Batteries

[roberte68]

Looks like my trolling motor battery has died. Would like to have one of those fancy optima batteries($199) but the interstate brand ($75) is more my price range. Can anyone tell me if they have seen that big a difference to justify the price? I have a 12V system but hope to upgrade to 24 sometime later.

[Gregory]

Just don't buy a Ever Start from Wal-Mart. I have had no luck with them.

[MarkW]

That's funny, because that's all I ever used for the last 6-7 years and have had nothing but success with them. Guess it's all in how you maintain your batteries.
The upside to Wal-Mart batteries is the customer service and locations of the stores. If you do end up having a bad Everstart Battery, you can almost always find a store near where you are fishing that can warranty them. I think they have a 1 year free-replacement anf the second year is a pro-rate.

[MsgMills]

Man where can you go wrong by not buying an everstart Battery from Wal-Mart? That's all I've ever bought as well, until I got my new boat, but rest assured that will be the replacement Battery when I need one. By the way I'm going to install another Battery in my boat just fot the purpose of using my lights at night while night fishing. Seems if I use my Lights at night like I'm supposed to my main crankin battery gets too low to start my big motor. So I have to dig out my jumper cables and jump start my big motor. I figure the cost of an extra battery to run the lights versus the hassle of digging out the cables is worth it. Plau the cost of a ticket for not having my lights on at night while fishing is by all means worth the cost of the extra battery... Figured that if I buy one of those Solar Battery chargers, that way while it is daylight I can recharge my extra battery so it will be ready for another night fishing adventure, if I can't get back to my regular electricity...Going to have the extra battery set up on a mounted inboard battery charging bank, like the rest of my batteries... Sorry so long, I get kind of long winded at times....

[redneckshadrap]

I can hookup anyone in the Lexington area with AC Delco Voyagers....either the 24 or 27 series.
Billy Elkins

www.thecreekbank.com
Not everything that gets wet is pretty, but sometimes it gets pretty wet.

[Moose1am]

You are not long winded at all. LOL Well not compared to some others in here... ME! LOL


Good inforamtion and never appologise for going into details. :)


I might suggest one of those rechargeable battery packs. They sell them at Pepboys and Autozone or at Walmart and online at BPS and CABELAS. They are basically a 12 volt battery with a cigarette lighter plug built into them. I have a VECTOR type and it has a built in battery charger too. I can hook the unit up with an 110 V AC extenstion cord and the wall socket and charge up the internal 12 volt battery is a short period of time. It will run a 12 volt underwater light for a few hours. And it also works as a jumper battery for your car or boat in case their batteries go dead. I used mine to jump my truck battery and get the truck started once when I was out in the boondocks. I eventually discoverd that the battery cable on my truck battery was loose. I repaired the loose connection with a new connecter and then purchased a new battery just in case. I keep this battery charger/jumper in my boat with me on all my fishing trips. That way I can use it for the boat or the truck on my way to or from the lakes.

Regards,

Moose1am

[MsgMills]

Thanks Moose, I never really thought about the rechargeable gizmo like your describing...It really would come in handy, save on buying a battery and could jump crankin battery alot quicker than digging out long set of jumper cables.....

[Fishnhunt]

Neverstart should be the name.Pure JUNK.

[tr186man]

I was wondering the same thing. Assuming you get 3 years out of a "regular" battery, an optima would have to last 6 years or more to be worth it in terms of life. Besides the convenience of no maintenance and maybe some extra charge for those long or windy days on the water, what other advantages do the optimas offer? I am considering replacing all 3 of my batteries with them the next time around. But the price is hard to justify.

Thanks.

[fishcatcher]

When I bought my boat new in 1999, a Ranger R83 it came with the batteries. I just changed them out this summer because they were finally starting to get weak. I always claen the post and also charge them as soon as I get home. I also never leave the onboard charger on because it seems that the charger is always charging the batteries and they seem to have too much water coming out of the batteries. I asked the charger manufacturer and they told me the charger will always send some voltage to the batteries. I hope these new batteries which I purchased from BPS because they were on sale will last as long as the originals. I have used the Wally World brand for years before this and they always seemed to be good for at least 4 years. Just my 2 cents worth.
:-)

[tracker4stroke]

i have also done very well with the ones from wal-mart. i have had to turn one in that went bad in and no questions asked they replaced it.

[Rangerman]

They don't call them "Never Starts" for nothing.... You can have 'em!!! Being that I work in the automotive industry and was team leader for the Wal*Mart account for years you would be suprised what some suppliers will do to make Wal*Mart the lowest price..... Absolutely amazing...

I will stick with AC Delco Voyager's, best battery for the money, IMHO. No experience with the Optima's. Billy, I will be giving you a call in a month or so to see what kinda a deal you can get me on 3 new batteries. Mine are several years old and probably are due to be replaced...