www.iFourWinns.com

Hello All, I'm sure this question has come up numerous times but here we are again.

What are your opinions on the best battery for my situation? (name brand? type? size?)

I have done some research and have learned there are many options, but have not been able to decide.

- DieHard? Exide? Odyssey? etc?

- Wet Cell? AGM? Gel? etc?

- Starter? Dual Purpose? Deep Cycle?

- 24? 27? 31?

- If you are really ambitious any ideas on optimal CCA, MCA, reserve, etc?

I own a 1993 FW SD 215 5.0 EFI and will be setting up a dual battery switch with the "second" battery being my old Deep Cycle.

My intentions are mostly day boating with anchoring and playing some music (stock-ish sound system) and also doing some camping where I will charge electronics like cell phones, maybe a laptop, run some lights, and maybe music also.

I apologize if I left out any info needed.

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1993 Sundowner 215
OMC Cobra 5.0 EFI
South Hadley, MA
Connecticut River Rat for life

I think best bang for the buck is a pair of group 27 dual purpose batteries (conventional lead acid), esp if your boat is wired up so that you really can't separate the wiring into house and engine loads like they do on bigger boats. I use Deka's and they are usually good for 5 years. AGM is supposed to be the best, but if you read reviews on them, people have trouble with them as well. And they are about double the cost of conventional batteries. The dual purpose is good for cranking and good for light loads while anchored out.
One thing I can say, especially on an older boat, do not 100% trust that dash volt meter. You can have a scenario where your wiring builds up resistance in the charging circuit 'SENSE' wire. This is the wire that brings a voltage signal to the alternator on the battery's state of charge. If this circuit has high resistance, it will read lower than true battery voltage and that will cause the battery to be overcharged by the alt. You may not notice this because of resistance in the dash instrument wiring, the volt meter may read low. So when my volt meter on the dash was reading 13.5V; at the batteries, it was reading 15.5V with a digital voltmeter! This was the reason my batteries were not lasting that long. I then disconnected the sense terminal on the back of the alt. I hooked up my digital volt meter between the sense wire and the ground and checked voltage. It was reading about 9.5-10V, when the battery voltage was actually 12.5V. The solution (I got this information from Arco Electric, when I bought a new alt) was to tape that wire up in the harness. Then run a jumper from the sense terminal to the B+ terminal (thick wire that comes up from the starter solenoid, direct battery voltage). After doing that, my batts charged at 14.2V which is perfect. The dash gauge reads a little low, but that's just due to the old wiring. I'll fix that when I replace all the gauges.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

They all suck IMO and you will be lucky to get 3 years. I go with whoever has a 2 year warranty (currently EverStart @ Walmart) and get deep cycle 29s.

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Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY

DOD (depth of discharge) is critical to a batteries longevity & AGM is by far the best for the money.



What is your old deep cycle battery?
I'd look at installing a OFF - ONE - BOTH - TWO selector switch and have a dedicated starting battery (batt 1) & dedicated house (deep cycle) battery (batt 2).

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2011 Four Winns H180 SS.
Aussie built Mustang 2800.
SOLD - 1997 Four Winns Horizon RS

XS Power AGM

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2008 H200 Frenzy Edition 5.0 GXi

1993 Horizon 190 5.0 EFI (Sold)

No matter what battery you pick, just check your charging voltage with a good digital vom, like I said, do not trust that dash gauge....If its too high or too low then go looking for causes.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

+1. I've been partial to Interstate for the boat, but next time around I'm considering WalMart. I've been using them in all the cars for a few years now and have been equally impressed. The main thing is, in a boat, just expect to replace them every 5 years regardless of brand.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Being that your loads are light, and you don't likely have separate House wiring, I agree with Lou that two Dual Purpose marine batteries would be a good choice. You want to be capable of starting the engine off either battery alone, in case you ran down the other battery. I often get 4-5 years out of my marine lead-acid batteries from Costco, Walmart or auto parts store.

You don't need to get carried away on the size... Group 24 would work fine and have the least weight. Group 27s if you want the extra capacity (and extra weight). 2 group 31's seem like unnecessary weight for a 21' boat.

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

Our old 245 SD had a two battery system with group 27 dual purpose conventional lead acid batteries. Over the 6 years I owned it I replaced one battery and that was the second spring of ownership. The boat had a stock stereo (no amp), pressure water pump and typical cabin and cockpit lights. It did not have an on-board battery charger. Our boating style is such that the boat sits for the week and gets used on Saturday and Sunday. The boat had two Interstate batteries when I bought it, the one I bought was from Wal Mart. I'd buy a reputable brand at a retailer that is near you so you can take it back for replacement during the warranty period if needed. At $100 or so each that is almost nothing in boat dollars. I don't consider my batteries disposable but with light duty cycles its not worth it to me to spend big bucks on some mega brand when most likely any decent brand will work and last for a reasonable amount of time.

We use the boat for mostly cruising and tubing/skiing so we also use a 12V inflator and do use a fan in the cabin for hot days. We also stop and anchor out for lunch, etc. We only overnighted a handful of times over those years, always at a dock. I always try to alternate using battery 1 and 2 on different days to ensure the batteries stayed charged. I think you'd do fine with 2 group 27 batteries unless you have real heavy loads. I did convert my cabin lights to LED.

Our boat is also stored in indoor heated storage over the winter (6 months here in Michigan) so that will help with avoiding freezing winter conditions if the batteries were not removed from the boat.
I'm convinced that heat has as much affect on batteries as much as maintaining proper charge and not over dis-charging. I have much less problems with bad batteries than my dad does down in southern Georgia where it gets so hot in the summers.

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Terry
Current: 07 Crownline 255 CCR cuddy - 350 Mag MPI/B3 "Casi Cielo"

Previous:97 245 Sundowner 5.7GI/SX

Tow vehicle: 1986 GMC 2500 Camper Special 454/TH400

Absolutely. Heat is the biggest battery killer during the summer; neglecting their state of charge is the biggest killer during the winter because they become much more susceptible to freezing as their SoC drops. I put a good charge on mine in late fall so I don't have to worry about leaving them in a freezing storage unit all winter.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Some of mine are hitting 6 & 7 years old. I use AGM platinum from Sears that are made by Odyssey. BUT sears is no longer carrying them. They did come with a 4yr. replacement. Batterys Plus now has them for $20 more with a 6 year replacement warranty and they look the same other than the color of the top. So I think Odyssey makes them too.