Maintenance & Operation
Maintenance
Battery Water
The original flooded lead acid batteries require periodic (approximately monthly)
topping-off with distilled water.
Trojan's web site
provides good information about battery
maintenance.
Battery Connections
The marine environment and acid venting from the batteries can cause electrical connections to corrode. If a connection looks poor, flex the wire near the connection to see if the wire itself is been compromised.
Bilge Pump
Periodically test bilge pump operation as described here.
Haul Out and Bottom Paint
Our boat requires a haul-out and bottom paint every 2-3 years. The person cleaning your hull
should let you know when this is necessary.
There is a sacrificial zinc anode on your propeller shaft that also requires periodic
replacement that is best done during haul-out.
Motor Enclosure Ventilation
When the key switch is on, a fan on the front of the motor enclosure and a blower attached to an external vent on the bow or stern should both run.
Navigation Lights
Check for proper operation and that the lenses on the lights are not cloudy, reducing the effectiveness of the lights. Keep extra bulbs on-board.
Zippers
Use zipper lubricant to keep the zippers working smoothly and to help prevent corrosion.
Operation
Extending Battery Life
Your batteries have a limited number of charging cycles. A cycle is the equivalent of one full discharge followed by a full charge. A boat that makes two trips, each with the battery discharged 50% and then recharged, would be a single charging cycle. Fewer charging cycles means greater battery life.
Battery power consumption in the Duffy is very high at full speed compared to just a bit slower, so slowing down will preserve your batteries longer as they will require fewer charging cycles.
Getting Home on a Low Battery Charge
If you are away from the dock with a low charge, returning to the dock as slowly as possible will conserve power.
When your batteries are weak, you may not see much of a speed difference at various throttle settings. This is due to the motor controller's under-voltage protection that will reduce power delivered to the motor if the battery voltage approaches the lower limit of what the controller requires.
