New dual battery setup. what batteries???

[TeamAllen]

Had a wet cell battery crack and leak, what a mess! Optima's is all I use now, cars, sand rail's, and soon to be new boat. The one in my truck is 6 years old
and still load tests at over 600cca.

I'm with Gizmo and Tall I guess. Optimas all the way, no leaking or corrosion. Just to get the battery in the front hatch of my boat. I have to tip the battery sideways. I don't want anything spilling in there.

[TeamAllen]

If anyone is buying an Optima, there is a $20 rebate per battery, up to $60, exp. 4/30/09
http://www.optimabatteries.com/save60/

[Domsz06]

I am going to do a dual battery setup and wanted to know what batteries others are using and the cold cranking amps.

I was looking a optima blue tops but they seem to be overpriced.

costco, 13 month replacement guarantee

Go to Costco and grab some of their Marine Batteries.

amen brother!! have 6 in mine

I've found that I get better value from Walmart batteries. I've bought the expensive ones and they don't last any longer than the cheap ones.

That said, the biggest difference you can make w.r.t. battery life is to get an onboard charger that you can plug in when you're not using the boat. I've found my batteries last twice as long if I do that each time I put the boat away.

amen to that!!!

I might be pushing my luck but I am on the original interstate marine rv batterries installed when the boat was built in 04. They seem to still be going strong

my 03's still work just fine.

you better knock on some wood quick

knocking

[Domsz06]

I'm with Gizmo and Tall I guess. Optimas all the way, no leaking or corrosion. Just to get the battery in the front hatch of my boat. I have to tip the battery sideways. I don't want anything spilling in there.

um, put it in a battery box. ?

[Tanner]

Going on 4 years now on my Trojan T-145's.

Checked em this week, and still good to go! I love these things, and have 3 times the play time of any of the optimas! Of course, you gotta have two to make a 12V string.

Of course there's the old reliable T-105 that so many here have used!

That being said... I'm pretty sure the costco's are made by Trojan.... along with MANY of the other batteries on the market!

[Domsz06]

tanner,

Your correct!! I love the costcos, just hope I can use them maybe this year.

They are still charged and ready to go, Played it the other day and it rocked out

[dcsnowwake]

KINETIK all the way, yes a little more, but works insane, I have 3 of them in mine, and love them to death.

[Kito]

Man, some of you guys have a chit load of batteries in your boat. I only have 2. Whats the reason for so many extra batteries?

[da.bell]

^^^ STEREO

[chpthril]

^^^^ It's all about play time with engine off.

[Kito]

It sounds like I may need some more batteries. With 3 amps, and wet sounds 3 some what kind of playing time can I figure on with 2 batteries? But its more like one battery, and one back up.

[da.bell]

Kito, that fluctuates between battery manufacturers. Chpthril and Philwsails can definitely provide more information.

But, don't have the dealer add another one yet. There are a few threads dedicated to adding additional batteries to your boat.

[Kito]

Thanks da. I need to wait and see what kind of playing time I can get out of one battery first. One might be enough for me and my family.

[chpthril]

It sounds like I may need some more batteries. With 3 amps, and wet sounds 3 some what kind of playing time can I figure on with 2 batteries? But its more like one battery, and one back up.

'Bout 45 min, maybe. The current draw can be calculated, and then knowing what your batteries Ah's, are you can then figure your play time with the current setup. I was running a 2-battery bank just for the stereo. Only started to see a problem on Sunday afternoons if we spent a lot of time on Sat and Sun anchored.

[Jason B]

Thanks da. I need to wait and see what kind of playing time I can get out of one battery first. One might be enough for me and my family.

You're going to run out of music before you run out of beer. The wetsounds amps are said to be very efficient, but you're not looking at a long time if you're running on one primary battery. I have 2 Cadence amps hooked to a single battery (adding 2 more this year) and I was lucky to get 2 hours of moderate volumes before the low voltage kicked the system off. If you're going to be sitting, you WILL need more batteries.