Time to buy new batteries

[jhol]

I bought my boat two seasons ago and the batteries are now starting there 6th year of service and are definetelly done for. I have a 24 volt system for the trolling motors and another in the back for electronics and starting. I currently have two dual purpose 27's nautilus brand for the 24v and the starter is a marine starting battery in a 24 nautilis. I think I want to jump up to 31's for the front and a 27 for the back. I am also thinking about going to interstate. Any experiences with that brand? Also what is the main difference between straight deep cycle, dual purpose, and marine starting??

Thanks

Jon

[TR21HP]

jhol,

I've run Interstate batteries for the last 2 boats and 12 years and have never had a problem with them. On sizes, make sure the 31's will fit on your trays as they are larger than the 27's. I've usually gone with the starting battery and the 2 dual purpose batteries and keep them plugged in when not in the water.

[PerchJerker]

I've also been using Interstate Deep Cycle batteries for my trolling motor, only had them for a little over a season but they've been rock solid so far. I also keep mine plugged in when not on the water.

When my starting battery needs to be replaced I think I am going to go with an Optima, I've heard really good things from the guys using them.

[harvey lee]

I know, they are spendy but one cannot beat the Optima batteries. They are hands down the best I have ever oened.

[jhol]

Thanks for the replies so far, I am not sure in my opinion the optima is worth another $100 a crack. That is almost double. Anyway, do you guys run dual purpose for trolling motors or straight deep cycle. I was a little surprised that the ones in the boat I bought where dual purpose. Maybe this is more common than I thought??

[BobT]

I would recommend using deep cycle batteries for your 24v system and a dual purpose for the starting battery. Here's why.

A true deep cycle battery is designed for running continuous lower current loads for long periods of time between recharges. This drawing down over a longer time period to a low power state and then recharging it again is what the term deep cycle means and this is what your trolling motor will be doing. You'll run it for hours on the water without seeing a charger until you get home so the batteries you use for this purpose should be designed to handle it. Deep cycle batteries are the battery of choice for this application.

Your outboard on the other hand demands very high current over very short bursts of time when you start your motor and then once it is running the charging system will recharge the battery right away. Deep cycle batteries don't really like to handle high current loads very much but a starting battery is ideal for this situation.

Unfortunately, most boat wiring also uses the starting battery to supply the console lights, navigation lights, interior lights, instrument panel, radio, bilge pump, livewell pumps, and perhaps even your console mounted sonar unit. These are all low current loads that will draw continuously for hours. Starting batteries don't really like this kind of load very much. The solution? Dual-purpose batteries are a little bit of both worlds. They are capable of handling the high current burst of starting your outboard while still having a certain level of reserve capacity to handle the low current loads of your accessories. A dual-purpose (marine starting) battery is the ideal choice for this application.

[jhol]

BobT

Is there any reason that a dual purpose 27 would not properly turn over a 175hp optimax. I am just wondering if there is a reason that the previous owner had that battery as a starting battery and not a dual purpose?

[PerchJerker]

I think your 175 Opti requires 1,000 cranking amps to start it. Check your manual or check with a dealer to be sure, and make sure you get a big enough starting battery.

[jhol]

Yeah I looked it up on the web. Looks like 100 MCA marine cranking amps and 750 CCA cold cranking amps. Now if I could just find the battery manufacturer info I would be set.

[jhol]

Alright I broke down and called Gander M. Talked to a really knowledgable fella. I am going to try and research more tonight but so far this is what I think I am going to do.

Replace my 2 dual purpose Nautilus NC24's with straight Interstate Deep Cycle 29's the black top ones. The one starting/electronics/pump battery is going to go from a Nautilus XHD 24 to a Interstate Starting XHD 27. I learned that the XHD stands for Extra Heavy Duty which I will need to get the MCA and CCA for my Optimax. I also wanted to step up from the 24 to the 27 just for a little added low voltage for the electronics and stuff.

If you guys can think of anything you might suggest or have any experinces with these let me know what you think.

Thanks

Jon

[snowman678]

How much additional reserve capacity do the 29's have over the 27's? When I bought my last batteries, there was almost no difference between the 2 (but these were not interstate), and I would have basically been paying more to add weight without adding any noticeable reserve capacity. Each brand may be different, but it may be worth checking into. BTW, my new boat came with interstates, and I have been happy overall. I have run the trolling batteries (27's) out twice, but both times involved extended time fishing in heavy current/wind, and I suspect any brand would have yielded the same result.

[propster]

jhol, Interstate is a good battery, but I am pretty sure they don't offer a true deep cycle only. Pretty sure they are all deep cycle/cranking batteries. Guy from Interstate told me that last fall, unless maybe they came out with a new model? Wouldn't keep me from getting them again though.

[jhol]

Propster

Interstate is kind of funny that way, it looks like there deep cycles are actually called deep cycle/cranking and the dual purpose are called deep cycle/starting. So maybe you are right they are not a true deep cycle??

Snowman 678 the 27s had about 160 RC if I remember correctly and the 29's had 210, so I ended up going bigger.

[snowman678]

With that big of difference, I would have done the same thing. You should be very happy w/ them.

[BobT]

jhol, Interstate is a good battery, but I am pretty sure they don't offer a true deep cycle only. Pretty sure they are all deep cycle/cranking batteries. Guy from Interstate told me that last fall, unless maybe they came out with a new model? Wouldn't keep me from getting them again though.

There's nothing wrong with dual-purpose batteries but if you're strictly using them for operating your electric trolling motor and other electronics, lights, etc., you'll get much more bang for your buck using a deep cycle battery. If you think you might want to use the battery for starting your outboard on occasion, then maybe you're better off opting for the dual-purpose.

It's like deciding whether to buy a 1/2T truck or a 1T truck. If you plan on regularly hauling heavy loads you'll be better off with the 1T truck but for the occasionaly once-a-year load for a short distance maybe you can get by with the 1/2T. It is guaranteed that if you use the 1/2T instead of the 1T to regularly haul the heavy loads, you'll wear out that 1/2T much sooner.