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Battery help. I searched but that didn't help.


isellacuras

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I have picked some of your brains before on the battery subject but i am back in the market again. I seem to get about 2 1/2-3 years on a set of batteries which i consider acceptable since i don't run an onboard charger. I have considered adding a charger but don't have easy access to power where the boat is stored. I could run a 100' extension cord across my yard but prefer not to.  I have been running Walmart everstart marine group 24 starting batteries this time around with good results. I was going to go up to a group 27 for the last set but didn't want to relocate/replace my battery blocks and boxes.  Throughout my first set of batteries i had only sound pack 1, the second set was with a full Exile system with 2 amps. Again, both sets of batteries lasted about the same amount of time. I was planning on just going with the same Walmart batteries but they are out of stock so i started researching batteries only to confuse myself and leave me with more questions than answers. Ideally I'd like to run a house battery and a starting battery with an ACR (i think that's what it's called) like i read so much about but i don't really want to tackle the cost and time of rewiring and adding components. I have plenty of other projects on my list (boat related and not) that are higher priority than this so maybe on the next set of batteries. So on the topic of group 24 vs. 27, what are the advantages?  Longer stereo blasting in a cove (not how i use my boat), better starting power, longer battery lifespan?  Then there is the combo house/starting batteries. What are the pros and cons with those? Are they worth the extra $$?  Will they allow for more radio on chill time?  Better starting power?  Longer battery life span?  What would you do if you were just looking to slap another set of batteries in for the next couple years?

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To add more non-helpful or only tangentially related peanut gallery comments, one thing to keep in mind is that a G29 battery fits perfectly inside a G27 box.  So if you are gonna upsize to G27 boxes, go with G29 batteries.

For your kind of use the dual purpose batteries are going to work fine.  I don't think you are party cove blasting, so max AH/run time isn't as important as cranking amps, so it's not unreasonable to "sacrifice" some run time for a dual purpose battery.  (that said I've been starting my boat for three seasons with Interstate G29 deep cycles with no problem... albeit with the batteries on a dual bank charger when not in use).  Looks like costco carries interstate batteries.

Wiring up a blue sea add a battery kit is pretty easy.  The hardest parts are cutting/lugging/heat shrinking the additional wire (and if you order from genuinedealz.com they will do that for you), and then screwing the switch and acr into the observer compartment wall with all the wires attached in the back.

How long you keeping the boat?  If you think you are gonna sell before the batteries wear out, I'd just keep rolling your current approach.  At $140 per G29 interstate, You'd need to double your battery life to break even on the ACR and a dual bank charger.  After that you are "in the money" but we are talking 6-7 years from now....

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3 hours ago, robtr8 said:

3 years?  If you have a Perko (or Blue Sea) battery switch AND use it EVERY time you leave the boat, the batteries should last a lot longer.

Yep. I use my Perko every time.  I run my battery on 1+2 every time out and shut them off when not in use. I use my boat a lot. I put 125-150 hrs a year and take lots of two hour sessions. I do shut the engine down after each set. 

Edited by isellacuras
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1 hour ago, MLA said:

What leads you to believe you are only getting 2.5-3 years? 

My electronics start going haywire.  Screens bug out. I can see pulsating in the screen when the batteries start to go. When starting the boat, the screens will cycle to off and then re start which causes the engine to die. Luckily if i wait a bit, it will re start. When this was happening i was getting voltage readings of 13.7 on the dash. Same symptoms i had last time i replaced batteries and the new batteries cured the problems. I understand these boats don't like low voltage. 

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2 hours ago, Ndawg12 said:

During your research certainly figured out that the alternator can not keep the batteries fully charged, so how are you charging them over these 2-3 year spans?

Using it. I have read that the alternators have a hard time keeping up. So are you saying an on board charger or a bigger alternator are the only solution?  

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1 hour ago, shawndoggy said:

To add more non-helpful or only tangentially related peanut gallery comments, one thing to keep in mind is that a G29 battery fits perfectly inside a G27 box.  So if you are gonna upsize to G27 boxes, go with G29 batteries.

For your kind of use the dual purpose batteries are going to work fine.  I don't think you are party cove blasting, so max AH/run time isn't as important as cranking amps, so it's not unreasonable to "sacrifice" some run time for a dual purpose battery.  (that said I've been starting my boat for three seasons with Interstate G29 deep cycles with no problem... albeit with the batteries on a dual bank charger when not in use).  Looks like costco carries interstate batteries.

Wiring up a blue sea add a battery kit is pretty easy.  The hardest parts are cutting/lugging/heat shrinking the additional wire (and if you order from genuinedealz.com they will do that for you), and then screwing the switch and acr into the observer compartment wall with all the wires attached in the back.

How long you keeping the boat?  If you think you are gonna sell before the batteries wear out, I'd just keep rolling your current approach.  At $140 per G29 interstate, You'd need to double your battery life to break even on the ACR and a dual bank charger.  After that you are "in the money" but we are talking 6-7 years from now....

I have committed to this boat being my lifetime wakeboat so I'd say I'll prolly have it another 5-10 years. The problem i have with an on board charger is my boat sits in a shed 75' from the house so I'd have to run an extension cord from the house to the shed and that would not be too visually appealing (to my wife)

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7 minutes ago, isellacuras said:

Using it. I have read that the alternators have a hard time keeping up. So are you saying an on board charger or a bigger alternator are the only solution?  

Since my amps are wired directly to my deep cycle group 27, I leave my battery switch on 1 all the time while running. Ive noticed that if i switch to 1+2 while running the engine bogs down. I have an onboard 2 bank charger that I rely on to recharge my stereo battery. 

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1 minute ago, isellacuras said:

I have committed to this boat being my lifetime wakeboat so I'd say I'll prolly have it another 5-10 years. The problem i have with an on board charger is my boat sits in a shed 75' from the house so I'd have to run an extension cord from the house to the shed and that would not be too visually appealing (to my wife)

Why not some sort of small 12v solar setup?

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6 minutes ago, isellacuras said:

Using it. I have read that the alternators have a hard time keeping up. So are you saying an on board charger or a bigger alternator are the only solution?  

This is not TMC approved I'm sure but I just top mine off 2-3 times a season with a small $20 trickle charger for a few days at a time.  My last set of batteries lasted at least 4 seasons (bought the boat used) and I'm finishing my second season on my current set with no issues so far.  Sounds like we have a similar sound system and use of. 

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1 hour ago, isellacuras said:

My electronics start going haywire.  Screens bug out. I can see pulsating in the screen when the batteries start to go. When starting the boat, the screens will cycle to off and then re start which causes the engine to die. Luckily if i wait a bit, it will re start. When this was happening i was getting voltage readings of 13.7 on the dash. Same symptoms i had last time i replaced batteries and the new batteries cured the problems. I understand these boats don't like low voltage. 

13.7V is quite outstanding IMO, considering many Bu owners note a low helm reading compared to whats actually measured at the battery. Have you ever measured the batteries at rest, when this scenario happens? Have them load tested with a quality tester, not those "toaster tester" heater grids? 

With the engine running, most of the boat's systems are actually running off that 13.7V alternator output, not the battery. Outside of shorted battery, I would not expect a weak or low battery to create this issue when the engine is running. This could also be diagnosed by isolating one bank and then the other via the 1/2/BOTH switch. 

Stepping up to a larger battery will yield more CA's for spinning the engine over and more AH for engine off stereo time. However, if there is an underlying issue in there, then higher capacity batteries can compound the issue, not fix it. 

Like everything else, there can be quality difference brand to brand. In reality, there are only a handful of batter makers, that produce 90% of the brands. They just offer different labels with sometimes minor tweaks. IMO, the correct battery for the job and maintenance go further then brand shopping. 

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4 hours ago, isellacuras said:

I have committed to this boat being my lifetime wakeboat so I'd say I'll prolly have it another 5-10 years. The problem i have with an on board charger is my boat sits in a shed 75' from the house so I'd have to run an extension cord from the house to the shed and that would not be too visually appealing (to my wife)

I'd follow @shawndoggy's advice...and also, it's time to rent a trencher and wire up that shed with power.

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4 hours ago, isellacuras said:

The problem i have with an on board charger is my boat sits in a shed 75' from the house so I'd have to run an extension cord from the house to the shed and that would not be too visually appealing (to my wife)

Get a green cord, or charge it after dark......

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Well, wheth

5 hours ago, isellacuras said:

I have committed to this boat being my lifetime wakeboat so I'd say I'll prolly have it another 5-10 years. The problem i have with an on board charger is my boat sits in a shed 75' from the house so I'd have to run an extension cord from the house to the shed and that would not be too visually appealing (to my wife)

So add that into costs.  Charger ($120) + Add a Battery kit ($120) + wire and lugs ($30) + 100' extension cord ($35) + wife complaining about extension cord ($1M).

Sounds like periodic battery replacement is the cheapest.

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Before you spend money, drape that cord across the yard and give the batteries a full charge.  You might be surprised how much you could help just by doing this when you start noticing the problem. 

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As a car guy, you must have a battery charger.....

Run a cord out to your boat, hook up the charger.  In an hour or two you will be topped off.

I hook up my charger every morning before we go out.  Charge in my driveway.  The boat is stored a few miles away and we get it the evening before.  Most of the time the battery is topped off once breakfast is done and we start loading stuff on it for the day.

I pull the battery for the “winter” and trickle charge it a few times.

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75' to the shed?  It'd be pretty easy to bury a line and get an outlet out in your shed to take care of the extension cord/wife problem (unless you have a mountain of concrete or landscaping in the way).

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On 9/19/2018 at 7:29 AM, minnmarker said:

Do you have long periods (months) when you do not use the boat?  How are the batteries stored?  In the boat or inside on a battery maintainer (not just a charger)?

Is it feasible to remove the batteries for a few months (Dec-Feb?) and store them somewhere that would not require an extension cord to power a trickle charger? 

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1 hour ago, John I. said:

Is it feasible to remove the batteries for a few months (Dec-Feb?) and store them somewhere that would not require an extension cord to power a trickle charger? 

Ideally you would need wall power.  With a maintainer you don't have to worry about temperature.  Second best would be a place that does not freeze.  If you're putting them away cold and on their own for 3 months, that may be the cause of your problems.

Garage?  Maintainers are small.

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2 hours ago, John I. said:

Is it feasible to remove the batteries for a few months (Dec-Feb?) and store them somewhere that would not require an extension cord to power a trickle charger? 

If na extension cord can be run to them, Id string one out to a charger once a month before I went through the trouble of hauling out/in batteries. A charged batter will weather the winter just fine. 

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