Battery Help please . .

[Frankls31]

New to boating and bought a used boat...old owner trickle charged cranking battery before i came to pick up to ensure it started. i've had it in driveway for 3 weeks now and have started engine once a week just to hear it run.. question is is should i buy a new battery since the date of the current battery is May of 2011 or will i be ok for the season

 

[bruceb58]

It's likely near the end of it's life. Personally, I would change it. I always do a load test on my batteries at the beginning of each season to determine their health. For example, I have a 5 year old battery in my pontoon that I load tested before I launched it this last weekend. The load test is telling me this will be it's last season.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Ask yourself if you bought a used car would you change the battery knowing it's on it's last legs? Probably. Change it and enjoy boating knowing you have a new battery and then you don't have to say a little prayer every time you turn the key. I would also suggest buying a good charger and a battery booster pack. Boat batteries are much more abused (maybe not the right word) than car batteries. It isn't often we go more than a few days before starting our cars and trucks. Like you said the boat sat 3 weeks in the driveway. Starting the engine on the muffs and letting it run every week is not recommended in my books. Much more stress to the engine running on a hose, less cooling water than running in the water. Giving her a quick crank doesn't tell you much either, check the Voltage Meter.

I always check and trickle charge the battery with the charger before I head out on the water. Even after a week I find it a touch down because it draws power from the bilge when in her slip. It's great insurance and peace of mind to have both a good charge/battery minder and booster units. My new smart charger says it can refurbish a bad battery and if it's beyond hope it will tell me that too. Less than 200 bucks Canadian. In US funds it's a no brainer to get both.

 

[roscoe]

Batteries, if properly maintained and stored, will last many years.
I just replaced my boat batteries, both bought in 2006.
Never failed me, but it was time to switch one of them to a deep cycle, so I just replaced both of them.
If you take care of the battery, and your charging system is working properly, there is no reason to replace it.
The old conventional wisdom of replacing every 3-4 years does not apply if properly cared for.
Chances are probably greater that your new battery might have a bad cell and fail, before you old known to be good battery will fail you.
I replaced the Trailblazer battery at 8 years, and the Explorer battery is currently 10 years old.

If you "KNOW" your battery is failing, and on its last leg, then replace it.
Otherwise, keep it charged and use it.

 

[Jeepster04]

Not all batteries slowly die/give you a warning. Some just up and pop a plate and short out.

Ours is a 2010 and Ill be replacing it before the boat goes to the lake. If we had 2 batteries in the boat it might would be different but I really dont want to get stranded. Ive always been for seeing how long things last but with a boat in the middle of a lake its different.