Do I need a second battery?

squirrell · Outlaw Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 118 City: Pennsylvania

I have just hooked up a light bar and heater for an 02 xstar. Does anyone know if I will need a second battery if I am running the radio, heater and light bar at the same time?

jedsterr · Soul Rider Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 291 City: Star Idaho

as long as the boat is running you need to consider your alternater's rating. Once the boat is stopped & your running alot of accessories you WILL benefit from an add'l battery. The thing is, if the boats not running, the heater gets cold quick, so forget that. Run it for a while. If you get stranded, add a battery.
Cheers

boehnkew · Outlaw Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 112 City: Kennewick, WA

Your boat is probably fine. If anything, a higher output alternator might be needed. The battery is only there to get things started and power things while the engine is shut down. Do you know what your alternator is rated for? If you somehow got a low output one (since you didn't get all those extra options), you might need to upgrade. If you plan to run the lights and radio all night long while sitting on the beach, you may need an extra battery as well.

Buergday · Guest

Anybody have an idea of how long you can run the stereo with the engine off, before the battery goes dead? My friends are always wanting to play music while we're chillin on the beach, but I get worried after about 20 minutes. Will it last a few hours at least before needing to be charged up by the alternator?
I rigged up a switch so that I can turn the power to my amp (sub & 2-6x9s) off and just play music over my 6.5" three-way mids. I figured that this would help save juice when the engines off. Do you guys think that helped, or did I just do it for nothing?

MossSavage · Newbie Joined: 08 May 2003 Posts: 10

an extra battery and a switch is a great peace of mind. That way you will always be able to start your boat if the battery you are using gets too low.

Buerqday,

You helped by not making your amp draw as much current, but there are many factors into determining how long your battery will last....too many to make a guess to how long it will last. How many watts are you pushing?

Buergday · Guest

160 - with the switch off
510 - with the switch on (I'm pretty sure)

boehnkew · Outlaw Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 112 City: Kennewick, WA

It depends on the capacity and condition of your battery, cables, connections, engine, starter, and how many total amps you are consuming. That said, if everything is in good working order, you could probably go a couple of hours and still have enough juice to get started. But don't count on it.

Buergday · Guest

Thanks!

boehnkew · Outlaw Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 112 City: Kennewick, WA

160 watts/12 volts = 13.3 amps.

Next divide your battery's capacity (amp-hours) by 13.3 to determine how long to kill the battery.

For example, if you have an 85 amp-hour battery that is fully charged,
85 amp-hours/13.3 amps = 6.4 hours

A good rule of thumb is to not let the battery get below 50% of capacity. So if the above numbers are right, then you could go approx 3.2 hours and still start the engine. Of course it still depends on a lot of other things as stated above. It's a good idea to have jumper cables.

wakeboarder · Addict Joined: 24 Apr 2003 Posts: 702

instead of buying an extra battery, why not just get a jump start thing. it has its own battery so if yours goes dead, connect the cables and turn the key. alot easier