Will be replacing my batteries soon. Not sure if I should buy the Gel or normal deep cycle. Anyone have any experience with the Gel? The cost seems to have come down quite a bit. Just not sure if these are better. Might be the only advantage is never having to add water....
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Lifeline -AGM
Early last year I put in a pair of Lifeline 4D's - there are some excellent reviews out there if you google Lifeline - I just picked up a small 1400 Lifeline as a starter to sneak under the aft cabin bunk on the starboard right where the battery swithces are - Hope to install this next week - Hopefully this will start to offset some of the additional weight from the 4D's which are in the stardard spot at the bottom of the port lazarette. I belive the natural loss of power on the Lifline AGM's when not in use is 1% per month - which is really handy when not sung them for six monthsof the year
Early last year I put in a pair of Lifeline 4D's - there are some excellent reviews out there if you google Lifeline - I just picked up a small 1400 Lifeline as a starter to sneak under the aft cabin bunk on the starboard right where the battery swithces are - Hope to install this next week - Hopefully this will start to offset some of the additional weight from the 4D's which are in the stardard spot at the bottom of the port lazarette. I belive the natural loss of power on the Lifline AGM's when not in use is 1% per month - which is really handy when not sung them for six monthsof the year
1400 in B321
Brian, I am curious about your setup with the Lifeline 1400 under the bunk in the B321 since I have the same boat and need a new starting battery as well. Will it fit straight up or will you have to install on its side? Did you consider safety of charging the battery in a confined area? Where did you buy it? D.
Brian, I am curious about your setup with the Lifeline 1400 under the bunk in the B321 since I have the same boat and need a new starting battery as well. Will it fit straight up or will you have to install on its side? Did you consider safety of charging the battery in a confined area? Where did you buy it? D.
over $1,000 per battery?
I found the GPL-4D at one store for $1,010 each. Either they were priced way out of the market or these are very costly.... I wouldn't pay $2,000 for two batteries....
I found the GPL-4D at one store for $1,010 each. Either they were priced way out of the market or these are very costly.... I wouldn't pay $2,000 for two batteries....
I need to find another choice in battery...
Looked at the weight and dimensions. 135 lbs each. and something like 20" long. That is a lot of weight!! Not interested in some custom installation either with some long boxes...
Looked at the weight and dimensions. 135 lbs each. and something like 20" long. That is a lot of weight!! Not interested in some custom installation either with some long boxes...
Yup the're 135lbs a piece
Chris I considered the batteries as a building block to a larger electrical system and a quick solution to power requirements for weekending on the boat - I'm currently estimating my usage at 60 - 70 amps per day - which was too high to run off of one Group 31 (105amps) and still keep one Group 31 as a spare for starting - the 4D (210 amps) can independently handle my requirements with no problem As far as pricing - I'd check a few other sources - I paid $1200 Cdn for the pair and I saw 8's listed on Ebay buy it now for about $530 US - and I think 4's are just slightly less I went with the 4's because I didn't want to lift anymore than the 135 Lbs - as far as instalation goes - I just used a slightly longer piece of plywood (4 or 6 inches) to support the additional length - I left the plywood unfinished to help monitor any unwanted moisture etc. - I didn't use battery boxes based on the recommendation of the place I bought them from and several sources on the internet that say AGM's don't leak acid if the cases crack - I can't verify this - but it's what I learned from several sources As far as the starting battery - i'm just adding the 1400 Lifeline - it is less than 7" tall - so it does fit upright under the bunk - I currently plan on using this once a month for good luck with no special dedication / isolation other than it will be battery switch one (turned off) and the 4d's will be in parrelel off of battery switch two and used 99.9% of the time - As far as safety goes - I'm no expert - but I am comfortable with this arrangement for the amount of use it's going to get - if I was going to use it full time dedicated with isolator / echo charge etc. - well maybe more research is required
Chris I considered the batteries as a building block to a larger electrical system and a quick solution to power requirements for weekending on the boat - I'm currently estimating my usage at 60 - 70 amps per day - which was too high to run off of one Group 31 (105amps) and still keep one Group 31 as a spare for starting - the 4D (210 amps) can independently handle my requirements with no problem As far as pricing - I'd check a few other sources - I paid $1200 Cdn for the pair and I saw 8's listed on Ebay buy it now for about $530 US - and I think 4's are just slightly less I went with the 4's because I didn't want to lift anymore than the 135 Lbs - as far as instalation goes - I just used a slightly longer piece of plywood (4 or 6 inches) to support the additional length - I left the plywood unfinished to help monitor any unwanted moisture etc. - I didn't use battery boxes based on the recommendation of the place I bought them from and several sources on the internet that say AGM's don't leak acid if the cases crack - I can't verify this - but it's what I learned from several sources As far as the starting battery - i'm just adding the 1400 Lifeline - it is less than 7" tall - so it does fit upright under the bunk - I currently plan on using this once a month for good luck with no special dedication / isolation other than it will be battery switch one (turned off) and the 4d's will be in parrelel off of battery switch two and used 99.9% of the time - As far as safety goes - I'm no expert - but I am comfortable with this arrangement for the amount of use it's going to get - if I was going to use it full time dedicated with isolator / echo charge etc. - well maybe more research is required
Sounds like a system!
I guess if you don't plan on bringing the batteries in for the winter, that might work. I find the current batteries hard enough to lift out. Since you are from Georgian Bay, my guess is you do a lot of overnighting with anchorage and that will take some battery strength. We don't do much over night stuff. Just go out for anywhere from 2-6 hours in a day. I have never been out of lake st clair but my first trip will hopefully be to georgian bay since I have heard it is beautiful. I might look for a job there and never return to michigan...
I guess if you don't plan on bringing the batteries in for the winter, that might work. I find the current batteries hard enough to lift out. Since you are from Georgian Bay, my guess is you do a lot of overnighting with anchorage and that will take some battery strength. We don't do much over night stuff. Just go out for anywhere from 2-6 hours in a day. I have never been out of lake st clair but my first trip will hopefully be to georgian bay since I have heard it is beautiful. I might look for a job there and never return to michigan...
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