Another battery choice question.

[Knotiboy]

Hi,<br /><br />Though I've been doing a lot of research here and on the web, I would like to have your opinions on choosing the right make of deep cycle batteries for trolling.<br />To make it easier, I've come up with three makes to choice from ; Deka ( 185 RC at 25amp/hr) , AC DELCO (???) , Nautilus from Exide (100 RC at 50 amp/hr) which by the way seems to have the same technologie as the Optimas??<br /><br />One of the reasons I'm hesitating to buy an Optima is because for my purpose the RC on those batteries is only 155 min. at 25amp/hr but, I've heard that they can be discharged at a lower rate.<br /><br />So what should I do?<br /><br />Thanks <br /><br />Knotiboy

 

[roscoe]

Re: Another battery choice question.

My vote goes to the biggest fattest deep cycle you can find.<br /><br />What size/series batteries are you comparing?<br />Series 24, small<br />Series 27, bigger<br />Series 31, huge<br /><br />I buy a store brand (local farm & Fleet), which is made by Exide. My boat is 9 years old, and this is the second deep cycle. <br />Series 27<br />Marine cranking amps- 715 <br />CCA Cold cranking amps- 575<br />175RC/ 200 Minutes @ 23amps <br />$50

 

[Knotiboy]

Re: Another battery choice question.

Hi roscoe,<br /><br />I'm looking for group 31 batteries.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Another battery choice question.

First choice: EastPenn Deka<br />Second choice: EastPenn Deka<br />Last choice: EastPenn Deka<br /><br />The Optima is patented technology. The same battery is sold with a bunch of different company-name labels on it…all priced about the same…pick the color of the label you like if you are getting one of these.<br /><br />Deka AGM’s see heavy use in both marine and terra firma military vehicle applications.<br /><br />What area of the country are you in?

 

[Knotiboy]

Re: Another battery choice question.

Hi 18rabbit,<br /><br />I'm in eastern Canada,Quebec.The true Optimas here will cost twice as much as the Dekas and the Deka has 185 RC at 25am/hr,the Optima 155 min RC at 25amp/hr.<br />Between the Nautilus (that has the same design as the Optima) and Deka which would you choose?<br /><br />BTW if a battery states that it has 100 min. RC at 50amp/hr,would that mean that it would have 200 min. RC at 25 amp/hr?<br /><br />Thanks<br />Knotiboy

 

[roscoe]

Re: Another battery choice question.

All those reserve minutes seem low for a group 31 battery. I am not sold on the new hi-tech batteries yet. And the price seems a bit too much. You can always hook up 2 of them if you need minutes.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Another battery choice question.

You guys make one of the best batteries; Surrette. Take a look at the marine series 400 deep-cycle in section F. With proper maintenance they are in the 10 to 12 years of life…and still going. Forget the MSRP. Should be less than ½ $ listed.<br /><br />Follow the links.<br /><br />Canada -> Products -> Marine -> Specifications<br /><br /> http://www.surrette.com/ <br /><br />About the reserve capacity, the answer is yes and no. The lower the amp draw the greater the capacity that is available to the battery. RC is a spec for comparing the discharge profile of starting batts. You can’t use it because you are NOT taking your battery down to 10.5v!<br /><br />The 20/hr rating is what you should be looking at for a trolling motor deep cycle battery. It will be the big amp/hr number printed on the label…”105 Amp/Hrs” …something like that. Roscoe’s “biggest fattest deep cycle” is right on. On average, you have ½ the amp/hrs available to you. Keep a Surrette within 50% discharge capacity and you can hand it down to your grandchildren. <br /><br />More than you really want to know about battery specs, section 7. READ the stuff on charging, section 9.<br /><br /> http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq.htm

 

[Knotiboy]

Re: Another battery choice question.

Thanks for the link,very informative.<br />I'll probably go with the Surrette depending on the pricing otherwise I'll go with Deka.<br /><br />Knotiboy