The lift is not a garage
Air temperature on a Cape Coral canal at noon is not the temperature inside a closed hatch. BU-806a’s sealed-lead heat guideline is the life math. A cover on a pontoon or a dark Sunbrella over a bowrider turns the battery box into the hottest place on the boat. We open that box. Shade on the dock does not count.
The charger is on a cord
Pedestal power, a GFCI, and a pigtail that pulls when the lift moves are how a “maintained” boat sits discharged for a week. Sulfation follows (BU-802). We test the charger as part of the visit. A new battery on a dead outlet is a two-week callback.
Access from the dock, not a shop stall
Some hatches only open with the hull down. Some wells need two people and a board. We come to the lift and we work in that space. If a battery cannot come out safely with the boat in the air, we will say so before we start.
Chemistry in a hot well
Flooded needs water and venting. AGM hates extra heat. Lithium needs a charger that stops at full, which many lift chargers will not. The well decides as much as the owner’s preference.
Sarasota to Port Charlotte
This is the daily geography of lift boats. Photos of the well, the charger brick, and the pedestal help. We quote from the boat in the slings, not from a generic canal story.
Working with the lift up or down
Some wells open only with the hull down so a hatch will clear a piling. Some owners want the boat left in the slings. Tell us which. We will not fight a hatch against a bunk board. If the charger pigtail is the only thing that moves when the lift runs, we will secure that cord so the next storm does not unplug a new pack.
Sources
- Battery University BU-806a — How Heat and Loading Affect Battery Life
- Battery University BU-802 — What Causes Capacity Loss
If this is the job on your boat, see how we replace batteries at the boat. We come to you — Florida towns and counties.