Battery replacement

[ango]

Hi all,
I was wondering how often you guys replace your starting batteries.
My first trip in my then brand new boat was in Sept 2006. I replaced the battery in December 2011, even though it seemed OK at the time. The new batter then died in August 2017, lucky a mate had a jump starter & came to my rescue.
I am wondering when I should replace the battery which is now a couple of years old, it seems they last about 5 years. The one that died seemed OK on the day it died, I moved around a fair bit and it died without warning after having successfully starting the boat 4 or 5 times. I keep the batteries charged with a trickle charger which I turn on for a few hours every week. Also the motor is 50HP carby 2stroke with oil injection and now has about 550 hours on it, do you think there is plenty of life still in it, the compression is OK when I get it serviced.
Love to hear what you all think.

Cheers
Ango.

[Gultch78]

U need a multimeter check resting voltage after charge and how much ur.motor charges it when running

[Sinsemilla]

Normally batteries last about 5-8 years depending.

Do as Gultch78 has said and get yourself a good multimeter to check your batteries.

Also I'd look at getting one of the high spec C-Tek chargers with the mode to recondition. This has helped my batteries last a lot longer.

Cheers, Anth

[denis barden]

Good or Bad I dont care -Ill change boat battery about every 2 years
Dont want a problem for $200
Always get a Marine Battery -The plates are thicker and the material stays on the grids longer.

[Fishomicko]

The last 2 battery's ive had have lasted 5 years each

[repspec]

We have seen batteries get 10 years with regular charging.
Most get 2-6 years.
Make sure your terminals and clean and tight (not finger tight, with a spanner/pliers) and that your battery switch (if fitted) is still in good nick.
Make sure the motor is charging also...those 50 Mercs(as well as any of the range that uses those style regulators) can have dodgy regulators that fail. The joiners are cable tied together and can get hot if put under load. They then get melty and then heat up and short out, causing meltdowns or even fires.

Ask your dealer next time to check them out.

A boat that's 12-13 years old will start showing signs of parts wearing out, especially with 500odd hours on the clock

[smile0784]

U need a multimeter check resting voltage after charge and how much ur.motor charges it when running

Just thinking some thing

[smile0784]

Hi all,
I was wondering how often you guys replace your starting batteries.
My first trip in my then brand new boat was in Sept 2006. I replaced the battery in December 2011, even though it seemed OK at the time. The new batter then died in August 2017, lucky a mate had a jump starter & came to my rescue.
I am wondering when I should replace the battery which is now a couple of years old, it seems they last about 5 years. The one that died seemed OK on the day it died, I moved around a fair bit and it died without warning after having successfully starting the boat 4 or 5 times. I keep the batteries charged with a trickle charger which I turn on for a few hours every week. Also the motor is 50HP carby 2stroke with oil injection and now has about 550 hours on it, do you think there is plenty of life still in it, the compression is OK when I get it serviced.
Love to hear what you all think.

Cheers
Ango.

I have 2 big batteries and find after 4 year they start to loose there holding capacity.
And I alternate changing them every 2 years. So technically I get 4 years each

[Lightningx]

U need a multimeter check resting voltage after charge and how much ur.motor charges it when running

:thumbsup:

[KeenAds]

Testing a battery with a multimeter only gives you half a picture of the batteries condition. You really need to get it load tested to see if its delivering the CCA its rated for. Sometimes if a cell is bad it will still read above 12v but will not deliver the CCA for cranking.

Its probably good piece of mind to replace every 3 or 4 years but before throwing them away get it tested by a battery place because it may still be in good health especially if you have looked after it and kept it charged.

Last of all, most outboats 75hp or bellow should be able to start with a rope. Its good piece of mind keeping a length of cord in your boat if you get caught out. Even practice this at home so your confidence in starting it is high so you don't panic if it happens on the water. Obviously a warm engine is going to be easier to start than a cold one.