Batteries

[Andy Moore]

I need to get a new main battery for starting the engine etc.

Is there such thing as a 'marine battery' or are they normal domestic car batteries?

Thanks in advance.

[Andy Moore]

From the Mercury website, I need:

OptiMax Models
2.5L/3.0L -- 1000 Marine Cranking Amps (MCA) or 750 Cold Cranking AMPS (CCA)

[Chris]

If you don't mind spending some money speak to these guys about a sealed battery they cost in excess of £120 however they are the dogs nuts and com with a 5 year warranty.

http://www.power-store.com

The company is actually called Merlin and they are based in Poole.

Chris

[Jeff]

You may want to have a look in Halfords :
Model B768
Calcium technology, 4 year warranty
700 CCA 130ah
£99.00

Nice and compact
Jeff

[Nasher]

I use standard Halfords Car batteries.

The one I had in my old Flatacraft lasted 3 years worth of not being used/charged/maintained in any way for 6 - 7 months of the year, and was still fine when I sold the boat. It cost less than £30
It even survived being swamped several times and a complete inversion for about 10 mins.

The two I have in the current boat are now 2 years old, one 80AH and one 110AH, and together cost less than £100. They are Fine at the moment.
I share the load/charging on them by using the big one outbound and for starting the very cold engine, then switch to the small one for the return journey.

They are of course covered for 4 years, and Halfords don't know you're not using them in a car.

Nasher.

[isla]

Originally Posted by Andy Moore

I need to get a new main battery for starting the engine etc.

Is there such thing as a 'marine battery' or are they normal domestic car batteries?

Thanks in advance.

no problem, you can use the normal batteries for car, verification only the amper of cue that needs your engine. 20 years that them use, never a problem

[codprawn]

I have given up on fancy expensive batteries - they never seem to last as long as they claim - much better to get a cheapy and replace every 3 years or so.

[Wight Skipper]

Perhaps you should just not leave it on board all winter you lazy sod.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Wight Skipper

Perhaps you should just not leave it on board all winter you lazy sod.

It takes 2 days to fill my boat with rain water in the winter on it's mooring - I think the battery is pretty essential to operate the pump......

[Aidan]

Lead acid are the cheapest
Sealed are dearer and better
Gel based batteries are the best.

The type of use such as short runs etc will be the deciding factor.
If you go on long runs then Lead acid of sufficient poke and torque demand are more than sufficient. They do not last as long on short runs and stop starts as long as the latter.

If you do not look after a lead acid over the winter and if you let it run down fully, it will never hold the same charge again.

There is a science behind all this that you dont really need to know as budget normally decides anyway.
Do a search under other stuff on this web and it will throw up a previous post.

If using lead acid, trickle charge it on a timer (weekly) for a half hour. Its easy to set this up and leave in situ and the L.A. Battery will last a longtime.