Personal Watercraft Batteries

Frequently Asked Questions about Personal Watercraft Batteries

How should I store my battery when I'm done riding by PWC for the year?
Many watercraft riders will need to store their vehicle during part of the year, due to weather or other riding conditions. It's important to store your jet ski battery properly, as it could mean the difference between a quick start back on the water or replacing your battery.

The goal when storing your personal watercraft battery is to keep it charged. It doesn't matter if you're leaving it in the watercraft or removing it. When your battery becomes discharged (and it will, if you don't proactively charge it), it could build up sulfation or freeze.

All power sports batteries (including jet ski batteries) experience some level of sulfation. It's a natural part of battery chemistry and it starts when batteries begin to discharge. It happens when sulfur in the electrolyte forms crystals that attach to the lead plates inside your battery, which prevent the battery from accepting a charge. If you proactively keep your battery charged, these crystals will be unable to form. Some chargers, like those from BatteryMINDer, have the ability to prevent and loosen up sulfation.

Freezing is similar as it occurs as the battery becomes more discharged and the electrolyte becomes water. So, once the temperature hits freezing (32°F / 0°C) the internal liquid will harden into ice and will result in damaged plates or case. If the sides of the battery begins bulging, that's a tell-tale sign that permanent damage has occurred.

The best practice is to remove the battery, keep it stored above 32°F, and connect an appropriate automatic charger to it. Most of the popular chargers we carry, like those from Battery Tender or BatteryMINDer, allow you to connect the charger and let it run indefinitely.