Yachting Monthly - November 2015

BOATS & EQUIPMENT

58 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com NOVEMBER 2015

After witnessing a number of

small battery chargers expire

over the years, Duncan Kent

tests a new one that’s aimed

at small boats.

I

’ve lost countless battery

chargers over the years but

now Mastervolt, a Dutch

charger/inverter specialist,

reckons its latest range of small,

waterproof chargers might be

the answer to my dilemma. The

EasyCharge is a very compact

device, measuring just 180 x

80 x 46mm and comes with

two pairs of connecting leads –

crocodile clips or ring terminals

• that attach to the charger’s
  lead via a waterproof in-line
  plug and socket.
  Our test sample was the
  4.3A model (43510400), which
  is ideal for slow charging a
  battery of up to 90Ah capacity

or maintaining charge on a

slightly larger 120Ah battery.

While it only has one button on

its fascia panel it has a mighty

brain inside that looks at the

battery’s condition and adjusts

the charging regime accordingly.

A combination of LED

indicators on the panel let you

know how to set it up correctly

and what it is currently doing.

To set it up initially you simply

press the mode button a number

of times (within fi ve seconds of

switching it on) until the LED

is lit beside the correct battery

type and voltage. It defaults into

12V fl ooded-cell mode, but this

can be changed to 6V fl ooded,

6V or 12V Gel/AGM, or 12V cold

modes by repeated presses.

Once set up, the four-stage

battery level indicator shows its

charge capacity as either 25%,

50%, 75% or 100%.

It then charges in one of two

stages – full whack (14.4V for

fl ooded 12V) until it reaches

100% charge, then maintain

(13.4V) from then on. The ‘cold’

mode should be selected for

charging (not maintaining)

when the ambient temperature

is likely to remain below 5°C

and boosts the output to

14.6V/13.8V respectively.

The charger also has a

‘regeneration’ mode for

seriously discharged batteries

in which it charges at a lower

current than normal until the

voltages rises to 25%, after

which it drops back into normal

charge mode.

Mastervolt

EasyCharge

compact and

w aterproof

battery charger

TRIED AND TESTED

Duncan Kent puts a simple-to-install, two-stage battery charger to the test

A simple but effective small charger that is

compact, rugged, waterproof and surprisingly

inexpensive. Ideal for small boats with a single

battery (although or you could buy more than

one) and safe enough to leave connected for long periods.

OUR VERDICT

CONS

■ Maximum charge capacity

only 90Ah

6 /

10

PROS

■ Really simple to set up

and operate

■ Compact and

waterproof (IP65)

■ No noisy fan

■ Choice of battery leads

Price £53.53

Contact Mastervolt

Tel 023 8038 1660

Web http://www.mastervolt.com

Under test: the four-stage level indicator shows the battery’s charge

EasyCharge

comes with

crocodile

clips and ring

terminals

Don’t let the single button

operation fool you that it’s basic

PHOTOS: DUNCAN KENT

‘Compact, rugged,

waterproof and

surprisingly

inexpensive’