Captain DieHard Battery Tips

Dear Captain DieHard: I've read about the new DieHard Security Battery that helps prevent vehicles from being stolen. Also, it is supposed to keep enough stored up power to start the engine, even if you have left the accessories turned on. Will this work in my boat? Clewiston, Florida

Dear Clewiston: DieHard Security isn't for boats but your Sears Auto Center can install it in your towing vehicle. It's your silent sentinel while you're fishing, helping prevent the theft of your towing vehicle back at the launching ramp. And if you accidentally leave the lights on, the power saver feature will shut down power to all accessories, leaving the battery with enough power to start the vehicle when you come off the water.

Bouncing Boats and Batteries
Engineers of DieHard marine batteries say the pounding a boat takes in rough water is not good for ordinary wet-cell batteries. So, if your boating water is typically choppy, your vessel is a candidate for maintenance-free, absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries or gel-cell batteries. Initial cost is higher than lead-acid batteries, but these two kinds of maintenance free batteries generally last longer and resist the damaging effects of boat pounding and vibrations. If your battery compartment is prone to flooding, note also that DieHard marine AGM and gel cell batteries are fully submersible.

Battery Brain Bender
Take two identical boats with the same trolling motor and the same batteries. In a trolling motor race, one boat always beats the other boat. Why? The DieHard marine battery experts at Sears Auto Centers say the reason one boat goes faster that the other is that it has fatter battery cables, or the batteries are closer to the trolling motor, or both. The longer the cable, the more poser you lose. Power is also lost by the heat generated through the finer gauge, high-resistance cable. The lower voltage at the motor means less thrust. Rule of thumb: Use short cables with a large diameter.

What's to Blame?
If your electric trolling motor starts the day with strong thrust but quickly loses its punch as the day goes on, the finger of blame points to the batteries. It could be low fluid levels in one or more cells in which case all you do is add distilled water almost to the top of the refill rings. Another possibility, though, is that you've got a battery cell going bad. Put a battery charger on the battery. If the needle won't drop below 5 amps it's a sign you've got a bad cell that prevents the battery from fully charging. When the battery is fully charged, the charger needle should be close to zero. If you don't have a battery charger, you should have your batteries checked by an expert, such as those found at your Sears Auto Center.