Another boat battery question.

[Skipper]

I have read on this site that it is best to keep batteries fully charged, but not overcharged. I also know that is not good for batteries to sit for long periods unused, so here is my question. Is my work beater car a good place to store my boat battery? According to logic, the alternator will always keep the battery fully charged, but not overcharged, and it will never spend long periods (especially in the winter) unused. I will never need my beater car and my boat at the same time, so why not? It takes only a few minutes to change the batteries, and I will never have to worry about forgeting to charge, or undercharging the battery again. Is this a bad Idea? I know someone knows the answer to this. ...... Mac?

[bighillbilly]

OK, I saw the battery tender website and checked it out, but what if that's not an option.  I store the battery inside for the winter in the basement - off the floor and pull it out throughout the winter for a day to give it a full charge and then put it back in the basement - usually once each month.  I basically do the same thing in the summer between fishing trips but really only drain the battery down probably 6-10 times each summer season.  However, it does loose a charge while it sits.

I guess my question is similar to the first one here - how can I take the best care of the battery in the off season using what I have - auto shut off charger and a warm home.