My husband and I are having an argument about which kind of battery is best for a boat. He says any car battery will do and I say a marine battery. Which is best and why? Thank you.
by 
michele
ANSWERS: 6
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A car battery will work just as well as a marine battery, they will discharge at an unnoticably different rate and the car battery is probably going to be cheaper.
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If it will be used to operate a trolling motor or electrical accessories while the engine if off, a marine deep cycle battery is a MUST.
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It depends on the use for the battery. If the battery is just to start the boat, or if the boat has an alternator to charge the battery and run accessories, then yes, any car battery will fit the bill. If the battery is required to run a trolling motor or power accessories without the aid of charging for long periods of time, then a "deep cycle" battery is required. Many times, deep cycle batteries are also called "marine" batteries. The two types are not interchangeable for the other's purpose, at least, not for any length of time.
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optima gel cells are best...usually the redcaps. they are not so cheap, but they have as much cranking amps as any marine battery, but any regular battery will not last very long in a boat.
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Marine batteries are deep cycle. Automobile batteries are not. If you have two identicle boats with all the same lights and radio the boat with the automotive batery will be dead long before the boat with the marine battery. An automotive battery is made to give lots of power right off the bat as it is only used to crank the starter when turning the car on. A marine battery will do that but basically will not be "exhausted" afterwards and have plenty of "juice" to be used by your electronics. A car battery will actually be fine if you don't intend to use much electricity while sitting. If your boat motor does not have an alternator you should go with the deep-cycle marine battery. The marine battery is usually more expensive.
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mushroom Actually, a car battery does power the electric accessories even when the engine is running. In modern cars, the alternator will cycle on-off to maintain the charge. A weak battery can lead to the alternator failing due to surges or overheating.
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According to http://www.fishin.com/articles/RickMcferrin/trollingbatteries.htm car batteries should NOT be used for boats. For general information about batteries - http://www.batteryfaq.org/
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