Battery life

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Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
I had to change my batteries this year they lost 3 volts over the winter and won't hold a charge. They are West Marine AGM group 31's. I installed them in 2004 June. I think 8 years is pretty good they started the engine last fall but on only 10.5 volts. When I pulled them out they were down to just a shade over 7 volts. So now I have a set of three that may last until I am eighty. That isn't so very long I will surely need some help with lifting the next set.
 

DanM

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Mar 28, 2011
155
Catalina 30 Galveston Bay
Ross,

I had two West Marine AGM group 27 batteries that lasted 7 years and were installed by the previous owner. The charging system wasn't exactly well set up for them either, so I was pretty impressed by how long they lasted.

That being said, I'm currently 17 months into a cheap Interstate 6v golf car battery experiment that seems to be working out pretty well so far.

The 6v golf car batteries are about 70% cheaper and have a similar footprint to the group 27's that I replaced so installation wasn't too much of a problem. They did have to be wired in series though so there is a cost associated with some new battery cables. Also there is the routine watering of these batteries that I never had to think about with the AGMs. I've had to learn to store a gallon of distilled water in my ice box that lasted me about a year.

The golf cart batteries offer 210ah versus 172ah (I had group 27's) so there is some increase in capacity there, about 22% which has been nice for my typical use patterns of day sailing and one or two overnights at anchor a month.

The golf cart batteries do require water service though on a routine basis, I find that I check them monthly and add water about every 90 days or so. My boat is in a slip year round in a warm climate on shore power. Neglecting to water these batteries would quickly become an expensive problem, the AGM's were very nice in that I never did anything to them other than stare in amazement over how long they lasted.

For me, the cheap lead acid 6v golf car batteries appear to be a pretty inexpensive solution to my typical use patterns on my Catalina 30. Given their cost I figure I'm going to break even at about the two year point and if they don't last significantly longer than that I probably won't try again given the reliablility of the AGMs previously installed.

If they make it three or more years though... well... I might just be sold on them.

Take care, DanM.
 

ebsail

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Nov 28, 2010
241
O day 25 Nyack. New York
We used Costco group 27's for about $75 each and routinely replaced them every 4 years (they were still working OK). We found that missing one day of sailing was not worth the cost of a battery. Also we kept them above 12.4 volts, even during the winter. Batteries will sulphate if discharged for any length of time
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Given the labor required to remove and install those batteries I am pleased to not have to be concerned about them for many years at a time. I installed those batteries in'04 and didn't look at them again until today.
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Our 85 Hunter 31 had Group 31 WM Gels that lasted 10.5 years.

We purchased our HV36 4 years ago and replaced the batteries with Gel's again. I hope to see a similar life span from these batteries too.
 
Nov 26, 2006
381
Hunter 31 1987 Fly Creek Marina Fairhope,AL.
Ditto on the AGM's ,
My H-31 i purchased in sept of last year had orbital AGMs that were installed sept 2004, knowing that information . i searched for the same brand to achieve the same foot print.

This was my first experience with AGM batteries and a good one.


Fair winds
 
Nov 22, 2008
3,562
Endeavour 32 Portland, Maine
Lots of discussion in recent threads about AGM's. Check over in Maine Sail's section before you buy any batteries. Lots of pros and many cons.

I'm buying AGM's again but I would no longer make that a blanket recommendation as I was before I accidentally kicked off those recent threads.
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
Maintenance free batteries for 8 years, can't beat that. If the location is difficult to access, PRICELESS!
 
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