Batteries-size and number

[Melody Miller]

Guys and Gals:The fix to replacing my two (possibly deceased) group 24 deep cycle batteries was suggested to me by the West Marine fellow. He suggested that I install one 12v starter battery ( a 635 Seavolt for those of you that are intimately familiar with the inventory of West Marine products) and two six volt deep cycles (Seavolt 225.) Before talking to this fellow, I was just thinking two 12 volt, group 30 deep cycle batteries. Any comments as to which is better? Also with regard to balance, is there a problem putting all three on one side of the boat? (I have a Catalina 27.) ThanksMelody

 

[Don Hall]

Battery Setup

Melody,Before deciding on what batteries to install, you should to determine what your power consumption is. Make an inventory of your installed electrical equipment, their amp draw and average usage per day, eg.Item amps hrs/day total ahVHF Radio .5 4 2Refrigeration 5 12 60Lights 4 2 8Total 70You should have a battery capacity of at least 2x your total 24hr draw, or in this example 140 amp hours. Now you can size your battery requirements. Also, I strongly agree with the WM rep that suggested a dedicated batery for engine starting. I had 3 batteries, 2 group 30 and 1 group 24 on my C30 without a problem. Not sure about your C27.

 

[Jay Beery]

Deep Cycle 'em

Melody,I just went through this with my neighbor's pontoon boat. I talked with the guys at work who do all the battery work on the electric forklifts and carts, they told me to cycle the batteries a couple times. Bring the batteries up to full charge and let them discharge at a slow steady pace. Take the batts out of the boat first, charge them, and hook up a 12 volt light to discharge. Try this procedure two to three times for each battery, letting them cool down each time, and check water levels AFTER each charge. What has probably happened is the batts have sulfided due to short use/charge times. This procedure should knock the sulfide off the lead plates and restore some of the battery life. But as another owner also stated, isolate the batts when not in use.Always charge batteries in a well ventilated area!!!!!Good Luck, Jay Beery