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Last week I had a pressure test on my lower end to check for a bad seal. Everything was fine with that, but apparenty the guys working on it bumped a few of my power switches on and when I tried to start my motor at the docks on Saturday the battery was dead.

I have a back up on board, so I just grabbed the cables and gave it a boost. Started no problem.

Then I trolled for 7-8 hours. Will the battery be charged up now? Or will I find myself needing abother boost when I turn the key again?

I thought i recently read that trolling doesn't provide enough power to charge the battery and you only get a charge when running at higher rpms.. Perhaps i'm wrong but i know what having a dead battery at the ramp can be like... Perhaps hook up your motor to a hose and see if it turns over.

I've got a back up battery in the boat and even a third in the truck. I've been there before too! I'm just curious about how the charing system works. Can anyone add to John's comments?

i also believe the trolling all day will not provide enough power from your alternator to charge a dead battery.

but of course, i may be wrong.

Try this link (thanks to spinners post on Mar 08th).

http://uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq.htm

CAR AND DEEP CYCLE BATTERY
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 5.2

Markus wrote:Last week I had a pressure test on my lower end to check for a bad seal. Everything was fine with that, but apparenty the guys working on it bumped a few of my power switches on and when I tried to start my motor at the docks on Saturday the battery was dead.

I have a back up on board, so I just grabbed the cables and gave it a boost. Started no problem.

Then I trolled for 7-8 hours. Will the battery be charged up now? Or will I find myself needing abother boost when I turn the key again?

Markus...was it a deepcycle battery? If not you may have a problem bringing a dead regular cranking battery back to a full charge. I would place it on a good battery charger or take it in to be cycled and tested.

Oh ya...go out to your boat, trip the kill switch and try to crank it over...you will know if you have any power

Goodluck...

-et

M: As long as it was a starting batt (which I assume NO ONE on this site would EVER use a deep cycle for starting!! You'll be fine....or else you've got other issues with the charging system on your motor. I've been there before and just idling out of the harbour was enough to get it going again after stopping to fish for 1 hr....that's with a 40 amp charging system (v6 merc) so yours might be a bit different depending on your motor.

when in doubt....slap the earmuffs on her (your motor that is....)
G

i just posted this link too....a very good read for anyone
http://www.marine-electronics.net/techa ... /b_faq.htm

Do you have an inbored or out that may make a diff .my old out wont charge at low rpm it has to be 1000 or up

Graembo wrote:M: As long as it was a starting batt (which I assume NO ONE on this site would EVER use a deep cycle for starting!! You'll be fine....

I use an AGM deepcycle battery for starting...

cheers'

-et

I use a dual purpose battery ,you can buy various brands that are for starting and deep cycle combined. I always used a deep cycle for starting and running accessories,a regular starting battery will not last long running all the extras on the boat. roughrider

Hi Markus

If you were trolling for 7 or 8 hours the battery should be fully charged.

That is assuming all the variables are ok.

Fluid level in all cells - ok
All connections clean and tight
You were not running too many accessories

If you still have concerns, invest in a small inexpensive digital multimeter (Radio Shack) - A reading of 12.5 VDC or better with the motor off is a reasonably good indicator that the battery is fully charged.

PM me if you have any more ?

If your outboard is anything like a motorcycle or a car, you likely aren't actually charging the battery till about 1100 rpm.
Anything less, and you are probably just running enough power to produce the spark to keep running.

We need a motor expert on here, or maybe a boat forum.

M.T. Livewell

I assume Markus is running a kicker and is receiving no charge back to the starting battery while running accessories. MT is right, you need to run high RPM's to recharge the main battery,depending on motor altenator size. In this case,a seperate battery for accessories would be insurance your starting battery will work when needed roughrider

If your alternator/generator on your motor is working fine....10 mins will charge your battery enough to get you started again, if that. Also, a "deep cycle battery" does have cranking power, not just longevity...I used a 27 series delco voyageur for cranking and running electronics for 4 years for example....even then just retired the battery for lights on the duck boat...good luck

Thanks for your help guys. RR, I just finished mounting the new kicker on yesterday. (I decided to go with an independant fuel tank and line.) So my 90 outboard was hopefully charging the battery. I put the muffs on it last night and it turned over nice. I'm just hopping that if I have to turn it over a fewtimes, will it have enough power to do it. We'll find out Saturday morning. Thanks for the help guys.