Marine Battery Upgrade

[rgardner928]

I have a 97 Seadoo Speedster with the twin 717's. How much can the stators charge?

I want to buy a new Marine deep cycle battery to replace the one that's going bad now and not holding a charge. But I dont want to go to big. I don't want to get a battery so big that the stator's can't fully charge the battery. Is there any way to find out the maximum amount the stators can charge? How do I know what size marine battery I can put in there without going to big?

Any help would be great.

 

[Dr Honda]

You don't want a deep cycle. They aren't meant to start engines, and you could actually cause damage to the starters. (low amp output) You are looking for a Marine dual use battery. It's a starting battery that can be drained deeper than a normal starting battery.

As far as size... use what ever you want. Even if the engines only put out one amp... it will eventually charge... it will just take longer when it's drained.

Your box now should be a group 24. (unless you have the motorcycle batteries) But just make a mount, and put in a new box... an throw a group 27 in there, and then not worry about running the radio. I personally have a 27 and a 24 in my Islandia.

 

[rgardner928]

You don't want a deep cycle. They aren't meant to start engines, and you could actually cause damage to the starters. (low amp output) You are looking for a Marine dual use battery. It's a starting battery that can be drained deeper than a normal starting battery.

As far as size... use what ever you want. Even if the engines only put out one amp... it will eventually charge... it will just take longer when it's drained.

Your box now should be a group 24. (unless you have the motorcycle batteries) But just make a mount, and put in a new box... an throw a group 27 in there, and then not worry about running the radio. I personally have a 27 and a 24 in my Islandia.

But if they dont charge quick enough. If I turn off the engines then try to restart them I would have a dead battery trying to start them with. So I'm trying to get a battery that the engines can at least keep up with holding the charge if not charge it while using it. I did say Marine deep cycle I don't know what the deep cycle I know it is a marine battery

 

[Dr Honda]

your statement is irrelevant. Think of it as your fuel tank... If you pump 1 gallon a minute at the gas station... and pump for 5 minutes... you will have 5 gallons in the tank to use... right? OK... you can burn that 5 gallons regardless of if your tank is only 5 gallons (and it was full) or if you have a 30 gallon tank. A wet battery is kind of the same way. Assuming the batteries are good... and they are sitting at a "Normal" charge... (not totally full but able to start the engine) then you will recover the power used for an "engine start" event regardless of the size of the battery. BUT... if you have a big battery... you can use your electronics longer, while sitting, and still have enough power to start when you are ready. Get it?

 

[rgardner928]

Ok...im just having trouble deciding on which one to get, lol

 

[Dr Honda]

Ok...im just having trouble deciding on which one to get, lol

None of those. Walmart batteries are crap. I can't tell you how many of those I've seen be bad on install. AND... if they are OK... they don't last the season. (Chief Auto, and Interstate are almost as bad) I personally liked "DieHard"... but since Sears is going out of biz... they are starting to fall in quality, and the price is going up. The DieHards in my boat are 7 seasons old, and start the boat without an issue. The other brand I recommend is the new Duracell batteries. They are reasonably priced, and seem to work well. Batteries Plus has them... but you can get them for a better price at Sam's Club.

 

[rgardner928]

None of those. Walmart batteries are crap. I can't tell you how many of those I've seen be bad on install. AND... if they are OK... they don't last the season. (Chief Auto, and Interstate are almost as bad) I personally liked "DieHard"... but since Sears is going out of biz... they are starting to fall in quality, and the price is going up. The DieHards in my boat are 7 seasons old, and start the boat without an issue. The other brand I recommend is the new Duracell batteries. They are reasonably priced, and seem to work well. Batteries Plus has them... but you can get them for a better price at Sam's Club.

If I get once he's out of Walmart battery maybe that's not bad. They do come with the one-year warranty so next season the warranty would be still valid and I can get a new battery. Ask for Sears is no Sears anywhere around here or Battery Plus. Sam's Club I don't have a membership to in the pay the money for the membership to buy a battery makes the battery extremely expensive.

 

[rgardner928]

Those Walmart batteries are made by "Johnson Controls". The same people make Interstate Batteries, Ford, GM & Chrysler.

 

[Dr Honda]

Those Walmart batteries are made by "Johnson Controls". The same people make Interstate Batteries, Ford, GM & Chrysler.

Sure... and Interstate is junk too. But what you have to remember is that each label has it's own spec. For years, Walmart would push for a pricepoint, and in turn, the batteries were not as good, with a lot of failures.

 

[LawnDart]

I use an optima 34M which can be a bit of a struggle to keep fully charged without using a charger. I put the battery on a charger every 2 or 3 times I have it out. I have it on a switch to turn off when not in use and it never lets me down when I go to start the engines. Keep in mind these engines will fire up with not much battery. I've still not yet drained the battery to the point where it won't start.....that's with short drives from point to point and lots of stereo blasting (basically abusing it).