Battery recommendations

[Ribs77]

You need to add an onboard charger. The charging system on your boat is not capable of properly charging your battery.

IF you’re going to stick with a single battery you need a dual purpose start / deep cycle battery.

IF you’re going to add a second battery, search the forums and there is a ton of information. I personally like the BEP marine switch that comes on the Yamaha boats, its compact and simple, start & house battery switches plus an emergency parallel switch and the dvsr is built into the cluster.

Question about this.

I don't have access to an outlet at my wet slip. An onboard charger needs to plug into external power, right? I have a NoCo charger/tender, but for the offseason when the boat's in a barn.

What should I be doing during the season when I'm in the wet slip?

Edit: I always carry a charged jump pack.

 

[biffdotorg]

Question about this.

I don't have access to an outlet at my wet slip. An onboard charger needs to plug into external power, right? I have a NoCo charger/tender, but for the offseason when the boat's in a barn.

What should I be doing during the season when I'm in the wet slip?

Edit: I always carry a charged jump pack.

Then all this discussion is a waste of your time. You don’t have a need for more power, that you have determined yet. And if you did, you would have no way of charging additional power. So more than one battery is not an option for you.

 

[Dami860]

What's your budget? As it really doesn't matter. Spend $100 on a deep cycle or $450 on a lithium. I think you are trying to find solutions for a problem that has yet to exist. Worry about it when you actually have a problem.

Anyone who says, "you need this" or "you need that" either ran into a problem and are assuming you will run into that problem as well, or they have way too much money that could have been spent on beer and gas.

Well I went out this weekend, played music, came home and plugged in the noco and the battery was already full

 

[Ribs77]

Then all this discussion is a waste of your time. You don’t have a need for more power, that you have determined yet. And if you did, you would have no way of charging additional power. So more than one battery is not an option for you.

My main concern is of course running out of power while on an outing. Theoretically the jump pack should allow me to get back safely and I also have tow coverage via my insurance. But I'd definitely prefer to never have to be towed.

 

[anmut]

My main concern is of course running out of power while on an outing. Theoretically the jump pack should allow me to get back safely and I also have tow coverage via my insurance. But I'd definitely prefer to never have to be towed.

The charging system in these boats is pretty low-power. No alternator, everything is coming off the stator. So if you're doing short runs where engine isn't running, AND you're running them down while you're at the sandbar for hours at a time, it would be a nice peace of mind to to have them topped off when you go out.

The jump pack is fine, but that's really a last resort "we're packing up" situation. If you'd like power all day, and if no shore power is available, I'd consider putting on a solar trickle charge system and/or additional batteries.

If neither of those are economical, you might consider a battery powered speaker, so your boat could turn off but you could still crank some tunes. That would negate concern for a low battery ruining the sandbar bash and probably give you less charge-level anxiety throughout the day. Sonos and JBL both make really decent speakers.

 

[Ribs77]

The charging system in these boats is pretty low-power. No alternator, everything is coming off the stator. So if you're doing short runs where engine isn't running, AND you're running them down while you're at the sandbar for hours at a time, it would be a nice peace of mind to to have them topped off when you go out.

The jump pack is fine, but that's really a last resort "we're packing up" situation. If you'd like power all day, and if no shore power is available, I'd consider putting on a solar trickle charge system and/or additional batteries.

If neither of those are economical, you might consider a battery powered speaker, so your boat could turn off but you could still crank some tunes. That would negate concern for a low battery ruining the sandbar bash and probably give you less charge-level anxiety throughout the day. Sonos and JBL both make really decent speakers.

My usage is a bit different than that. I'm in a lake so no sandbar. We're mostly tubing and surfing, so a good bit of stop-and-starting. Also using the engine battery to run pumps for the ballast and tubes. Only rarely do I go out and listen to music for a significant amount of time, and on those times we usually get a bit of a run in so I hope the battery is getting some juice at that time.

I've considered a solar panel that can hook up to a battery pack/noco charger but haven't narrowed in on one yet. Got any recommendations?

The NoCo I have is this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W6B987F?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

 

[anmut]

My usage is a bit different than that. I'm in a lake so no sandbar. We're mostly tubing and surfing, so a good bit of stop-and-starting. Also using the engine battery to run pumps for the ballast and tubes. Only rarely do I go out and listen to music for a significant amount of time, and on those times we usually get a bit of a run in so I hope the battery is getting some juice at that time.

I've considered a solar panel that can hook up to a battery pack/noco charger but haven't narrowed in on one yet. Got any recommendations?

The NoCo I have is this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W6B987F?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

No suggestions on the solar panel, my boat stays plugged into a NOCO at my house.

I'd say that if your motors are on nearly all of the time, you're probably staying fairly topped off. Pumps for batteries and tubes - those aren't going to drain your system that much.

 

[Ribs77]

Question for battery experts:

Would this thing, connected to the NoCo Genius2 (which I already have), provide enough juice to top off my boat battery? (I don't know which group or type of battery it is, but it's whatever the stock battery is on a 2021 AR195.)

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable-Explorer-Generator-Optional/dp/B082TMBYR6/ref=asc_df_B082TMBYR6?mcid=e2eac7f1b7113df7a578b61e2a965e54&hvocijid=3662360025085098812-B082TMBYR6-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3662360025085098812&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9194653&hvtargid=pla-2281435180058&th=1

If so, I could charge this thing at home, bring it to the slip and top off the battery before/after big outings (obviously leaving it plugged into the NoCo/Boat for several hours). I don't think I'd even need the solar panel as I wouldn't need to use it all of the time.

Does it have enough oomph? I'm not really an electrical guy.

 

[anmut]

Question for battery experts:

Would this thing, connected to the NoCo Genius2 (which I already have), provide enough juice to top off my boat battery? (I don't know which group or type of battery it is, but it's whatever the stock battery is on a 2021 AR195.)

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable-Explorer-Generator-Optional/dp/B082TMBYR6/ref=asc_df_B082TMBYR6?mcid=e2eac7f1b7113df7a578b61e2a965e54&hvocijid=3662360025085098812-B082TMBYR6-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3662360025085098812&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9194653&hvtargid=pla-2281435180058&th=1

If so, I could charge this thing at home, bring it to the slip and top off the battery before/after big outings (obviously leaving it plugged into the NoCo/Boat for several hours). I don't think I'd even need the solar panel as I wouldn't need to use it all of the time.

Does it have enough oomph? I'm not really an electrical guy.

Yes, that would work. I would actually plug the noco in at home after a day of boating FIRST and see how fast it goes into maintain mode - I'm guessing you won't need it.

 

[biffdotorg]

Question for battery experts:

Would this thing, connected to the NoCo Genius2 (which I already have), provide enough juice to top off my boat battery? (I don't know which group or type of battery it is, but it's whatever the stock battery is on a 2021 AR195.)

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable-Explorer-Generator-Optional/dp/B082TMBYR6/ref=asc_df_B082TMBYR6?mcid=e2eac7f1b7113df7a578b61e2a965e54&hvocijid=3662360025085098812-B082TMBYR6-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3662360025085098812&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9194653&hvtargid=pla-2281435180058&th=1

If so, I could charge this thing at home, bring it to the slip and top off the battery before/after big outings (obviously leaving it plugged into the NoCo/Boat for several hours). I don't think I'd even need the solar panel as I wouldn't need to use it all of the time.

Does it have enough oomph? I'm not really an electrical guy.

It's all math. What you need to do is look at the ah that the charge draws when doing a full charge on your battery. And then work out the wh that the Jackery can support. Then it will tell you how many hours it will run with that sort of draw. Probably an hour or two, and that won't recover a fully depleted deep cycle. But if just topping it may be fine. Math will not lie.

On the other hand, when the charger starts, there is a spike wattage and that is another spec listed on the jackery. What is the spike wattage, like 400w etc. So when a refridgerator or AC unit kicks on, it spikes to like 4x the running load and then drops down. That's just an example. If the charger does the same, it will shut the jackery off. That Jackery lists 300w running and 500w spike.

The only reason I know this is I use and EcoFlow 768wh solar generator like that jackery in my fish house in the winter. I plugged it in and it runs all the DC fans, DC lights, AC Televisions and charges phones etc in the fish house during a day/weekend of fishing.

The EcoFlow has an app that shows the draw on the unit. So I turned on one light at a time, one fan at a time, one television and it estimates how many hours I can get with those items on. This way I can shut half the lights off, or turn our underwater cam off etc if we want to fish longer.

In your case, you will know right away how long you can charge, if it even has enough power to fire it off. They make them in all sizes of course. But I think this is overkill for a problem that may not exist.

 

[Ribs77]

Yes, that would work. I would actually plug the noco in at home after a day of boating FIRST and see how fast it goes into maintain mode - I'm guessing you won't need it.

The problem is that I'm in a wet slip and it's not easy for me to take the boat home - parking at my house is abysmal. My driveway backs onto a street with busy traffic both directions all day long, so the boat can literally end up stuck there until 7-8pm if I park it there during the day.

Edit: Stopping traffic in both directions while I try to back out is a nightmare that makes my wife not want to own a boat, so I'm loathe to ever do it again

 

[biffdotorg]

Which Noco Genius do you have? The power draw is in the specs. Then match it up to the properly sized jackery or ecoflow and you are set to charge in your wet slip. Other than adding a solar panel or shore power, it's about as good as it gets.

I added solar panel to the roof of my fish house. It can help top my Ecoflow while fishing and get a few more hours out of it. It's amazing how that technology has changed in the past couple years.

I have two season on my EcoFlow and I know they have improved greatly. Battery chemistry and the cost of the solar panels has dropped in price and gotten way more efficient. I just used my ecoflow last weekend in the bed of my SXS to run my air compressor. I was using an air stapler putting up fence around a garden expansion. It's cool to have AC power. It didn't think twice when that air compressor kicked in.

 

[Ribs77]

I have the Noco Genius2, says it's 2 amps, 40AH, 30W output power

 

[biffdotorg]

I have the Noco Genius2, says it's 2 amps, 40AH, 30W output power

So that Jackery is just less than 300wh, so let's use round numbers and say it will run that Noco for 10hrs.

The problem with that Noco is it's only 2a, so it's more of a maintainer than a charger. Most will tell you that 2a is the minimum to keep a battery topped when it is fully charged. A fully depleted deep cycle may take days to get to 100% on a 2a maintainer. I know this, as I had one in my fishing boat before installing a true dual bank 5a charger (which I believe is the bare minimum to do any good with Group 27 deep cycles if you have a day to charge. I have a dual bank 10a in my Yamaha.

A 5a or 10a Noco will charge a deep cycle in hours rather than days. So math is telling us you could put a trickle charge with your noco for 10hrs. Or a 10a charge for 2hrs. That's probably half of what you need. You would be better served with a 600w or larger jackery, so you can run your Noco maintainer twice as long or a true 10a charger for 4hrs.

I hope that math helps. It's rough, but it's a start.

 

[Ribs77]

Thank you, that's really helpful and I think I understand a bit better.

It's hard to know how much I'm depleting my battery. I think the main problem is that it can sit for ~2 weeks if I'm not able to take the boat out or have it plugged in at all. So I might be heading out with the battery lower than I want (but still enough to start the engine.) And then if I do a bunch of stops/starts, run the music, run pumps for ballast, etc... I could be depleting it more than I realize.

Seems like maybe I need a more beefy noco... Sure would be nice to have power at the wet slip as well. I'll see if there's any way I could arrange that...

Edit: With power at the slip, I could get by with the small noco. Without, I'm understanding that the 10hr trickle charge between the 2a Noco and the Jackery will not fully charge a depleted battery. Maybe it would be enough on a half-depleted battery? Which might then charge some via usage?

 

[biffdotorg]

Now you have fallen into the category of the OP. You are worrying about a problem that has yet to exist. If you have a jump pack, you will never have to worry about being stranded with a dead battery (for now) If you actually deplete your battery, then worry about all these solutions. Until then you are finding a solution for a problem you have yet to experience.

At this time, it's all well and good to research and prepare, but many yamaha owners have ran these boats setup stock from the factory doing exactly what you are doing without issue. So unless you have dropped in 2000w of amps and sit with the engines off and music on, chill out until you actually have a problem.

 

[Stealth]

I was in a similar situation last year and wanted to share a few data points from my setup. I added a Wet Sounds HTX-4 amp (link) to my 195S. It powers the four stock Wet Sounds speakers at 2 Ohms and a Wet Sounds subwoofer bridged on the other channel. Based on my measurements, the system utilizes about 75% of the amp’s total output capacity.

My goal was to improve overall sound quality in and around the boat and add some bass—not to blast music to everyone on the lake. I also wanted better clarity while underway. This setup achieves all of that well. I can turn the volume up fairly loud before any noticeable rattling starts in the boat.

I was initially very concerned about power consumption, so I installed a smart shunt (as mentioned earlier in this thread) to monitor usage. I was surprised by how little power the system draws. I’m still running the stock single battery, and while floating, I rarely see a steady draw over 50W. Most of the time it hovers around 30W. Peak spikes seldom exceed 140W, and anything over 100W is rare. Those peaks occur when the volume is loud enough to be hard to talk over—just below the point where the rattling drives me crazy, which is my personal cutoff.

I tend to cruise about 30-45 min each way before I set up somewhere to float, and I’ve found the boat usually recharges the battery to full or near-full by the end of the trip. That said, I always bring a jump pack just in case. My current battery is getting a bit older, so I’ve been considering replacing it with a Dakota 60Ah (720Wh) dual-purpose LiFePO₄ battery. With its deeper discharge capability, it would give me effectively more usable power. Based on my current draw, I believe it could easily keep me floating (and playing music) for double-digit hours.

 

[bridgetjon]

I'm in the same case as you, I have a small amp and a single battery. I replaced the original battery with a Group 31 type AGM with more ampere-hours. Since then, I can listen to music for longer without worry. I still keep an eye on the voltage with a small voltmeter. It reassures me when I'm at anchor!

 

[Dami860]

I'm in the same case as you, I have a small amp and a single battery. I replaced the original battery with a Group 31 type AGM with more ampere-hours. Since then, I can listen to music for longer without worry. I still keep an eye on the voltage with a small voltmeter. It reassures me when I'm at anchor!

Deep Cycle or starting battery?

 

[biffdotorg]

Deep Cycle or starting battery?

when going single battery, go deep cycle or at least hybrid. A deep cycle can handle the charging cycles and heavy drain better than a starting battery