Battery

[Nigel]

I have a small ski boat with an old Mercury 70hp engine. The battery I had last year was faulty so I chucked it away. I need a new one this year and it's only now that I'm thinking was it any special type of battery or will any 12v car battery do? The guy at the local garage asked what Amps... can anyone help?

 

[Baldguy]

Re: Battery

I wouldn't recommend an auto battery. Marine batteries are designed to handle the pounding and movement of a boat.<br /><br />You'll need to find out what cold cranking amps (CCA) you're motor requires. Without being familiar with your engine...the hp rating I would guess would require something like 500 CCA? <br /><br />You don't have the old battery still do you? There might be a label on top of the battery to provide you the CCA and MCAs that could guide you on a new battery.<br /><br />On my 5.7 litre Merc I have a 700 CCA and 625 MCA battery as my main.

 

[captain spike]

Re: Battery

nigel,check out walmart i just bought a 650 cca battery for $65 18 MONTH WARRANTY cant beat it!i would definetly go with a 500-600 cca "marine" battery better safe than sorry

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Battery

First of all I'm guessing this isn't an ocean going boat. If it is, use nothing but a good marine battery. However, in a "ski" boat you will be fine with the cheapest automotive battery you can find, especially with only a 70hp outboard. It's only going to need about 100cca to start. If you don't have alot of equipment running off the battery, and again I'm guessing you don't, is another time when you don't need a marine battery. My 16' glastron has had a cheap store brand auto battery in it for quite a while - I don't know how long, but the store that made it is now out of business, so it's been at least 4 years. Still cranks over my cranky inline 6 without trouble. "Better safe than sorry" is true for anything you that keeps your boat afloat, or if you go miles out to sea, but if your battery goes dead while skiing, there will be plenty of people there to tow you in. (not that you would ever need a tow) And finally, I'm pretty sure an "old 70hp merc" can be pull started anyway.<br />

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Battery

I have to say that I always have used a marine battery, but honestly I have never known of anyone having a regular car battery fail in a boat because of the pounding. I mean, my Pick-up beats the battery up 4 wheeling worse than my boat ever could, and I have never had a problem with it.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Battery

Wally Mart has a no hastle exchange policy if you run into problems within the wty period and I have used it.

 

[bubbakat]

Re: Battery

Go to wally world and get that big yellow dude captn spike is talking about. I installed two of them this year and am glad I did<br /><br />solittle says Wally Mart has a no hastle exchange policy <br />This statement speaks for itself.