I have a 98' Carver and the battery charger went bad. I am looking for a replacement unit to charge 3 batteries and wondered what the recommendations are for vendors. There are many out there to choose from it seems. Also, what is the recommendation on what amperage unit to choose. I do have much that runs on 12V when plugged into shore power so I can't imagine that that I would need a large amperage charger for any reason. Do any of you have recommendations?
My boat was hit by lightning and my Charles charger was toast. It was under warranty and I sent it in. Charles sent me a brand new one right away. A couple of weeks later they sent me my original one repaired. I called them and they said keep it. You can't beat that. I have had other dealings with Joe Charles and it was always a pleasure.I used to see him on his Burger around Lake Michigan.
Thanks for the info. That is what I had was a Charles charger. I had a local guy look at it and the recommendation was that the one I have went bad and took out a LOT of parts which are mill-spec or proprietary and impossible to get. His recommendation was to get a new charger rather than mess with the one I have but that Charles (while very expensive) are good and worth looking at as a replacement. I have been researching a bunch of other companies as well and they all sound good but you know how advertisements are..... Now that the local guy has messed with it I am not sure it is worth sending back to Charles for repair or just get another Charles unit or try something else....
Call Chas. and ask if it might be worth the shipping expense and repair cost. Good luck! Let us know how things work out.
I've had only one charge go bad on any boat I've run. (It started a fire). So I can't say what brand is better than another although Charles Charger are on a lot of boats I've run. I think this link to the charger guy will answer your other questions: Marine Boat Battery Chargers : Which Type Do You Need? - YouTube
I've had plenty of chargers go bad that were 2-4 years old Xantrax, Promariner, mastervolt, etc. Charles seem to be the most lasting.