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Salmon Fisher



Joined: 07 Aug 2009
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C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 11:17 pm    Post subject: Battery charger comparison Reply with quote

It is time for me to get a new battery charger. Looks like I am looking at 2 brands.

I am looking for expert advice from this excellent forum.

http://www.amazon.com/Mastervolt-Marine-Powercharger-12-20-3/dp/B0083VA896/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458530028&sr=8-1&keywords=mastervolt+battery+charger


http://www.amazon.com/ProMariner-ProSport-Generation-Battery-Charger/dp/B00F5EBTGA/ref=sr_1_1?m=A2K3VWEYUL0T6U&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1458529578&sr=1-1&keywords=pro+sport+battery+charger

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2004 25 Cruiser-Present

2000 22 Cruiser 2009-2014 (Sold)
2006 25 Cruiser 2014-2019 (Sold)
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Honey, this REALLY will be my last boat, honest!
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Discovery



Joined: 08 Dec 2003
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 12:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've had good luck with ProMariner in the past, but I'm not familiar with that model.
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lloyds



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I purchased the pro-mariner (but two bank) a few months ago and have been very happy with it.
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Sea Wolf



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 6:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry, related topic consideration deemed inadvisable and attempted hijacking foiled! Laughing

Joe. Teeth Thumbs Up

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Last edited by Sea Wolf on Mon Mar 21, 2016 6:51 pm; edited 2 times in total
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C-Dawg



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've had the ProMariner ProSport 2 bank charger maintaining two AGM batteries for several years now without complaint.
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gulfcoast john



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 8:03 pm    Post subject: chargers Reply with quote

I researched this issue in 2014 and bought what I think is the best…Blue Seas PS12, 40 AMP. You only need the 25amp model. In boating, sometimes buying the best the first time is cheaper in the long run.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/7522/P12_Battery_Charger_-_12V_DC_40A
Many marine chargers can do the basic job, but any good quality charger should have a battery temp sensor and take that temp into account in the charge algorithms. The Guest charger installed by Triton did not even have that.
Blue Seas PS12 Pros:
Military grade like construction, many unique features (that may not matter to you), designed and built right in your backyard with the only 5 year warranty and very responsive US-based tech support (see the online complaints about trying to get Mastervolt’s Dutch manufacturer to support warranty claims (2 yrs), though Bob Austin likes his Mastervolt charger). Ability to dial down output if desired. Optional $90 remote diagnostic panel chock full of LED’S for the helm, if you like that sort of thing. I use a Battery Bug on the House battery. Bob uses a $8 Amazon meter. Whatever floats your boat.
Cons:
Most expensive. Requires a special Blue Seas VSR and wiring to take full advantage of the unique ability to add/drop individual batteries from Absorbsion mode. (I just Combine and Un Combine the House battery using the Blue Seas battery switches, and it’s on the Destination Pre-Departure/Arrival Flight Crew checklist).
Interesting tidbit… Blue Seas AND Mastervolt AND ProMariner AND Marinco (which bought Guest) AND Ancor AND Gardner-Bender/Sperry have all been bought by one company. You might not have as many choices as you thought.
Happy Hunting, and let the group know what you end up buying and why.
John

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Aurelia



Joined: 21 Aug 2009
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 11:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Patrick,

What chemistry type, size, and how many batteries are you planning to charge? Are any connected in parallel? Will you charge from shore power only, or will you use this charger with a generator as well?

This info will help guide you.

Greg

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Aurelia - 25 Cruiser sold 2012
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currently exploring with "Lia", 17 ft Bullfrog Supersport Pilothouse
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Salmon Fisher



Joined: 07 Aug 2009
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aurelia wrote:
Patrick,

What chemistry type, size, and how many batteries are you planning to charge? Are any connected in parallel? Will you charge from shore power only, or will you use this charger with a generator as well?

This info will help guide you.

Greg


I am looking at connecting 2 group 27 or 31 flooded batteries in parallel. I will charge from shore and have a Honda 2000 generator on board.

The Blue Sea Systems charger looks very skookum, but a bit out of price range, thanks for the info on that as well info on a single company manufacturing chargers.
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Grazer



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PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I too have a Mariner Prosport Charger (two bank - one on a AGM and one lead acid battery) for two seasons without any issues.
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Aurelia



Joined: 21 Aug 2009
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So I will assume you also have a starting battery along with the proposed house bank. That really points toward a two bank charger for your needs although you can of course use a 3 bank and combine two sets of leads so long as the manual condones it.

You would have about 75-100 amp hours at most to use safely from your house bank of power. If you are charging from shore power at a marina, you would be plugged in for 10-16 hours giving you that much time for charging. In that situation, a 10amp charging curcuit may be enough to fully charge your depleted bank overnight depending on loads and whether those loads are coming from 12v or from 120 when plugged in.

If you are charging from your generator, you don't want to run it for very long so having a more powerful charger will help minimize that running time. I know some boaters will use one smaller built in charger for shore power charging and another portable unit for fast generator charging.

Think about what 12v loads you will be running overnight so you can factor that into your recovery needs when plugged into shore power. Also think about how low you will generally be comfortable running down your house bank. Some folks don't like to go below a specific voltage, and knowing that can really change your charging needs and minimize you charger purchase down to only what it needs to be.

As an example, I use a 3.5amp charger for our whole boat of 220ah house plus starting battery. We run the boat daily and usually for hours so that is actually our primary charging mode. 3.5amps overnight also adds up to 30-50amp hours of charge and that is more than we normally draw it down. We are running a small freezer now so our situation might change a bit, but the draw is low enough that a little solar could bring us even again.

I don't have experience with either of the two chargers you are looking at but did run another Promariner for a couple of years with no problems. I would pay attention to the charge cycles on each and consider the above factors in you choice of bank # and overall voltage. Temperature sensing chargers sometimes use separate sensors at the battery or sensors on the charger itself but the reality for us northwestern boaters, is that our temps are just low enough most of the time that charging temp affects us very little. The use of AGM/sealed batteries mitigates it further.

If you have a VSR battery connection in place between your house and start battery, you might even be able to use a single bank charger becuase it will share its charge with the other bank when above the set voltage.

The on demand feature of the Promariner would give you more amps to the house without wasting amps on the start battery and I personally like the charge profiles on these units more than the mastervolt. The mastervolt is a little yachty in design/features and that is not necessarily a good thing for all applications.

If those are your brands, I think this might be a good choice

http://www.amazon.com/ProMariner-ProSport-20amp-Bank-43020/dp/B00GRVZM0Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458666829&sr=8-1&keywords=promariner+prosport+20+plu

Or even this unit depending on your thoughts on the questions above.

http://www.amazon.com/ProMariner-43012-ProSport-Generation-Battery/dp/B00F5EBR1C/ref=sr_1_25?srs=3022063011&ie=UTF8&qid=1458667002&sr=8-25&keywords=prosport

Greg
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Kushtaka



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PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 2:09 pm    Post subject: Re: chargers Reply with quote

gulfcoast john wrote:
I researched this issue in 2014 and bought what I think is the best…Blue Seas PS12, 40 AMP. You only need the 25amp model. In boating, sometimes buying the best the first time is cheaper in the long run.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/7522/P12_Battery_Charger_-_12V_DC_40A
Many marine chargers can do the basic job, but any good quality charger should have a battery temp sensor and take that temp into account in the charge algorithms. The Guest charger installed by Triton did not even have that.
Blue Seas PS12 Pros:
Military grade like construction, many unique features (that may not matter to you), designed and built right in your backyard with the only 5 year warranty and very responsive US-based tech support (see the online complaints about trying to get Mastervolt’s Dutch manufacturer to support warranty claims (2 yrs), though Bob Austin likes his Mastervolt charger). Ability to dial down output if desired. Optional $90 remote diagnostic panel chock full of LED’S for the helm, if you like that sort of thing. I use a Battery Bug on the House battery. Bob uses a $8 Amazon meter. Whatever floats your boat.
Cons:
Most expensive. Requires a special Blue Seas VSR and wiring to take full advantage of the unique ability to add/drop individual batteries from Absorbsion mode.
John


+1. I'm installing an ACR/switch and a charger as well as a dedicated start battery. I'll probably leave my marine battery in as my house battery as it has been issue free and never failed me on its own, and I know I can start my motor with it, even if I'm having problems with it and need to do a lot of cranking. I intend to add a PS12 from Blue Seas. for me the extra cost is well justified in a better electrical system, but I have to be a bit more self-sufficient than those of you who frequent more populated waters.
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Aurelia



Joined: 21 Aug 2009
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 3:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just a note to all. That Blue Seas PS12 and Mastervolt chargers mentioned in posts above are dry mount units intended to be installed in a dry and well ventilated location. The others mentioned are waterproof units that can tolerate wet environments giving more mount options on our small boats. The 25 Cruisers do have more cabinet space to accommodate dry mounting while the less cabinet space and stern positioned electrical nature of 22s make the waterproof type have more appeal.

Or to put it another way...
What type of space would you like to preserve more of, dry storage or wet storage?

Greg
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hardee



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PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good point Greg, My charger (not either of these) is a waterproof one, with only one LED, either red or green. it is mounted on the underside of the Splash-well bottom. Yup, I can see that LED, if I lay down on the cockpit sole and slide my head back under the splash-well. I can see if it is charging from my helm seat, on my battery volt meter. Not too much Automatic stuff, but it charges when it is plugged in. (Might use an update along the way some time.)

Harvey
SleepyC Moon


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BrentB



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PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anyone use NOCO Genius chargers?

https://no.co/products

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Salmon Fisher



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PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I neglected to say that I do indeed having a starting battery, right now a Group 24. I also have a VSR to isolate starting and house batteries.

I have added a 50 qt ARB fridge freezer. That is what started all of this having to add more AH.

We plan on cruising and gunkholing around the San Juans and Gulf Islands. More time on the hook than plugged into shorepower and with the ARB unit, not having to run for ice.

Our 12 V needs at night are minimal. A couple of interior lights for a couple of hours and the anchor light. In the past, the Group 24 has always given us good service. With the ARB 24/7 and anchored out for 72 hours, I need some AH to keep everything going.

I guess I could connect the Honda Gen directly to the paralleled house batteries and monitor voltage since there is a chance of overcharging.

Right now, solar is not in the cards. I know in the future, it probably should be.

I just want to get the right charger for shorepower, since I have the stock Guest 5 amp and it is going on 11 years old and I know what can happen to it.
Like I said, I could directly go from generator to batteries for charging on the hook. I wonder, however, if charging would happen faster if generator was plugged into shorepower pigtail cord and put AC through new charger.

Thanks again all for the responses.
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