Bly Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 Looks as though I may need to replace one of the batteries in my boat, I am wondering what is a realistic life expectancy for a marine battery? Current battery is older than the warranty but less than 3 years (go figure lol) Anyway, just wondering if this is typical and what I can expect or should I be considering another brand. Another question...can I have 2 batteries set up with the motor to "trickle charge"? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbuck Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 Starting batteries can last anywhere from 2-10 years depending on the battery and how it is maintained. You have to make sure that the water levels are always covering the plates inside (use distilled water only). And the most important thing, make sure that before you store the boat/battery for winter, you charge the battery up. A partially discharged battery can freeze at higher temps than a fully charged battery. Beyond that, there is not much else you can do. There is a way to charge both batteries off the motor but do you really need 2 starting batteries?? Or is one a deep cycle in which case you really should charge that after every couple of outings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bly Posted July 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 Thank you for the advice/tips, appreciate it as I am still a bit of a newbie to boat/marine maintenance. This battery is deep cycle, neither are used for starting. One is for running the fish finder, gps, 12v adapter etc and this one is dedicated to the bowmount. I agree that it is not required but was curious if it could be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BITEME Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 Thank you for the advice/tips, appreciate it as I am still a bit of a newbie to boat/marine maintenance. This battery is deep cycle, neither are used for starting. One is for running the fish finder, gps, 12v adapter etc and this one is dedicated to the bowmount. I agree that it is not required but was curious if it could be done. I dont know how you drive the boat but the best spot is somewhere in the boat where you dont get the shock of the boat bouncing It will very much shorten the life of a battery If there is some way you can mount it in the center center its good at the back is good as well if this works just a thought Peter \ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bly Posted July 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 I dont know how you drive the boat but the best spot is somewhere in the boat where you dont get the shock of the boat bouncing It will very much shorten the life of a battery If there is some way you can mount it in the center center its good at the back is good as well if this works just a thought Peter \ Peter, interesting you say this, the battery was in the front of the boat, I know where the new one is NOT going. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIFTER_016 Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 Peter, interesting you say this, the battery was in the front of the boat, I know where the new one is NOT going. Thanks! The further back towards the stern you can get them the better it will be. My boat has a hatch right at the back for access to the bilge/bilge pumps the three batteries and storage for spare prop, manual bilge pump, fire extinguisher etc. I have been getting about 5-6 years or so out of the CT Nautilus batteries I have been using over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumma Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 Hey Carol the life of a battery is shortened by being left in a discharged state and by shock and vibration. As mentioned the further back in the boat the batteries are the less pounding they will receive. That said the further away from the trolling motor the batteries are the heavier the wire needs to be to prevent excessive amp drop and heat. My batteries are 17ft away from the trolling motor and uses a #6 wire (about the size of your pinky) to prevent the issues of heat and amp drop. Most of the time my batteries are 4-6 years old before replacing them with fresh ones. The other death of a battery is leaving it in a discharged state. You need to get into the habit of every time you use the boat and get home plug in the charger before you go do anything else. My boats all have auto charge systems so it is get home plug them in and then forget about them till the next time I go fishing. Checking the fluids is vital to seeing what the health of your charger/batteries are. A charger that is malfunctioning will boil off the water in the batteries and in short time cook them so make sure your charger has a trickle charge sensor that will slow the charge rate as it becomes charged and cut off when it is fully charged. Art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish4Eyes Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 Hey Carol the life of a battery is shortened by being left in a discharged state and by shock and vibration. As mentioned the further back in the boat the batteries are the less pounding they will receive. That said the further away from the trolling motor the batteries are the heavier the wire needs to be to prevent excessive amp drop and heat. My batteries are 17ft away from the trolling motor and uses a #6 wire (about the size of your pinky) to prevent the issues of heat and amp drop. Most of the time my batteries are 4-6 years old before replacing them with fresh ones. The other death of a battery is leaving it in a discharged state. You need to get into the habit of every time you use the boat and get home plug in the charger before you go do anything else. My boats all have auto charge systems so it is get home plug them in and then forget about them till the next time I go fishing. Checking the fluids is vital to seeing what the health of your charger/batteries are. A charger that is malfunctioning will boil off the water in the batteries and in short time cook them so make sure your charger has a trickle charge sensor that will slow the charge rate as it becomes charged and cut off when it is fully charged. Art Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bly Posted July 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2010 Drifter, Art and Fish4eyes, thanks! I will definitely be moving the battery and replacing the wiring (#6). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctrt Posted July 22, 2010 Report Share Posted July 22, 2010 Hey Carol. Hope all is well. I use a 12 v sealed lead acid battery to run my fishfinder and GPS. They're very inexpensive (30$) and more than do the job. They're easily charged with a homemade charger (use an old 12v. cell phone wall charger with a very low amperage). For your trolling motor, I would recommend an Optima. I've heard great things about them and I'm in the process of getting one. You'll pay a little more but you won't have to change them every few seasons. One thing I can tell you is the charger is very important. Since I changed to a devoted onboard smart charger, my batteries do much better than they did with the old motomaster. Good Luck. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bacon Posted July 22, 2010 Report Share Posted July 22, 2010 Thank you for the advice/tips, appreciate it as I am still a bit of a newbie to boat/marine maintenance. This battery is deep cycle, neither are used for starting. One is for running the fish finder, gps, 12v adapter etc and this one is dedicated to the bowmount. I agree that it is not required but was curious if it could be done. I don't think it is worth trying to use your gas motor to charge the battery for your bow mount. The gas motor will only supply a fraction of the energy needed to fully recharge the battery. You will still have to use a proper battery charge anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bly Posted July 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2010 I don't think it is worth trying to use your gas motor to charge the battery for your bow mount. The gas motor will only supply a fraction of the energy needed to fully recharge the battery. You will still have to use a proper battery charge anyway. Thanks John, I was guessing as much but figured it didn't hurt to ask the more experienced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTHM Posted July 22, 2010 Report Share Posted July 22, 2010 What they said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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