ProMariner

Paul, I would need to know the exact capacity of the batteries to recommend the appropreiate battery charger for the application. That said, if it is working for you so be it and I am glad to hear it! With over 100 boat builders we do business with the ProSport is never recommended for a 36' sportfish. I just want you to have the best possible performance and get the longest life out of the charger. Jim

Will do. Thanks

Prowlersfish, If your boat is the one shown in your icon photo it is not what we would recommend for the application. Typically if your boat has an AC distibution system we would automatically recommend a dry compartment charger there are a few reasons for this but the most relavant are the following. 1) Dry compartment chargers are designed to serve as a power supply maintaining house loads while charging. 2) Dry compartment chargers will allow you to charge batteries of difference capacities without creating an imbalance. I hope this is the only battery this charger is charging. We like to use this for a rule of thumb (Total Amp Hour Capacity of the batteries being charged X 10% = Amp battery charger you should be using. For Example (4) group 31 batteries 125 amp hours each = 500 Amp Hours worth of batteries x 10% = 50 Amp battery charger. Let me know if you have any questions I would be happy to address. Jim Jim I am not sure what you mean by a AC distribution system unless you mean shore power ? the 12 volt loads are very light when at the dock under way the engines supply 12 volt power for the heavier loads like radar and other electronics , I am still not under standing the need for a "Dry compartment" charger . I don't know if my boat ever had one (I did have a inverter charger I got rid of . as far as charging batteries of difference capacities it only charging 2 of the same size and it made for charging a cranking and a house Battery or so the info said was this incorrect ? the 3rd battery in the boat is not hooked up to the charger (genset battery ) I thought about going to the prosport 20 plus( mine is not a plus) to charge all 3 ,but from what your saying I need a different type of charger ? and at what cost ? Dry compartment chargers how costly Thanks Prowlersfish, Sorry about the confusion AC distribution system = shore power. The biggest difference between the two chargers is that the Dry Compartment is designed to serve as a power supply while at the dock. What this means is that the charger will maintain the DC loads providing power and charge the batteries at the same time. So if you have the lights on and accesories running the charger will feed both without kicking in to fast charge (the higher rate of charge). You want a charger that will charge the batteries and then maintain them once they are full. Also a ProSport is not designed to run off a generator as it does not have filtering required which a dry mount charger does. A waterproof charger is designed for a boat without a shore power system that comes home at the end of the day and can be plugged into the garage without loads on it and the reason we fit the charger with a 3 prong plug. Last thing to note that battery manufactures recommend 10% recovery for batteries that are flooded lead acid and 20% for most AGM (Absorped Glass Mat) batteries. This translates to the following. Take the full amp hour capacity of the batteries for example two 4D batteries 185 amp hours each = 370 Amp Hours x 10% = 37 amp charger for flooded lead acid batteries for proper recovery. Hope this helps. Jim

Thanks for the note. There is no issue with the AGM configuration you want to run. I would recommend the 4 hour absorption period. As for a larger amperage charger that would be ideal but the cost is something to consider. The choice is yours and I would be happy to provide you pricing if you like. Give me a call with any further questions or email. Jim Thank you very much for the quick reply! Which model charger would you consider best for my set up? All the best! Well if things were free a ProNautic 1260 as the batteries love a lot of current but they retail for $779.99. Personally I would go with a ProNautic 1250 and can give you a good price on one just email me. Jim

Thanks for the note. There is no issue with the AGM configuration you want to run. I would recommend the 4 hour absorption period. As for a larger amperage charger that would be ideal but the cost is something to consider. The choice is yours and I would be happy to provide you pricing if you like. Give me a call with any further questions or email. Jim

Prowlersfish, If your boat is the one shown in your icon photo it is not what we would recommend for the application. Typically if your boat has an AC distibution system we would automatically recommend a dry compartment charger there are a few reasons for this but the most relavant are the following. 1) Dry compartment chargers are designed to serve as a power supply maintaining house loads while charging. 2) Dry compartment chargers will allow you to charge batteries of difference capacities without creating an imbalance. I hope this is the only battery this charger is charging. We like to use this for a rule of thumb (Total Amp Hour Capacity of the batteries being charged X 10% = Amp battery charger you should be using. For Example (4) group 31 batteries 125 amp hours each = 500 Amp Hours worth of batteries x 10% = 50 Amp battery charger. Let me know if you have any questions I would be happy to address. Jim

Great! Let me know if you have any questions along the way. Happy Boating! P.S Get some sleep

Twisted Pair, The ideal charger due to the 110vac is a dry compartment charger. I would prefer to use a 1240 either ProTech-i or ProNautic depending on the space requirements the concern is that they are only 3 bank chargers. Both can be seen on our website www.promariner.com. That said, if you have to have 4 banks the only option is a ProTournament 300 quad. 30 amps should do the job but 40 would be prefered as Optima batteries are AGM absorbed glass mat and they like a lot of current. Let me know if you have any further questions and as always give me a call if you have questions. Jim

Twisted Pair, The ProSport 20+ is only a 3 bank charger designed to charge 3 batteries. The ProTournament 300 quad is designed to charge 4 batteries. The biggest difference is the amperage 20 on the ProSport and 30 on the ProTournament. As for battery size we recommend no larger then group 31's on both chargers. If the batteries are larger then that they should use a dry compartment charger which will be able to charge the batteries better. If you can give me more details about the application I can provide the recommend battery charger. If we are talking about your seaswirl 26 I would like to know; do you have shore power on board? This would put you in to a dry compartment charger becuase they are designed to serve as a power supply. Jim

Great question. The reason we label the charger lead Engine is that it is the last to be sensed. If it were the first to be sensed it could cause the charger to cut back its charge early. I guess to answer your question the simply way is yes you can just connect all four leads up to a respective battery but ideally I would like to see the lead marked engine connect to an engine starting battery. Give me a call if you have any other questions. Direct Line 603-766-7603 or email jmitchell@pmariner.com

Hello All, My name is Jim Mitchell from ProMariner the Marine Battery Charger company. At any rate, I wanted to extend my hand and offer help regarding wiring, chargers, inverters, galvanic isolators and anywhere I can be of help. I have been in the Marine Industry for over 12 years and boated since I can remember. At any rate I monitor other forums as well so if you are looking for an immediate response please email me or call my direct line below. Happy Boating! Jim ProMariner Jim Mitchell Manager, Technical Services Group jmitchell@pmariner.com 603-766-7603 www.promariner.com