Deep cycle battery?

[Jeb]

Hi guys,

I believe I'm in need of a new deep cycle battery. I run a 2stroke, 6 cyl 150 Merc black max and minimal electronics. The battery keeps dying when I trim the engine when the motor isn't running. Any thoughts on this battery that Home Depot is selling?

It's half the price of a battery with similar specs at West marine? Is this the right size?

(I bought a new cranking battery last fall from WM so I'm good there).

Thanks

[Destroyer]

A 24 case regular lead/acid battery is really all you need unless you are using the battery to run an electric trolling motor. Deep cycle's are made to be drawn down low and then recharged. If you use them like a regular battery where it's almost always topped off by the generator / alternator you will actually shorten the life of the deep cycle. So what type of battery you get depends on it's usage. But for regular marine use a 24 case lead/acid (regular) battery is the way to go. Look for the ones that have the most CCA's (Cold Cranking Amps) or MCA's (Marine Cranking Amps). The higher the number the better (and usually more expensive) the battery. I like Exide and Interstate batteries, but just to show that nothing is forever I bought a new Exide for my Jeep last year and it failed after about 6 months of use. Of course it was under warranty so it got replaced, but the point is that no brand is 100% guaranteed to be perfect all the time.

[SkunkBoat]

if its 5 years old its probably shot.

That battery at HD is really all you need and its a good price. But its bigger than a grp24 and you might have mounting space issues since you have 2 batteries.

I use a single grp 27 MDP (Marine dual purpose) and never have any problem starting and running electronics all day....until they get to 5 years, then one day you start noticing that the trim is slow when you first put it down, before the motor charges it. Thats the time to buy a new one.

since you have a starting battery, you can get a deep cycle at Wally World or AutoZone or wherever...except We$t Marine$$$
For the purpose of running electronics/pumps/lights, its the AH(Amp Hours) rating that is meaningful, not the CCA/MCA. The higher the AH, the longer it will run things.
IMO, unless you run an electric trolling motor, you don't need a purely deep cycle battery.

[Jeb]

You fellas never disappoint! Thanks!

[bradford]

No subsitute for cca in a starting battery, agree on no need for a deep cycle unless you run lots of house loads. I'm a big fan of Interstates.

[SkunkBoat]

update! FYI

Just saw that We$tMarine has a grp 24 DP on sale for $89 this weekend.