Reply With QuoteAhhh. YUP!
MBrown you have a pretty wicked setup there in your DCB. You stated you have the dual bank Xantrex charger in your boat. What do you think about Pro Pak's battery chargers (www.culmrite.com)? Or is Xantrex better? Did DCB do your battery charger install?
I recently had my boat serviced at ALCO Marine in Havasu and they had Pro Pak's display. They wanted close to $600 to install a dual bank charger (Alco's price was $385 for the charger but it's on the internet for $132; $250 for a three battery setup). They wanted another $188 in labor for the install.
I'm not an electrical engineering geek when it comes to this stuff but I also know it's not rocket science either. What I'm looking for is a simplier way of charging my batteries every night instead of using the old trickle charger connected to the battery posts dealio. I also want something quick and easy to plug into when I leave my boat stored at my house in Havasu between trips.
I'd use ALCO, but man they aren't cheap. If I'm not wrong, I think RiverCrazy wants a charger in his set-up too.
Thanks.
Ahhh. YUP!
I would say the answer is SHORE POWER.. Just plug your extension cord in a go. I know Mark's Auto Sound has done quite a few of these on Halletts and a few Nordics. They placed the inlet plug on the bottom of the back bench along with a battery voltage meter. They are located in San Gabriel off Las Tunas.
http://www.markautosound.com
They also do some pretty awesome audio work..
Trojan Dan,
Thnx for the comments. I am not really an expert on which Charger is best....I had heard good things about Xantrex and Guest chargers, but did not do a lot of research in this area after I found what I needed in the Xantrex...plus the fact that they and Guest are carried by a large number of dealers, I figured they are reputable and easy to get a replacement or service on.....
If you are just worried about having a fixed mount charger on board that you would plug in at the end of the day or leave connected while your boat is in storage in the garage, there are a number of options that are probably less than the Xantrex model I went with...I only did that model because I wanted the 40amp charge while on the water boating on occassion...if I was just plugging it in at the end of the day, I could have went with a model that provided less amps but put out 15amps or less with auto shut-off and trickle capability if the voltage on the battery dropped below a certain voltage...I thought I remember these types of chargers running the 150-300 range...but for the difference of $100 I would step up to the 350-400 range for a smart charger like the Xantrex...
Do a search of Xantrex Battery Chargers, and Guest Battery Chargers...you will soon become familiar with the model lines and the pricing structure based on the different models and features....
You can probably get the Charger for less online than Alco, and I don't necessarily think a Marine guy has to install it for you....Actually, there is an Alternator guy I use in Havasu to troubleshoot issues we had with our Eliminator...He could probably do it for less labor than a Marine guy and he possibly knows Electrical better than the Marine guy since he works on boat and car electrical issues day in and day out...These are not that hard to install...just need to install them somewhat near the banks with a little distance based on the manufacture's specs.
DCB installed ours and procured it...I gave them the website of where it was at, and they might have made a little profit on it, but overall, I got a good deal on the stereo setup when you add everything up, retail versus wholesale and the labor for install time..
Let me know if I can answer any other questions.
MBrown2, Thanks for your reply. Is your charger waterproof (too lazy to look it up on their website)?
Yes, I am just looking for something to plug into and charge back at the house. I wouldn't have this problem if it wasn't for the low water level in Havasu :yuk: . My batteries went dead from having my boat just sit there these past couple of months. Hopefully only a few more weeks and I can take it out again.
Do you have a number to your alternator guy you used in Havasu?
Thanks again.
Dan
No, I don't think its waterproof....we have it mounted behide the backseat on an amp rack that does not get much water..
The name of the Alternator guy is:
Alternator Specialities Auto
1944 Acoma Blvd W # D, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
Phone: (928) 680-8646
His name is Ray (I think)...low key guy....plays in Latin Band in town up there...cool dude..
Dan, here is a unit that goes for about the same price and MB's but it's 75 amp charger for about the same price. It has a fast charge setting on it also. Cascade (http://www.cascadeaudio.com/prod/powersupp.html) The APS 75 is the model you would need.
BF,
I looked at that website...and that unit looks very cool...I like the 90amp version.....I am wondering if can do trickle and smartcharging as well? If you have any additional info on it please send it...since I could find additional literature on the site....But if it can do smartcharging and trickle along with putting out 90 amps, that is a pretty serious unit...run that could run a system at full tilt...
Wow BF,
That looks like serious stuff. I think I'll just settle for the trickle charge/smart charge thingy. I spent enough money on this stereo system already.
Thanks MBrown for the info.
Originally posted by mbrown2
BF,
I looked at that website...and that unit looks very cool...I like the 90amp version.....I am wondering if can do trickle and smartcharging as well? If you have any additional info on it please send it...since I could find additional literature on the site....But if it can do smartcharging and trickle along with putting out 90 amps, that is a pretty serious unit...run that could run a system at full tilt...
I would call Casade and ask since I didn't see anything on that either. I know it has charging but smart I don't know. The 90 amp would be the way to go, you could crank all day long. Dennis has the 75 in his Carrera 29' with the Honda EU2000i and it's worked great. Let me know what you find out.
Thanks for the link on the Honda generator, I found a place in National City that has them for $895. So I think I'm good to go.
Posting Permissions