Battery

[Beaches]

Took the boat 23SE to have serviced, getting ready for the up and coming striper season. All was fine when i dropped it off, just a general service and water pump change. When I picked it up, both batteries were dead. I generally turn the batteries to off after each use and have never had a battery issue. They are the original batteries from 2008 purchase date. Before trailoring away went to set the motor and had no juice. Upon speaking to the mechanic, he said that he needed to place a charger on the starboard battery throughout service. He brought out tester and said the starboard battery is done yet port is good. He noted that one battery will steal from the other when it dies. Is this the case??? It seems I will have to purchase a new battery, and it very well may have been time. Just frustrating when the boat is fine going in and not coming out. Any reccomendations on a good battery to purchase?

Thanks

 

[Megabyte]

Any reccomendations on a good battery to purchase?

When asked, I always recommend replacing batteries together.

So far as type, do you want good, or do you want the best?
I had a pair of Optima Blue-Top AGM's in my 2520 that lasted me 9 years before one of them finally gave out.
Replaced those batteries this past spring with a pair of G27 Lifeline AGM's. http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/marine.php
Not cheap by any means, but the top of the heap using current technology.

FWIW - I do not, and never have, pulled my batteries out of the boat for the winter.
The Optimas were in there for the whole 9 years. The Lifelines will remain in the boat too.

AGM's typically loose only 2% of their power per month in storage.
Flooded cell batteries loose much more, and then of course there is the maintenance issue keeping the electrolyte topped off.

So... it depends on your use, and your budget.

 

[HOTPURSUIT]

I found that I had a bad battery this summer while I was giving my boat the once over to make sure everything was in good working order. Normally when I take the boat out I just turn the battery switch to both. Hard to tell when you have one bad battery when you put them both online. That could be why you did not realize one was going bad. As routine maintamace I will start the boat on one battery at a time just to see how they perform. Thats how I found I had a bad battery. I replaced both, I figure the other battery although good today won't be far behind. I have always used a good marine grade deep cycle maintenance free battery. The batteries in my boat were also 4 years old. I find the most I will get out of a battery is 4-5 years after that the performace drops big time

 

[jimjybe]

It seems to me that batteries are only as good as their warranty. There are only a handful of manufactures that produce batteries in the US and they are distributed as hundreds of brands. The batteries we used to get in Japan made Toyotas would last 5-6 years where most made here would last 3-4 years. I just replaced the original battery in my Kubota tractor after twelve years of service and it was a conventional lead acid battery made in Korea. The other cell battery mentioned here sounds good if you don't mind the cost, I don't know much about them. A lot of batteries are sold by the length of the warranty, many are the same battery, you're just paying for a guaranteed longer service. As a rule in a lead acid battery, the heavier it is the better it will produce. In our boat we have two batteries but only use one at a time, this way we always have a fully charged one to get us home. My advice is, if you are going to buy a conventional lead acid battery get a heavy one with a good replacement warranty and check the date it was made to make sure it is not six months old already!

 

[warthog5]

In our boat we have two batteries but only use one at a time, this way we always have a fully charged one to get us home.

Read my write up here - viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12432 and then welcome to Y2K.

 

[grouperjim]

Here is my battery setup on a 2006 2320...........this is copied from a different thread.


I frequently overnight 120 mi offshore, so the battery issue becomes very important to me. All my batts remain isolated from each other but charge simultaneously by utilizing the unused auxillary charging lead/plug that comes off the alternator and hangs capped in front of the engine near the bottom of the pan.

Although I carry a third (fully charged) battery, I only use the two which are currently AGM group 31s (same dimensions as the 27s). I like to keep them isolated from each other so what I do is leave the Perko batt switch in position 1. I never select "both" unless an emergency. Battery 2 is hooked up to the aux charging lead.

So the way this plays out while underway is, number 1 batt gets charged at all times via the battery cable. Number 2 battery gets charged at all times via the aux charging wire. Never a need to remember to change the Perko switch unless there is an emergency. All batteries remain isolated. Number 3 battery doesn't get hooked up unless running some underwater lights, and in that case they are alligator clipped directly to the batt.

There are many ways to do it. On a Yamaha 4s just remember that there is an unused aux charging lead that will charge a battery any time the engine is running.

Here is a pic of the charging wire form Yamaha. You can make your own. Retail is about $80. The plug snaps into the aux charging lead (remove protective plug) then exits with the rest of the engine wires thru big plastic chase into the transom, then simply attach the red ring terminal to the positive side of the batt.....done.

 

[jimjybe]

Wow, the BEP unit is pretty slick, I also agree with "Grouper Jim's" way. This site is so cool, always learning new ideas and gaining knowledge. I suppose the reason I run on one battery at a time is that I will know if I have a alternator failure or a battery with a dead cell, either way it would send me home without using any electronics on the good battery. It would probably be in my best interest to install an amp meter or monitor the volt meter to insure charging. I really don't like running the electronics and motor on the same battery but if you run on both batteries with no alternator output you could end up without enough juice to make it home? Will the BEP alert you if there is a voltage drop in both batteries, would like to hear any input on my reasoning!
Did i mention I like to kayak, mountain bike and windsurf . . . . wonder why? LOL!

 

[HOTPURSUIT]

Grouper Jim, awsome tip, thanks Mike

 

[Brent]

My 02 F225 does not have feature on the regulator/rectifier for an aux charging cable
If it ever goes out I will replace with one that does.
It is a very useful feature

 

[DaleH]

He noted that one battery will steal from the other when it dies. Is this the case???

Yes, but ONLY if tied together, like your battery switch was placed in 'Both' or 'All" everytime you used the boat.

I do the opposite of Capt Kevin and rotate my batteries so that a new battery is purchsed every 2-years. If "new" batteries are to fail, it will be within a few months of use, so I prefer to have on board a good older known 'good' batttery and then the new or newer one.

I also run my batteries where I'll use Battery #1 on odd days of the week, like today 05Oct2012, and Battery #2 on even days. That pretty much equalizes the use on average days. But on longer or full day tuna trips, I'll run out on #1 and and in on #2, IF the motor will be shutdown for chunking.

If trolling all I'll put it on BOTH, just never shutdown the motor and leave the switch set on both, as if one went bad during the trip, it will pull down the other.

Or, add an isolator or that intelligent charging battery switch gizmo by BEP that Warhog5 posted in a recent post on his new 2530 model refurb.

 

[CAN'T PARKER]

Good morning beaches,If you didn't puschase batteries yet;I am in your area I will give you the batteries at my cost.Let me know 302 604 2437 good luck Kevin