New batteries - Ionion

whiteoaks7

whiteoaks7

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South Wales, UK
www.seasolutions.co.uk
My nice Trojans seem to be decaying this year. We've checked the DoD vs number of cycles and the end seems to be near (however, the Sterling regulator is supposed to increase the battery life - I'm a bit sceptical!).

So, I either buy new batteries in the UK (110A-h Trojans x 3) and pay a lot to get them shipped out (maybe this is the year to drive ourselves to Greece) OR buy locally. So, to the question: If I buy locally (Preveza / Lefkas / Nidri) what is the best deep cycle battery available and where should I go for it?

David Berry
 
I don't think any of the external regulators do more than correct for most peoples' lack of discipline regarding re-charging batteries.

There is a battery wholesaler in Kalamata which I use regularly whose prices are very competitive and whose products are totally suitable for purpose.
Even going to the wholesalers in Agrinio or Patras I've not been able to get prices or products to match his.

There will be no-one but resellers in any of the places you mention and you can expect to pay around 50% more than from an wholesaler.

My experience of "named" batteries (as borne out by your own) is that they are just used to justify a bigger profit margin for the retailer, have neither a longer life, better performance or more valuable warranties (which are so worded that you'll be unlikely to be able to claim on them).
I expect to pay €1/AH and my batteries last between 7 - 10 years on a liveaboard boat.
 
Not Trojans but...

Last summer we were looking for a couple of 110 amp/hr 'Liesure' type batteries around the N Ionian and the offerings were in the €140-160 price range, made in Slovenia or Serbia (I forget which) and looked ****! One we saw in Peveza was clearly leaking on the shelf! We decided to wait until we got to Italy and look there - probably a lot more expensive, but hopefully servicable at least.

We then visited Sarande in Albania and at a typical tyre and battery place saw and bought two Italian made 110s, far superior in quality to anything we'd seen in Greece (Italain made) and paid €125 for the pair! They're still barely a year old, but no problems or complaints whatsoever with them.

Take a trip to Sarande (not if it's blowing southerlies!) buy some, batteries, refill the fuel tank and booze/cigarette/food cupboard and you'll repay the mooring/clearing agent's charges three times over; it's a cracking place to visit too!
 
I fitted 4 E-nex batteries - made in South Korea last year. I had 4 New Numax fitted the year before, but I could not understand why the battaeris were always down to 12.3V next day. My consumption is around 40amps at most per day (highly insulated fridge).

These batteries have not shown a drop in voltage overnight (12.7V) and even when storm bound recently for 4 days - with no sun, they only reached 12.6V and that with 8 amps actually drawing from the fridge. These are recombining sealed LA batteries, and are extremely well made, and it looks like they do the business.

they cost me €150 x 4. Sodding good batteries!!!!

Contact (speaks English)
- Person’s name: Mr. Thomas Economou
- Telephone: 210-349-9431 / 210-349-9434
- E-mail: thomase@petropoulos.com

They have an agent in Nidri - usual now for greece cash on order. Arrived in 2 days from cash being sent.
 
Since the Original Poster had Trojans he might want something better than Korean dual purpose sealed batteries.

I would suggest to anyone in the Med that they look at the cost of ordering directly from the UK. This can work if you go for AGM batteries that are non hazardous and therefore do not have huge transport costs. Check out Merlin Equipment or Powerstore and get a quote for their Lifeline AGMs delivered to the Med. It could add 15-20% on the cost of each battery - the more you have the cheaper the shipping - so club together and get a pallet load. If you could source good deep cycle open wet lead acid batteries locally you could well be paying a 100% premium on UK prices. My Lifelines are now 8 years old and my next set will be ordered this way.

Its a great pity that cheap maintenance free batteries are the only ones that are freely available here. Many people only have them because they can't find anything else.
 
Drove down this summer with 4 x 6v x 240AH Trojan batteries. Couldnt find anything to touch them locally. Standard dual purpose type batteries are only good for 200 cycles to 50%. Trojans are rated for over 1000 cycles to 50%. Once I had made the decision to drive I found all sorts of other things that I needed to bring from the UK to such an extent that my two passengers had to fly out because there was no room left in the car. Useful having car out here but I dont think I would bring it out without the cost imperative of things for the boat.
 
gavin_lacey said:
Drove down this summer with 4 x 6v x 240AH Trojan batteries. Couldnt find anything to touch them locally. Standard dual purpose type batteries are only good for 200 cycles to 50%. Trojans are rated for over 1000 cycles to 50%. Once I had made the decision to drive I found all sorts of other things that I needed to bring from the UK to such an extent that my two passengers had to fly out because there was no room left in the car. Useful having car out here but I dont think I would bring it out without the cost imperative of things for the boat.
Click to expand...

Personally, I find that the absence of convenient transportation disciplines me into NOT filling the boat with non-essentials!

BTW, since you are sourcing remotely from your boat, what would you do if a battery failed inside warranty?
 
Your empty boat must be difficult to live on without the non essential items such as an anchor windlass, solar panels, 50mm cable and a toilet which I bought out.

I agree with the point about warranties being difficult to claim on but that is the nature of cruising. When something expires you are inevitably in a different country to when you bought it. Even large companies such as Raymarine have local agents who are unable to repairs things. Only able to get them fixed in uk the following winter.
 
Thank you all for your thoughts. I've just had a quote for Trojans from the chandlery and I literally winced (in fairness Kostas had warned me they would be expensive - even so...). My current plan is to buy in the UK then take the car down next autumn - it's about time we did it and then I can bring back all those things we planned to offload in Spain four years ago ...

However, change is the only constant I've ever found in life :-)

David Berry
 
if you're planning to drive next autumn you could consider sailing up to Monfalcone for that winter. I could drive there in two days from Brighton! I delivered a Yanmar diesel and a Honda dinghy and outboard this way among many other refit necessities such as a windlass and two brilliant Rolls batteries.
I'm now back in Preveza and do now need an additional new battery. I may wait myself until I'm somewhere I can drive to again. Although the cost of driving is hardly justified for the saving on some batteries. Have you visited the chandlery in Ionian marine?
 
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New Batteries Preveza

I've just had 4 new 110Ah batteries fitted in Preveza at very competitive prices by Stephan Ulrich (excellent engineer) based Preveza. email his business: fosa@hol.gr
 
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