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Boat battery question

8K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  jobsite 
#1 ·
I just bought a boat, its a 20 ft wellcraft with a 175hp mercury. I need a battery but it dosent have one in it. I cant find any application guides for what battery came in it. Do I need a deep cycle or just a battery for starting? The only electronics I have is a radio, cb, fish finder and a couple lights. Thanks
 
#6 ·
Some clarifications are in order here....

1) batteries come in three types ... Cranking... deep cycle and dual purpose. ( within each type ther are groups that determine size group24 being averagfe, group 27 the big brother)

Cranking batteries are made for short bursts of power, their plates are thinner and designed for sudden short duration heavy loads..they do not withstand many deep discahrges before their plates become sulfated and ineffective.

deep cycle batteris are the work horse of the battery clan, they are designed for long term discharge/ recharge cycles, but because their plates are thicker, they sulfate and can be ruined when asked to crank high horse power engines on a regular basis..

dual puropse batteries are perfect for fisherman, they sport alternating thin and thick plates, they can with stand more deep discharges than a cranking battery and can serve as a cranking batter rather reliabily, but lack the sustaind cranking ability of a true cranking battery...

Chemistry: Marine batteries come in three chemistries, flooded, AGM ( absorbed glass mat) and Gel...

Flooded batteries are the least expensive and most common, they can spill acid and must be maintaned to be effective..

AGM batteries are completly sealed, they charge %40 faster than flooded batteries and have a lower self discharge rate.. they can be mounted in any posistion except upside down.. they are dual purpose batteries and IMHO the best bang for the buck..( I run two of these in my 18' skiff)

Gel.. very simular to AGM, except are more of a deep cycle battery althohg made to be dual purpose..

Switching...the old Bat. 1, Bat 2 or both switches are obsolete.they leave too much to chance, to keep both batteries charged, you must manualy switch between batteris... the other problem is in battery isolation, this system does not allow for starting isolation , and often times voltage spikes can damage electronics, at the very least interfere with it's operation..

a better sytem is to use a series of switches or better yet a switch that isolates the system and each battery when starting and combines them when charging via a voatage sesitive relay, that combines both batteries during charging and isolates them during discharge or starting, the price of the relay and switch is modest and make for an extremly reliable system that gaurentees that both batteries remain charged but delicate elctronics are protected when you start you engine(s)
 
#7 ·
I know this is an old thread... sorry.

Roccus, would you mind telling me where to find the switch you mentioned in your above post?
I am looking to make my boat a 2 battery system this year and want to do it right. Having the electronics protected and yet still be able to charge both batteries at the same time is a huge plus.
Any additional info you can give me would be appreciated.
Thank you.
 
#11 ·
Hey, Willy. I haven't been online much this winter. Sorry that I just saw your reply.

I looked at the unit you mentioned. Looks like I'd need to add a remote switch to enable me to use both batteries while starting the motor (if one was too weak to do the job for some reason). I do like the idea of having the option to use both batteries if needed. I'll have to look into that further.

Won't be long before the winter blanket comes off the boat and I can start tinkering on it. Would really like to make it a two battery system and install new gps/ff. Those are my big dreams before season starts...

Looks like its gonna be a busy spring, work-wise. I need to be sure to leave some time open for that Brown Trout run. Dan and I need to get together and see how to rig his boat with some of my stuff for that trip. Looking forward to it.

I will give you a ring when I'm down your way and maybe we can grab lunch. I should be working down that way soon.

Thanks for the link.
 
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