Battery Recomendations

Time for new batteries, any recomendations for a decently priced, good quality battery. I dont have aftermarket speakers or lights. There going on a Centurion cyclone. The Optima's look awsome but are way pricey
Thanks in advance

Optima makes an awesome battery. Vibration resistance and spillproof. Well worth the extra dough in my book.

If you are just using the battery for starting the engine just about anything would work fine. Shop around, get the best price. I have been buying my batteries from Costco.

If you don't have any aftermarket power demands. Then I'd go with a basic ol' Marine starting battery. I'd buy that and some type of Smart Trickle Charger/Floater. You'd get 5 years out of the battery with a trickle/float charger. For that combo you'd still be far less than an Optima.

I'm not so sold on the optimas.

Blue top: 55AH @ $150 ($2.72 per Amp Hour)
Pair of Golf Cart Batts: 220AH @ $180 ($.81 per Amp Hour)

Yes, I know, Blue tops are maint free, more vibration resistance, and they don't leak. Maybe that's worth the price increase of %335 to some people?

There are very, very few internal differences in batteries.

1. Deep cycle batteries have different plates than starting batteries.
2. Optima batteries (gel) are different than wet cell (normal batteries).
3. A few marine batteries have extra supports for the plates for vibration resistance - those are very high priced.

If you are looking for a starting battery, there is no real difference other than rating. Even then, some are identical with different ratings depending upon what label is stuck on the outside - sometimes as much as 200cca.

I use the Optima. I have been in the factories that produce the batteries and saw virtually all makes and labels on the same production line - the only difference the case and or label. The mfg engineer confirmed what I just wrote.

Craig definetely not trying to stir anything but yes the price difference is worth it to me. What is the price tag to have a more reliable battery that wont spill acid on your big buck$ boat???

Wallmart yellow MAX. its a marine deep cycle rv starting batt. walmart has the best return policy and I have been using them for years at about $110.00 aprox a pair I have never been let down BUT.... I do have to say IF I could afford the extra bling bling for the blue top I would just because they can be mounted in any direction in any location and they are a better batt. how much better??? who knows.
JJ

I bought an Intersate brand Marine battery a few years ago. Was around 65 bucks. Was the hybrid deep cycle/starting battery. Used it for about 3 years in my old boat, drained it dead a couple times and it charged back to full, was the best Marine battery I have owned.

That said, when the two I have now go out, I will most likely go to Optima, although I wioll wait until I can get a group buy. I run a yellow top in my Jeep's group buy was around 65 each.

Matt, I agree an interstate battery is hard to beat. This is what I run in my boat and I do have all the aftermarket accessories. I don't have any issues with them. Just remember when buying two batteries you want to get two of the same and make sure they were manufactured in the same month.

I just purchased a Costco Marine battery with 600 CC amps for 76.00 CND, the next up is 675 CC amps for 79.00 CDN(they were out of stock on that one). They work great and have never let me down. Great return policy as well, 3 year pro-rated warranty. It's installed into a 1980 Ski Nautique with a 351 PCM, cranks and starts great.

Karl:

Optima batteries are AGM, not gel.

You definately don't want a gel battery for this application.

Thanks for all the input, ended up getting Optima blue tops from Costco

Optima is 55 amp hrs
The battery in the back ground is a Sea Volt
92 amp hrs. Its just a bit bigger and its almost twice the amp hrs

Rod - you are correct. Optima uses a paste technology different from gel - similar in physical properties, better in electrical properties. Sorry about the semantics.

there are several diffrent types of batterys the 3 I know of are

#1 Traditional flooded batterys (golf cart's)
#2 Gell batterys
#3 AGM (absorbed glass matt)
#4 Spiral wound absorbed glass matt (Optimas)
same as regular AGM batterys but the AGM matt's are linded up like a 6 pack insted of them in a row like a traditional battery

Ken- why is it important to buy them made in the same month?