Why Use A Marine Battery Monitor?
Have you ever been out on the water and suddenly notice your battery is dead? Better yet, have you ever hauled your boat and trailer to the marina looking forward to a day of fishing just to discover your battery was dead? Either situation can put an immediate damper on your day. This is where a marine battery monitor could have helped.
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Marine Battery Monitor Comparison Chart
| Brand | Dimensions | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Clipper | 10x8x4in | NA | |
ProMariner | 7x6x3in | 2.9 | |
Xantrex | 14x12x10in | 4.5 | |
MinnKota | 6.6x4.81.2in | 4.4 | |
Victron | 10.1x9.1x2.7in | 4.4 | |
BlueSea | 3.25x3.25x2.37in | 4.4 | |
BlueFire | 3x2x1.5in | 4.3 | |
SEARON | 2.5x2.1x1.5in | 3.9 | |
ProPower | 2x1.25in | 4.0 | |
Blue Sea | 4x5x10in | 4.5 |
What Are Battery Marine Monitors?
A battery monitor is a simple device that shows you how long your battery life will last. It calculates how much juice the battery has versus how much charge is going out and shows you approximately how much longer the battery will remain working. Some of them are powered by the battery itself and others use solar power to keep it functioning accurately without further depleting your battery’s life. (Check out more uses of solar marine power here.)
Some battery monitors will also show you other information that could be valuable in regards to your boating. For example some may even be able to alert you to an issue with a failing battery before it does leave you stranded on the open water. Even the best marine batteries do eventually die. As we say, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Why Do You Need a Battery Monitor?
Think about your primary vehicle. A car or a truck has a variety of gauges that can show you what is going on under the hood. A marine battery gauge does the same thing, but it is focused solely on your battery. This is great news considering that each time your battery goes completely dead, it negatively has an effect on your battery’s overall life. This effect is even worse if your battery ends up sitting for a while without any charge at all.
What happens in a battery that goes dead is the acid will harden when it no longer has a charge. The longer you go without a full charge on your battery, the more it will harden and it does shorten the lifespan of your battery. This is why maintaining a marine battery is so critical. If the “insides” become hardened, your battery will no longer hold a charge as long as it should. This could result in you taking it off your charger and it immediately losing the surface charge it may have acquired. In the end, you will be out of a battery until you purchase a new one. Wouldn’t you rather spend a few dollars on a gauge instead of spending much more on a new battery?
Think about how much you depend on the battery in your boat. Without it, you cannot listen to music, run lights, or use a huge number of other battery powered extras that mariners put on their boats. Most importantly you may not be able to crank your boat if you let the power in the battery dip too low. Wouldn’t your life be a little easier if all you had to do was look at a gauge and know you were still safe? Most people like the idea, but either they do not know that marine battery gauges are available or they do not know which one to choose.
To help you make a better choice and find more happiness on the water with less to worry about, here are a few reviews to get you started. These gauges have been tested and they are ready for you to enjoy.
Marine Battery Monitor Reviews
Xantrex LinkPRO and LinkLITE Battery Monitors
These two monitors together will show you how much battery life you have at a single glance. It has a large display and shows in a percentage form how much battery juice you have remaining on your battery. It also shows the voltage, amps, and amp hours left on it. It will also enable you to push a button to see how your battery is performing now compared to how it performed last season. It has an alarm which can be set to warn you when the battery charge is completely full or nearing empty. It has a one year warranty, it is waterproof, and will draw very little power from your battery when in use.
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Minnkota Digital Battery Meter
If you are in the market for a cost effective way to keep a close eye on your battery, the Minnkota is probably something you may want to consider. It is able to check the juice that is left on any 12 volt battery. It is a digital battery monitor that you use to simply touch and check your battery. When not in use, you can easily store it in a tool box or your tackle box. When in use, it will tell you whether the battery is at 2/3 full charge, 1/3 or even no charge remaining and most users claim that is extremely accurate.
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Clipper Battery Monitor Instrument
If you have a 12 volt lead acid battery, you can easily find out how your battery is doing with accurate measurements. It will continuously monitor your voltage, currents in both the discharge and the charge, the number of amp hours on it, and how much charge is on the battery. It all leads to a more efficiently used battery so that you do not have to worry about your battery leaving you out on the water where help may be a little hard to come by.
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ProMariner Remote Bank Status Monitor
This status monitor can keep up with the charge that is left on each of three batteries using an easy to read LED indicator. It is prewired to ensure installation will be a breeze. You can mount it on the surface or flush against a console or gunnel. It comes with a 10” cable harness as well.
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Victron Battery Monitor
This monitor shows cumulative amp hours that have been used from the battery and calculates the state of its charge based on capacity. It can also monitor the voltage of a second battery. It is compact at only 2-inches. It is easy to install and connects via a 500A shunt, which is included. It comes with a full 5-year warranty.
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Blue Sea Systems M2 OLED Digital Meter
This monitor measures as well as monitors the state of charge that is on your battery bank. It can measure three voltages and one current. It has an adjustable, internal 92dB alarm for high currents, high/low voltage, and low batteries. It is easily readable in all lighting situations thanks to a bright OLED display that can dim automatically. It can support shunts up to 5,000A DC.
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BlueFire
With BlueFire, you will receive a universally compatible battery monitor. It works with cars, campers, RVs, and more. If the voltage is higher than 15V the LED will flash an alarm to alert you. It is made of high grade, flame retardant materials, but remains 100% environmentally friendly. The display is also easy to read and brightly colored.
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SEARON Battery Meter
This battery monitor has nine LED lights that tell you about your battery. The Searon is lead acid batteries compatible. It also has two overlapped LED lights to tell you more about the battery level while it is both charging and discharging. It has a one year warranty and it has full CE & RoHS Certifications.
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ProPower Battery Indicator
This monitor works with both 12 and 24 volt solar panels and trolling motors. It tells you at a glance whether the battery has a full charge or if it is near empty. When all lights are lit up, they will be green indicators. When the charge goes down to the third light, the lights will turn yellow to caution you that it is getting low. When the #2 indicator is lit, it will flash yellow and when the #1 is the only remaining light, it will flash red and yellow. This means you have 10% of your battery remaining.
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Blue Marine Vessel Monitor
This is a full systems monitor that will accurately show you the bilge-active, cycle count, and duration in your fuel tank, water tank, or even the waste tanks on your boat as well as the battery information. It will tell you how many amp hours you have left, the time you can use it, the percent of charge you have left, and even the temperature of the battery so it does not run too hot. There are alarms that you can set so that nothing will catch you by surprise and you can mount it easily by using one of the three mounting options. With this monitor, you will know anything you need to know by looking at a single box. 
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