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Help with choosing a battery

Marcelor

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Hello guys!
Faced with the choice of a battery for my boat, I want to power the echo sounder from it, here i see different batteries, but I still don't understand what exactly I need..
Who uses what battery?
 

marcham

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I presume you already have seperate house and starting batteries and only wish to replace the house battery? Personally, I wouldn't bother with agm. Your depth sounder uses little power and any group 24 or group 27 hybrid (marine) or deep cycle battery will do. I've had good luck with costco batteries.
 

Liveto99

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When I bought the boat I put AGM from Sam’s Club it was Duracell. They worked great, I just moved the second to a pressure washer last week they are still good, and installed Optima blue tops group 24.
‘Why? Group 24 is a little bigger and has more reserve. And advertising works.
 

VitaminSea

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@marcham @Liveto99 Thanks for suggesting the club stores. For some reason I would have never thought of looking there. Just compared a Duracell AGM 27M at Sam’s to Battaries Plus, difference is price is $60, or ~25% less at Sam’s (albeit the warranty is half the length - 18 vs 30months).
 

Dean P

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I picked up 2 deep cycle Duracell AGM batteries couple years ago from Batteries Plus. Overall I'm happy with them and have NEVER been stranded. My "starter" battery is showing signs of tiredness and will need help starting the boat after sitting out for a couple hours. I should probably swap them (like tires on a car). I'm in the Florida heat and boat a lot so I know they take heat abuse.

Be sure to put them on a battery charger to keep fully charged and "healthy".
 

Canuckjetboater

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Hello guys!
Faced with the choice of a battery for my boat, I want to power the echo sounder from it, here i see different batteries, but I still don't understand what exactly I need..
Who uses what battery?
@Marcelor ..... for the (IMO) extra cost of up-grading to at least AGM (absorbed glass mat) or what I do which is up-grade to AGM TPPL (thin plate pure lead) here is why I do so - (Deep Cycle to AGM and TPPL comparison) - My 2021 Yamaha SX195 came with a group 24 Interstate HD battery. Because I could not charge my battery at my wet slip and I had to rely on the puny stator of a jet boat (instead of a 75 amp alternator of an I/O) to charge my battery I knew I needed a much different battery chemistry - unless I added a SECOND battery - which I did not want to do. I decided on a NorthStar TPPL. Here's why - battery chemistry comparison: Deep Cycle Flooded: 625 MCA - 325 discharge cycles to 50% discharge - charging acceptance rate 25% of Ah (amp hours) self discharge (per month) 6% AGM: 700 MCA - 325 discharge cycles to 60% discharge - charging acceptance 40% of Ah - self discharge rate (per month) 3% TPPL: 1010 MCA - 400 discharge cycles to 80% discharge - charging acceptance rate 300% of Ah - self discharge rate per month 1%. Sooooo what does this mean? The TPPL maintains power much, much longer, re-charges at a blistering rate and can be discharged deeply (few people do this) many more times to a significantly greater discharge. ***** Most important of all the AGM and better yet TPPL are easily re-charged by the Yamaha engine's stator meaning I do not have to put the battery on a trickle charger - and - even though I pre-charge my battery at the start of the boating season after winter lay-up the TPPL will start the engine first try even without charging it - after a SIX month lay-up!!!!! Where the AGM and TPPL dramatically change the game is when you connect two or more (I had six TPPLs on a big cruiser). The difference is astounding. They are more expensive but IMO worth every penny. Last year we wet slipped our SX195 from May to September. I never had to put the TPPL on a charger once and the stator re-charged it fully on each trip. It fired the engine-up right away every time and ran our OEM stereo. If we had a big sound system I would simply add a second TPPL. :cool:
 

Pullen724

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@Marcelor ..... for the (IMO) extra cost of up-grading to at least AGM (absorbed glass mat) or what I do which is up-grade to AGM TPPL (thin plate pure lead) here is why I do so - (Deep Cycle to AGM and TPPL comparison) - My 2021 Yamaha SX195 came with a group 24 Interstate HD battery. Because I could not charge my battery at my wet slip and I had to rely on the puny stator of a jet boat (instead of a 75 amp alternator of an I/O) to charge my battery I knew I needed a much different battery chemistry - unless I added a SECOND battery - which I did not want to do. I decided on a NorthStar TPPL. Here's why - battery chemistry comparison: Deep Cycle Flooded: 625 MCA - 325 discharge cycles to 50% discharge - charging acceptance rate 25% of Ah (amp hours) self discharge (per month) 6% AGM: 700 MCA - 325 discharge cycles to 60% discharge - charging acceptance 40% of Ah - self discharge rate (per month) 3% TPPL: 1010 MCA - 400 discharge cycles to 80% discharge - charging acceptance rate 300% of Ah - self discharge rate per month 1%. Sooooo what does this mean? The TPPL maintains power much, much longer, re-charges at a blistering rate and can be discharged deeply (few people do this) many more times to a significantly greater discharge. ***** Most important of all the AGM and better yet TPPL are easily re-charged by the Yamaha engine's stator meaning I do not have to put the battery on a trickle charger - and - even though I pre-charge my battery at the start of the boating season after winter lay-up the TPPL will start the engine first try even without charging it - after a SIX month lay-up!!!!! Where the AGM and TPPL dramatically change the game is when you connect two or more (I had six TPPLs on a big cruiser). The difference is astounding. They are more expensive but IMO worth every penny. Last year we wet slipped our SX195 from May to September. I never had to put the TPPL on a charger once and the stator re-charged it fully on each trip. It fired the engine-up right away every time and ran our OEM stereo. If we had a big sound system I would simply add a second TPPL. :cool:
Where did you buy the TPPL? Do you have a link to the exact ones?
 

WiskyDan

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I just bought a pair of Odyssey AGM TPPL batteries mostly due to the great advice from Canuckjetboater and others. They‘re pricey but I won’t have to worry about draining the house battery at the sandbar anymore:


The Duracell AGM batteries are well reviewed as well so I think they would be a solid choice if you want to save some $$$.

I did some research that may help you some - see reply #53 here:

 

tdonoughue

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Just bought 2 Northstar AGM's from West Marine (they had them on clearance for cheap--delivery to my door was $10) to replace my Costco ones (which lasted about 18 months). I don't believe it was the battery's fault--the strap broke and I think the house battery bounced around and it cracked the plates.

Anyway, still waiting for the maiden voyage with the AGM's to tell you how great they are (fingers crossed).
 

Canuckjetboater

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I just bought a pair of Odyssey AGM TPPL batteries mostly due to the great advice from Canuckjetboater and others. They‘re pricey but I won’t have to worry about draining the house battery at the sandbar anymore:


The Duracell AGM batteries are well reviewed as well so I think they would be a solid choice if you want to save some $$$.

I did some research that may help you some - see reply #53 here:

@WiskyDan ..... I think you will be impressed - I first bought AGMs (2012) for a cruiser both starting and house for twin 350 Mercruiser Magnums, an ice maker, two refrigerators, sat tvs (2); Radar and big stereo, also to start a 5Kw generator and for Axius Joystick/Guidance - a LOT of electrical drain. No problems at all. For a new cruiser in 2014 with twin 502 Mercruiser Magnums with the same electrical load I up-graded to TPPLs - again a huge electrical load - again, no problems at all. The TPPL for the Yamaha SX195 has been awesome so far! Penn Deka are also top rate and I have heard that Sams Club sells some AGMs too. Penn Deka made a TPPL too but not sure Sams Club does. :cool:
 
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Canuckjetboater

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Where did you buy the TPPL? Do you have a link to the exact ones?
@Pullen724 ..... here goes (I tend to be wordy - as we know - but in my former lines of work I had to be thorough) - I bought my NorthStar TPPL at a local dealer. I know West Marine sells them but WM can be pricey - unless at one of their sales events. ANY reputable brand of TPPL will have 99.9% pure lead, so the technology SHOULD be the same across good suppliers. What you need to decide first is what Series (Group) you want. Normal marine batteries for our use run from Series (or Group) 24 to 31. I assume you have two batteries in your 24 footer. Unless advice has changed in the last year you should not mix battery chemistries as most engine charging systems (in our case stators) and home/dockside chargers can NOT properly charge significantly different battery chemistries at the same time so no series 24 Flooded starter + a Series 24 TPPL house - as of 2020 advice. *****Special Battery Note: It is FAR better to fully charge a smaller (Series/Group) battery than partially charge a bigger (Series/Group) battery. In my case my 2020 SX195 came with an Interstate Flooded Series (Group) HD24. Yes, a decent battery but not for my needs (as discussed earlier in this thread). I was not tempted to "move-up" to a series 27 or 31 battery as my SX195 stator would not fully charge those bigger sizes and they would slowly but surely lose charge acceptance capacity - a fatal disease for batteries. If your boat arrived with twin Series (Group 24) flooded batteries I would replace them with Series (Group) 24 TPPLs UNLESS you keep the boat at HOME or at a slip with POWER. IF that is the case you do NOT have to worry about having to have your engine's stators charge the batteries and you can go full beast and get Series (Group) 27s or 31s. Just make sure you have a charger that is designed for TPPLs as they have a different charging profile. TPPLs weigh a LOT more that Flooded or Gel batteries as they have so much more lead and that lead is 99.9% pure. If you put two TPPL batteries on the same side of your boat you might have to re-balance it a bit - maybe - I'm not sure about that but I thought I'd mention it. BTW TPPLs are more expensive but in this case you get what you pay for (IMO). Soooo - first decide on the Series (Group): 24, 27 or 31 and second: Any reputable battery maker who sells TPPLs should be just fine: NorthStar, Penn Deka, Odyssey or any big manufacturer. IF you have any doubt google the manufacturer's specs of the battery you are considering and compare them to the same Series (Group) of the manufacturers I listed AND please don't hesitate to ask me for any clarifications: (a) I LOVE talking about boats (b) the only dumb question is the one that doesn't get asked. :cool:
 

scokill

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I picked up 2 deep cycle Duracell AGM batteries couple years ago from Batteries Plus. Overall I'm happy with them and have NEVER been stranded. My "starter" battery is showing signs of tiredness and will need help starting the boat after sitting out for a couple hours. I should probably swap them (like tires on a car). I'm in the Florida heat and boat a lot so I know they take heat abuse.

Be sure to put them on a battery charger to keep fully charged and "healthy".
I bought the same at batteries plus. I think I'm on 5th year on one and 3rd on another. I keep them plugged in to onboard charger all the time when not using the boat.
 

Canuckjetboater

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I bought the same at batteries plus. I think I'm on 5th year on one and 3rd on another. I keep them plugged in to onboard charger all the time when not using the boat.
@scokill ...good plan. If a dockside or home charger is available the boat owner is freed from the need to ensure the boat's battery is fully charged before returning to dockside. This is particularly helpful with a jet boat's stator charging system. With dock/home charging you can - if you wish - get a couple of series 31 TPPLs and go nuts at anchor with accessories. I had 6 TPPLs on my last cruiser but had two 75 amp alternators to charge the banks. Because TPPLs receive a charge 400% faster than Flooded they charged right up while returning to port from anchor. I did have them on an Intellicharger at the dock but it was really not needed. BTW there is a dramatically enhanced synergy when connecting AGMs and TPPLs as opposed to Flooded or Gel. :cool:
 

scokill

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@scokill ...good plan. If a dockside or home charger is available the boat owner is freed from the need to ensure the boat's battery is fully charged before returning to dockside. This is particularly helpful with a jet boat's stator charging system. With dock/home charging you can - if you wish - get a couple of series 31 TPPLs and go nuts at anchor with accessories. I had 6 TPPLs on my last cruiser but had two 75 amp alternators to charge the banks. Because TPPLs receive a charge 400% faster than Flooded they charged right up while returning to port from anchor. I did have them on an Intellicharger at the dock but it was really not needed. BTW there is a dramatically enhanced synergy when connecting AGMs and TPPLs as opposed to Flooded or Gel. :cool:
My brother has a bank of Lithium Ion batteries for his trolling motor on bass rig. Long life and the discharge curve that provides full voltage until almost fully discharged is impressive.
 

David Martin

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@scokill ...good plan. If a dockside or home charger is available the boat owner is freed from the need to ensure the boat's battery is fully charged before returning to dockside. This is particularly helpful with a jet boat's stator charging system. With dock/home charging you can - if you wish - get a couple of series 31 TPPLs and go nuts at anchor with accessories. I had 6 TPPLs on my last cruiser but had two 75 amp alternators to charge the banks. Because TPPLs receive a charge 400% faster than Flooded they charged right up while returning to port from anchor. I did have them on an Intellicharger at the dock but it was really not needed. BTW there is a dramatically enhanced synergy when connecting AGMs and TPPLs as opposed to Flooded or Gel. :cool:
 

David Martin

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New to the Jet boat been a Merc I/O 5.7 for more years than I care to think.................just what kind of amps does a stator on a 1.8 put out.....Approx. This has been my only complaint with my Yamaha so far....... the lack of good solid info on their systems or parts. Thermostats Temp, stator outputs oil pressures ect.
 

Canuckjetboater

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New to the Jet boat been a Merc I/O 5.7 for more years than I care to think.................just what kind of amps does a stator on a 1.8 put out.....Approx. This has been my only complaint with my Yamaha so far....... the lack of good solid info on their systems or parts. Thermostats Temp, stator outputs oil pressures ect.
@David Martin .... I think we have mentioned the output of the stator (technically I think it is called a flywheel magneto) in another battery thread on this forum back sometime last May/June. It may have been my post. I was surprised how low the output was. I believe (need to be fact checked) but it barely covered the basic operating needs of the boat at idle and only started charging the battery at about 4000 RPM (again needs to be fact checked). One thing I am sure of - had I stuck with the dealer supplied Interstate 24HD "flooded" chemistry battery my stator would almost never have fully charged that battery and since I wet slip the boat with no power pedestal available the battery would soon have sulfated so I HAD to go the AGM route and doing so I went for the best chemistry of AGM namely TPPL. As another poster has mentioned Lithium batteries are also an option which is another level altogether but one I did not require. I just now looked in my Yamaha owners manual and could not find charging rates for our stators but I think in the discussions of last May/June we even posted charging charts so you might want to search the forum's search engine. In the meantime I'll see if I have kept my notes for that discussion on file. Depending on the year of your 5.7 I think they had at least 35 amp alternators and rose up to 55/65 amps on the newer 350 magnums - particularly those that had the electronic draws of the Axius Joystick guidance systems that required clean power. My 430 HP 502 Magnum twins had 75 amp alternators on them. :cool:
 

David Martin

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I put an after market 65amp on my built up 5.7 Merc 340hp. I replaced the battery in the 240SX 3 weeks ago I left the batt switch on for a few days and she would not turn over so I jumped started battery fired port engine first.............started fine, started starboard engine and an alarm went off and flashed low voltage on gage. So as a test I shut her down and started Starboard first ran fine (no alarms) then started Port engine Alarm horn and flashing low volt on LCD gage readout. I just figured a bad cell in batt was not able to run both EFI system and what ever else was taking power.

The only store open on Sunday was Walmart so an Everstart Platinum AGM 850CCA starting batt came home with me.........it was a lot larger the the advance auto battery that was in it. The AGM H7 was much larger and was a tight fit in the single batt tray, the old advance auto liked a couple inches of filling the tray. Thanks for the info on newer AGM TPPL I have not kept up with new batt tech. I felt good about the 14.2 volts readout in my gages but now finding out low amp output is vary disappointing. I do have electrical at my dock so I can wire up a battery charger/ maintainer to keep her topped off. Thanks again
 

212s

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@David Martin .... I think we have mentioned the output of the stator
Based on the rectifier it seems to be about 28amps at 3500+ RPM on the 1.8L engines, about 14amps when idling and ramps up to 28 as the RPM increases.
it barely covered the basic operating needs of the boat at idle and only started charging the battery at about 4000 RPM
Perhaps on a single engine with only 16amps at idle it would be slow but should charge. With my twins after floating for a while, I can fire up the engines and while just idling along I can see the batteries are charging and increasing voltage. If my house is down to 75%, a 30min ride cruising back to the ramp charges it back up to 100% give or take based on visual feedback from the Connext screen. Of course twins means 28amps idle and 56amps above 3500 RPM. This is max of course and some is used for the electrical and pumps to run the fuel/ignition systems.

Even with that much juice, I put the batteries on charge when I'm done for the weekend to make sure they get topped up properly and stay that way during the week. If I had a short run back to the ramp I'd make sure they get topped up with the charger nightly as this will extend battery life.
 
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