Battery Recommendations for Cruising Sailboat?

[mseifert]

I have 3 group 27 batteries on my 33' Hunter that need to be replaced this season. Does anyone have any recommendations of brands to buy or are there any important considerations I should make for this type of usage?

I'm not really sure what to buy at this point but I know that the choice is more in depth than walking into a store and asking for a new Group 27 battery...

Any advice would be appreciated. thanks!

mike

 

[Ron20324]

I went with Exide Nautilus 31's to replace my OEM 24's. Maybe they'll fit in your battery box? They had a higher amp-hour rating than others the same size. Not by much (5ah?), but some.

 

[Stu Jackson]

You're right, it is more than that!

Here's one independent source of options: http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=C34_Battery_Selection

Also read West Marine Advisors: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...tView?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001

And BoatUS, too.

 

[Snotter]

If you wish to get the most battery for your buck then get 6 volt golf cart batteries from Sam's. However, if you want batteries that you can charge quicker and that don't suffer from surface-charge affects when charging at a high rate then get AGMs for a whole lot more bucks. For weekend sailors the 6 volt deep cycle batteries are just fine. For people wanting to spend lots of time swinging on a hook the wet cell batteries may not be the way to go.

 

[sailingdog]

If you can fit Group 27s, you can usually fit Group 31s...and they're worth the small price increase for the additional amp-hours IMHO. It would help a lot if you said what kind of usage you plan to put the batteries through as well as how you're charging them. These are considerations that you really need to account for when sizing a battery bank.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Shop for the best price on AGMs. My Gels were eight years old and still doing well when I decided to head for Florida. So I put in four new AGMs, 100ah each, for the trip. I already had a 900cca AGM for the start battery. I expect to get ten years and I never have to look at them. One sits in the bilge under the salon table.

 

[sailingdog]

While golf cart batteries are an excellent choice, I don't generally recommend them if your house bank is only two batteries. If one fails, you lose the entire house bank. If you have two 12 VDC batteries as your house bank and one fails, you still can use the other.

How you charge the batteries also has a lot to do with what you get. If you aren't going to be sitting at a dock or slip with a shorepower charger every night, then wet cells may not be a good idea, as they need to be topped up regularly and self-discharge far more than AGMs do.

If you wish to get the most battery for your buck then get 6 volt golf cart batteries from Sam's. However, if you want batteries that you can charge quicker and that don't suffer from surface-charge affects when charging at a high rate then get AGMs for a whole lot more bucks. For weekend sailors the 6 volt deep cycle batteries are just fine. For people wanting to spend lots of time swinging on a hook the wet cell batteries may not be the way to go.

 

[wufibugs]

On my 31, I went from wet cell 27s that the PO fried with the charger by not adding water, to Lifeline AGM 31s, the cranker behind the engine and 2 house in the starboard cockpit locker. Lot more power, and between them, the contributors to this board who helped me with endless wiring questions, and the Freedom 20, life on the DC line is much simpler.

 

[heart of gold]

I with the AGM crowd for practical reasons. they don't leak and can be mounted at any angle you want. In a heeling sailboat this is peace of mind. Once charged they will stay charged for months when stored. No gassing. They serve excellent as starting batterys and deep cycle so you only need one type and as mentioned before, they charge fast. The good ones can be cycled from drained(11volts) to full charge over 500 times. The down side is cost. I think the cost is worth it in the long run. Cheers

 

[heart of gold]

Oh and I forgot, no maintenance!

 

[larryw]

My set-up is two 8D batts for house (in a plastic battery box in the bottom of the starboard gear locker) and a dedicated engine start battery. An HO alternator, smart regulator, 2k inverter, Honda EU2Ki generator. This has served me well for many years.

 

[Ron McCoy]

Before you do anything, I'd recommend you determine your electrical requirements. Translate your needs into amp hours and subtract half of the number (so you don't run your batteries less than 50% down). Now, determine the method and how often you plan on recharging your batteries. Some systems are better than others. Shore power is nice, but not always available. You'll have to have a good 3-stage battery charger if using shore power. Solar is good for those sunny days, and it's free and plentiful usually giving 4-5 hours a day for charging. However, don't rely on the engine alternate to do all the heavy lifting, simply because you'll continually fail to bring the batteries up to full charge - unless you motorsail all day (but aren't we supposed to be sailors?). Ok after all this homework, the choice of batteries will be determined by your wallet, recharging capability, usage and boat storage space. It's all a compromise, but at least you can pick the optimum setup from your educated position on intended needs.

 

[Rick Belew]

AGM or Wet Cell?

I had two wet cell batteries 4d but replaced the wet cells with two AGM. Loved the no maintenance but I have been told by many that never ever allow the batteries to become discharge below 12 volts. It shortens the life of the batteries significantly. I understood this so I made sure that never happened but unfortunately other factor beyond my control like power failures at my dock etc allow this to happen. I still have the batteries and I suspect they may be gone. I was planing to go to golf batteries because of there durability and easy to find most location in the world. (Golf Clubs) Based on the above information from you guys I am not sure which way to go. I have 500 watts of solar panels and a generator and 120 amps alternator on engine. I plan on cruising the coast of US plus great lakes and will be on the hook most of the time. I believe in modern conveniences living on boat such as satellite TV, freezer, refrigerator microwave, lights, washer/dryer etc. With that type of power requirement what would you recommend?

 

[Ross]

I had two wet cell batteries 4d but replaced the wet cells with two AGM. Loved the no maintenance but I have been told by many that never ever allow the batteries to become discharge below 12 volts. It shortens the life of the batteries significantly. I understood this so I made sure that never happened but unfortunately other factor beyond my control like power failures at my dock etc allow this to happen. I still have the batteries and I suspect they may be gone. I was planing to go to golf batteries because of there durability and easy to find most location in the world. (Golf Clubs) Based on the above information from you guys I am not sure which way to go. I have 500 watts of solar panels and a generator and 120 amps alternator on engine. I plan on cruising the coast of US plus great lakes and will be on the hook most of the time. I believe in modern conveniences living on boat such as satellite TV, freezer, refrigerator microwave, lights, washer/dryer etc. With that type of power requirement what would you recommend?

A dedicated auxillary diesel powered generator with 120 volt outputs.

 

[Chris Burti]

I have 500 watts of solar panels and a generator and 120 amps alternator on engine. I plan on cruising the coast of US plus great lakes and will be on the hook most of the time. I believe in modern conveniences living on boat such as satellite TV, freezer, refrigerator microwave, lights, washer/dryer etc. With that type of power requirement what would you recommend?

Go with two Excde Com-4D-P wet cell commercial truck batteries. They have the same anti vibration protection as deep cycle marine batteries, comparable heavy plates, 320 AH and readily available at your local parts house for about $135 ea.

 

[Rick Belew]

Ross I have the generator as noted on my post. Chris these truck batteries sound very interesting. Thanks for the information.

 

[Maine Sail]

Go with two Excde Com-4D-P wet cell commercial truck batteries. They have the same anti vibration protection as deep cycle marine batteries, comparable heavy plates, 320 AH and readily available at your local parts house for about $135 ea.

Chris,

I just want to clarify that the number you are using as Ah's, is reserve capacity (RC) not amp hours.

Amp/Hours = (Reserve Capacity / 2) plus 16


This is a very rough and not totally accurate formula. I find it more accurate if you don't add the 16 and just divide by 2. To determine actual Ah the battery ideally needs to be tested as such and Excide does not rate that battery in Ah.

So a 320 RC battery has 320/2 = 160 + 16 = 176 Ah's.

Or

320/2 = 160 Ah

I hope you are not using your batteries as if they actualy are 320 Ah rated..??

Most deep cycle 4D batts are between 150 and 190 Ah's at the 20 hour rate..

Interestingly enough Trojan's 4D AGM is a 325 RC battery and has a 165 Ah rating....

or 325/2 = 162.5 Ah

Using divide by 2 always seems to come up closer for me, but still not spot on..

Just a heads up that your bank is about half the size you thought it was...