Gel vs. Standard battery

[Frank Gloss]

Hi there,My recently purchased Catalina 22 "Wind Magic" #10446 came without a battery. I have a manual start 8 hp outboard with a charging system. I will be running lights, stereo, radio, knotmeter, etc. I realize I must buy a deep discharge battery. My question is this: Should I buy a regular battery, or buy a gel battery. I see that the gel is twice the price. What are the pros and cons of each. What are your experiences with it. Also, what kind of meter should I get to see how much charge I have, and should it be mounted in the boat, or just use a handheld?ThanksFrank frankgloss@home.com

 

[Doug Seaman]

I'm not sure if this is an answer, but...

Frank:Questions: How long will your outings be? (day, week, more) What type of water will you be on? (big water, small lake) Easy access to shore power?I sail a C-25 on Lake Erie, mostly weekends - occasionally more, with shore power right at the slip. Because of these factors, I bought an Exide Orbital gel cell. You don't have to store gels upright, no worries about spills from an accidental puncture, and they hold their charge better in the off-season. However, they do take longer to charge due to a 2 amp charge rate, and you're not getting the same amount of amp-hours for the money. The Orbital should run about $125 and will give you 50 amp-hours. AC-Delco's M30HMF is a flooded cell in the $130-140 range that will give you 115 amp-hours.My experience so far has been good, we don't use too much power (lights, VHF, GPS, occasional stereo). I figured the lower amp-hour rating was okay since I'm planning to get a solar trickle-charger next year when (hopefully) the longer trips will become more frequent.Also, I use a handheld meter to check the charge.Doug SeamanC-25 #2588

 

[Aldo]

You are asking the right questions

Frank: I use a Fluke 11 digital multi-meter to check the voltages of my battery. (It has other uses around the boat too). I have always used a flooded type of battery, and I enlarged my battery to a size 27 battery. It's a little bigger, and a little heavier. I run lights a little, an anchor light, and an autopilot. (I don't know that it's necessary to increase the size to size 27). My motor doesn't have an output to recharge the battery, but I do recharge the battery with a solar panel and regulator during the week. I don't see any reason to spend 2x for a gel cell battery. The main issue with a battery is not to let it get too low, that is, below half charge. That's when you start affecting it's future life. The voltages for a flooded battery are: Full = 12.7 volts, 3/4 = 12.45 v., 1/2 = 12.2 v., 1/4 = 11.95 v., 11.7 v. = Empty. This is why it's good to have a digital voltmeter. I haven't found a nice inexpensive one to mount on the boat yet, so I just check mine with the digital multimeter. Even though your motor will be recharging your battery, depending on how much you run it and how much you use your lights, you still want to monitor your battery to see what its charge is. I hope this helps. Aldo

 

[John Evans]

Batteries

I've had a 22 since 1988.It was built in 1976.I use discarded gel cell batteries from UPS units. They're heavy duty, and if you can find a source (my brother replaces UPS batteries), They're great.No acid spills to worry about. That is a big thing.My outboard is a Yamaha-6 without a charger.I use the solar charger, and am veryt happy with them.I broke the glass on two glass solar chargers.My latest is a flexible one, and I think I will like it.Be careful of the extra heat caused by the solar cell. It will alligator crack the fiberglass.Good luck.

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners]

Probably lead acid

I went through the same dilemma you're going through a few weeks ago. I studied Nigel Calder's book on Electrical Maintenance and concluded they would probably serve my purposes best. With gelcells, you typically need a special regulator so they don't implode. With lead acid, you need to make sure you maintain them regularly. If you're only using the boat on weekends, etc, lead acid is probably the way to go. Check out Calder's book from a library