Never Stuck at the Dock Again
Dead batteries have a knack for striking at the worst time. Here’s the gear that keeps one captain’s boat ready to go.
Published: Sunday, October 19, 2025 10:00 am
By: Kristen Ordonez
When the unexpected happens it can feel like these accidents always occur at the worst times. One of the worst instances of this is stepping onto a boat, ready for an afternoon on the water, and finding your battery is dead. It can happen to anyone at any time, as it has on occasion according to Captain Doug Sabin, charter captain with Lake Erie Island Runners.
“I’ve had probably three instances where I’ve had dead batteries, where something was left on and I don’t have power to charge up at my dock,” Sabin says. As a USCG licensed captain, with over 30 years of boating experience throughout the Great Lakes region, Sabin is more than capable of handling things on the water. However, dead batteries are oftentimes caused simply by human error.
Sabin advises those looking to avoid such errors to do thorough checks at the end of your boating sessions. “The last thing you should do before leaving your vessel is to make sure the batteries are off,” he says, as leaving radios, lights, or pumps on overnight are often the culprits of battery draining. However, for extra peace of mind Sabin puts his trust in products that guarantee support during those unexpected moments. Kold-Ban International’s line of KAPower Starting Module (KSM) systems is a collection of products that offer these types of solutions, no matter what kind of vessel you have.
To avoid the downtime caused by battery failure, KBi has several different systems to choose from. The KSM Supercapacitor contains everything you need to prevent the inconvenience (or potential catastrophe) of a battery failure, and even extend your battery’s life. Acting as an ultracapacitor, this device is initially energized from the vehicle’s electrical system; it then stores the energy until needed. If you’ve got a rundown or dead battery for whatever reason, the KSM supercapacitor gives your engine the power it needs to start.
For an alternative method of starting things up when needed, the KSM Kompact™ is an auxiliary power source that is installed in conjunction with traditional cranking batteries, deriving its power from those batteries or an engine charging system. For every engine starting event it releases energy in short, powerful bursts to fully recharge in about 30 seconds. Charging and discharging will also not wear out the device.
The KSM systems have a long service life, upwards of one million cycles without the loss of cranking power. The KBi KSM Kompact device often outlives the boat or vehicle it’s installed on, and requires no maintenance. Compare that with an average battery’s life of just a few seasons and the difference is clear.
Boaters like Sabin often are on the water as often as possible, even more so for charter boat captains like him who have more than one vessel. “I’ve been boating on Lake Erie for most of my adult life—owned quite a few different boats over the years. My current boat that the KBi device was installed on is a 32-foot Regulator with twin 350 Yamahas on it.” Sabin started Lake Erie Island Runners charter in 2024 for people who want to go island hopping or sunset cruises. Accidents like a dead battery, as he states, “will wreck your boating day. Now I don’t have to worry about that any more.”
tags: Battery Backup Systems, Boat Power Solutions, Boating Safety, Boating Technology, Charter Captains, KBi KAPower, Lake Erie Boating, Marine Batteries, Preventative Maintenance
