How To Charge The Battery In Your Jet Ski

Here’s a little nugget of wisdom that might surprise you – there’s actually proper charging steps when it comes to batteries on many, if not all, jet skis. You’d be amazed at the many riders get it wrong, only to end up with a lifeless battery when they need it the most.

But fear not, because I’m here to share the scoop on the right way to charge up your battery for just about every model of jet skis on the market. Charging it correctly can make all the difference in keeping your water adventures smooth sailing. So, let’s dive into the dos and don’ts of charging and ensure you’re always ready to hit the waves!

Key Steps To Charging Your Jet Ski Battery

The best way to go about it is to use a smart charger with a max charging rate of 2 amps. In general, a 2 amp charger can fully recharge a jet ski battery from zero to charged in about 4 to 8 hours.

To do this right, it’s important you connect the positive cable of the charger FIRST and then the negative cable when adding a charger or battery!!! When disconnecting the jet ski battery from the charger, you must do the negative cable FIRST and then the positive. Doing it in this order cuts down on sparks and protects the sensitive jet ski computer components better.

To get proper care of your batteries when charging, it’s best you take it out of the jet ski and store it somewhere dry! A battery that is charging inside your PWC is not ideal and not always safe. It’s best to avoid a battery charger that is over 2 amps, 750ma to 2 amps is the charging amps you want to use on a jet ski.

1. Make sure the PWC is in a secure area where water can’t get to the battery charger, or it won’t roll away on the trailer.
2. Make sure the jet ski is near a power outlet if you’re using a wall charger, or make sure you have a long enough extension cord. (See What You Need Below for more details)
3. Remove any access panels so you can get to the battery. The battery location is either in the front, middle, or rear. Yamaha and Kawasaki’s batteries are mostly in the rear, under the passenger seat. Sea-Doo is often under the driver’s seat, but 2010 to 2015 it would be in the rear or front. 2016 and up Sea-Doo it’s mostly under the driver or in the front.
4. It’s best you disconnect the negative cable (black) from your battery when charging, as to protect the computer on the craft.
5. Connect the positive (red) charger clip to the positive (red) post of the battery.
6. Connect the negative (black) charger clip to the negative (black) post of the battery.
7. Plug in your battery charger to the wall and wait for it to power on and give you the okay.

Before you wander off, you’ll want to wait for the battery charger to test the jet ski battery to see if it will take a charge or not. Follow the instructions on your charger to see what each light means.

The order matters when disconnecting the battery charger!!!

When it’s time to disconnect the battery, you must follow the steps below to avoid sparking.

1. When the battery is charged, disconnect from the wall outlet FIRST.
2. Remove the negative battery charger cable.
3. Remove the positive battery charger cable.
4. Reconnect battery to jet ski, positive first and then negative cable.

What You Need To Charge Your Battery

• Smart Battery Charger (Amazon Link Ad) (under 2 amp @ 12 volts)
• Water Resistant Extension Cord (Amazon Link Ad)
• A splitter if charging more than one ski at a time
• Or use a Solar Charger as we talk about below

Once A Year Or Winter Storage

How often you recharge or top up the charge will depend on how much you ride. For most people, this means charging once a year during or after getting it out of winter storage. If you don’t ride for over a month, it’s best to do it the night before you ride or keep a smart charger on the craft. You for sure want to charge the battery if you winterized it and put it away for the year. The number one cause for a jet ski not starting after getting it out of storage is because the battery died.

12-Volts Is The Only option for jet skis

Most, if not all, jet skis use the common 12-volt battery system.

The biggest thing to worry about is the physical size of the battery. Every battery is given a size, for example, a “typical” size for a Sea-Doo jet ski is a size 30, 20, or 16. Battery size is important, so make sure you get the right one for your jet ski.

How long does a jet ski battery take to charge is about 4-8 hours

It can take several hours, sometimes overnight, for most batteries to top up. You should aim to charge for at least 4 hours if you’re in a crunch, but I highly suggest letting the charger run until it says it’s done.

The most common thing I see happen is that someone forgets to keep their battery charged during the winter and when spring comes around they want to ride their PWC. So they hop on and find out that the battery is dead. The best thing you can do is keep some kind of charger on your machine, either solar or smart, then when you want to ride it’s ready to go.

Sealed Vs Flooded – Buy The sealed Ones

You can get lead-acid batteries in many types, but the most common are a sealed and the flooded options. A sealed battery is more maintenance free, often ready to go when you buy it, but it doesn’t hurt to top it up with charging before putting it in the jet ski. A flooded battery often requires you to add the acid and charge it overnight. You can get some flooded batteries that are already filled, but still require water added to them and need a vent tube hooked up.

The price difference between them not that great, and I say go with the sealed options, or often called AGM. They require less maintenance, don’t always have a vent tube to worry about, and simply last longer from my own experiences.

Lithium Is New and better, But It’s Eh

Lithium power sports batteries are still fairly new, and many jet ski owners are using them or want to try them out. These batteries are lighter, have great power, and maybe the future as lead-acid is dangerous and heavy.

I still run lead-acid in my Sea-Doo jet ski because it’s dumb, and a simple solar panel on it keeps it topped up and ready for me to ride. Lithium is more picky and needs a special charger for the battery and a management system to keep the cells happy. While some may already have the management system built in, it’s not always guaranteed. To me, they’re not ready for the main event, maybe in a few more years, but for now, lead acid is stupid simple and that is what I want.

Wrap Up, Use A smart Charger Or Solar Charger

For optimal results, utilize a small smart charger with a 2 Amps or less charge rate. Generally, a 2 Amp charger can bring a jet ski battery from zero to full charge in roughly 8 hours, sometimes faster. The honest truth is that PWC batteries kind of suck, and will die if you don’t charge them or ride them enough. If your jet ski has been sitting, I suggest you try taking the battery out and charge it, as it’s the most common issue I see for jet ski starting problems.

A solar battery charger is honestly the best way to go about it, especially if you keep your PWC outside. They don’t even need full sun, just some sun every so often, and the jet ski batteries stay charged and last for years. Solar chargers are not always about charging a dead battery, but maintaining the battery in your PWC, please keep that in mind and set your expectations to that.