Battery wisdom appreciated: What type of marine battery should I buy for running lights, radio... non-starting needs. Also, are there good discount batteries to purchase.
Thanks,
Mark
Thanks,
Mark
Batteries
- Thread starter Plymouth Sailor
- Start date
-
- Tags
- battery types discount
Mark;
Use the search function in the upper right. There is literally a graduate level amount of battery info available on these forums for your review. Maine Sail has done extensive battery testing and is a wealth of knowledge. —Musings with Maine Sail.
Use the search function in the upper right. There is literally a graduate level amount of battery info available on these forums for your review. Maine Sail has done extensive battery testing and is a wealth of knowledge. —Musings with Maine Sail.
I'm am pricing out both start and deep cycle house batteries.
Check out www. batteriesplus.com they appear to be very competitively priced.
Just found out in the US only three battery manufacturers exist. Battery wholesale rep said that there is really not much difference from one brand to another for example Sears vs interstate marine grade. He said obviously you want to use a marine or rv grade battery because they are structurally built stronger to withstand the bouncing around in a boat and the plates are larger.
He said that within the grade of battery not much deference so in a nut shell don't get hung up on brand names. Aspirin is aspirin whatever the labe on the box is.
With that being said the three main types are.
Lead acid. Electrolyte acid flooded.
Gell. Electrolyte Gell filled
Agm. Absorbent glass Matt
All have pros and cons, you need to determine what is going to fit you needs and how you plan to recharge them.
From you question I think you are looking for a deep cycle battery to run you lights because they are designed for long slow discharge from using lights and instruments etc. and can be discharged to extremely low levels and recharged hundreds of times without damage to the battery.
Hope this helps
Check out www. batteriesplus.com they appear to be very competitively priced.
Just found out in the US only three battery manufacturers exist. Battery wholesale rep said that there is really not much difference from one brand to another for example Sears vs interstate marine grade. He said obviously you want to use a marine or rv grade battery because they are structurally built stronger to withstand the bouncing around in a boat and the plates are larger.
He said that within the grade of battery not much deference so in a nut shell don't get hung up on brand names. Aspirin is aspirin whatever the labe on the box is.
With that being said the three main types are.
Lead acid. Electrolyte acid flooded.
Gell. Electrolyte Gell filled
Agm. Absorbent glass Matt
All have pros and cons, you need to determine what is going to fit you needs and how you plan to recharge them.
From you question I think you are looking for a deep cycle battery to run you lights because they are designed for long slow discharge from using lights and instruments etc. and can be discharged to extremely low levels and recharged hundreds of times without damage to the battery.
Hope this helps
If you are mostly day sailing, and plugging in a charger while at the dock, a pseudo-Marine deep cycle will work ok. I use two Nautalus group 27’s (sold at Menards) on my O’Day 322. Not sure who makes them, but they work ok for me. Under $100 a piece (maybe $75 when on sale). I have had mine for a couple of years. Runs fridge, cabin lights, anchor light when on the hook.
For more intense amp-hour needs, 6-volt golf cart batteries seem to be a good value.
Greg
For more intense amp-hour needs, 6-volt golf cart batteries seem to be a good value.
Greg
Choosing and sizing batteries these days for a sailboat has become a science but just think that an h25 was probably commissioned some 30 years ago and the state of the art batteries were lead/acid wet cell batteries. You would need a deep cycle battery as opposed to a starting battery generally used in automobiles. These days a battery is just as good as its warranty as any of them could last for many years or fail in a few short weeks. I favor batteries from Walmart and I will enumerate why; 1) they sell volume and their batteries are usually fresh. A battery that sits in the shelf for too long self discharges and begins to sulfate. 2) Their warranties are usually competitive and they offer multiple replacement locations throughout the country 3) their prices are usually the lowest and as in most cases you will be getting the same battery with the differences accounted for the different warranty plans. 4) convenience of locations and hours with no haggle return policies. Your needs for running lights and radio are pretty basic so a deep cycle wet cell group 24 should serve you well. Recharge it promptly after every use and it should give you years of service. A Marine Deep Discharge group 24 should sell for around $100.