Battery Question

[csd0606]

Being a new boat owner, the battery thing is confusing to me.

1. When we leave the boat, we shut everything off but do have shore power hooked up. Is this right?

2. We need a new battery (boat came with one so we may get 2 new) but are confused as to what amp to get, etc. I have read of having to put water in some battery cells but would rather not mess with that. Suggestions!?

3. We have 1 solar panel the is 5 watt so how much will that help - suggestion on adding more, how much?

We own a 1996 H26. (thought it was a 95 til I saw title yesterday - yes...we are very new at this!!)

Thanks so much for any info.

Cathy

 

[zigracer]

Leave the shore power and battery charger/maintainer on. I don't remember the specific amperage, etc. I had on my H260, but get the best deep cycle battery you can fit into that battery box. Your local marine supplier should be able to give you some sound advice at the counter. Remember that you only have one battery and it is a combo deep cycle and starting battery. Good luck.

 

[centerline]

a 5watt solar panel is worthless on a 2 battery bank, and nearly so on 1 battery of the size needed.... but they work well with atv or lawn and garden type batteries

lots of good info on here (use the search engine) about solar sizing for any given usage...

some batteries are servicable and some are not.... a maintenance free battery has no caps and is not meant to have water added to it, but a good deep cycle battery will have caps and will need to be serviced periodically to maintain its "good" status....
or you can get the Gel or AGM type of battery... they are better and more expensive upon install, but unless you have the proper charging setup to maintain them, they wont last any longer or be any better than a cheap discount battery....

depending on your usage in this size of boat, you will most likely be fine with one battery but upgrading to a higher wattage solar system.... two batteries are only necessary if you are using high amounts of power for extended periods, but for running lights, nav instruments, stereo and laptop, a single deep cycle battery of the Group 27 or 31 size is fine..... but you need a decent charger no matter how many batts or what type they are

 

[Benny17441]

Do you have an inboard battery charger? Do you have a battery switch that can combine or isolate the 2nd battery. Deep cycle batteries Group 27 usually have a capacity of approximately 100 Amps. These batteries are suited for "House" duties but are equally adept for "Starting" purposes. Connected to a battery switch bearing "Bat 1, Bat2, Both and Off" capabilities can allow you to combine both batteries for added starting power or recharging or may allow you to isolate one battery to be maintained as reserve for an emergency. A dual leads inboarde battery charger can recharge both wether they are combined or not but for recharging from alternator they usually need to be combined(usual installation). You can get maintenance free batteries whjch are not really maintenance free but you may only need to check them 3 or 4 times a year and add distilled water once a year before the hot summer months. AGM or GEL batteries require electronic monitoring equipment if you want to protect the investment. Do your homework on batteries and see the differences btween a staring battery, deep cycles and the hybrids. I find deep cycles better suited for sailboats as they provide a longer longevity and are a more efficient source of power when the engine is off and not recharging.

 

[robertsapp]

For the simplest and least expensive solution, go to WalMart and buy one of their maintenance free Everstarts and then plan to replace it about every 12 to 18months. If you'd like to have your battery last its designed 4 to 6 year lifespan, then go with a wet cell deep cycle. I recommend NAPA, because their batteries are the exact same as the ones sold at West Marine, but cost 25% less since they don't have a sticker on them that says "marine." You'll have to top them up with distilled water about three times a year, but all you need is a one gallon bottle of grocery store distilled water and a cheap turkey baster and about five minutes of time. I think for your purposes a gel cell or AGM would be overkill and not worth the expense.

[Frank Comment] - If adding a little water to your battery every three of four months sounds like too much trouble, you might want to rethink this whole boating thing. Cause boats are a lot of work. But they're worth it! - [End Frank Comment].

A five watt solar panel is just a charge maintainer. It won't output enough to actually make up for much usage, it just keeps the battery from going dead if is sits for a while with no power. When you leave your boat, leave the shore power and the circuit for the battery charger on to keep the battery fully charged so the boat's ready to go when you want to use it. The only reason to consider adding more solar capacity would be if you want to spend an extended time on the boat (more than just a daysail) and you want to reduce the amount of time you need to run the engine to charge your battery. But then, if the boat is a 26 footer, I assume you have an outboard rather than an inboard? Does it even have an alternator on the engine to charge the battery when the engine is running?