If you want to rapidly kill your boat batteries, hooking them up any battery charger that you’ve picked in a marine store. Battery and charger, like a horse and carriage, must always go together. How well your marine batteries perform doesn’t only depend on the battery type, but also depends on how you use them and how carefully you charge them. Having a good marine battery charger is important, but it is even more important to have the right charger that best suited to your needs.
That’s why we spent 30 hours researching some of the best marine battery chargers on the market to help you find the right one. And we’ve learned that a 3-bank marine battery charger is the most common pick for most people that own a small boat with a trolling motor on it. You need one charging bank for each battery (include your starting battery, if appropriate), so with a 3-bank marine battery charger, you can charge up to 3 of 12V batteries at the same time.
We’ve picked and reviewed some of the best 3-bank marine battery chargers on the market that we think are best suited to your boat. Most chargers in our comparison are not only designed to charge your marine batteries, they’re also designed to diagnose, recover, and maintain a wide range of batteries. You’ll find chargers from leading manufacturers like Minn Kota, Schumacher, NOCO Genius, Dual Pro, Marinco, and ProMariner. Most of these chargers are either designed or made in the USA for the highest quality and reliability.
1. Dual Pro 15 Amp/Bank Professional Series 3 Bank Charger – Best of the Best
Among all the best 3-bank marine battery chargers that we’ve reviewed, the Dual Pro Professional Series 3 Bank Charger is the one that we love most. For more than a decade, the Professional Series chargers have set the standard in the marine industry. They are known as the safest, most reliable, and best performing marine battery chargers in the industry. There are many good chargers for marine batteries that you can find, but it’s almost impossible to find any 3-bank charger that is better than the Dual Pro Professional at this time, even Minn Kota’s.
The Dual Pro Professional Series 3 Bank Charger is designed and built tough to withstand intense vibration, extreme temperature variations, and submersion without damaging the unit. It uses temperature compensation in order to fully charge a battery in hot or cold environments and is controlled by microprocessors in order to assure precise control over each totally independent charging bank. It has true reverse polarity protection and shut off completely after each charge cycle.
The key feature of this 3-bank marine battery charger is its DeltaVolt Intuitive Charging technology. This technology utilizes sophisticated firmware (software) to enable the charger to automatically adapt to the charging needs of a wide range of batteries such as Group 24, 27, 31 and 12V – 36V wet cell and AGM batteries. In fact, DeltaVolt technology can simultaneously charge a mix of battery sizes safely and completely.
- Advanced 5 stage intuitive charge technique
- Automatically adapts to the charging needs of both cranking and deep cycle batteries
- Can simultaneously charge a mix of battery sizes completely and safely
- Technology designed, developed and produced in the USA
With so many such great features and the highest quality in the industry, we understand why the price tag of this Dual Pro Professional charger is higher than most other 3-bank battery chargers on the market. Of course, you get what you pay for. With this best of the best 3-bank marine battery charger, you will never have to worry about your boat batteries again, just hook it up and forget.
2. MinnKota MK 330D Digital On-Board Battery Charger (10 Amps per Bank)
Now, let’s take a look at our second pick of the best 3-bank marine battery chargers – the MinnKota MK 330D Digital On-Board Battery Charger. Minn Kota’s chargers always have a very high quality and are preferred choices of boaters and fishers who own Minn Kota trolling motors.
The MinnKota MK 330D can charge any type of marine battery, it features enhanced status codes to display charge stage, maintenance mode status, error notifications and full charge, and the automatic shut-off feature extends battery life by shutting down when charging is complete. It uses a digitally controlled microprocessor with three charging banks, and it gives 30 amps total output.
Like any other Minn Kota battery charger, the MinnKota MK 330D controls the voltage and current your battery gets throughout the three stages of the charging cycle for a safe, precise charge. It also includes an automatic temperature compensation feature that adjusts the output voltage to assure the battery reaches its gassing threshold and achieves a full charge. The temperature compensation feature also protects the batteries from “boiling” due to overcharging at high temperatures.
3. Minn Kota MK 330 Precision On-Board 3-Bank Charger
You should get the Minn Kota MK 330 Precision On-Board charger if you want more than what you can get from the Minn Kota MK 330D. A unique feature of this Precision charger is the ability to set the charge profile for each individual bank. That means you can select what battery type you have connected and tailor the charge to the needs of each battery. This feature would be very convenient if you’re using AGM for cranking and Gel for trolling.
An equalizing feature is available for periodic equalization for flooded acid batteries. Every time you plug in a Precision charger, it “equalizes,” meaning it cleans and conditions your flooded battery to extend run time and battery life. You can also activate a more rigorous, complete equalization at the push of a button.
The third feature that you can’t get from the Minn Kota MK 330D is the “low-line voltage compensation” feature. When outlets get overloaded or hooked up to long extension cords, they don’t put out the 120 volts they’re supposed to, which makes charge times go up. This feature allows the charger to generate reactive power and deliver the same quick charge even when AC voltage has dropped.
4. NOCO Genius GEN3 30 Amp 3-Bank Waterproof Smart On-Board Battery Charger
Designed to operate in extreme conditions with a waterproof, shock and vibration resistant rugged construction, as well as saltwater tested to combat corrosion, the NOCO Genius GEN3 is one of the best 3-bank marine battery chargers from NoCo – one of the leading manufacturers of marine, industrial and photostatic battery management solutions. NOCO Genius On-Board chargers are also the most popular chargers for boats in the USA.
The Gen3 can charge and maintain all types of lead-acid batteries from 25-230Ah, including Wet, Gel, MF, and AGM. As the name suggests, this charger is very smart. It will automatically determine the condition of your batteries before beginning its charge cycle.
It will only charge when the batteries need it, and will fully maintain your battery when it is in storage or between uses. It’s also programmed for optimal battery charging and maintenance, with proprietary Rapid Charging Technology(RCT).
Compared to the Minn Kota battery chargers, the Gen3 is much lighter and smaller, this allows the charger to be easily installed in tight spaces. It uses high-frequency switch-mode technology to efficiency convert A/C power into safe D/C power for battery charging. And its on-board microcomputer precisely controls the charging to minimize power loss to create an incredibly compact form factor.
Of course, this charger cannot be better than our top 3 picks. But with a 5-year warranty and an excellent customer service, you can’t go wrong with the NOCO Genius GEN3.
5. ProMariner ProSport 20+ 3 Bank Battery Charger
In our comparison of the best 3-bank marine battery chargers, the ProMariner ProSport 20+ is the least expensive unit that we suggest to you. This charger can automatically charge and maintain engine crank battery while sensing and distributing 100% of the available charging amps to trolling motor or house bank battery.
Like 4 models above, the ProMariner ProSport 20+ uses a smart microprocessor to monitor the battery charging process. It provides automatic installation feedback with its exclusive “System Check OK” and individual “Battery Bank Trouble” LED indicators.
After fully charging and conditioning batteries, it will monitor and auto maintain batteries only when needed to maintain a full state of charge, resulting in maximum reserve power performance and lower AC power consumption and operating costs. It also incorporates Distributed-On-Demand Charging technology, taking 100 percent of the available charging amps and distributing them to any one or combination of all batteries as needed for faster charging.
This charger is capable of charging group 24 to 31 flooded, Gel and high-performance AGM batteries. It’s an extremely durable and rugged charger that is also completely waterproof.
ProMariner is owned by Power Products, LLC – an American company which is one of the world’s most successful manufacturers of premium power products and charging system technology for the marine industry. Power Products LLC is also home to industry leading brands Marinco, Mastervolt, BEP, and Anchor. Therefore, ProMariner is a brand that you can definitely trust.
6. Marinco Charge Pro Waterproof 3-Bank Battery Charger
The Marinco Charge Pro is one of the top-of-the-line marine battery chargers on the market. This charger is an on-board charger that is designed for a life on the water. Combining state of the art technology with excellent corrosion and moisture resistance make this charger a great choice for marine applications and trailered boats using group 24, 27 or 31 batteries.
The feature that makes the Marinco Charge Pro one of our picks for the best 3-bank marine battery chargers is its built-in microprocessor with Sense-Send technology, which allows the chargers to detect which batteries need the most charge and prioritize accordingly.
The battery chargers have the ability to charge wet, AGM and gel batteries, with a universal input (120-230 V) for total worldwide freedom. It uses a five-stage charging system to quickly restore store batteries and maintain them for your next adventure.
Plus, the Marinco Charge Pro is also engineered to be compatible with 12V or 24V single or dual bank systems (single bank only for 24V systems). The two outputs normally divide available amps between each battery bank but can be set in parallel to focus all 10 amps on a single 12V or 24V bank.
