Thread: Battery question

As others have said, it's all about the charging.

I just replaced my Everstarts this past week. All were dated March of 2010. That's 5 seasons out of them. The previous set were installed in April of 2006, and the set before that were installed in March of 2002. I charge them 24/7 with a good onboard charger and check the level of electrolyte every month or so.

If you have trouble checking the electrolyte level, buy a dental mirror and tape a penlight to the handle to look into the batteries. Use a vet syringe or turkey baster to add distilled water (and nothing but distilled water) if needed.

If you spider rig or otherwise use the TM a lot, you won't get that kind of life out of them, but that is true of any battery.

As for Optimas, there are many better options. The biggest Optima is 155 minute RC compared to 205-225 minutes RC for virtually every other battery of equivalent size in group 29 or 31. At ~$250 per battery I'd be getting a battery that was 25% smaller capacity and 2.5 times the cost of my Everstart Maxx 29s. Unless I could count on the Optima to last me 12 or 15 years, I can't see the math working out.

If you are dead set on an AGM, the Duracell 31 marine AGM that Sam's Club carries in some parts of the country is a much better deal than the Optima. Bigger capacity and only about $175. It's made by East Penn, so it's the same as a Deka.

Thanks to all for the great input and suggestions! After everyone's suggestions, I think it might be time to check out my on board charger. It came with the boat and may not be doing as good a job as it should be. This board is awesome, it's great to have a group of folks willing to help out with whatever question that comes up. Thanks to all!

When it comes to onboard charger be sure to get a good one that want over charge your batteries and just maintains them if you plan on leaving them plug up all the time. Also, maintain your batteries with distilled water and acid not tap water. Check specific gravity and maintain accordly.

My boat came with Interstate, I switched to Everlast and now back to Interstate Deep Cycle ( they just work better ). Paid $105 at the local NAPA.
My .02... If the old battery will still take a charge, keep it for a back up, buy a $10 pair of jumper cables at Wally World so if/when the fully charged battery starts to weaken, connect the two with the jumper cables. Keeps you from draining the engine battery and keeps you trolling especially if you're doing this longlining thing. Windy days are a trolling battery killer. I'm still trying to find a dry spot for a charger to fit in my boat. Just a minor design flaw I guess.

TIP IT WITH A MINNOW!

Originally Posted by Specklocker

My boat came with Interstate, I switched to Everlast and now back to Interstate Deep Cycle ( they just work better ). Paid $105 at the local NAPA.
My .02... If the old battery will still take a charge, keep it for a back up, buy a $10 pair of jumper cables at Wally World so if/when the fully charged battery starts to weaken, connect the two with the jumper cables. Keeps you from draining the engine battery and keeps you trolling especially if you're doing this longlining thing. Windy days are a trolling battery killer. I'm still trying to find a dry spot for a charger to fit in my boat. Just a minor design flaw I guess.

TIP IT WITH A MINNOW!

The only difference between Interstate and Everstart batteries is the label. And the price.

Originally Posted by CatFan

The only difference between Interstate and Everstart batteries is the label. And the price.

Everything is less expensive at Wally World!

My Walmart don't handle the 31 series batteries any more but Sam's Club does

Originally Posted by Tn Johnboy

My Walmart don't handle the 31 series batteries any more but Sam's Club does

Walmart carries 29s. Same size for all practical purposes.