Affordable 100 Amp smart charger

[Quadrille in JB]

I'm setting up my new to me boat with 2-Sunpower 360W pv panels with 2 Victron 100/30 controllers and 6-105 ah Deka Intimidator AGMs built by Penn batteries, and a Victron battery monitor. I have a Next Gen 3.5 kw diesel genset that I would like to use to top off my battery bank after several cloudy days. That's about the only thing that I'll use the genset for. My last boat had 1-360W panel with the same bank and I could run my watermaker, refrigerator, inverter, and electronics. with no problems on sunny days. I'm adding a freezer and radar to this boat.
What would you recommend for a ~100 amp smart charger? I know that there's some good ones out there, but I'm interested in getting the biggest bang for my bucks so I can minimize my genset run times for battery charging.
I'll post the electrical layout for your comments when I complete it.
thanks,

[smac999]

there is not many big ones. I use the mastervolt 12-100-3 a lot. but normally as a 2nd charger to an inverter charger. rarely do I install a charger only on a boat.

if you don't already have an inverter. think about an inverter charger. they are not much more money. and then you get both. like a magnum ms2012

[Zil]

You could use two 60 or 50 amp ProMariner-p chargers. Or buy one at a time as budget permits.

[a64pilot]

Another way is an inverter / charger. I have a 60 amp Sterling Charger and my Magnum 2812 is a 125 Amp Charger.
Redundancy and an inverter.
185 combined amps is about all my Nexgen 3.5 wants anyway.

Big chargers are often good for a battery bank, but don’t necessarily reduce gen run times by all that much. If my 660 AH bank is at 50% then it will hold max charge rate for 20 min, but I usually only use about 15% or SOC in a night, then the bank won’t accept full charge at all.

You’ll find uses for the generator. 120V tools are much less expensive and often more powerful. A 120V compressor for a Hooka is way less expensive, heck even a 120 V vacuum cleaner is way more powerful and cheaper than a DC one.

[billknny]

You do not define what makes one "affordable" but Victron has some that are in that size range. They are completely programmable if you get the USB interface so you can customize the voltages to exactly what your batteries want.

[ayates]

I don't consider anything with the term 'marine' on it affordable...

That being said, I have a similar size charger need and my plan is 2 x Victron Skylla-IP44 12/60. That gives me 120A and redundancy in the event of a unit failure. They synchronise themselves over a network, and integrate with Victron's CCGX for monitoring/logging.


Allan.