What charger brand (other than Guest)???

[TritonGlenn]

OK... my Guest 2631 is dead after many years of faithful no-fail service. It's been a fantastic charger, and I'd have to say the absolute best one I've used to date. I owe a huge thanks again to Sue for introducing me to the brand and model.



However, Bass Pro Shops doesn't carry them. Local Cabelas is out of stock. Online Cabelas want's almost $100 more than MSRP (that's crazy!) + shipping on that heavy beast. None of the West Marines in my area carry that model, nor do they seem interested in trying to place a special order for me. Going to Guest didn't work. They won't sell to me directly.



I've been a long term supporter of Guest chargers, and I really hate to move away from them. I talk about them at every electronics seminar I've given for many years, and regularly push people towards the brand. The hole pattern in my rear compartment is going to miss having a 2631 there, but if you can't find them... you just can't find them. I'm giving up as of today.



That said - I'm looking for a new 3 bank x 10 amp per bank onboard charger. What brand would you recommend, and why do you recommend it? I'm looking for a long lasting, great working charger that doesn't weigh a ton. Something along the lines of how Guest builds them would be nice... but I'm not sure what the competition has been building lately.



Thanks in advance.

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Bob G.]

I've had a Dual Pro in my boat since new 10 years ago. I think it was the brand that Nitro installed at the time. I originally had a 2 bank and later replaced it with a 3 bank and have had no problems. I just looked at Dual Pro's website and it looks like their chargers have changed over the years. Hopefully they are of the same quality as previous models.



I do have one single bank Guest charger. It is mounted in my tractor cab for winter to keep my tractor battery charged in between snowstorms!

 

[TritonGlenn]

Thanks Bob. I appreciate the response. I noticed their chargers had changed in appearance, but I would hope they also changed in design too. Dual Pro has some excellent customer service, but unfortunately, I needed it quite often. I replaced several Dual Pro chargers (2 bank and 3 bank) after one of the banks would fry out within a year. I also had to watch my batteries closely. Lots of overcharging if I didn't unplug them right after they finished charging. Their "maintenance" charge caused me to have several battery cases expand and the water boil off quickly. In the end, they ended up replacing my last regular Dual Pro charger with a "Walleye" edition, which was the best of all of the ones I had used up to that point. However, with all the previous problems, when I was introduced to Guest I made the jump and never regretted it. Like I said - EXCELLENT customer service at Dual Pro, but I had to use it quite a bit.



Glad to hear that you didn't have a similar experience with chargers going bad like I did. I'm a fairly hard driving boater, so my onboard charger has to be able to take a beating in the rear storage area.



If anyone has experience with any of the new model Dual Pro's (or any other charger), I'd like to hear about it.



Thanks again Bob.

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Have you looked on Ebay for a GUEST? I know they show up in there occasionally (NIB).



TOXIC

 

[Greg Meyer]

Gander Mountain has Guest Chargers in stock and offers free shipping. Didn't have a price comparison but might be worth a look.

 

[Jim B]

Personally the only charger i would buy other than a Guest would be a Minnkota. They appear pretty wall built like the Guest. I know a couple guys that have them and they really like them. I have the Minnkota dc2 in my boat in addition to a 2631 and it works great.



Like you i have had dual pro in the past and when they worked they worked great but i needed to use the Customer Service a good bit. While they always took care of it promptly i had to use it too often. As always they failed at the worst possible time too.



Im sure if you shop around on the net you will find a 2631 somewhere at the right price.



Another one i would steer clear of is anything made by pro mariner. Everyone i know that has had one has had problems with it.

 

[Jim B]

btw, check the link below. They have them in stock and at a good price. I have ordered with them over the phone before and had no issues.
http://www.northeastmarineelectronics.com/guest2631abatterycharger3bank12or24volt.aspx

 

[Texas Transplant]

Thanks Jim for the legwork. I'm replacing mine also, so I'll simply go with the Guest which would be my preference.



Glenn - I had a Pro Mariner for about 5 years. Kicked the bucket sometime this year due mainly to water/moisture. At least somewhat my fault, but the unit is/was supposed to be 'waterproof'. Short description is that I believe it got wet inside during one of the many times this past/winter/spring whereby the boat was sitting on the driveway with a cover on it. At least once, the plug was not release and the bilge area turned into a mini-pool. However, after that it dried out well and worked. The last time I plugged it in it simply blew the breaker at the box and I got a 'pop' from the unit itself.



Other than that (after about 5 years of service), it worked pretty well. On several occasions, I was at 2 or 3 day tourney's/outings and the Pro Mariner always charged the batteries back up overnight. I thought that I got good service (not great) from it, for the money I spent.



I'm however going to the guest charger that you were recommending and Jim provided a link for.



Tex

 

[Jim in VA]

Glenn - I've got a ProMariner dual bank. Its on year three and so far no problems. Plug and play.

 

[john allen2]

go with dual pro..I love mine..Had guest before and gald I chose dual pro

 

[TritonGlenn]

Well, against my better wishes, I broke down and bought from an online store. I cringe when buying something like electronics from an online dealer - particularly if it's not a "big box" store like Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas.



Unfortunately, the Gander Mountain recommendation fell through, as they were out of stock on the model I need (2631A). They were about $70 more expensive (before shipping) than the company I ended up going with.



The Northeast Marine Electronics site that Jim B posted had a very good price and free shipping, but I've never heard of them. Kinda cringed hitting the order button on that one, so I did some further research to find the ratings of companies that sell the Guest chargers.



I did some Google searches and found a company that was rated 5 stars by all of their reviewers. I ended up having to pay $9.95 for shipping, but the price still came out to be about $3 cheaper than Northeast Marine Electronics overall, even with their free shipping.



Thanks for the replies everyone. I just couldn't get away from Guest in the long run. I hated to order it online, but in the end, it's still the best charger I know of. My boat should be happy again soon. :lol:



I purchased from iMarine -




http://www.imarineusa.com/guest2631acharger.aspx

 

[TROY WAINRIGHT3]

I've got a pro mariner also that i have had now for 9 years.Its in my 2nd boat.Never had to call them.I like that they charge super fast and keep the batterys at 13 volts.