While winter weather may not be ideal for boating, with proper winterization, your boat will be ready to go when the frost thaws in the spring.
Battery experts offer the following tips to ensure a fully charged battery after seven or eight months of storage:
Disconnect the batteries from any potential electrical load. Electrical devices, New Era Italia on or off, can draw power off the batteries, which over the course of an off-season may be enough to fully discharge them. Disconnect terminal connections to remove any threat of electrical draw throughout the off-season.
Store batteries in a cool place. Heat kills batteries, but cold temperatures preserve them. Storing batteries in the boat is fine, but make sure that they are accessible if you plan to apply a periodic charge throughout the winter.
Take the time to perform proper maintenance to batteries prior to storing. If you have traditional batteries with removable vent caps, they may require maintenance. Simply top off with new era distilled water. Most sealed batteries, such as OPTIMA batteries, do not have removable vent caps and require no maintenance. Also, clean any corrosion from the terminals and cable connections.
Most importantly, put a full charge on the battery. Batteries stored at less than full charge may not be able to be recharged fully come spring.
It's recommended to provide a periodic charge to your batteries throughout the winter. This helps ensure a fully charged battery when the boat comes out of storage. A trickle charger can be used or any automatic charger can be applied at regular intervals. Once a month for a few hours should be sufficient.
One solution to concerns about traditional battery storage life is to consider an advanced technology battery such as the OPTIMA BlueTop marine batteries. When stored with a full charge, they can be stored for up to a year and still retain starting voltage. These batteries are leak-proof and spill-proof so there is no threat of acid burns to skin, clothes or boat upholstery when removing them and putting them into storage. They can be safely stored in locations where traditional batteries may be a hazard or create a mess, including boats stored at marinas in an angled position to drain. Traditional batteries cannot be stored at greater than a 45?angle without leaking acid.