2001 280 Sundancer charging issues

Jeff Walker

New Member
Jul 9, 2018
2
Boat Info
2001 280 Searay Sundancer
Engines
Twin 4.3 Mercruiser, Alpha one gen 2 outdrives
I have a 2001 280 sundancer, wondering if my batter charger is bad, i'm on shore power all the time, went down today to go for a ride and the starboard engine wouldn't start. was able to jump it off of the other engine, after going for about an hour ride the system was charged back up and the engine would start with no issues. if the charger was working i would think the battery would have been charged, if the battery was bad then why did it charge up from the alternator while we were driving around the lake. i have also noticed the batteries boiling out water sometimes when they are charging. How do i test the system to see where the issue may be? and if its boiling out water does that mean the charger is not shutting off when it should? any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Need more information.

What type of batteries and age? Prob lead acid if liquid is coming out.

What kind of charger is installed in your boat? If it's the original charger I bet it's not working correctly. If it's a newer smart charger please check your settings to make sure it's set up correctly. And you are right..... the charger should turn to a trickle charge after the batteries are topped off.

My boat neighbor had battery issues similar to yours (boiling fluid and all) last year and all was cured by replacing his old battery charger with a new smart charger.
 
Welcome to CSR!

Anytime there is a charging issue, I have the batteries load tested. You can buy a load tester or take them to an auto parts store to have this done. Knowing the batteries are good is critical when troubleshooting charging issues.

If the batteries are old, they'll hold a charge for a little while after a run. Just because they were able to start the engine after being charged by the alternator, doesn't mean they're good or will hold a charge.

You don't say where you're from, but in warmer climates lead acid batteries need to be topped off with distilled water from time to time. In Florida I check mine about every other month and top off as needed.

As Little Ducky stated, old style chargers are known to overcharge or "boil" a battery. New style smart chargers are better at turning themselves off when the battery is fully charged, thus eliminating the boiling of water covering the lead inside the battery.

Since you had one good battery which was able to start the engines, I'm leaning towards a bad battery and not the charger.
 
Batteries are Exide Nautilus deep cycle size 27, i have 3 of them, i would say age is 3-4 years, the chart on them does not have the year or month marked on any of them. charger is the original, inteli-power PD2020. i live in Vermilion, Ohio and boat on lake erie.
i'm thinking about starting with a charger first since the boat is now 17 years old and i'm sure the chargers today are much better, any suggestion on type of charger i should get. i have 2 of the batteries tied together and one separate.

battery.jpg
Charger.jpg
 

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