New Owner Questions

[cduffy]

All,
I am a Sea Doo rookie. Just bought a 2000 Sea Doo GTX RFI 5648 10’, 110 HP from a friend of mine. I need to spend some time with the manual, but had some quick questions.

My friends tells me I should charge the Sea Doo before each use if it has been a couple weeks between use. I asked him why, doesn't it have a self charging mechanism? He said he is almost certain it needs to be regularly charged.

One reason I ask is that it went dead on us while at the lake. Luckily we were close to the dock. We were able to get it charged and docked. I noticed the positive side of the battery was loose so I tightened that, but would appreciate any info, advice, etc on this topic so I can do things the right way. Also, when charging should you use the trickle charge?

thx.

 

[nicholas.hodges]

your on the right track clean the posts, check the voltage while running. Im not sure of the volts prob around 14 also it wont hurt to buy a battery tender, it will keep your batt topped off and during the off season if will keep your batt working good.
enjoy your ski and stay safe
nick

 

[chillholm]

Spot on you're on the right track. Charge the battery every 4 to 6 weeks when you're not using the thing.

Lead acid batteries, when not used for long periods, start to "sulphate".
A battery doesn't keep it's charge forever, Basically they discharge themselves over a period of time i.e 6 to 12 weeks.
Sulphation is a process where by as the battery "flattens" the sulphuric acid is absorbed by the positive plate, and over time white "balls" of sulphur form on the plate. When you recharge the battery the electricity replaces the acid in the plates and the balls of sulphur come off the plate and take a bit of plate with them, thus destrying the amount of starting capacity your battery has. In some cases sulphation is so bad the battery won't even charge.

A small charger used every 4 to 6 weeks consevatively is the cheapest investment, unless you want to buy a battery every season.

Sorry to sound like such a nerd but I've worked in the battery industry for 20 years now and can't begin to tell you about the amount of money people pay for jet ski, bike and marine batteries every year because their batteries are not maintained.

Good luck.... and have fun!