I see a lot of posts on this forum in regards to dual battery setups. I am not sure if any of you guys are familiar with 6V deep cycle golf cart batteries. A lot of guys run these in series to produce 12V in their RV's. From the reports I have seen they are seeing much longer battery life (nearly double) then running dual 12V deep cycle marine/RV batteries. THe golf cart batteries run about $50 each and can be picked up at Costco or Walmart.
I use golf cart batteries on my houseboat to run the cabin. In general, they are great batteries and provide the most amp-hours per $$ than anything else. If you keep them full on water they will last 5 or more years.
If you really need the capacity, that is the way to go. You will need a minimum of two because you have to hook two in series to get 12 volts.
I don't think that my Costco carries the golf cart batteries, but I am going to go check! I have bought mine from an industrial battery supply house, pay about $65 each for them. When you get the two in series you will end up with about 220 amp-hours of 12 volt power for about $130.
That is more than four times the capacity for less cost than an Optima battery.
They are a bit taller than the standard battery (about 11 inches tall) so make sure you have room before you buy a couple and get them home!
Have you seen the damge that they do when they boil off the acid inside. My father-in-law has a golf cart, and where it is parked, the concrete has been eaten away from the acid that spills on it occasionally. Not often, but it happens. i don't want that to happen in my boat, so when i go mega stereo, I will opt for sealed optimas.
The golf cart batteries use the same basic technology that is used in 99.9% of every car battery on the road today. It is also the most common battery technology used in boats.
If your father-in-law is spilling acid from his battery on an occasional basis then he must be doing something very unusual! Like, maybe he fills them with water until if overflows?
I have used golf cart batteries for many years and have never spilled any acid.
HIJACK - A few friends and I recently found and bought a 1968 Westinghouse golf cart. It's gonna need wheels, tires, batteries, lift kit, and possibly a new electric motor.
Does anybody have a hookup for this type of stuff?
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