New Batteries 2021 AR250

[MikeT29]

I had some issues with my batteries not holding a charge this week, and meant to grab my manual or a pic of the battery before I left the boat the other day but forgot. So I'm not sure what the specs are. I did try google but couldn't find anything particularly helpful. I have a few options where I can pick up replacements on my way to the boat this weekend which would save me some time.

Can anybody point me towards a good replacement battery? These are only 2 1/2 years old and while I don't have electricity at my slip to keep them on a charger it would seem that the originals should have lasted longer. The plan will be to add a solar trickle charger going forward so recs welcome there too.

Last thing - I'm pretty sure both of my dealer installed batteries are identical, I think they're both dual purpose and I recall reading that's by design for start/house batteries on this model. I don't run any heavy-duty sound systems or extra lights so I don't need anything super powerful.

Thanks for any help!

 

[jthackman]

the dealers install the batteries as part of their 'dealer prep', so they could be different, or regional......but i've noticed a lot of forum members end up with interstate 24m-xhd (cranking/dual purpose, 800cca, group 24) from their dealer.

i'm still on originals, but i park boat at home plugged in to smart charger.

take pics of the cable routing before removal..... i wrapped each cable/wire with colored-coded elec tape

lots of threads on here from others who slip w/o electricity, search around to see how they're managing battery charging.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Generally speaking these boats come with Group 24 batteries. So as mentioned above, interstate batteries are good. Dekka Narine master are good as well.

But, if you do not put those batteries on a charger they’re not going to last very long and they will not perform well. Solar charger would help but generally those are not strong enough unless the panels are big.

Install an onboard charger, 10 A per bank, and get a jackery power station and you can charge your batteries that way.

 

[WiskyDan]

My boat came with Group 24 Interstate batteries and I replaced them with a pair of Group 34 (same form factor as Group 24) Odyssey Extreme batteries two and a half seasons ago. The starter battery holds a great charge but since I didn't have an electrical source to top them off after each outing the house battery stopped holding a charge early this season. I picked up a used Odyssey Group 31 battery locally about six weeks ago for $200 (brand new they are about $550) and it doesn't hold a charge very well either. I bought it from a fisherman who used three of them to power his trolling motor and said he charged them up on a 15 amp per-bank charger after every outing but I'm assuming that he ran the hell out of them. I figured it would be worth a $200 gamble so you live and learn. Odyssey has a great reputation so I'm assuming that my lack of proper charging probably caused the battery to start to fade earlier than it should have. It is still under warranty but the Odyssey rep said I needed to take it to an AutoZone or other car parts place to have them test it. I did that, but the battery passed their stress test - it just won't hold a charge as well as it used to. I've heard good things about the X2Power batteries that Batteries Plus sells so I may buy one of their Group 31 batteries next. Past experience with their warranty replacement policy makes it more attractive than Odyssey if I have a problem. Whichever way I decide to go, I'm definitely going to get a Group 31 - it has massive capacity compared to a Group 24 or Group 34.

 

[VitaminSea]

As for a solar charger, I previously used a Battery Tender solar panel, it was a 10w, and looks to have been discounted and replace with the following model. Amazon - Solar Battery Tender - 17w. They also have a 35w model

In my covered storage spot, it managed to fully charge a battery after an outing, which surprised me. I have since installed a ProMariner two bank 20amp charger and use that to condition the batteries from time to time, using the solar charge in the “off season”.

 

[Bottom Bracket]

That solar battery tender looks cool!
X2 on Interstate.
Solar panel needs a regulator...

 

[WiskyDan]

I'm no battery expert but I was told that in order to properly charge a deep cycle AGM marine battery that you need at least 10 amps per bank of charging capacity. Can anyone chime in on this?

Based on my calculations, that 17w solar charger only puts out 1.4 amps at 12 volts which may be OK for maintaining but may not be sufficient for charging?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I'm no battery expert but I was told that in order to properly charge a deep cycle AGM marine battery that you need at least 10 amps per bank of charging capacity. Can anyone chime in on this?

Based on my calculations, that 17w solar charger only puts out 1.4 amps at 12 volts which may be OK for maintaining but may not be sufficient for charging?

I had a back and forth with interstate about how many amps I could charge their dual purpose group 24 AGM battery and the tech told me 25 A and no more than 14.4 volts charge rate. I have the emails if anyone needs to see them.

Typically flooded lead acid batteries are 10-13C or 10-13% of the Ah rating of the battery for charge rate. So a 100Ah battery needs at least a 10A charger.

By comparison LiFePO4 batteries are 50C

Flooded lead acid batteries need the higher charge rate, and voltage to mix the electrolyte and to clean the plates properly. So you are correct about the solar not charge the flooded lead acids correctly.

 

[VitaminSea]

Based on my calculations, that 17w solar charger only puts out 1.4 amps at 12 volts which may be OK for maintaining but may not be sufficient for charging?

I’m with you, and I don’t believe any portable solar battery tender would truly properly charge/condition a battery, however it should help maintain the batteries charge. The OP mentioned they don’t have any power hungry systems onboard, so in theory, if they start their day with a fully charged battery, it shouldn’t take too much to replenish the charge once they are back at their slip.

Solar panel needs a regulator

The Battery Tender Panels have a controller inline.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I had some issues with my batteries not holding a charge this week, and meant to grab my manual or a pic of the battery before I left the boat the other day but forgot. So I'm not sure what the specs are. I did try google but couldn't find anything particularly helpful. I have a few options where I can pick up replacements on my way to the boat this weekend which would save me some time.

Can anybody point me towards a good replacement battery? These are only 2 1/2 years old and while I don't have electricity at my slip to keep them on a charger it would seem that the originals should have lasted longer. The plan will be to add a solar trickle charger going forward so recs welcome there too.

Last thing - I'm pretty sure both of my dealer installed batteries are identical, I think they're both dual purpose and I recall reading that's by design for start/house batteries on this model. I don't run any heavy-duty sound systems or extra lights so I don't need anything super powerful.

Thanks for any help!

Another thing you can do is set your start / house battery up with an indexed quick disconnect plug to make it easy to take the battery(ies) home and put on a charger. You can also use quick knobs but I’m not sure if they got their USCG designation yet.