Best yacht battery

[PaulRainbow]

Those companies make a plethora of different batteries which is, in part, why the OP is asking for advice.
The batteries in the list are what the manufacturers recommend, from their ranges, for the specific purposes listed.
As a starting point for a replacement battery I would have thought it a sensible resource.

Which of the batteries in the lists do you consider unfit for purpose?

Your advice was... "Not deep cycle. A pair of "leisure" batteries will fit the bill." I agree, but a little help with what you consider a suitable replacement may be more helpful.

I did not say any were "unfit for purpose". But if you ask Numax for a recommendation they will surely suggest a Numax product. If you ask an online retailer who stocks Numax and and Yuasa, they will surely recommend one or both of those brands.

The batteries on the list are only from NCC members and there are no details of the testing that was done, who did id, what the criteria was for any category etc. Other than basic specifications, there is no data or helpful information for any of the batteries.

From the lists, which are the deep cycle batteries ? Which are the starter batteries? Which would be the best battery for starting a 300HP diesel boat engine? Etc, etc.

Perhaps you (with the knowledge you have gained from the NCC list) would like to make some recommendations ?

 

[alahol2]

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa. The NCC list is obviously not a useful resource. It's BS.
Google 'Leisure Battery' and you'll get everything you need to know.

 

[pvb]

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa. The NCC list is obviously not a useful resource. It's BS.
Google 'Leisure Battery' and you'll get everything you need to know.

I think the point that people are making is that the NCC is a trade organisation, which charges companies to join it, and then directly or indirectly promotes those companies (that's written in to its articles of association). So it is certainly not an independent or objective judge of the quality of its members' products. The NCC website is dire, with security issues which render it blocked by many browsers. There's no transparency on the website of how much companies have to pay to be a member, although they get around £3 million a year in membership fees. This sort of self-perpetuating "organisation" seems to be common; they don't do much other than collect membership fees. You may be right about it being BS.

 

[Halo]

Thanks for that Stooriefit et al.
I have gone for a pair of Numax CXV35MF. 120 ah(C20) Same size and terminal layout as my old ones and a little more capacity. ( they should have as they are 5 kg heavier at 28 kg. ).

 

[reeac]

I had a pair of identical leisure batteries and, for a cold start from my home mooring, used the "both" position, thinking that halving the starting current must be a good thing. On a mooring or anchored overnight I'd use one as a house battery and save the other for starting.

 

[mattnj]

You've said "best yacht battery" so you really need to look at Lifepo4 maybe 1 of those will do and a small engine start. ... Standby to spend some cash.

 

[pandos]

I went for AGMs as they won't leak acid if damaged. Managed to find some 130 AH of the same size as my old 110 AHs so went for three house and one 70 AH starter.

Would you be prepared to share the supplier and costs?

Sounds like a good solution,

although my 15 yet old AGMs are still operational I will probably update them next April/May...

 

[Porthandbuoy]

I'm considering Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB). Designed, allegedly, for the cheaper end of the stop/start car market they are expected to start a car thousands of times, often from a low state of charge and accept fairly rapid charging. They can go below 50% DOD and offer more cycles than a conventional Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) battery.
Even making allowances for market hype they seem a good bet to me and cheaper than AGMs.

 

[KeelsonGraham]

4 x 6v golf cart batteries (installed by the PO) seems to be giving us a lot of very reliable amp hours for not a lot of dosh.

 

[Tranona]

I'm considering Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB). Designed, allegedly, for the cheaper end of the stop/start car market they are expected to start a car thousands of times, often from a low state of charge and accept fairly rapid charging. They can go below 50% DOD and offer more cycles than a conventional Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) battery.
Even making allowances for market hype they seem a good bet to me and cheaper than AGMs.

I believe these are positioned between FLA and AGMs. however, not sure of the prices but AGMs with longer life and greater charge acceptance have come down in price in the last couple of years. I have 5 of these fitted as original equipment in my Bavaria and have now done 6 years with seemingly no loss in performance.
tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/exide/ek950/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImYj1tNmn8wIVhPhRCh2cngTBEAQYBCABEgJYPPD_BwE

In the link there is a pdf from Exide explaining the differences between EFM and AGM

 

[PaulRainbow]

I had assumed that the OP, with a very simple arrangement of two 110AH batteries and a 1-2-B switch was looking for "best battery options " for his particular circumstances. Lithiums, large deep cycle banks etc are all well and good where they are needed, but it doesn't seem it's the case here.

 

[Tranona]

Seems like he has already made a good choice on that basis. Post#24.

 

[geem]

I went for AGMs as they won't leak acid if damaged. Managed to find some 130 AH of the same size as my old 110 AHs so went for three house and one 70 AH starter.

I never understood why people use AGM batteries. What scenario do you expect them to get damaged? Why do you think they would leak? AGM are not needed on a boat.

 

[Graham376]

I never understood why people use AGM batteries. What scenario do you expect them to get damaged? Why do you think they would leak? AGM are not needed on a boat.

Always having used flooded lead acid for 30 years, I don't understand the worries about failure and spillage but some people are also paranoid about carrying petrol and gas on board. Trojan deep cycle fit the bill for us, having to rely on solar for charging and occasionally deep discharge but if back to weekend sailing would most likely just use cheap so-called leisure. The negatives of Trojan 6v are they're expensive and don't fit standard battery boxes.

 

[Sandy]

I never understood why people use AGM batteries. What scenario do you expect them to get damaged? Why do you think they would leak? AGM are not needed on a boat.

We all take decisions about what goes on our boats and I have taken a different decision to you because of two events:

1. a pal who had a lead acid battery split and spill acid, a fun vomit inducing day was spent cleaning that up;
2. another pal who replaced his batteries in the spring then visited the Southampton Boat Show in September only to be told that his 'maintenance free lead acid' were not and he should top them up with distilled water.

I don't expect the batteries to get damaged, but as a retired safety engineer it is all about mitigating risk. In the unlikely event that a battery splits, I recall a thread a few weeks ago about a battery exploding, I won't have the unpleasant job of cleaning up battery acid and trying to store it until I can do so in a safe manner - NO I would not tip it into the oggin.

There were other factors for going to AGMs

1. Cost the AGMs were the same price as lead acid so from a cost point of view it was a no brainer;
2. I can run them to a lower voltage without damaging them, I don't plan to do so but can if I need to;
3. Charging them is faster;
4. They fitted into the existing battery boxes and had 20AH more capacity.

 

[Sandy]

Would you be prepared to share the supplier and costs?

Sounds like a good solution,

although my 15 yet old AGMs are still operational I will probably update them next April/May...

PM sent.

 

[geem]

We all take decisions about what goes on our boats and I have taken a different decision to you because of two events:

1. a pal who had a lead acid battery split and spill acid, a fun vomit inducing day was spent cleaning that up;
2. another pal who replaced his batteries in the spring then visited the Southampton Boat Show in September only to be told that his 'maintenance free lead acid' were not and he should top them up with distilled water.

I don't expect the batteries to get damaged, but as a retired safety engineer it is all about mitigating risk. In the unlikely event that a battery splits, I recall a thread a few weeks ago about a battery exploding, I won't have the unpleasant job of cleaning up battery acid and trying to store it until I can do so in a safe manner - NO I would not tip it into the oggin.

There were other factors for going to AGMs

1. Cost the AGMs were the same price as lead acid so from a cost point of view it was a no brainer;
2. I can run them to a lower voltage without damaging them, I don't plan to do so but can if I need to;
3. Charging them is faster.

AGMs can have a place on a boat but not for the reasons you describe in my view. They are likely to last less time than open cell wet batteries.
Unless you purchased true deep cycle AGM batteries then you have car batteries that are very unlikely to have a deeper discharge potential than a standard non AGM car battery.
AGMs don't like over charging.
Sealed lead acid batteries are just car batteries. Anything with marine written on it is just car batteries.
If you want decent batteries buy proper deep cycle batteries.
If you want to waste money buy deep cycle AGM batteries.
Have a look at the Marine know how site if you want see evidence of what's actually inside 'marine' batteries and 'leasure' batteries.

 

[ryanroberts]

When I trash my current 3x set of mysterious French SLA I think I will try lead carbon, absorption curve is almost as important as capacity for both alternator and solar

 

[Sandy]

AGMs can have a place on a boat but not for the reasons you describe in my view. They are likely to last less time than open cell wet batteries.
Unless you purchased true deep cycle AGM batteries then you have car batteries that are very unlikely to have a deeper discharge potential than a standard non AGM car battery.
AGMs don't like over charging.
Sealed lead acid batteries are just car batteries. Anything with marine written on it is just car batteries.
If you want decent batteries buy proper deep cycle batteries.
If you want to waste money buy deep cycle AGM batteries.
Have a look at the Marine know how site if you want see evidence of what's actually inside 'marine' batteries and 'leasure' batteries.

I am aware of all the 'car v marine' battery mythology. A battery is a battery, did I make a statement saying I had fitted a 'marine battery'?

I'm 60 next year. I hope to seriously sail until I am about 70, but having had a few pals with health scares and buried a few over the last five years who knows. I can't justify the cost of deep cycle lead acid as this would mean serious surgery to the boat and reduce my water carrying capacity. My new batteries ones will last longer than 10 years. @pandos is reporting that his AGMs have lasted 15 years.

I'm not a live aboard, just do long summer trips and usually sail all year round, but happen to be on the hard this winter for some refit work.

 

[Tranona]

I never understood why people use AGM batteries. What scenario do you expect them to get damaged? Why do you think they would leak? AGM are not needed on a boat.

If there is anything to learn from this thread - and all the others on the subject it is that simplistic sweeping statements like this contribute nothing.

You do tend to look at everything from your perspective and show little understanding of how other people use their boats.

My requirements (like most other coastal and short passage sailors) are very different from yours and AGMs, particularly the sort now common in cars are well suited to our pattern of use. Short periods of intensive use with relatively poor recharging followed by long periods of inactivity. The characteristics of the stop start batteries (EFM or AGM) compared with FLAs such as "leisure batteries" are faster charge acceptance, low self discharge rates and longer duty cycles - 3-4 times overall "life " according to Exide who a big players in this field. Because of the high volume production they cost little more than Leisure batteries (£120 for approx 100AH compared with £90) and less than half the price of "marine" AGMs such as Lifeline.

You maybe right saying that wet cell is better than AGMs for long term high consumption liveaboards like yourself, but this thread is not about that. I would suggest that most UK sailors have FLAs because they are economical and for the overall light use they get will last more than 5 years. Going AGM is a big step up from this, particularly if you have split charging and a dedicated start battery, all for very little more money and substantially less than your setup, which frankly is wasted on most boats.

As to life. The Red Flash in my Morgan is the original from 2003 and has never let me down. The only maintenance it gets is a trickle charge if I leave it more than a month without use, which is only 2 or 3 times a year. The Exide stop start batteries in my boat are all the originals from 2015 and I would be disappointed if they did not go for more than 10 years. I plug into shorepower only if the resting voltage drops below 12.7 which happens either when I have been away for 2 or 3 days sailing with little motoring or a couple of times in the winter.

The original question was "Best Yacht Battery" to which the only sensible answer is first determine your pattern of usage, then match to the type of battery and charging system needed and finally choose the best brand based on cost. Of course within each of those 3 stages there is a lot of variability and the individual needs to do their own research to understand the choices. Not easy and of course there is no one definitive answer at each stage. To my mind though the first 2 stages are far more important than the last and the ones where you can often justify different choices.