What Battery Should I Get For My Boat

Vmax Slr125 Agm Sealed Deep Cycle 12v 125ah Batteries

Adding more appliances to your boat may mean upping your battery power, and sometimes more output power means buying two separate batteries. If you ever find yourself in that situation, you may want to consider the VMAXSLR125 AGM Sealed Deep Cycle batteries.

These are not the typical marine batteries that die out after a couple of years. These batteries can deliver exceptional performance for up to 10 years in float mode. The twin-device is backed by a 12-month warranty policy.

Specs and Features

• 125 amp hours, 12 volts
• Two deep cycle batteries
• Weighs 75 lbs
• Between 8 and 10 years float mode lifespan
• VMAX BC1215 12V 15Amp 7-stage charger recommended
• Designed for 99% recombination capabilities
• Safe for use, does not contain dangerous gases or fumes
• Carrying handle

When it comes to the best marine battery for boat racing, the XS Power D6500 takes the lead. It is one of the AGM batteries that use the highest energy density chemistry. You can mount this model in almost any position, and because it is both spill-proof and vibration-resistance, you can be sure of an extended lifespan.

Specs and Features

• 75 amp hour, 12 volts
• Weighs 58.3 lbs
• Comes with M6 terminal bolt
• Mounts in nearly all positions
• Sealed, valve-regulated

The brands unique SpiralCell design offers clean power, making the battery safe for the environment.

Specs and Features

Charging A Marine Battery

Most of us understand that when we are buying a new or used boat, the batteries supplied may not necessarily be top-of-the-line. If they seem to do the job, we dont think much about them. But in the warmer climates everyday heat is a major enemy of batteries, and can shorten their life considerably. In areas of the country that force us to put boats in storage for the winter, how the battery is cared for during this period is also critical to increasing life expectancy.

Its best to keep batteries on a regulated trickle charger to maintain charge while not in use. A battery that is not charged can freeze in cold temperatures and a cracked case is the likely result. A battery is like a lot of things in lifeuse it or lose it! A car battery will typically last longer than a boat battery because the car is used regularly and the battery stays charged. When it comes to boats, the old adage of a batterys life being two years is pretty well on the mark. Youll usually get a heads-up when its about to give up on you, with the warning being a dead battery one morning or a bit slower cranking speed than youre used to. You plug in the charger, the battery miraculously comes to life, and youre off on your trip. You may think a light was left on, or that the radio memory pulled the voltage down. The reality may be that the battery is sulfating, plates are warped, and it no longer takes or holds a charge like it once did.

Out Of Sight Cant Mean Out Of Mind

Despite the claims of maintenance free that you might see from the different battery companies, no battery is fully maintenance free. Not unless you just want to keep replacing it that is. As all true boaters know, boat stands for Bring On Another Thousand, so of course, youll want to look for as many ways to cut costs as you can.

Pro tip: instead of cutting back on expense by way of cutting back on quality, try creating a maintenance plan that keeps all the components of your investment working longer.

Simple battery maintenance can be fast and go a long way in keeping your battery at peak performance levels.

• Charge it up! After a long day on the water, dont wait until next time to charge your battery. Charge it before you walk away. Letting your battery sit undercharged for a period of time will cause performance level drops sooner than necessary.
• Give it a scrub! Dirt and sulfate build up on the outer casing causing the battery to continue to discharge at a faster rate than if it were clean. This build-up can also create a resistance to charging which will just add to its early life cycle failure.

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Sealed Vs Flooded Lead Acid Batteries

Your deep cycle battery may very well be a flooded lead acid battery, also known as a wet cell battery. This basically means that you are able to replace water that is lost in the battery right through the top of the battery.

These batteries tend to be cheaper than gel or AGM cell batteries. They are more work because replacing the water can be annoying, but this is the best value battery that most boat owners buy.

If you have a sealed lead acid battery, you have bought a model that is essentially maintenance-free. The unit is completely sealed so that there is no water loss inside of the battery. You could have an AGM battery or a GEL battery if you have a sealed or dry battery.

How To Check A Boat Battery That Keeps Dying

There could be something drawing the power that you are not aware of, such as perhaps a light switch is left on, or something as silly as the radio turned on with the volume turned all the way down. There is a way to check the battery and see if it is drawing power

Digital Multimeter

• Remove the battery cables and set those aside.
• Using a Digital Multimeter you want to set the lead on your amperage and move it to the amp scale. Check Amazon for the latest price.
• From the negative battery, post-connect the black lead.
• Touch the red lead to the positive battery post between the screw and the post itself.
• You should check with your owners manual at what the amp reading should be.
• Once you have your reading on the Digital Multimeter and youve confirmed it is drawing extra power, this is when you can begin to troubleshoot the problem. While still holding the leads to the battery:
• Carefully one at a time, start removing fuses and keep an eye on the amp readout until it drops down. Once it drops, then youve found the source drawing the power.
• You can try removing electronics in the same way you would remove the fuse, and again keep an eye on the amp readout for each electronic you remove.

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Consider The Cold Cranking Amps

Cold weather or low-temperatures makes it hard for batteries to start an engine. This is why you to consider the Cold Cranking Amps of a marine battery. It indicates the batterys ability to provide enough power to start your boats engine in cold weather or low-temperature conditions. The higher the CCA or cold cranking amp rating the battery has, the better for you boat. This simply means that the battery will not have a hard time starting your boats engine in low-temperature conditions.

Wet Cell Gel Or Agm Boat Battery

Batteries can be further categorized as wet cell, gel or AGM , depending on the configuration of the electrolyte, or conducting medium, inside the battery. Each type has pros and cons you should know before making a purchase.

About Wet-Cell Boat Batteries: The traditional lead-acid batteries we all are familiar with are wet-cell or “flooded-cell” batteries. Each wet-cell battery contains a liquid mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water . This is the most popular battery type, primarily because the price is generally less than other types, but also because these batteries have a number of inherent advantages. For example, a properly charged and maintained, premium wet-cell battery is capable of as many as 1,000 discharge/recharge cycles. This can translate to many years of dependable service at an initial cost substantially less than comparable capacity gel or AGM batteries. Wet-cell batteries also are less likely to be damaged by overcharging and tend to weigh less than comparable gel or AGM batteries.

In Conclusion

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Why Does My Boat Have Two Batteries

Its relatively common for boats to have two batteries. You might also notice that you have a switch that can go from battery 1 to battery 2. The main reason for the second battery is for an emergency where you find that your primary battery has died and you need to start the engine to get back to land. Another reason why boats would have two batteries is so that the electronics on board run separately from the engine or motor battery.

Sitting out on the water all day listening to music, along with any other electronics you might have running at the same time would drain a battery. For that reason, this is why its a good idea to have a second battery hooked up that wont drain the main batteries juice. The last thing you want is to be out on the water when the sun begins to start setting only to find out that your boat wont start.

Interstate Marine Deep Cycle

My first interstate battery was one I put in my car while in college. My battery died on a Sunday while I was visiting a buddy, and his dad happened to work in the county road commission garage. He went down and grabbed a new Interstate battery that they used for the plow trucks. I paid him back for the battery and never had to worry about starting that car, even when it was well below zero.

These are great deep cycle batteries and pretty hard to beat for the price. No, theyre not the absolute cheapest batteries out there, but they are less expensive than many other mid-level batteries and are still under $100. A nice feature are the insert terminals that give you more options in how you attach your wires, while reducing the extra terminal space you find on other batteries.

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Thin Plate Pure Lead And Lithium Batteries

New technologies will require new ways of thinking about your boat’s battery system. NorthStar TPPL batteries are among the most advanced AGM batteries in the world. They’re made from 99.99% pure lead that’s rolled into thin plates. Combining the pure lead’s low electrical resistance and greater surface area from more and thinner lead plates, they can accept much higher charging amperage than typical AGM batteries. Not only do they charge incredibly quickly, but they’re capable of 400 charge/discharge cycles with an amazing 80% depth of discharge.

These batteries add intriguing options for long distance cruisers. Instead of installing a 1000Ah battery bank and running your diesel for six hours, you can install a 500Ah TPPL bank and charge more frequently, but faster. Or you can forego a genset and install one or more very high-output alternatorsturning your propulsion engine into a high-output charging machine. Your diesel will run for short periods but with a high load .

Lithium/nickel/cobalt/manganese batteries, like those used in Torqeedo electric outboards, weigh less than lead acid batteries, can be discharged 800 times to 100% depth of discharge, and can be recharged in a little over an hour. They excel as battery banks in electric boats, as well as for other high-performance battery tasks.

What Is Special About A Marine Battery For A Boat

Your car batterys job is to provide enough power to turn over, or start, your engine when it is cold. To do this, the battery needs to deliver a lot of amperage for just a few seconds. After the engine starts, the alternator takes over to power all of the electronics in your car and recharge the battery.

Boat batteries often have different demands on them. Your boat motor still needs a battery to start it, but there may be many other power needs that the battery will supply. In smaller, day-use boats, your marine battery must also power the lights, gauges, pumps, and other electronics. On the other hand, fishing boats and live-aboard vessels may require multiple battery types to run household systems or electric motors.

There are three general types of marine batteries to consider: Starting boat batteries, deep-cycle marine batteries, and multi-purpose boat batteries.

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Disconnect Boat Battery In The Winter

After doing an extensive amount of research on the topic, I was able to find out that a lot of boaters have their own opinions about disconnecting a battery and what the best way is to store the battery was during the winter months.

Indoor Battery Winter Storage:

During the winter months, it is recommended that you disconnect your battery and store it inside someplace cool and dry, like in a basement or a workshop. Marine batteries should never be left outside in the cold for too long because they can freeze. What happens is that the liquid inside will freeze and cause the electrical connections to break and bend the plates, which will lower the batteries output. Sometimes to the point where the battery is considered useless.

Long ago, it was said that storing a battery on a concrete floor would drain it quickly and cause it to lose its charge. That was true when battery cases were made out of natural rubber, but thats no longer the way it is today. Now, battery cases are made from polypropylene or other more modern materials, allowing the battery to be stored almost anywhere.

Some long-time boaters think that it is better for the battery now if it sits directly on a cold floor to help it hold its charge. Although thats just a theory, and I couldnt find any evidence to support it.

Outdoor Battery Winter Storage:

Although the winter months typically have less sunshine, you could look at using a solar panel to help keep the charge in the battery.

The Best Boat Battery For Your Use

Your particular application will determine which type of boat battery is best for you. However, a lithium-ion marine battery will be your best option for any application where deep cycling is required. The only time a lithium-ion boat battery wont outperform a lead-acid battery in efficiency, reliability, overall cost, and weight is when you need a starting battery.

So, whether youre heading out on the water for a fun day of cruising around the lake, trolling for a trophy fish, or living on your houseboat, choosing the best battery for your use is critical. Unfortunately, there isnt one battery to rule them all. Understanding your application and the benefits of the different options allows you to choose the best marine battery for you.

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How To Hook Up Dual Batteries In A Boat

Sometimes, there is such a huge power requirement on your boat that you simply cannot fulfill it with just one battery. You have to connect two or more batteries instead to sufficiently power the boat. You usually come across this issue with bigger boats that have more than one engine or lots of electronics.

Connecting two or more batteries to your boat engine is simpler than it sounds. The procedure is the same for connecting two batteries, or three, or more. You just have to follow these simple steps.

• Secure all batteries on your boat.
• Take a heavy gauge wire like a 4 or 2 GA, and bridge all of the negative terminals of the batteries together.
• Install the switch in a suitable location, and then connect each positive terminals of the batteries to the switch. One positive to terminal 1 and one positive to terminal 2. Make sure that the switch is in the off position.
• Take a wire, and connect the output of the switch to the positive terminal of your engine.
• Use another wire to connect the negative terminal of your engine to the negative terminal of any of the batteries. .

There, you are done! It is really just as simple as that.

Different Types Of Battery Chemistry

Now that you are familiar with the different types of batteries available in the market, this is the time to learn about the different types of battery chemistry. Which is another crucial aspect in choosing the right type of battery that can keep with the needs of your boat. To be familiar with this different battery chemistry, refer to the list below:

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Do Outboard Motors Recharge The Battery

Yes, they do. Almost all outboard motors have what is called a rectifier that acts the same way as your cars alternator does and this charges the battery as the engine is running. The motor is usually a crank battery that is used, while a deep cycle battery would be used for powering things such a pump and trolling motors.

Banshee Deep Cycle Lithium Marine Trolling Battery

Lithium-Ion batteries are making headway into most areas, and marine batteries are a great fit for the technology. The Banshee battery is extremely cool, but falls seriously into the not-cheap category. With a price tag pushing $800, this is a great pick for the serious angler looking to shave weight off the boat. At just 13.8 pounds, this battery produces 800 cold-cranking amps.

A traditional lead-core battery in that range would weigh in around 60 pounds. Thats a big deal for anglers trying to keep the overall weight on the boat below the maximum allowed by the manufacturer. It will let a tournament angler store more tackle and gear on the boat, which may make the difference between a win and not finishing anywhere near the leaderboard.

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