Looking for a good deep cycle battery charger

Recharging once a year before you use the boat battery isn’t the best procedure. A trickle charger from Harbor Freight could be a good option to maintain the battery all year round.

A modest solar panel system would work well.

Use any common flooded battery charger. If you charge once a year then a battery maintainer will be OK, otherwise get a charger with more amps and maybe both types.

I have good luck with RC chargers. They have lots of features for the price. Can charge lithium or AGM or flooded batteries. The best part is having control over the settings. You can do a 16v equalization charge. Bring back dead batteries. Temperature compensate if you happen to be charging in really cold or really warm climate.

I charge my 210ah golf cart batteries with a charger the size of my palm. Off hang guess it might only be a 10a max. Which is plenty to for an equalization charge. Not a good choice to be your daily high amp quick charger.

Holy Cow 20 pages of chargers on Amazon, getting an idea on pricing. Harbor Freight is next town over... I'll compare pricing.

Thanks everyone
Mike

Do you already have a car charger? Trickle charger? Given your once a year use, and how a deep cycle battery takes 100 cycles before it even gets broken in, your battery will age out before it dies from cycles.

Since thats the case no need to get crazy with a charger. Any 12v charger will work. I use the Harbor Freight cheapy from time to time. It does have a "regular" setting for charging flooded batteries.

If you have cars or motorcycles that sit and have wanted to buy a battery tender that would work as well to charge your boat battery. Could get multiple use out of it.

I've had good performance from these 15 amp chargers at Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Everstart-Maxx-50-Amp-Automotive-Battery-Charger-with-Patented-Engine-Start-BC50BE/146599600

Works on batteries of all sizes and has the reconditioning mode. I use mine daily on my diesel trucks for the last few years, so far so good. I buy them because they do handle 15 amps charge rates and are the smart type for around $60. You can charge up a good size battery fairly fast or trickle charge it with the same unit.

For maintenance only I would just get a small BatteryTender: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Battery-Tender-4-Amp-6V-or-12V-Selectable-Battery-Charger/460452900

Noco work okay too. I don't think they last as long as the Deltran products though after talking to various folks who have tried them and my first hand experience. My 7.5 amp Noco Genius only lasted a couple years of occasional use. So I would not buy another one unless it was a little wall wort, those seem to be a good durable charger.

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GENIUS1-Fully-Automatic-Temperature-Compensation/dp/B07W46BX31/ref=psdc_15707061_t3_B004LWVEKS

I've had the Battery Tenders go for many years, Noco have almost all died too soon. I have one 1 amp charger left on my back up generator that still works, its about 4 years old.

The charger I have is a straight 10 amp, which I got for free 20 + yrs ago. Harbor Freight has a multiple setting charger for $60, think I'll go with that. The other day I tried doing a 2nd charge, boat motor wasn't lasting will probably look for a quality Marine Battery.

Kind of a newbie question here so please take it easy on me, how long do I leave a battery unattended on a trickle charge?

Thanks everyone for your replies
Mike

Mike,if it's listed as a "marine" battery,it will be the wrong battery. For your application,you need a straight deep cycle.

$12 trickle charger from walmark.

Are you asking something different? What do you mean "take it out once a year" exactly? Will you need to charge the battery back multiple times on this one outing or will the charge be enough for the little outing?
If you want to recharge it fast between boat trips on this once per year outing then that is way different than keeping the battery charged all year for that one trip.

A small gas motor is better in this situation as a motor can sit years and be ready to go. Battery will die a slow death over time and there is really no way to keep a battery alive for too many years. A golf cart batty can last 5-7 years, some keep them longer, but .....

Kind of a crazy question