See full version: How to Pick the Right Battery for Your Boat
A battery’s ability to crank an engine is indicated by its cold cranking amps (CCA), the amount of juice delivered at a specific temperature, usually 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Since few pleasure boats operate near freezing, CCA is valuable mainly for comparison, and most people just use the amp-hour rating. Diesel engines require batteries with more amp-hours because they have much higher compression ratios, which make them harder to crank. more
Since both gel cells and AGMs are available in both cranking and deep-cycle configurations, aren’t these two the obvious choice for boats? Not necessarily. First, they are roughly twice as expensive as wet cells. They also don’t tolerate overcharging as well as flooded batteries, a disadvantage generally obviated by a smart charger. Both Trojan Battery (www.trojanbattery.com) and MK Battery (www.mkbattery.com) offer excellent comparisons of wet-cell and VRLA batteries on their Web sites.
VRLAs give off significantly less gas than wet-cells, so they do not require extensive ventilation. (Although they still must be ventilated, for reasons already noted.) They can dispense a charge at a higher rate than flooded batteries and also recharge more quickly—by some accounts, up to three times faster—because they convert less energy into heat. VRLAs self-discharge much more slowly than flooded cells and can continue to dispense a charge even if submerged. And yes, they’re maintenance-free: You never have to check their electrolyte level.
You need to know the differences between battery types before you can pick the right setup for your boat.
Used in battery distribution clusters. Tested to UL 1107 and rated at 275A continuous, 455A intermittent, and 1250A cranking. Each switch has four removable sides suitable up to 1/0 wire size for easy cable attachment. Requires 3/8 inch (10mm) terminal connector. here
The Single Engine Battery Distribution Cluster includes dedicated battery switches for each bank and a voltage sensitive relay (VSR). The VSR allows for two or more batteries to be charged at the same time. When the engine is started and the start battery reaches 13.7V, the relay closes, combining batteries, allowing them to be charged simultaneously. A red LED indicator light on the VSR will turn on when in the closed charging mode. When the engine is stopped and the voltage drops to 12.8V, the relay will open, separating the batteries. This eliminates the possibility of draining the wrong battery and also protects sensitive electrical equipment from harmful engine start-up spikes. Measures 5 1/2"x 5 1/2"x 3 1/4".
Kit includes 2 each—3/8"(10mm) studs mounted in a plastic housing with removable access doors for unlimited battery cable routing options. Used to connect additional battery cables to extend the length of the standard engine battery cable. Studs are tin plated copper with tin plated brass nuts with stainless steel lock washers. Plastic housing is high temp and impact rated polycarbonate. Kit includes stainless steel mounting hardware. Housing measures 2.75"x 2.75"x 2" here
This compact 800 mA battery charger has all the charge characteristics of the indoor battery tender but designed for outdoor usage. Includes quick connect cable pictured. here
Maintains fully charged battery without overcharging. Includes: 2 alligator clips and quick disconnect plug. 6 foot power cord with 65 inch charging cord.
The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) announced 52 recipients of the 2016 Marine Industry Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Awards for excellence in customer satisfaction. Award recipients… here
Mastry Engine Centers have announced that they have developed a program to help owners of older two-stroke outboards make the right decision to trade-up to a clean burning, smooth running, quiet Suzuki four-stroke outboard.
Suzuki outboard expert Jon Ponedel has joined Suzuki RePower by Mastry. The announcement was made by David Taylor, company spokesman for sales and marketing. In his new role, Ponedel provides technical support to the company's service personnel… here
Strengthening its coverage in Florida, Mastry Engine Center has added a new Suzuki RePower Center in the Miami Area. Hialeah-based Atlantic Marine joins the growing group of eight retail outlets that specialize… here
Suzuki Marine will be the power of choice for the Marine Rescue NSW rescue vessel fleet under a new two-year agreement just signed by the two organisations. Commissioner Stacey Tannos and Haines Group…
Greenwood also sees trouble when too many cables are secured to the positive battery post with a wing nut – he suggests replacing the wing nut with a Nyloc lock-nut that won’t come loose and cause a bad connection.
“An electronic device that draws just 50 milliamps will draw 1.2 amp hours in a day, and 24 ampere hours in 20 days,” said Kimbrough. “That’s 24 percent of the charge of a 100 amp hour battery.” [links]
A battery switch can be used to cut off current flow from the starting battery during storage, protecting it from parasitic drain. [links]
Neglect your boat’s battery, and your next fishing trip could end right at the launch ramp.
Begin by making sure your boat has the right battery – a marine battery. Marine batteries come in two types. A marine starting battery is intended to start the engine and to power accessories such as lights, electronics, livewell pumps and aerators, and the radio. A marine deep-cycle battery is designed to power trolling motors and can withstand frequent deep discharges.
In this regard, the marine starting battery is sort of a hybrid of a standard starting battery and a deep-cycle battery. The deep-cycle battery has even larger, thicker plates than a starting battery and is designed to be used down to 25 percent of its complete charge (75 percent state of charge), and then recharged, over and over again. Like the marine starting battery, a marine deep-cycle battery is built to survive the pounding it may take when mounted below the bow of a bass boat, for example. more