Catalina 387 batteries

[Sailingnat]

Hi,
Had a survey done on 387 and batteries were dead. Need to replace. Would appreciate suggestions which type and size is best. Thank you

 

[Stan Breaux]

I'll be curious to see what Maine Sail is recommending these days.

About 18 months ago I bought 4 of the Duracell 6V golf cart batteries at Sam's.

They have been very good so far, and they are about the best $$ deal you can find.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Probably more than you need to know, but...

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=124973

In general, wet cells are your best bang for the buck, even better are golf carts. The link discusses the way too expensive IMHO AGMs. Gels are becoming a thing of the past.

Buy from a battery manufacturer or Sam's Club, never from WM.

You also didn't tell us important stuff, like how you use your boat (marina hopper or anchor out or in between), and what your daily ah load is, but this should be a good start.

Good luck. Anything else, come on back.

 

[Claygr]

If the batteries you are replacing are what came with the boat originally, they almost certainly are 4Ds for the house bank. There also is a space in the floor for a reserve battery - either a Group 27 or a Group 31 will fit. Buyer's choice in terms of whether you want to stay with flooded batteries or invest in AGMs, gel or lithium. If you are just going to be day-sailing or doing short cruises, I would stay with flooded. You should be consistent though between the house batteries and the reserve battery because different battery types have different charging needs.