Charging Tips

The battery in your boat is basically the heart of the whole system. If you don’t have a reliable battery, you aren’t driving a reliable boat, and you could unknowingly put yourself in danger. A lot of times, a battery becomes unsafe without the user realizing it because they don’t charge it properly between uses.

Charging your boat’s battery properly doesn’t require you to uncover any huge secrets, but there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to charge it efficiently. These marine battery charging tips will give you a better idea of how to best protect your batteries.

Fully Charge in Between Uses

No matter what kind of batteries you have, it’s always a good idea to charge them back to full in between uses. Modern lithium-ion batteries won’t be as affected by staying at a middling charge level compared to older lead-acid ones, but it’s still good practice to charge your batteries all the way up between every boat outing.

Avoid Overcharging

While fully charging is a good idea, you want to avoid overcharging your battery, as this can cause damage and reduce its lifespan. Some batteries can handle overcharging better than others, but it’s never a good idea to assume that overcharging is safe. You can buy battery chargers that automatically adjust their charge once they detect that the battery is full so that they don’t inadvertently overcharge it.

Use the Correct Charger Type

All batteries have a certain voltage that they can handle when charging. It’s crucial to match the voltages of your battery and charger whenever possible. You can try to use a charger with a different voltage level on some batteries, but doing so risks damaging the battery or the charger not working at all. Match up the voltages of your charger and battery so that everything runs smoothly.

Long Discharges for Deep Cycle Batteries

Deep cycle batteries are created to handle long discharge cycles and drain down their capacity quite a bit. Older batteries couldn’t handle draining to such low percentages, but you can drain newer lithium-ion batteries down to a very low charge without any issues. Charging a deep cycle battery doesn’t require you to be careful with its current charge, so don’t worry about using a lot of its power before plugging it in again.

With these marine battery charging tips, you’ll be set up for success each time you want to take your boat out. Here at Abyss Battery, we want you to feel comfortable with this process, so we’re always glad to help anyone who has questions about our products.