Best Battery Charger (Sea Ray Seadancer 270)

[sgs01]

The battery charger in my new (to me) 1984 Sea Ray Seadancer SRV-270 failed some time ago and was disconnected by the previous owner. I'm not sure what the brand is, but it is black, 30amp, and it is wired directly to the breaker on the "outlets" breaker. I want to move it to its own breaker.

I'm running two marine deep-cycle batteries with a single 4-position battery switch.

What kind of battery charger are people using in their cruisers? I should mention that I don't like the idea of an electrical outlet in my bilge at all because this is a gasser boat and I don't want something sparking down there!

I've looked at Mastervolt, Newmar, Blue Sea, and some of those ProSport chargers. If I got a ProSport model that had a 110 outlet plug on it, could I open it up and hook up my existing battery charger wire to the terminals where the power cord goes?

 

[BigBoysToys]

I replaced my stock charger with a mastervolt unit. No complaints.

 

[kaz911]

And Mastervolt here too.. Much better charger than the factory supplied one. PowerCharger is the "cheap" non-connected version - ChargeMaster is the bigger "connected" version that is very programmable using a Mastervolt USB interface.

 

[paulswagelock]

The Prosport ones with the plug are not made for use on boats that use 12 volt load while on dock power. You would need one with a power supply mode. Promariner makes that kind, but Prosport is not it. So if you use the boat at the dock, be sure to pick one that is made for that purpose - they are usually called "dry mount" version.

 

[kaz911]

MasterVolt ChargeMasters are DC power and charger - so can be used at dock -

 

[sgs01]

Looking at the MasterVolt ChargeMaster 12v/25amp model and I like what I'm seeing. Can I use my existing AC cable that is running to the existing charger?

 

[BlueYonder]

Victron Energy makes an outstanding charger. It has a four step charging profile that goes into a long term float mode at lower voltages than 3 step chargers.

http://www.victronenergy.com/chargers/phoenix-charger-12v-24v

You should be able to remove the old charger and use the same cables with a new charger.

 

[paulswagelock]

Before you reuse wiring, verify that it is sized sufficiently for the AC current draw, and DC current supply.
If have seen several boats undersized from the factory, especially if you are stepping up in capacity.