I replaced my stock unit which could never seem to do the job of keeping the house and starting batteries charged up + handle the active house load when underway. I replaced the stock one with another stock unit two seasons ago as I thought there might be something wrong with the original one. The new one was still anemic. This winter I upgraded to a balmar high output unit with an external smart programmable regulator. I have been closely monitoring the performance.

This is a really well built piece of equipment. The regulator is ideal for today's different battery styles as you tell it the type of battery you have it it gives it the ideal charging profile over time for that specific battery type. Also it monitors everything in case something goes wrong.

I can not get over the performance of this unit at lower rpms! This baby can run and charge up everything at a troll and not even break a sweat. They are pretty pricey but well worth the coin. I was thinking about getting one for a while and during the winter defender had their sale and it was like 1/2 off list so I pulled the trigger.

If you are ever thinking about upgrading the charging system of your marine engine I would highly recommend you check this out.