Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Battery

I saw somewhere not to use a maintenance free battery. Do they still make a marine battery that requires filling with distilled water? What brand of battery do you recommend? Thanks
 
Sorry, I don't recommend the brands. The batteries I use in my vehicles (Wal*Mart) have caps that I pry off so as to test the water in each cell with a hydrometer. I see no reason why they would cause a problem.
 
Do not use a Maintance Free Battery. You want to be able to check the Cells and add Distilled Water as needed. And you also want to get a Deep Cell Marine Battery with Cold Cranking amps. I got mine at Auto Zone for a 100.00. dollars with a 3 year Warrinty.
 
You'll want a "starting" battery if you have a charging system on that motor. A starting battery is designed to take a constant charge while running. A deep cycle battery is designed to be discharged and then re-charged, for such things as a trolling motor and electronics.
 
A car battery typically has two ratings:

  • CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) - The number of amps that the battery can produce at 32 degrees F (0 degrees C) for 30 seconds
  • RC (Reserve Capacity) - The number of minutes that the battery can deliver 25 amps while keeping its voltage above 10.5 volts
Typically, a deep cycle battery will have two or three times the RC of a car battery, but will deliver one-half or three-quarters the CCAs. In addition, a deep cycle battery can withstand several hundred total discharge/recharge cycles, while a car battery is not designed to be totally discharged.
 
the main physical difference is the deep cycle has thicker plates..the main thing to consider with this motor is it probably has a rectifier only charging system...he does not want to use a maintenance free battery...if the motor is in good shape i would not hesitate to use a deep cycle as a starting battery on a 80 hp engine...i have done so..i use a boat year round...but if a boat is stored all winter and the battery is not charged during this time and runs down then the advantage is with a deep cycle..
 
I was wondering about this as well on my 1989 25 Evinrude. I am having trouble finding the non-maintenance free battery. I have a rectifier only system, no regulator. Is there any way to add a regulator to this type of system?
 
Back
Top