Batteries?

[MJO21]

any other brands to consider? I have to replace both the cranking and deep cell batteries. I had Interstate batteries. I am considering Optima's. Is it worth the extra money? Any other brands to consider? GEL? AGM?

[chpthril]

Optima is ok for a cranking, but for a deep-cycle, their AH to $$$ ratio is near the bottom among AGM. They can also be finicky regarding recharging. You really need an Optima brand charger, or they will live a short life.

Depending on how you use your house bank, Id consider a pair of the Interstate marine AGM.

[duffymahoney]

I have had to warranty replace 7 optima batteries in 2 years. I just returned them all and went with XS. The owner of wetsounds told me it's their favorite brand. I put one in my classic bronco and 2 in my boat.

[sandm]

interstate battery user here. been using them in all my boats and trucks for 15 years and no issues with them. when our boat needs new batteries it'll be interstate again. 2 boats had 5 seasons on them each so I consider that pretty good. I like to think its due to religiously charging them on a prosport when the boat is not in the water but who knows...

[BrentP]

Honestly man, I’ve been running flooded batteries for a while in mine. Like someone else said above I’m religious about keeping them on a maintenance charger when docked and covered, and they hold up just fine. My experience suggests that the dollars spent on the more expensive gel batteries just doesn’t pay back. The exception would be if you have a very high consumption stereo and you use it on battery for very long periods of time.


I mostly use interstate but also have a NAPA battery as well.


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[rcoates2]

Lifeline batteries. The navy uses them and the guy I bought it from said they've never replaced one. But pricey.

[TeamAllen]

I have had good success with Optima Batteries. I just replaced mine at the end of last season, Sept 2020. I installed it July 2012. So it lasted over 8 years in my boat.
I used to burned through a few of them each year until I found out my charger was overcharging them in maintenance mode.
I now use a Battery Tender Jr. with no problems since. It has to have a maximum charge rate of .8 Amps or something.

[cucv]

Currently I have 2 type 24 Interstate batteries and my current battery switch only allows battery 1 or battery 2. I get large voltage drop and belt squealing when running 3 reversible pumps. I'd really like to end up with 5 pumps. I'm thinking of upgrading to 2 type 31 batteries and a switch that will go to both. Any recommendations on how to best have power available for all the pumps?

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[chpthril]

Currently I have 2 type 24 Interstate batteries and my current battery switch only allows battery 1 or battery 2. I get large voltage drop and belt squealing when running 3 reversible pumps. I'd really like to end up with 5 pumps. I'm thinking of upgrading to 2 type 31 batteries and a switch that will go to both. Any recommendations on how to best have power available for all the pumps?

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There is certainly a resolution for you. Start your own thread an we'll get started on the issue.

Include what year and model boat. A pic of your specific switch would be great also. Im not sure of one that is a OFF-1-2 and does not have a BOTH or 1+2 position.

[Bamer]

Honestly man, I’ve been running flooded batteries for a while in mine. Like someone else said above I’m religious about keeping them on a maintenance charger when docked and covered, and they hold up just fine. My experience suggests that the dollars spent on the more expensive gel batteries just doesn’t pay back. The exception would be if you have a very high consumption stereo and you use it on battery for very long periods of time.


I mostly use interstate but also have a NAPA battery as well.


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In my previous boat, I ran cheap Walmart EverStart batteries and just kept them charged. I got 5+ years out of both sets of batteries and only pulled them because I didn’t want to be on the water with 5+ year old batteries.....like these guys are saying, most important thing is just keep them charged correctly


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[BrentP]

In my previous boat, I ran cheap Walmart EverStart batteries and just kept them charged. I got 5+ years out of both sets of batteries and only pulled them because I didn’t want to be on the water with 5+ year old batteries.....like these guys are saying, most important thing is just keep them charged correctly


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Mike probably knows best, but I thought the benefit of AGM was that they are more resilient to being deeply discharged and recharged. Like when you use a stereo for a really long time without running the battery. Flooded lead acid batteries (even deep cycle) don’t like to go below 50% - just ask the golf cart guys. Heh.

They don’t necessarily have more capacity then a flooded battery for the size right?

I may be full of crap though


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[MJO21]

you guys are talking about charging your batteries...Do you mean you are hooking up chargers and trickle-charging them? Or making sure to start your boat periodically on the water so the alternator charges the batteries?

[sandm]

pro mariner prosport 20 charger installed in the boat. when we get back from the lake and put the boat in the garage, plug it in and leave until next outing. had one in last 3 boats.
I don't worry about batteries on the lake if I know it was plugged in.

[OptimaJim]

Hello, I noticed your conversation involving our products and wanted to offer some assistance and clarity on what has been posted. There's a lot to cover, so I apologize in advance for my lengthy post. While “AGM” and “gel” are often incorrectly used interchangeably, the next gel battery I see in a ski boat will be the first. Your likely options are a flooded lead-acid battery or an AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery. AGM batteries cost more, but will perform better and last longer if you take care of them. If you don't take care of your batteries, you're better off getting the cheapest battery you can find, with the most-liberal return policy.

Optima manufactures batteries designed for both cranking and deep-cycle use. Our 34M BlueTop is designed for cranking, while our D34M, D27M and D31M BlueTops are all designed for both cranking and deep-cycle use. We rate our batteries very conservatively, because we prefer to under-promise and over-deliver. Even with that in mind, pound for pound, the rating for our cranking amps can more than hold it's own with anything on the market. Our batteries will also continue delivering power well beyond their specified ratings. The reasons for that performance is because we use 99.99% pure virgin lead in all of our batteries (most use recycled lead) and we use robust cast straps to connect our cells, while most batteries use tombstone welds, which increase internal resistance. BrentP, I cannot speak for other AGM brands or manufacturers, but our batteries will handle deeper discharges and more cycles better than a typical flooded product

You don't need a special charger to charge Optima batteries and they are not “finicky” in regard to how they can be charged. Just use a regular battery charger on a regular setting, although AGM-specific settings are preferred. As others have indicated, battery performance and lifespan, regardless of brand, is largely tied to how a battery is used and maintained. Whenever any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and is left sitting in that state, sulfation begins forming in the plates, which diminishes capacity and lifespan. That makes a quality battery maintenance device an excellent investment for any boat owner.

duffymahoney, if we had a 10% manufacturing defect rate, we wouldn't be able to keep our doors open. Even at a defect rate that would put us out of business, there's still a 90% chance you would get a good battery from us. If you buy two batteries from us, the odds would go to 99% that one of them would be good. By the time you're at seven batteries, the odds of you getting seven defective batteries in a row from us would be 1 in 10,000,000 and that's at a rate far beyond our actual defect rate, that would put us out of business. If you can beat those odds, your money would be better-spent on lottery tickets instead of batteries. I would suggest taking a hard look at how you use and maintain your new batteries.

The Navy (and other branches of the military) use lots of different brands of batteries in lots of different applications, including some boutique brands. It's also much easier for the military to procure batteries, because they typically buy batteries in large quantities on a regular basis. That's why Wal-Mart has so much of the consumer marine battery market- they're everywhere and always have marine batteries in stock. The same is true to a lesser degree with many boat dealers, who are also Interstate dealers (all Interstate dealers can also order Optima batteries, if they don't have them in stock).

cucv, if your belt is squealing, you may want to take a closer look at your belt tension. If you are considering installing larger batteries than what came in your boat and/or how you use your boat may be considered on the high-end in terms of electrical demand, you may also want to review the quality of your wiring and the output of your alternator. I have found John in tech support at Powermaster to be an invaluable resource when it comes to charging systems.

MJ021, ideally, you should keep your boat battery on a quality battery maintainer whenever you are not using the boat. Tournament anglers are pretty religious about this, because they depend so much on their trolling motor batteries, but I find many other recreational boaters tend to only charge their batteries while in off-season storage or at the beginning of the season. You are always better off maintaining proper voltage in your battery throughout the year, by using a quality battery maintainer, rather than relying on your alternator. The alternator is designed to maintain batteries near a full state of charge, not recover deeply-discharged batteries. Asking an alternator to recover deeply-discharged batteries can lead to a cycle of dead batteries and jump-starts, until either the batteries need to be replaced (expensive) or the alternator needs to be replaced (really expensive).

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries

[Bamer]

you guys are talking about charging your batteries...Do you mean you are hooking up chargers and trickle-charging them? Or making sure to start your boat periodically on the water so the alternator charges the batteries?

Charging when in storage.....keeps the battery fully charged. Unless you run your engine for very long durations with little electrical load, you won’t get your batteries charged up completely....just think about how many times you start your engine when in the lake.....


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