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Looking for new Onboard Charger


rubble

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My original charger is a 3 bank Dual Pro Prof series charger.  It ran the Crank and 24v system well for around 10 years.  I went to 36V system and crank while adding a Stealth 1 DC Charger.  Danny at Stealth had me configure the banks a little different on the Dual Pro and it seamed to work fine but I believe the LED indicator light is draining my batteries quickly as I don’t run the boat that much and he suggested only to plug up once every couple weeks when not using.  I now have a 2 year old Deka cranking battery that is already dead and hasn’t been used much at all.  

I liked the way I could see what is happening with each battery on the Dual Pro Charger but the way it’s set up now, there is no way to tell the condition of the individual batteries.  This has me leaning toward changing setups.  I like the ability to charge on the fly with the Stealth.  Can spend a week on the water without plugging up.  However, I’d love to have a way to see the condition of each battery.  

I see that Minn Kota has a new system that may be DC capable.  Power Pole has the Charge which looks to be setup where it replaces the HOBO method of running thru the battery switch for emergency start.  Have read some negative reviews on the Charge system but also have seen some good ones  Not sure what else is out there.  Just want to see what might be the best option(s) out there.  I dont’ have ideal conditions for batteries as my boat sits for months at a time but I used to leave that Dual Pro plugged in continuously which seemed to work great but I’ve been told that isn’t good for batteries.  

Thoughts?  Suggestions? 

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You could put a timer on the a/c input cord. You can set it to turn the Dual Pro on and off when the boat in sitting.

I have the Stealth 1 a/c and d/c. I had them installed when I bought my boat new in 2012.  I had a cable come lose and damaged one of my 36 volt AGMs in 2015.  I replaced all three.  I am just now changing those three AGMs. That puts them at about six years old. I keep my Stealth plugged in all the time. Only one of the three AGMs was really bad this time. My main cranking battery (forth battery) is five years old and is working and testing fine.  

The JL Marine ( Power Pole ) Charge will tell you everything and is very adaptable but is really expensive.

Not heard anything about the Minn Kota, good or bad

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I have a powermania 3 bank charger on the Maverick and have found it excellent. It does not have charge on the fly but it has been trouble free since 2015. LEDs on all banks using AGMs and going to lithium this month and it’s plugged in all of the time. Great customer service as well. 

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14 hours ago, jh141 said:

You could put a timer on the a/c input cord. You can set it to turn the Dual Pro on and off when the boat in sitting.

I have the Stealth 1 a/c and d/c. I had them installed when I bought my boat new in 2012.  I had a cable come lose and damaged one of my 36 volt AGMs in 2015.  I replaced all three.  I am just now changing those three AGMs. That puts them at about six years old. I keep my Stealth plugged in all the time. Only one of the three AGMs was really bad this time. My main cranking battery (forth battery) is five years old and is working and testing fine.  

 

Do you have any type of gauge that shows the condition of the individual batteries or shows the 12v system status as well as the 36v system?  I think that the Stealth AC would be a good option but I really like the Dual Pro setup where you can see the condition of each bank when plugged in.  

I’m looking online to see if there are any changes to the Stealth 1 system and it looks like they haven’t updated since 2017.  Are they still selling their systems?

 

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As far as I know they are still selling the systems. I Have not contacted him since we were installing a Pro Pack on one of my sons boats about a year ago.  Call them!  Danny answered  all my questions. You will find them to be very helpful. They offer a meter. I do not have one. 

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4 hours ago, jh141 said:

As far as I know they are still selling the systems. I Have not contacted him since we were installing a Pro Pack on one of my sons boats about a year ago.  Call them!  Danny answered  all my questions. You will find them to be very helpful. They offer a meter. I do not have one. 

I have the meter that came with the DC charger.  It’s just for the cranking system.  I guess I could get another that shows the charge strength of the 36v system. Will check with Danny tomorrow.  He’s been great.  Walked me through the setup.  My fishing buddy actually lives right down the road from him.  Tough living down there on The Chick.

 

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My three AGMs are in a custom starboard box in the console built by Bob at Inshore Marine. I have often thought about putting a volt gauge or gauges in the lid for easy reading. Currently I remove the lid and test if I think there is a problem. I also check the voltage at the TM plug of coarse. To be honest the Stealth 1 Pro has been so good I just do not worry about it to much unless I see a potential problem and those have been very few.

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7 hours ago, wthree3 said:

For charge on the run I second the Yardina. Uses the full available output of your alternator to charge. Small package and inexpensive compared to the others. 

I am in the same boat as OP and I am convinced my charger is cooking my batteries and I need to get a new one. Would love to go with some of these charge on the run options and I have narrowed it down to the Stealth vs Yardina. Couple questions on the Yardina, I would need a seperate AC charger that could be 1, 2 or 3 bank to charge all of my batteries in addition to the 12x24? I will have to manually switch the Yardina between modes when I want to use my trolling motor at the same time as my outboard?

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4 hours ago, rubble said:

I have the meter that came with the DC charger.  It’s just for the cranking system.  I guess I could get another that shows the charge strength of the 36v system. Will check with Danny tomorrow.  He’s been great.  Walked me through the setup.  My fishing buddy actually lives right down the road from him.  Tough living down there on The Chick.

I have run the Stealth for little over 10 years I think running both Danny's AC and DC side. My meter is wired to show the troll battery levels and the starting. It is a newer meter though maybe couple years old. Maybe worth a chat with him for sure. 

 

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17 hours ago, coopaloopa said:

I am in the same boat as OP and I am convinced my charger is cooking my batteries and I need to get a new one. Would love to go with some of these charge on the run options and I have narrowed it down to the Stealth vs Yardina. Couple questions on the Yardina, I would need a seperate AC charger that could be 1, 2 or 3 bank to charge all of my batteries in addition to the 12x24? I will have to manually switch the Yardina between modes when I want to use my trolling motor at the same time as my outboard?

From what I read you are correct about the Yardina TrollBridge.  From your statement and from "my" experience with Stealth 1 ac/dc  sounds like you would be happy with Stealth. 

 

17 hours ago, triplec said:

I have run the Stealth for little over 10 years I think running both Danny's AC and DC side. My meter is wired to show the troll battery levels and the starting. It is a newer meter though maybe couple years old. Maybe worth a chat with him for sure. 

 

That is interesting. That's reason enough for me to call Danny and sounds like that's what Rubble is looking for.

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21 hours ago, jh141 said:

From what I read you are correct about the Yardina TrollBridge.  From your statement and from "my" experience with Stealth 1 ac/dc  sounds like you would be happy with Stealth. 

 

That is interesting. That's reason enough for me to call Danny and sounds like that's what Rubble is looking for.

I need to be a little more specific and clarify.  I'm actually looking for an indicator of what the banks are doing while charging.  The way my Dual Pro is mounted in my CC, I can leave my CC door open and stand on the ground by the engine and see the indicator lights on the Dual Pro.  That was when I was running 24v and Crank.  When I geared up to hit the Glades, I purchased a 36v iPilot and the Stealth DC Charger.  Danny told me I could continue to use the Dual Pro and he walked me thru the setup.  Now the 3 Bank Dual Pro is charging the Crank and the 36v system but because of the "Hack," the banks are not directly connected to the individual batteries; thus, rendering the indicator lights useless on the Dual Pro.  

When Not Plugged in with key turned on I have the Stealth gauge that shows the charge level of the 36v system.  The Yami gauges show the charge of the Crank.  Just looking for a better work around for the 3 Bank system showing charge on a 4 Bank setup while plugged up and charging.  The system otherwise works perfect for it's intended use.  I can run all I want without plugging up and that's trolling thru some super salads on Guntersville and fighting brutal currents in the Mississippi River and some of the Costal Currents around S. FL.  If I were running the boat frequently, the LED light on the DC charger wouldn't be an issue but since my boat sits for weeks or months at at time, the light does draw the battery all the way down which isn't good for the battery.

On the same note (batteries), I'm on year 5 for my Exide trolling batteries.  Probably going to be looking to replace soon.  Is it really worth it to move away from the Acid/Wed Batteries for Trolling?  Danny says stick with the cheap Walmart EverStarts or go Lithium.  Seems like he believes if conditioned properly, the EverStarts work as good as any of the other Non-Lithium batteries.  

 

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35 minutes ago, rubble said:

 Now the 3 Bank Dual Pro is charging the Crank and the 36v system but because of the "Hack," the banks are not directly connected to the individual batteries; thus, rendering the indicator lights useless on the Dual Pro.  

I had my setup like that, 3 bank and 4 batteries, and like you was not a fan. Plus with the 3/4 setup I never felt they got a full charge.  I do not have a DC charger.  My simple solution was to go back to a bank per battery and put my cranking battery on a small trickle charger if the boat was left for any period of time.

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If this helps the Stealth a/c has two led's. One for the 12 volt bank (cranking Battery) and one for trolling bank. When the ac power is applied (the cord is plugged in) the led's go red. When either is charged the led goes green. The Stealth is then in maintain mode. When I am prepping for a trip I open the console, look in and confirm both led's are green. If they are I know I have a full charge on my House and Trolling Bank.

I use Deka AGMs because they are sealed. I hate the feel and smell of electrolyte. I would have to agree with Danny, There is nothing special about my Deka Intimidator AGMs except name, "INTIMIDATOR"   

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38 minutes ago, jh141 said:

If this helps the Stealth a/c has two led's. One for the 12 volt bank (cranking Battery) and one for trolling bank. When the ac power is applied (the cord is plugged in) the led's go red. When either is charged the led goes green. The Stealth is then in maintain mode. When I am prepping for a trip I open the console, look in and confirm both led's are green. If they are I know I have a full charge on my House and Trolling Bank.

I use Deka AGMs because they are sealed. I hate the feel and smell of electrolyte. I would have to agree with Danny, There is nothing special about my Deka Intimidator AGMs except name, "INTIMIDATOR"   

Intimidator is a great name . 

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