Battery, Marine. What is?
Steve Elisberg
What is a marine battery? Other than the obvious carry handle and the
threaded stud battery post, what makes it different than an automotive
battery? I need a new starting battery for a 100hp outboard. I have a
clearance problem in that the overall height from the battery tray to
the seat bottom makes most batteries too tall to fit unless I saw off
the posts and install automotive battery clamps. I have already done
this and installed a Perko battery switch for quick disconnects for
safety sake. A battery with side terminals would solve my clearance
problems. Just try and find a marine battery with side terminals. What
size is recommended for a 100hp Merc with power trim/tilt?
Rod McInnis
Steve Elisberg wrote:
>
> What is a marine battery?
Near as I can tell, it is the posts and the label. Some people claim
that a marine battery is built to take more of a pounding than a regular
battery, but I doubt this.
One reason I doubt this is that there are a *lot* of boats that give a
battery a very smooth ride, much smoother than it gets in my car running
on the roads around here!
Second, some of the worst batteries I have ever had were labeled
"marine". I will never buy another Delco Voyager marine battery again.
On the other hand, the best batteries I have had (in marine use) were
not labled marine. In fact, they really weren't labeled anything, but
were called "golf cart" batteries.
If I was you, I would go ahead and use a side post battery. If all
you need it for is starting purposes, it should do fine.
Rod McInnis
Michael Fitzgerald, V.M.D.
Steve,
While not suggesting that "Marine" is a magic word, I do believe that there are
significant differences in active materials and construction techniques in some
lines which make them more predictable in the marine environment.
For your application I would suggest taking a look at the Optima AGM battery.
This relatively small e-box delivers 800/1100 cranking amps, weighs 39.5 lbs, is
only 7.81 inches tall and is available with *side* posts. It has low internal
resistance & should accept charge well from your merc alternator, has extremely
low self discharge rate, is vibration resistant, and is the *only* sealed
maintenance free battery I would install in my boat.
Optima specs can be displayed at http://www.dcbattery.com/optima2.html
--
Michael Fitzgerald, V.M.D., a/k/a Critterdoc
Please forward email replies to critt...@worldnet.att.net by deleting the
anti-spam string "BOUNCER" from my displayed mail address.
Start Your Engines Inc.
In article <33701C...@worldnet.att.net>,
Steve Elisberg <flub...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>What is a marine battery? Other than the obvious carry handle and
the
>threaded stud battery post, what makes it different than an
automotive
>battery? I need a new starting battery for a 100hp outboard. I have
a
>clearance problem in that the overall height from the battery tray
to
>the seat bottom makes most batteries too tall to fit unless I saw
off
>the posts and install automotive battery clamps. I have already done
>this and installed a Perko battery switch for quick disconnects for
>safety sake. A battery with side terminals would solve my clearance
>problems. Just try and find a marine battery with side terminals.
What
>size is recommended for a 100hp Merc with power trim/tilt?
In most cases, when you are comparing starting batteries, there is no
difference between the marine and the automotive batteries except the
obvious carrying strap and marine terminals that you mentioned. There
are batteries that are built better than others, but it tends to
depend more on the manufacturer than on whether or not it is a marine
battery. To get a good starting battery, try to find a heavy battery
that has moderate cranking power, for example a 600 cranking amp
battery would usually stand up better than a 1000 cranking amp
battery if both batteries are the same weight. This is because
cranking amperage is directly related to the total surface area of
the plates. For the same size battery, in order to increase the
cranking amperage it is necessary to increase the number of plates in
the battery. If the battery is already utilizing all the space
available for installing plates, it is therefore necessary to make
the plates thinner in order to make room for the extra plates.
However, this is not always the case, because the cheapest starting
batteries use the thin plates to start with, and just put fewer of
them in in order to make a low amperage battery. Because there is
unused space, the battery will be lighter in weight.
By using a moderate cranking amperage, with as heavy a battery you
can find, you are more likely to get a thicker plate. Unless you have
a huge engine that really needs the cranking amperage, the extra
amperage in a high cranking amperage battery is going to do nothing
for you except give you thinner and more fragile plates.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. With gel or Absorbent
glass mat batteries (AGM), it is possible to have very thin plates,
high cranking amperage, and still have a sturdy battery. An example
would be the Optima battery, which is AGM, and has spirally wound
plates. It is rated for 800 cranking amps, and often puts out over
1100 cranking amps. Because the spirally wound plates are self
supporting, this battery will stand up extremely well to pounding and
vibration. (It can actually be put in a paint shaker for at least 5
minutes with no damage.) This battery is available with a side post
(actually a dual terminal) and is physically smaller than a group 24
battery, with cranking abilities roughly on par with an 8D battery.
However, I can see no reason why not to use a good quality automotive
starting battery in the 600 amp range, which is more than adequate
for starting a 100 hp. outboard. If you use a light weight one, which
will usually be the cheapest one, just don't expect it to last as
long as a heavier and probably more expensive one. Warranties can
give you some indication, but warranties are often more related to
price than to actual differences in the battery. You pay more money,
you get more "insurance", which is what warranty really is. Some
manufacturers will put more warranty on a battery than the battery
actually should have in order to sell more batteries and win market
share. This has in some instances bankrupted manufacturers when the
warranties started coming back to haunt them later on.
Also, the life of the battery depends on how it is used and cared
for. Keep it charged, without overcharging it, and if it is
maintainable, keep the electrolyte up, and keep the battery and its
contacts clean and dry, and keep the battery as cool as possible.
Jamie Bracht
buster
A car battery and deep cycle(Marine) are not the same inside. The
deep cycle has the plates set wider apart then car battery. Increasing
the resistance inside the battery. Making charging and discharging
slower in the deep cycle. A car battery will take only 20% discharge
before you hirt the battery. A deep cycle will take upto 50% discharge
before damage the battery. The plate to acid ratio is lower in a deep
cycle alowing the deep cycle to charge cooler and with added flow of
acid better cooling too. Deep cycle battery get used less that is way
they die sooner. Over charging also shortens the batterys life. I hope
this helps.
Buster
George Jefferson
:A car battery and deep cycle(Marine) are not the same inside.
true, but "marine" and "deep cycle" arent the same either.
I think the question is, is a marine starting battery different
from a car starting battery..
--
george jefferson
*note new email, was geo...@mech.seas.upenn.edu now @sol1.lrsm.upenn.edu
George Jefferson
:
: If I was you, I would go ahead and use a side post battery. If all
:you need it for is starting purposes, it should do fine.
agreed, but if a top post ( no 'marine' studs ) fits, I'd
use that. Side post connections are really miserable IMO,
I think it would be especailly bad in a corrosive, high
vibration environment. Real PITB to jump as well...
Mentobee
a marine battery differs from a auto battery in that it is made to
withstand the pounding that you wouldn't get in a vehicle.
Pete Cruz
ment...@aol.com (Mentobee) wrote:
>a marine battery differs from a auto battery in that it is made to
>withstand the pounding that you wouldn't get in a vehicle.
Do you need a special charger, or can I use a 10 amp car battery
charger?
HIDDA
Mentobee wrote:
>
> a marine battery differs from a auto battery in that it is made to
> withstand the pounding that you wouldn't get in a vehicle.
Sometimes I wonder if this is true. There have been times that I got
the feeling the extra cost of a marine battery came down to the rope
handle, the screw post, and the fact that marine has three more letters
than car.
Start Your Engines Inc.
In article <338DEE...@mauigateway.com>,
In many cases, you are quite right. It is just as important for an
automotive or industrial battery to be able to withstand a certain
amount of pounding as it is for a marine one. Of the batteries we
sell in our battery store, we can sell you the exact same battery in
either a marine or automotive version. The only difference is the
battery terminals and the carrying handle on the marine version in
the case of group 24 or 27 batteries, and a few dollars difference in
price, and a different warranty policy. There really is no one thing
that makes a battery a marine battery or not. However, some batteries
may be more suited to some marine applications than others. The
biggest difference in batteries is between starting batteries and
deep cycle batteries, whether or not they are labeled "marine". There
are also other differences, such as gel, absorbent glass mat, flooded
or maintenance free, and in some cases whether the plates are flat or
coiled. Most, but not all models of batteries can be obtained either
with or without a "marine" label. Just about all batteries can be
used successfully in a marine application as long as the use is
within the design parameters of the battery in question.
Jamie Bracht
David Oswald
In article <338DEE...@mauigateway.com>, HIDDA <hi...@mauigateway.com> wrote:
>Mentobee wrote:
>>
>> a marine battery differs from a auto battery in that it is made to
>> withstand the pounding that you wouldn't get in a vehicle.
>
>
>Sometimes I wonder if this is true. There have been times that I got
>the feeling the extra cost of a marine battery came down to the rope
>handle, the screw post, and the fact that marine has three more letters
>than car.
Well, I've never tried it myself because I'm "compartmentally
challanged", but from everything I've read two six volt golf cart
batteries in series (to get to 12 volts) will provide fantastic
capacity, extraordinary durability, and superb discharge-recharge
cycle life.
If I had the room for them my next battery bank would be golf cart
batteries. My needs for capacity just aren't great enough to justify
removing one thing from my 25' Catalina and replacing it with more
batteries.
Dave
--
David Oswald / dos...@xmission.com / http://www.xmission.com/~doswald
Thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges. -- William Shakespeare
Jrserna
Depends on what type of battery:
1. Lead-acid: same as a big car battery, same battery charger.
2. Dry cell battery: more powerful for size, twice as expensive.They can
be positioned upright,sideways, upsidedown, carried on aircraft safely.
They take the same voltage charger (14.2V.), but a staged,controlled
charger is best. Also used for big power in custom car stereos.
3. Gel cell battery, top of the line. Same as "2 " above, but takes a
lower voltage, controlled charger. These little guys are power-packed.