Starter Batteries

[Zeeter]

I'll be looking at starter batteries today. Right now I have a group 24 in there. Is there any reason I should want to increase the size? The starter runs everything on the boat other than the trolling motor. What kinds of ratings am I looking for?

[fishnkamp]

If you can fit it I recommend using a group 27  or 29. I run 3 group 30 Agm batteries personally, but they are expensive.  I do recommend dual purpose marine batteries since we do use them for lights and livewells

[Zeeter]

I wound up getting three group 31 batteries. 

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, Zeeter said:

I wound up getting three group 31 batteries. 

 

Good Call.

A-Jay

[slonezp]

Like many other things in life, it's better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it. 

[S Hovanec]

I got a Duracell group 31 AGM from Sam's last spring for my starting/accessories and it has been great.  Picked up 2 more today for the trolling motor.

[Zeeter]

I don't want to start a new thread for this: I'm looking at battery chargers, now. I'm also learning that when getting a used boat it may be wise to verify the age and functionality of all the power units as I went through this back in 2003 with my first boat.

 

I have a dual-pro 3-Bank Pro charger. This seems to be the most popular charger out there as it is also what I had in my first boat. Thing is, two of the banks will not charge to completion. I put a portable trickle charger on one of the batteries and it showed complete, yet the dual-pro was still showing 3-red lights on one and 4 on the other. Bank 3 appears to be the only one that works. Due to late rain yesterday I wasn't able to move the cables around to test the different banks on different batteries.

 

Assuming the charger has two bad banks, I may be in the market for a new one. First option, of course, is a replacement of the same make and updated model. In my last boat they gave me a replacement on a 12 year old dual-pro for less than half the new price. If I can get that then great.

 

However, I have been hearing a lot of good things about the NOCO Genius Gen 3. This one is a 30 amp charger as opposed to the 45 amp Dual-Pro and Minn Kota 345. Yet at the same time all of the reviews I've read indicate that it charges at least twice as fast as the higher amp chargers.

 

Dual Pro has the best reputation from what I've seen on this and other forums. NOCO doesn't seem like they've been around as long. Yet other than a couple of bad experiences the reviews have been mostly positive.

 

So, looking beyond "I've been using Dual Pro for decades and blah, blah, blah..." what can anyone recommend?

[S Hovanec]

I've had a ProMariner ProTournament 3 bank in my Lund for 12 years.  Never any problems.  Now that I say that, it'll fry this week! lol

[Zeeter]

I went with the Noco. One of the guys in my club has had his for 5 years and likes it a lot. Good price, and finally finding a first hand account of someone's experience with it put it over the top.