Battery Chargers

I recently purchased a used 37' sailboat which needs considerable repairs. I think one of the more urgent task it to get the bilge pumps working. I want to add solar pannels to provide a trickel charge, but more urgent is a battery charger which works off of the 120v ac at the docks. I would like a smart charger so as not to over charge the batteries when left un-attended for long periods of time. Cost is a big consideration. Temperature compensation would be nice, but I am unsure if it is cost justified.

What brands of battery chargers have you used? Did they do a good job of charging quickly but shutting off when the battery bank was charged? Relative cost?

 

There are a ton of good battery chargers out there. I am partial to Xantrex mostly because they are easily available and their warranty is pretty good.

If you are going to use the boat as a cruiser it might be worth considering an inverter/charger. Considerably more expensive but it saves buying the inverter later.
Another consideration is the number and size of banks you will be charging. This will aslo be decided by how you imagine yourself using the boat.
I suggest looking for a charger that can be tuned to suit your battery type(i.e lead acid, AGM, Gel etc).

 

Xantrex are widely considered to be among the best, if not the absolute best. Some of theirs can even interface with a computer control. If you have the $$ and want a machine that will take excellent care of your pack, Xantrex is a good bet.
Here in Canada the most popular is probably Motomaster, I don't know if they're available outside Canada though. They're basic, very cheap, and very reliable so long as they don't get wet.

 

I really like the Freedom 2000. Although it is a modified sine wave it does have a 15 Amp echo charger that solves the problem ofkeeping the starting bank toped up at the dock. It seems to be pretty damn tough.
http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/50/p/1/pt/7/product.asp

It you need to have a true sine wave inverter...
http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/41/p/1/pt/7/product.asp

If you go with a battery charger only the Xantrex XC will take good care of seperate banks.
http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/180/p/1/pt/7/product.asp

Good luck