Gone fishing lately with that electric trolling motor and had it die on you? Is your boat not starting because of an old cranking battery? Here are some tips for jumping your motorboat battery.
A GPL-4CT LifeLine Battery

If jumping the motorboat battery from a car:

  1. (1) Remove the battery from the battery compartment.
  2. (2) Place the battery on the ground (preferably on a piece of wood).
  3. (3) With the car off, attach the positive terminal (red) to the car and then the opposite positive terminal to the dead battery.
  4. (4) Repeat step three with the negative terminal (black) taking care not to touch the two terminals together.
  5. (5) Start the car and leave it running for about 30 minutes to let the battery charge.
  6. (6) Once the battery has taken a good charge, shut off the car, remove the cables, reinstall and reconnect the battery, and attempt to start your boat.

 

If jumping the battery from another motorboat:

  1. (1) Open the battery compartments on both boats and ventilate for 15 minutes to reduce the amount of flammable vapors present.
  2. (2) Attach the jumper cables like in the steps before and attempt to start.
  3. (3) If your motorboat starts, remove the cables and let run for at least 30 minutes to provide a full charge.
  4. (4) If your motorboat fails to start, keep the cables attached and let the running boat charge your battery for about 30 minutes and re-attempt the start.

 

If jumping the motorboat battery from a charger:

Chargers provide a few different options and there are safety precautions that must be followed. Review the owner’s manual of your battery charger for proper operation.

Here are some basic steps:

  1. (1) Your boat battery is probably 12Volt. Make sure the charger is set to charge a 12Volt battery.
  2. (2) Many chargers allow the use of a trickle charge which charges the battery slowly but more completely. If you use a high amperage setting, you will charge the battery faster but it won’t be as complete.
  3. (3) Your battery charger will have a positive (red) cable and a negative (black) cable. Connect the red cable to the positive terminal of the battery.
  4. (4) Connect the black cable to the negative terminal of the battery.
  5. (5) Read the owner’s manual to determine the charging time, hit start, and monitor about every hour.

If you notice any strong heat or strange sounds or smells, disconnect the charger immediately and secure all power. The easiest way to stop an electrical fire is to shut off all electricity! Good luck!