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It's almost time for a new cranking battery for my Ranger. I've been thinking about upgrading in the battery department. I typically get my batteries at Advance Auto or a similar place. Are the Optima batteries worth the extra $$? Anyone have other recommendations? Thanks in advance for any replies!
I've always went to Wal-Mart and bought the Everstart batteries. I've been using them for years and always had good luck with them
i have an optima starting battery in my boat. i bought the boat used in 2010, and the battery is still holding up. my motor is a 90 hp mercury. the boat had an optima trolling motor battery in it too, but it only lasted a year or two after i got the boat. the boat and battery sits outside all year. its the best battery ive ever had, but im sure my 90hp is a lot easier to crank than your motor.
[QUOTE=adriancretired;553000]i have an optima starting battery in my boat. i bought the boat used in 2010, and the battery is still holding up. my motor is a 90 hp mercury. the boat had an optima trolling motor battery in it too, but it only lasted a year or two after i got the boat. the boat and battery sits outside all year. its the best battery ive ever had, but im sure my 90hp is a lot easier to crank than your motor.[/QUOTE]
I replaced my two optima batteries after 7 years of use. I still have the old ones in the house and they are still taking charge.
I put two bigger Optima in my boat to replace the two I took out. One was the starting battery and the other was for the trolling motor.
I charged them back up right after ever use. They will stay charged for a long time and are easier to charge up than regular batteries. And they are much more resistant to vibrations compared to regular lead acid type batteries.
Here's my own opinion. You can save lots of money buying your cheaper batteries at Wal-mart and maybe have no problems for awhile. Then again, think about that winter's day your able to get out on the water because the day temperature was above normal and you fish Lake Cumberland. It's now 5pm in the afternoon and it's time to head back to the ramp which is five miles away from where you're fishing. When you go to turn the key to head home and you're the only boat around, will you be glad you bought a cheaper battery; I imagine not.
I've been in this situation many times and my Optimas have always been there with me and performed well. What good is a battery that Wal-Mart will exchange at no charge and no questions if you're spending the winter's night on the lake.
For my money, I want the best most reliable I can afford.
I went through Symrna bait and tackle and bought a Deka battery last spring and I love it, I have had my aerators going, both GPS units all day and that battery has not failed me yet and when I get home and put it in charge it only takes about 30-45 min till it's fully charged I paid around $90.00 for it
[QUOTE=12VoltMan;553052]Here's my own opinion. You can save lots of money buying your cheaper batteries at Wal-mart and maybe have no problems for awhile. Then again, think about that winter's day your able to get out on the water because the day temperature was above normal and you fish Lake Cumberland. It's now 5pm in the afternoon and it's time to head back to the ramp which is five miles away from where you're fishing. When you go to turn the key to head home and you're the only boat around, will you be glad you bought a cheaper battery; I imagine not.
I've been in this situation many times and my Optimas have always been there with me and performed well. What good is a battery that Wal-Mart will exchange at no charge and no questions if you're spending the winter's night on the lake. I was getting older at this time and decided that I needed the most dependable batteries I could find.
For my money, I want the best most reliable I can afford.[/QUOTE]
I fish by myself a lot and sometimes there is no one else around. I use to fish in the colder months and that was one of the reasons I decided to spend some extra money to get the best battery I could find on the market.
Before this for many years I used the regular deep cycle and regular starting batteries. One day I went to Lynville, IN's Park with my neighbors and the motor would not start. The trolling motor failed on the same trip after a short time. I was so frustrated that day. I finally got the motor to start but I was worried that the motor would stop and I would not be able to restart it and get back home. So we went for a very short ride up the lake a bit and turned around and came back to the launch ramp. We have two 10 to 12 year old girls with us that wanted to learn to fish. I decided to rig them up for some bluegill fishing at the launch ramp and shoreline and they had a ball. I was upset and trying my best not to let on that I was upset. They girls had fun catching little bluegill and the action was fast so they didn't miss a beat. But, I swore that it would never happen to me again. I got the boat's carburetor fixed and then went out and got two brand new Optima Batteries and a new Min-Kota Trolling Motor battery. What really had me steamed was that a few months before this I had taken the boat in to get it worked on by a repair shop and they failed to fix my carborator properly that fall. So the next spring when we went on this trip the boat would not start and the starting battery died on me.
The Optimas are easy to charge and take a charge so much faster. I've used the trolling motor optima battery all day on a trolling motor only lake and then charged it back up to full in about 4 to 6 hours that night. It was ready to go the next day. Always charge the battery back up right after you use it and it will last a lot longer. Letting a dead or half charged battery sit for long periods of time is hard of batteries.
I don't have or have never had the optima battery, but I am considering using them one day. Since I am 71 and find it difficult to stand on my head to check water levels in my Triton, I have been using AGM batteries for some years. I have used Cabela's brand AGM's because I would purchase them when they had a sale. I have no complaints with them but am considering going with the Optima next purchase. I have heard so much positive remarks about them so I think I will give them a try. I agree, a good battery is worth the extra money and it has paid off for me over the years.
The battery depends upon the outboard. If you are using an Optimax, the Optima likely won't cut it. I had 3 Optima 31's go bad in 3 years. Needless to say, I was not happy with them and will never buy them again. But there are plenty of people out there that get good results from them. Personally, I buy good batteries now that cost a lot, because I have been stranded enough to not let it happen again. It is worth it to me to have that piece of mind that a quality battery brings.
I've heard good things about the Deka batteries.
Batteries Plus or Batteries Plus Bulbs is supposed to be a good place to buy batteries as well.
I couldn't tell you what brand batteries I run in my boat. I know I am not very good at charging them like I should. I typically pull the boat beside the house and put them on the charger the night before I plan to use the boat.
Mantainance,cheaper or high dollar wont last if you dont take care of them,charge as soon as possible,then depending on length of dormaint period,charge night before and your good.
[QUOTE=SteveM4A1;553109]The battery depends upon the outboard. If you are using an Optimax, the Optima likely won't cut it. I had 3 Optima 31's go bad in 3 years. Needless to say, I was not happy with them and will never buy them again. But there are plenty of people out there that get good results from them. Personally, I buy good batteries now that cost a lot, because I have been stranded enough to not let it happen again. It is worth it to me to have that piece of mind that a quality battery brings.[/QUOTE]
Was there anything wrong with the boat or wiring or the motor? My Johnson 35HP Motor has a charging system that outputs a DC current into my battery to keep it charged up. A couple of times a diode in the system went bad and the charging system didn't work. The battery went down and I had to use an external battery charger to get the battery charged back up until I could replace the diode in the motor. After that the battery stayed charged.