Battery!!!!!

[copus]

I have purchased my first fishing boat and have had great fun with my kids cruising around Torbay this year. Unfortunately the battery is on the way out as starting is becoming a nightmare only now succeeding with the use of good ol’ WD40!! I have cleaned all connections and terminations are good
Can anyone recommend a good battery for my Bukh DV20? Will a trip to Halfords suffice or a specialist battery for life on the ocean waves be a better option.

Cheers
Paul



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[pampas]

Dear Copus,

I would go a Lucas UK Distributor as they sell better quality batterys, you did not state the capacity required.
Here in Cornwall we have a firm who not only is the wholesale Distb. but sells retail as well, they charge about 80 pence/amphr, by the time Lucas have had their cut its about £1/ampHr, get a good quality lorry battery from the lower end of the spectrum, I use 644s (90 amphours), they take a bashing on the road and seem to last for ever at sea. There will be many opinions about this matter. Shop around and get the best deal

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[snowleopard]

special batteries are only needed if you are going to be spending a lot of time on board without the engine running. this is mostly applicable to sailing boats. in your case all you need is a battery suitable for a diesel car. it needs to be the right dimensions for the lace you stow it and have the right type of terminals- either a round post (like most cars) or a rectangular post that you bolt through. if you take the old one to a car tyre & battery shop they will sell you an equivalent at a sensible price.

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[MarkJohnson]

I would get the best battery you can afford.

My Bukh 20 starts well on a 70 amp leisure battery.

I recently bought a battery for the domestic system, it only cost £50 for a 110 amp hour battery.

You can't have a push start out at sea! And Bukh 20's don't start easiliy by cranking them.

If you have a slight doubt about the battery, get a new one.

regards


<hr width=100% size=1>www.markjohnsonafloat.org.uk

 

[capt_courageous]

Get what is now known as a leisure battery or in tech. terms deep discharge. Modern 'low maintainance' road vehicle batteries are designed to work in a fully charged state most of the time which is ok for cars etc which are in use a lot of the time, but boats tend to be used less often - a few hours at weekends etc. Halfords etc do them, Cosco - if you can get in - do a good one. Get one as big as you can fit.

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[Talbot]

You are getting some bad advice here. The deep cycle/leissure battery are not suitable for continuous duty starting engines. The construction of the battery is not designed for these high cranking loads. That is why most yachts have two battery banks. One for engine start is designed for a high CCA (cold cranking amp) load, and is normally a diesel car battery, The other is a deep cycle battery designed to be able to provide a relatively low load over a long time, and accept a high number of load/discharge cycles.

Of course if the engine is small enough you can get away with using the deep cycle battery to start your engine, but it will reduce its life.

However, there is a realtively new technology for battery construction that combines the two features of the engine start and tehe high CCA load of engine start by use of carbon fibre reinforcement. a good example is the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.elecsol.com/html/products.html>Elecsol</A>. Naturally these are rather more expensive than the average deepcycle bought from the caravan shop, but they do have a much longer guarantee.

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[pvb]

Halfords would be fine...

I'm guessing you don't have a need for much electrical power when your engine isn't running. If that's the case, just buy a similarly-sized battery from Halfords or another retailer. Halfords have a good range of maintenance-free batteries with a 3-year guarantee, and one of these should be ideal. I think they're on offer at the moment, too, as I bought one the other day for my mower. As Talbot said, some of the advice you've been offered is bad - you certainly don't want a leisure battery if it's main purpose is engine starting.

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[Guest]

Halfords for HD Diesel battery ..... if you want new and reliable.

Breakers yard for second-hand if willing to take a chance .... but there are some very good battery's available from crashed cars / vans etc.

You will consider other types if you should be considering domestic power for lights etc. but then best to have separate battery for that - leaving the start battery for starts etc.


<hr width=100% size=1>Cheers Nigel ..... <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.geocities.com/solentlifeuk/>http://www.geocities.com/solentlifeuk/</A>

 

[Guest]

Forget Leisure batterys ...

If you run lights / domestic stuff ... and need a deep discharge battery - then ok - but starting average engine will knacker a Leisure job so fast it will frighten the wallet.

Yes there are now a new type that combines leisure and high current starting duty - but they are more expensive and honestly not worth it for the average boater.

Fit HD Diesel battery from Halfords and enjoy yourself.


<hr width=100% size=1>Cheers Nigel ..... <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.geocities.com/solentlifeuk/>http://www.geocities.com/solentlifeuk/</A>

 

[copus]

Re: Forget Leisure batterys ...

Thanks for all the replies chaps and it's off to halfords I go!!

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[cliff]

Re: Forget Leisure batterys ...

DO NOT GO NEAR HALFORDS - unless you are gullible or have too much money.

Go to Lucas where you will get a suitable battery for much less than halfords.

Do the trade go to Halfords?
Who goes to Halfords? - gullible joe public.
Buying in halfords will damage the health of your wallet.

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[paulrossall]

DO NOT BUY A BATTERY AT HALFORDS

The advice from cliff is good. You need a proper heavey duty diesel car battery. Go to a lucas distributor or a motor factor (in yellow pages and normally on a scruffy industrial estate). If you do intend to moor up and use 12 volt power for domestic use you should also buy a leisure battery from a caravan shop but leave the engine battery just for the engine, it is vital for your wellbeing, not very expensive and any compromise is foolhardy. IMHO. I have a sail boat with 2 110 aph domestic batteries and a Yanmar 2GM20 that starts very easily but I still have a seperate engine starting battery. Only buy the high technology batteries if you want to join the "Flash Harry" school of boaters, DO NOT waste your money. IMHO (again)Paul

<hr width=100% size=1>" there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats".

 

[Guest]

Ok - not Halfords ....

There are many outlets for batterys and to be honest after all the years on boats / cars etc. - the old adage of buy from XXX is shite to say the least.

Unless the battery is back-street Chinese etc. - I haven't seen justifucation for Joe Blogs to pay extra to Exide / Lucas / XXX - when he doesn't really push the battery to limits.

IF the price at Lucas is cheaper - I will be at the door as well - no problem. Its just normal that most will think Les Smiths, Halfords. Quick-Fit etc. as nearest and easiest place to do ....


<hr width=100% size=1>Cheers Nigel ..... <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.geocities.com/solentlifeuk/>http://www.geocities.com/solentlifeuk/</A>

 

[Guest]

Totally agree .... with Paul

If you really want to be good .....

Install a second battery to run domestic use .... lights, radio etc. This can be simply charged via a marine 1-B-2-O withouit all the fancy gubbins that so many advise ....

Many boats use older normal batterys for domestics - ie the starting battery when its showing signs of slow death !! And standard HD Diesel battery for engine ....

If as you say you are enjoying fishing and its not a cruising boat with longer trips etc. - ignore all the gumph an=bout charging systems etc. On a boat that I used to own - because I didn't cruise for more than a couple od days at a time - I used to charge the battery at home ...... doing away with all the wiring etc.

Keep it simple and don'ty waste money on fancy bits that really are not worth the ffort ... for short day-fishing ....

IMHO of course.

<hr width=100% size=1>Cheers Nigel ..... <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.geocities.com/solentlifeuk/>http://www.geocities.com/solentlifeuk/</A>

 

[pvb]

Actually, you don\'t need a heavy duty one...

People seem to lose their sense of reality when talking about boat engines and batteries. Paul really doesn't need a "heavy duty diesel car battery" for his Bukh DV20. The engine is less than a litre in displacement, it's much smaller than any car diesel engine (and indeed smaller than almost all petrol engines). If his primary requirement for the battery is engine starting, an ordinary car battery will be just fine.

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[gosh]

I've just bought a battery for my small van at Halfords. The next day I was in Makro and saw the same thing at about 2/3 the price.

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[Trevethan]

There is a very good battery centre on Marsh Barton in Exeter. Suggest you talk to them. They sold me 2 200 ampp hour (very big) truck batteries They are designed to start an engine and also to power a tail lift. They might be a bit on the large size, but I am sure smaller ones exist.

Measure your battery box and pop along and see what they can offer.

Those batteries were £80 each and have lasted 3 years now., so I am pretty happy.

Hope helps,

Nick

PS go along in overalls and ask for best price.



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[Gunfleet]

Re: DO NOT BUY A BATTERY AT HALFORDS

I have the same set up as you, Paul. Not only will a Lucas distributor sell you a good battery at a good pric but if you tell them exactly what it's for they will dispense free expert advice... something not available from spotty youths in Halfords

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[paulrossall]

Re: Actually, you don\'t need a heavy duty one...

You can skimp on some items or you can err towards going over the top. When it comes to needing to start my boat engine, particularly if I have a wife and kids on board, I will always definately fit a heavy duty battery. If for some reason the engine does not start easily you do have reserves of battery power that might allow you to find the cause of your problem, fix it, and then start up.
Better safe than sorry is my moto when boating.

<hr width=100% size=1>" there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats".

 

[Gunfleet]

Send your wife in overalls and get a better price!

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