A dead boat battery doesn’t have to ruin your day. Jumping a dead boat battery is not too different from jumping a car battery. Having the right boat battery starter on hand can save you time and the headache of having to call for help.
-
Step 1: Identify the type of battery onboard the boat. Not all boat batteries should be jump started.
- Starting batteries and dual-purpose batteries both turn over the engine, and both are safe to jump start.
- Deep cycle batteries are generally used to power additional marine tech and are designed to deliver power over a long period of time, rather than quick bursts of energy. These usually need to be manually recharged instead of being charged by the alternator and therefore should not be jump started.
- Step 2: Make sure your engine and anything that may be using the boat’s battery is completely turned off.
- Step 3: Connect the Smarty Clamps® to your Weego boat jump starter and power the marine battery jump starter on.
- Step 4: Identify the battery terminals and first connect the BLACK clamp to the NEGATIVE terminal, then the RED clamp to the POSITIVE terminal. Make sure to adjust the Smarty Clamps® to achieve maximum contact with the terminals. Poor connections will prevent you from starting your boat’s engine. You may need to clear off any debris or buildup with a wire brush or dry towel before connecting your clamps.
- Step 5: When you have a SOLID GREEN ready light on the smart box attached to the Smarty Clamps®, start the boat engine. If the engine doesn’t start, turn the boat engine off and check your Smarty Clamps® lights and connection to the terminals before trying again.
- Step 6: After a successful start, disconnect the Smarty Clamps® from the Weego boat jump starter first, then detach the Smarty Clamps® from the battery terminals.
- Step 7: You should be good to go. Your boat’s alternator should begin charging the batteries back up, so make sure to keep the engine running for at least 15 minutes to give it time to recharge.
What’s the best boat battery starter for you? For most boats, we recommend the Weego 70 or the Weego 120. The 70 is compatible with all gas engines, 5+ Liter Diesel engines, and has peak/cranking currents of 2,500/700. The 120 is our most heavy-duty model and is compatible with all gas engines, up to 15 Liter Diesel Engines, and has peak/cranking currents of 5,000/1200. Both models include flashlight/strobe/SOS lights and power 12v accessories. For a complete breakdown of our models, check out our portable marine battery jump starter comparison page. In the off season and when not in use, you can prevent your marine battery from dying by using the Weego Trickle Charger. Happy boating!
