Marine Batteries

Hi all

I've finally got fed up of jumpstarting my engines before every trip - and with the obvious risk they won't start when out on the water decided to make the investment into some new ones. They now only hold the charge for the day !!

The setup I'm currently running is as I've inherited it - two 30hp engines with a battery each - 1st battery just starts one engine, 2nd battery is starting one engine and also powering fishfinder, chartplotter. Currently there are 2 car batteries doing this job but from the reading I've done I'd be better with lesiure batteries. I'm struggling to find any sizing guide on the web so your advise would be appreciated.

Cheers

You should fit a switch unit which would give you no1 battery or no2 battery or no1 and no2 very usefull when your on low battery also you will only run one battery flat and still have no2 to full back on.



BASS POINT
http://homepage.eircom.net/~rinnashark/

You should fit a switch unit which would give you no1 battery or no2 battery or no1 and no2 very usefull when your on low battery also you will only run one battery flat and still have no2 to full back on.



BASS POINT
http://homepage.eircom.net/~rinnashark/

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11215t.jpg

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Hi there , you should also make sure that the batteries are being charged when the engines are running, if you have a volt meter it should read approx 14 volts at battery with engine running

you can use this site to calculate how much power you need http://www.varta-automotive.com/index.php?id=54
the higher the ah the stronger the battery
measure how much room you have in your battery compartment and click on http://pmd.varta-automotive.com/pmd2/li ... n&range=GB and you can check the size of the Batteries that might suit your battery compartment,remember go for the highest Battery Capacity [Ah] that fits

I agree with Basspoint, Perhaps a switch unit like the one above fitted to a single Engine. You would need to add a 3rd Battery though. Basically engine 2 could charge the main engine battery or the new equipment Battery or both using the switch above. It would require a bit of rewiring though.

Kev

Refer to the manuals of your engines for battery sizing. There is a minimum and a maximum depending on the specs of the alternators/magnetos.
Be carefull that when you are being sold a Marine Leisure battery that it is a genuine one. A friend of mine was sold a fake Varta in Cork a few months ago by and 'Reputable' shop. It was probably a standard cranking battery with a fake label.

Personally i would put a small cranking battery on one engine and a larger deep cycle battery on the other. Keep a pair of jump leads on board in case you ever run the deepcycle battery down so low that it wont start the engine. This is the simplest, cheapest way and you have a solution if one battery goes totally flat.
Keep the two battery/engine electrical systems seperate if you can.

To help keep your investment protected, I would strongly recommend one of these solar chargers http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=98358 . I picked one up last summer, mounted it on top of the cuddy and when I checked the battery (just last week) for the first time in 5 months, it was spot on!. very cheap as well. Got mine in the Blanchardstown branch.
Cheers, Ken.