How to Charge a Marine Battery From a Car

Make sure the battery is not exposed to sea water, which is corrosive.

A marine battery works much like a car battery and, depending on the size of the craft, can easily be charged by a car. Caution must be exercised: check to make sure the marine battery is 12 volts, which is the size of a car's battery. A car cannot safely charge a larger battery, like a 16 volt. A large battery would drain it. However, a car can easily charge a smaller battery, such as an 8 volt.

Things You'll Need

• Jumper cables

Instructions

1. Make sure the marine battery is 12 volts or smaller.

2. Connect the jumper cables to the positive and negative terminals on the marine battery. Red goes with positive and negative goes with black.

3. Turn on the car and connect the negative jumper cable to the negative terminal on the car battery. Connect the positive jumper cable to the positive power terminal on the car's battery. Let the car run for 5 to 10 minutes. This should be enough time to charge the marine battery.

4. Disconnect the jumper cables. Disconnect the positive cable first.

5. Start the marine vehicle. It should start without a problem.

References

• Green-Trust: Battery maintenance
• Battery Stuff: Battery Tutorial