Boats and batteriesplus

[BobM]

Well, I traced my dead house battery to a holding tank monitor light wired around the battery switch. It wasn't readily apparent as the light is inside the head. Since I daysail I don't go in there much. Plus the tank level was such that if you walked in the boat would list slightly and the light would go off. Leave and it would go on.

Since I felt that my house battery was on its way out anyway...a group 27 die hard that didn't like last winter...I left in on board with a full charge and by mid winter it was half dead...I decided it would be best to just buy a new one. I remembered that there a Batteries Plus location near work. I called and got the manager. I asked her if she had deep cycle 24's and 27's in stock. She confirmed she had both. I told her I would be down later to pick one up as the one on my boat died, but I hadn't decided on replacing the 27, which fit but without a battery case, or going back to a 24 since I had to haul it to the boat in my dinghy. When I got to the store, the manager had put both a 24 and a 27 on a trickle charger to top them off. I decided on the 24 and she searched for a $10 coupon for me and I ended up getting the battery for $74! Now that is great customer service!

 

[BobT]

That is a good price for a group 24. Does it have an Amp Hour spec on it? I bought a new dual purpose 24 this year for about $109, but it has no AH rating, Just CCA, which the pundits say, is not a very useful spec.

The experts also tell us that we must expect to charge a battery two or three times over the winter. They don't like sitting around with a partial charge. Especially in the Cold.

Will you redo that wiring?
I only have one more circuit wired directly to a battery. The thru hull socket for the auto tiller is tapped from the terminals of the 2nd battery. I did a bunch of rewiring this summer but that one will have to await the next motivational wave.

 

[BobM]

The specs are on their website.

75 AH is the capacity. The 27 would have been a 90. Another reason for going back to the 24 is that it is lighter and easier to remove from the boat. Which is what I should do over the winter, or at least I should at least remove the connections from the batteries.

Regarding redoing the wiring. I will have to think about it. I may just put a switch inline so I can check it when I want to. An idiot light is just such a useless thing. If I am going to put effort into it, it will be part of a larger project to simplify my system. I will never be anywhere I can use the macerator and pump overboard and removing all the extra connections will make the system less stinky overall. It would also allow more room for a larger holding tank with a proper monitoring system. However, given how long my to do list is it isn't near the top by a long shot.

 

[BobM]

As usual, this site has good stuff. The group 24 they sell has greater capacity. They also have Optima batteries and many other options. However, I needed a batter immediately.

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?4599/Dual Purpose Marine Batteries - 12 Volt

 

[Stu Jackson]

1. That is a good price for a group 24. Does it have an Amp Hour spec on it? I bought a new dual purpose 24 this year for about $109, but it has no AH rating, Just CCA, which the pundits say, is not a very useful spec.

2. The experts also tell us that we must expect to charge a battery two or three times over the winter. They don't like sitting around with a partial charge. Especially in the Cold.

1. I bought (3) Group 31s, 130 ah each for $115 direct from American Battery. Shop wisely.

2. Not true. The colder it gets the less self-discharge. No battery is good with a partial charge. Fully charge them and they'll last a six month cold winter.

 

[BobT]

Ok, but in practice, if we leave a battery on the boat, charge it in the yard for a few hours after haul out, Old man winter sets in. What's the likelihood that it's truly full charge? I'm not comfortable leaving a trickle charger on for weeks or months...

Especially us mooring guys. We torture our batteries with erratic engine charging all season long. (just finished a solar panel install that should remedy that.)
When I had a motorcycle I had to kick myself and buy a new battery more than one springtime due to insufficient attention over the winter.

 

[BobT]

Stu, how much of that price was shipping and what type of carrier? Do they have regional distribution or local outlet for pickup?

 

[Stu Jackson]

No shipping, I just went and picked them up and brought my old ones. Less than half and hour from home/boat. Near you: use the internet. Good luck, it's possible.

 

[Maine Sail]

It is my understanding that Batteries Plus sells Deka / East Penn batteries, at least in some sizes, for their deep cycle marine batteries. O'Reilly Auto, NAPA, West Marine & many Sam's Clubs also sell the East Penn product..

 

[BobM]

I decided I could best ensure success by buying a new battery. Given the lack of performance of the Diehard...which wasn't living up to its name...seemingly providing lackluster performance after two years...Batteriesplus was just a convenient option and turned out to have good customer service. Most batteries are made by a handful of manufacturer's these days anyway. Speaking of batteries...time to throw one on the charger for the old Jag I need to get rid of. One XJS is a headache...two is a migraine headache and we bought a 90 convertible and need to get rid of the 89 coupe.