Best Marine Battery Types

Maybe you have just got yourself a yacht or maybe you need a simple battery for a trolling motor. Choosing a good battery that fits the exact criteria for your marine purposes can be a difficult task. You may wonder that you can easily get by using your car battery as a marine battery. In some cases, you could be right but in most cases you would be wrong. Marine batteries are quite different from car batteries.

 

The type of batteries  generally used for marine purposes are called deep cycle batteries. Deep cycling batteries are very different from regular car batteries. Car batteries are generally starting batteries that offer high jolts of electricity at once and become almost useless if they’re discharged below a threshold, which is generally very high.

 

Deep cycling batteries on the other hand, allow you to further discharge your battery with the only consequence being that the amount of electricity supplied starts to fall, which is acceptable in most cases.

 

Car batteries are generally designed to crank the engine and the battery gets easily drained after cranking for a while. The same can be disastrous in marine scenarios. Marine vehicles generally do not have systems built in for recharging frequently, nor do they need as much power as car engines. In most boats, electric motors are used which get powered from the battery directly. Some bigger boats may have engines and that is when a car battery may prove to be useful. Even in such vehicles, a different battery is used for powering the different onboard electronics.

 

Deep cycle batteries come in all shapes and sizes and you can choose from a variety of batteries based on your preference. Bulky batteries tend to have a lot of power but if you’re at a campsite,chances are that you will not require such heavy applications.

 

The capacity of any given deep cycle battery is measured in Ampere-Hours. Common batteries can range from a few Amp-hours or even have around 100 Amp-hours or more.

 

The capacity of the deep cycle battery that you need to take along with you will depend on the type of applications you are looking for. On a boat it is important to carefully estimate the exact amount of power you may need as surplus weight can be an issue in boats.

 

Another thing you need to look for is vibration resistance. Boats tend to be shaky and thus it creates a problem of spillage in regular flooded batteries. Luckily, there now exists technologies like AGM and Li-Ion batteries that are completely sealed and require no maintenance whatsoever. One of the best things about such batteries is also that they offer great durability and reliability.

 

Deep cycle batteries can also be charged very easily. One of the easiest ways to charge deep cycle batteries on a boat is to use a solar setup. This is a very good method and regular charging can help you lower the number of batteries you need to carry with you. And don’t forget to check the best 3 banks onboard marine battery charger. This becomes increasingly important if you are planning long trips.

 

Overall deep cycle batteries are great batteries for most marine uses and you can also rely on cranking batteries if your boat has an engine. Choosing marine batteries can be tricky and you should always remember to invest in proper batteries. Ideally, something with a proper warranty and reliable performance. We have prepared different articles discussing deep cycle batteries that you can definitely check out for a better understanding.

 

Conclusion

In this article we have discussed the various battery needs in marine environments. We believe we have covered the topic fully and hope this will help you make a better choice if you are looking for a marine battery.