Let's talk batteries....

[mrcleanr6]

@mrcleanr6 .......and respectfully suggest if getting the AGMs get the TPPL. The difference in weight between even a "regular" AGM and a TPPL is noticeable but the main difference is that the lead plates in the TPPL are 99.9% PURE lead (thin plate, pu

@Diybrad yeah, gas hogs. A 5KW marine engine with the water cooling and mufflers is a pretty big rig. Has to be able to run fridges, ice makers, stoves and microwaves and battery chargers.

Yes for sure on the batteries

for the generator, are your sure on those [HASH=536]#’s[/HASH]? A 5kw gen set is fairly small. Being gas and not deisel they will surely suck more but that is over the top. If its sucking that much gas i would rip it out and get another set. My 14kw at full load is 1gph. I also have a 5kw and at full load its 1/2gph. Should note they are not marine so yes a marine has to pump some cooling water and will prob burn a little more to do that but the fuel usage you are talking about is pretty extreme.

 

[Canuckjetboater]

Yes for sure on the batteries

for the generator, are your sure on those [HASH=536]#’s[/HASH]? A 5kw gen set is fairly small. Being gas and not deisel they will surely suck more but that is over the top. If its sucking that much gas i would rip it out and get another set. My 14kw at full load is 1gph. I also have a 5kw and at full load its 1/2gph. Should note they are not marine so yes a marine has to pump some cooling water and will prob burn a little more to do that but the fuel usage you are talking about is pretty extreme.

@mrclean.....remember this is a marine generator, down in an engine bay faaar different from a house 5KW. Thirsty guys when loaded.

 

[Troch1]

@mrclean.....remember this is a marine generator, down in an engine bay faaar different from a house 5KW. Thirsty guys when loaded.

Another data point...had a 5kw Kohler marine generator in my prior boat, burned 1gph running normal boat items (fridge, AC).

 

[mrcleanr6]

Yeah that sounds more realistic. ?

not saying canuck is not right with his. Maybe it was just the model he had.

 

[FLJetBoater]

Thoughts on these 2 batteries anyone?
Vmax 120ah from amazon
Or
West marine 105ah

the west marine is more but is it their own battery or some other brand repackaged (like kirkland)
Also has a 18 month free replacement and I’ve had good success so far returning other things there....

edit: throwing one more in the mix

NorthStar Odyssey 103ah agm tppl

 

[mrcleanr6]

Northstar/odyssey is the best if you can swing the cost. West marine doesnt make anything. Those batteries as well as anything in their store that is west marine brand is private labeled for them.

 

[Merlion]

Guys, I’m installing a second house battery (In parallel) on my 242x 2019. I’m going for deepclycles AGMs.

My question is this, will my solar panel be enough to recharge them both fully after a day in the water?
(I keep my boat at a marina on an outdoor dry rack, and have mo access to a battery tender)

 

[tdonoughue]

I think we need a little more info. Specifically, for how long? If you want to come in after a day on the water and go out the next day, I can almost guarantee the answer is no (and if it is yes, ring me up--I need to get a patent for you). If you want to come in after a day on the water and go out in a couple of weeks, likely the answer is yes.

There is a lot of room in between those extremes that will depend on how you use the boat (run vs float time, size of radio, other accessories, etc.), how the weather is when you park it, and how long it will be parked.

 

[212s]

Guys, I’m installing a second house battery (In parallel) on my 242x 2019. I’m going for deepclycles AGMs.
My question is this, will my solar panel be enough to recharge them both fully after a day in the water?

Since you're adding a second house, I'm going to presume you have a hefty amplifier for your stereo and will need the extra juice to power it for the day? Unfortunately solar panels do not put out a lot of current without a large surface area, and the stock panel puts out maybe 50w? I agree with @tdonoughue - your panel will not charge up your batteries overnight or even all week, and you'll just end up ruining the new batteries and replacing them in a year. The small stock panel is designed to help maintain your batteries when fully charged and docked in a slip without power. It's not made to RECHARGE depleted batteries, you need several amps of current over numerous hours to do that properly.

You might be able to get away with it if you don't run the batteries too low while floating, and then drive the boat back to the dock for a couple of hours before parking for the day and then get some charge from the solar panel. But if you run the house batteries down to 11.9v (50% discharged) it'll take weeks to charge them back to 100% with the solar panel. A 50w panel is only going to push a couple of amps during the day, and would take 150+ hours of full sunlight to recharge 50% depleted batteries = 23+ days under ideal conditions. Cloudy days would extend that somewhat.

If you get back and park the boat and it's dusk, you're not getting any charge and your batteries will be dead after a few weeks of that kind of abuse.

 

[Merlion]

Since you're adding a second house, I'm going to presume you have a hefty amplifier for your stereo and will need the extra juice to power it for the day? Unfortunately solar panels do not put out a lot of current without a large surface area, and the stock panel puts out maybe 50w? I agree with @tdonoughue - your panel will not charge up your batteries overnight or even all week, and you'll just end up ruining the new batteries and replacing them in a year. The small stock panel is designed to help maintain your batteries when fully charged and docked in a slip without power. It's not made to RECHARGE depleted batteries, you need several amps of current over numerous hours to do that properly.

You might be able to get away with it if you don't run the batteries too low while floating, and then drive the boat back to the dock for a couple of hours before parking for the day and then get some charge from the solar panel. But if you run the house batteries down to 11.9v (50% discharged) it'll take weeks to charge them back to 100% with the solar panel. A 50w panel is only going to push a couple of amps during the day, and would take 150+ hours of full sunlight to recharge 50% depleted batteries = 23+ days under ideal conditions. Cloudy days would extend that somewhat.

If you get back and park the boat and it's dusk, you're not getting any charge and your batteries will be dead after a few weeks of that kind of abuse.

Thanks, this makes a lot of sense. I usually run the boat for about 45 mnts when I drive back to my marina (that’s normally the distance from our hangout spot to the marina). I’m hoping that’s enough to charge the batteries back up to about 70% and perhaps allow the solar panel to top off a little more. The boat is on top if the dryrack so it get’s uninterrupted sun (when the sun is out) and I use it about once every two weeks.
Tks again, great explanation.

 

[212s]

Thanks, this makes a lot of sense. I usually run the boat for about 45 mnts when I drive back to my marina (that’s normally the distance from our hangout spot to the marina). I’m hoping that’s enough to charge the batteries back up to about 70% and perhaps allow the solar panel to top off a little more. The boat is on top if the dryrack so it get’s uninterrupted sun (when the sun is out) and I use it about once every two weeks.
Tks again, great explanation.

If you have one or know someone with a multi-meter, easy check is to use the meter to check the resting voltage of the batteries after it has been sitting for a week with the solar panel topping up. Keep the battery switches off and cover the solar panel so it's not adding any juice, then check the voltage of each battery. Fully charged they will be about 12.7v each. If they are lower than 12.6v you're not getting a full charge or it just needs to charger longer.

Also when running back to the dock, look at the voltage readings when the engines are running. Once they both hit 14.4v while charging, they're full.

 

[Merlion]

If you have one or know someone with a multi-meter, easy check is to use the meter to check the resting voltage of the batteries after it has been sitting for a week with the solar panel topping up. Keep the battery switches off and cover the solar panel so it's not adding any juice, then check the voltage of each battery. Fully charged they will be about 12.7v each. If they are lower than 12.6v you're not getting a full charge or it just needs to charger longer.

Also when running back to the dock, look at the voltage readings when the engines are running. Once they both hit 14.4v while charging, they're full.

Excellent, tks for this valuable input. I’ll try this to test and will let you guys know how it turned out

 

[WiskyDan]

OK, so one of my off season tasks is to replace my two batteries. When I bought my 242 Limited S in August it came with a couple of group 24 Exide Nautilus starter batteries. I didn't have any problems with them (did see them hovering around 12.4 volts after a day at the sandbar) but I have no idea how long they've been in the boat or if they were properly maintained by the previous owner. I have a Garmin 63CV chart plotter and the stock Polk head unit and six 6.5 speakers but plan on upgrading to eight 6.5 speakers and an amp or two in the spring. We spend a fair amount of time driving to the sandbar and then float for 3-4 hours on most days so I decided to start researching deep cycle AGM batteries and have some questions:

1- Any advantage to having one Start battery and one House battery or just get two of the dual purpose batteries?
2- I could save some money by keeping one of the Exide batteries and purchase a good deep cycle AGM but I'm leaning towards replacing both. Thoughts?
3- How much better are the Odyssey/NorthStar/Optima batteries than the Duracell that seems to be popular with some on this forum?
4- Definitely want AGM TPPL batteries - any cons?
5- Am I better off waiting to purchase until spring or can I buy them if/when I see a sail and just put them on the NOCO 2 Genius 2X2 charger/maintainer that I have in the garage?

I don't want to spend much over $300 per battery - here is what I'm considering:

Option A:

• Two Odyssey Extreme (34M-PC1500ST-M) group 34 dual purpose. Great reviews all around and about $305 each on Amazon. Great warranty, same footprint as my current battery, a shade under 50lbs, 68AH (20) capacity.

Option B:

• One Optima Blue Top (8006-006 34M) group 34 starter. Great reviews all around and $270 on Amazon. Decent warranty, same footprint as my current battery, pretty light at 38.4lbs, 50AH (20) capacity. This would be the Start battery.
• One Optima Blue Top (8016-103 D34M) group 34 dual purpose. Great reviews all around and $272.50 on Amazon. Decent warranty, same footprint as my current battery, lightest of the dual purpose batteries that I'm looking at - 43.5lbs, 55AH (20) capacity. This would be the House battery.

Option C:

• Two of the following - or - maybe one of each:
• NorthStar Pro (NSB-AGM34M) group 34 dual purpose. Great reviews all around and about $315 on Odyssey's website. Very good warranty, same footprint as my current battery, a shade under 51lbs, 65AH (20) capacity. If I get one of each I think the would be the Start battery.
• NorthStar Pro (NSB-AGM24M) group 24 dual purpose. Great reviews all around and about $338 on Odyssey's website. Very good warranty, same footprint as my current battery, at a shade over 57lbs its the second heaviest battery that I'm considering, 76AH (20) capacity is second highest that I'm considering. If I get one of each I think the would be the House battery.

Option D:

• Two of the following - or - maybe one of each:
• Duracell Ultra Platinum (SLI34MAGM) group 34 dual purpose. Very good reviews all around and about $190 at Batteries Plus. Very good warranty, same footprint as my current battery, a shade under 43lbs, 55AH (20) capacity. If I get one of each I think the would be the Start battery.
• Duracell Ultra Platinum (SLI27MAGMDC) group 27 dual purpose. Very good reviews all around and about $220 at Batteries Plus. Decent warranty, same footprint as my current battery, the heaviest battery that I'm considering at 61.5lbs, 92AH (20) capacity is by far the highest that I'm considering. If I get one of each I think the would be the House battery.

Another consideration is that I dry-stack my boat so I don't usually have access to an electrical outlet at the dock that I can hook up a battery charger to so I can top the batteries off. It's possible that I could arrange something with the marina or maybe have it put on a bunk next to the building and get a charger on it (the NOCO 2 Genius 2X2) every week or so. There are times that we have a 10 minute run the the closest sandbar and others where we will be at cruising speed for 30-45 minutes so if I need to run for awhile to let the stator recharge the batteries it can be done.

Thanks for any input and if I misrepresented any of the battery specs above please set me straight.

 

[WildCatFan54]

@WiskyDan, I just finished my third full season (two different twin engine Yamahas) with these group 27 dual purpose , deep cycle AGM Optima Blue tops. Have them home for warm storage during the winter ready to go back in service when the spring arrives. Still as good as the first day of use. Considerable heavier (55 lbs.) than the Optimas you mentioned above. You can see the specs on the label. I have a 2 bank on board charger at my slip that brings them right back to 14.3 / 14.4 v ( Connex display) after each use. Pricey , YES !! but have served me very well. I rotate the batteries each season so that last years start battery is next years house battery & vice versa.

 

[FLJetBoater]

@WiskyDan, I just finished my third full season (two different twin engine Yamahas) with these group 27 dual purpose , deep cycle AGM Optima Blue tops. Have them home for warm storage during the winter ready to go back in service when the spring arrives. Still as good as the first day of use. Considerable heavier (55 lbs.) than the Optimas you mentioned above. You can see the specs on the label. I have a 2 bank on board charger at my slip that brings them right back to 14.3 / 14.4 v ( Connex display) after each use. Pricey , YES !! but have served me very well. I rotate the batteries each season so that last years start battery is next years house battery & vice versa.

West Marine has batteries on sale right now. Their group 27 AGM is $263 and 92Ah. Seems like a pretty good deal. The group 31 is $288 and 105Ah.

I have heard as well that you don’t need a starter or even dual purpose battery. Our engines will start easily on just a regular deep cycle. Haven’t tested myself to verify though. Those west marine ones are dual purpose anyway so would be more than sufficient for starting.

 

[WildCatFan54]

West Marine has batteries on sale right now. Their group 27 AGM is $263 and 92Ah. Seems like a pretty good deal. The group 31 is $288 and 105Ah.

I have heard as well that you don’t need a starter or even dual purpose battery. Our engines will start easily on just a regular deep cycle. Haven’t tested myself to verify though. Those west marine ones are dual purpose anyway so would be more than sufficient for starting.

That is a good price. Also seems to be a better AH battery than the equivalent Optima. I'm more a fan of AGMs in general than any particular brand. Just so happened that my employer is a Johnson Controls distributor and I got the Optimas at distributor price. As someone previously mentioned in this thread , no one really makes their own batteries. Basically just two companies left that make,and private label, 99% of the market. Don't think I will ever go back to a wet cell battery. AGMs just have too many advantages.

 

[Tobes]

I am using Duracell AGM. Purchased locally at batteries plus (easy exchange in case of failure). 1 battery died at 2.5 years just before end of warranty. They replaced it no issues. 2nd one died at 3 years and like 3 months. Had to purchase a new one.

I have 1450w RMS of stereo (at 100% of course, not driven constantly) and have the radio on at the beach all day so they get used. I feel like they are a quality battery and would recommend them. I think they are right at $200 as well.

 

[mrcleanr6]

Ok odyssey extreme and northstar pros are the exact same battery and are the best batteries you can buy. I bought a pair of group 27 northstar pros to replace the pair of regular wet cell group 24 batteries that the dealer gave me with the boat. Since you dont have power to run a charger all the time then these tppl batteries are going to be the way to go. they have way more energy density than regular agm or wet cell batteries and they charge super fast so way shorter runs with the boat will top them off. next best would be the optima but imo if your going to spend the money on the optimas then you might as well get tppl batteries as they are only slightly more. as stated above, there is no need for deep cycle and starting. just 2 odyssey/northstars are all you need and definitely dont intermix one wet cell with agm. you need to go with one type or the other. if you float alot and are upgrading the stereo then i would not go with group 24 either. get a pair of group 27's or even 31's if you think you are floating all day long with the stereo cranking and your adding amps,etc.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

The magnetos can produce plenty of charging amps (about 25 each), and will typically maintain a stock system without issues.

The real problem is lead-acid batteries do not like sitting idle as they lose 4% charge per week with no drain on them, more if the switch is left on with items drawing current. This is why cars and boats that are parked for weeks or months have dead batteries when they are ready to be used. Typical cars are usually not an issue because you drive it daily or at least weekly and 15mins will charge it back up. Boats can sit for weeks unused, months over the winter in northern climates. This is what kills batteries if you don't have them on a charger.

My boat has just a 500w digital amp and I can listen to tunes all day and loose about 10-25% charge in a group 24 starter battery depending on volume. Fully charged is 12.7v and 75% is 12.4v which I see often. I can start the engines, get on plane, and be back to fully charged in 10-25mins roughly. If your drive back to the ramp or dock is only 5mins then they won't be fully charged and you need to put them on a smart battery charger to get them back to 100%.

If you have more speakers and amps, then you may need more batteries and definitely a charger if you have a short drive back to the dock. If you have a stock system, then you probably don't need anything but a 15min drive back to charge up.

Where did you get the information that these engines produce 25 amps of charging current?

 

[agannole93]

OK, so one of my off season tasks is to replace my two batteries. When I bought my 242 Limited S in August it came with a couple of group 24 Exide Nautilus starter batteries. I didn't have any problems with them (did see them hovering around 12.4 volts after a day at the sandbar) but I have no idea how long they've been in the boat or if they were properly maintained by the previous owner. I have a Garmin 63CV chart plotter and the stock Polk head unit and six 6.5 speakers but plan on upgrading to eight 6.5 speakers and an amp or two in the spring. We spend a fair amount of time driving to the sandbar and then float for 3-4 hours on most days so I decided to start researching deep cycle AGM batteries and have some questions:

1- Any advantage to having one Start battery and one House battery or just get two of the dual purpose batteries?
2- I could save some money by keeping one of the Exide batteries and purchase a good deep cycle AGM but I'm leaning towards replacing both. Thoughts?
3- How much better are the Odyssey/NorthStar/Optima batteries than the Duracell that seems to be popular with some on this forum?
4- Definitely want AGM TPPL batteries - any cons?
5- Am I better off waiting to purchase until spring or can I buy them if/when I see a sail and just put them on the NOCO 2 Genius 2X2 charger/maintainer that I have in the garage?

I don't want to spend much over $300 per battery - here is what I'm considering:

Option A:

• Two Odyssey Extreme (34M-PC1500ST-M) group 34 dual purpose. Great reviews all around and about $305 each on Amazon. Great warranty, same footprint as my current battery, a shade under 50lbs, 68AH (20) capacity.

Option B:

• One Optima Blue Top (8006-006 34M) group 34 starter. Great reviews all around and $270 on Amazon. Decent warranty, same footprint as my current battery, pretty light at 38.4lbs, 50AH (20) capacity. This would be the Start battery.
• One Optima Blue Top (8016-103 D34M) group 34 dual purpose. Great reviews all around and $272.50 on Amazon. Decent warranty, same footprint as my current battery, lightest of the dual purpose batteries that I'm looking at - 43.5lbs, 55AH (20) capacity. This would be the House battery.

Option C:

• Two of the following - or - maybe one of each:
• NorthStar Pro (NSB-AGM34M) group 34 dual purpose. Great reviews all around and about $315 on Odyssey's website. Very good warranty, same footprint as my current battery, a shade under 51lbs, 65AH (20) capacity. If I get one of each I think the would be the Start battery.
• NorthStar Pro (NSB-AGM24M) group 24 dual purpose. Great reviews all around and about $338 on Odyssey's website. Very good warranty, same footprint as my current battery, at a shade over 57lbs its the second heaviest battery that I'm considering, 76AH (20) capacity is second highest that I'm considering. If I get one of each I think the would be the House battery.

Option D:

• Two of the following - or - maybe one of each:
• Duracell Ultra Platinum (SLI34MAGM) group 34 dual purpose. Very good reviews all around and about $190 at Batteries Plus. Very good warranty, same footprint as my current battery, a shade under 43lbs, 55AH (20) capacity. If I get one of each I think the would be the Start battery.
• Duracell Ultra Platinum (SLI27MAGMDC) group 27 dual purpose. Very good reviews all around and about $220 at Batteries Plus. Decent warranty, same footprint as my current battery, the heaviest battery that I'm considering at 61.5lbs, 92AH (20) capacity is by far the highest that I'm considering. If I get one of each I think the would be the House battery.

Another consideration is that I dry-stack my boat so I don't usually have access to an electrical outlet at the dock that I can hook up a battery charger to so I can top the batteries off. It's possible that I could arrange something with the marina or maybe have it put on a bunk next to the building and get a charger on it (the NOCO 2 Genius 2X2) every week or so. There are times that we have a 10 minute run the the closest sandbar and others where we will be at cruising speed for 30-45 minutes so if I need to run for awhile to let the stator recharge the batteries it can be done.

Thanks for any input and if I misrepresented any of the battery specs above please set me straight.

Curious about this as well. I have a two battery setup with switch now, however one of the batteries in the boat is about dead, only pushing 4.5V at the end of last season on our last outing. We have a charger so not that.

I was definitely already swapping that battery of course. I'm doing a stereo install, about 1300 watts total of amps pushing 8 speakers and two subs. Debating if I should run a separate battery just for the stereo as I have a 3 bank noco, or simply swap the house battery I have for something better. Looking at an x2 that's about 100ah or an xs power d3100.