[theeasynine]

We had a battery problem at the lake this weekend. Engine died on the way in after a few hours of swimming with the iPod going. It seemed like there was not enough voltage to restart while we were trying. Pulled the battery out to discover it is a deep cycle battery which I discovered was incorrect. The z240 is a one battery system. My question is so you guys recommend replacing it with dual purpose or keep it, buy a starting battery and run accessories off the deep cycle.

Thanks!

[ShabahZ280]

I'd personally recommend going with a dual battery setup. Buy a starting battery, and use it specifically for that purpose, and use the deep cycle for your long battery draws. You can add another battery and a switch pretty easily and affordably. Just make sure and keep your batteries mounted in a case to comply with USCG regulations.

Blue Sea Systems makes a pretty sweet setup called the "Add A Battery", which contains the switch, and an Automatic Charging Relay system that automatically isolates the battery with the low voltage so you don't have to worry about switching back and forth. However, the ACR part makes the kit a little pricy, about $130 at West Marine.

Another option would be to purchase one of those "Jump Box" systems and keep it with you in case of a battery emergency, you could jump yourself, as long as you remember to charge the box!

The final, and most affordable option is to just hop in the boat and start it up every 45 minutes or so and let it run for a few minutes to keep a charge on the battery.

[Brewfixer]

I personally went with the dual battery set up and run all my accessories off of the second battery. The addition of a dual battery switch and a isolator was a no brainer.
ShabahZ250 is correct about pricing. Expect to pay in the area of $100 - $150 for the isolator. You may get lucky and find one on Ebay that is reasonable.
The other alternative of starting the engine every so often doesnt work for me since I tend to be an air-head when i"m on the beach with friends.

[Kitto]

I have a couple of questions on this line. I have a switch but only one deep cell battery and am thinking of doing what Chris mentioned. Question, and please excuse the ignorance, but when you say starting battery, would just a plain "car" battery work for this? And should any auto parts store contain enough wiring to get from the battery to the switch? Thanks for the help in advance.

Craig

[Brewfixer]

Kitto,
Here is a good article why regular car batteries will not work in boats. Ofcourse it will work initially but don't expext it to last very long. As for the wire, 4ga wire can be purchased just about anywhere.

Marine Battery Vs. Car Battery | eHow.com

[Kitto]

That's what I needed. From an earlier post I remember Chris mentioned that Walmart had marine batteries so I just might be headed that way this weekend. Thanks for the info.

Craig

[ShabahZ280]

Wal Mart does have marine batteries! I run two of them!

[Brewfixer]

Originally Posted by Kitto

That's what I needed. From an earlier post I remember Chris mentioned that Walmart had marine batteries so I just might be headed that way this weekend. Thanks for the info.

Craig

Also dont forget that the marine deep cell batteries can further be broken down into 3 categories depending on your usage.
1. Accesory battery (trolling motors, stereos and other accessories...)
2. Starting (just that)
3. Hybrid (dual service I.E. starting and accessories) Best choice if you have just 1 battery setup.

The difference will be the type of drainage you will subject them to and thier ability to recover.

[Kitto]

I'm thinking I have a deep cell battery already so I think I might go with the "starter" battery and use the deep cell to run stereo and accessories. Thanks again for the help, much appreciated.

Craig

[SEMIJim]

My recommendation, for simplicity's sake, is the following:

A Blue Sea Dual Circuit Plus battery switch:



and Xantrex Echo Charge:



along with two batteries: A starting battery and a deep-cycle "house" battery.

You hook your starting battery to your starting/ignition system, and the "house" battery supplies everything else: Lights, radios, instrumentation, etc. The Blue Sea switch mentioned above switches the two main circuits independently of each other, so you don't have to think about or deal with the traditional "off-1-both-2" stuff.

Your alternator, and shore power charger, if you have one, are hooked to the "house" battery. The Echo Charge hooks between there and your starter battery, "echoing" a portion of the charge to it. The reasoning being that starting rarely drains the starting battery much. It's usually the "house" battery or batteries that need most of the charge.

You can use a Blue Sea or other Automatic Charge Relay (ACR) in place of the Echo Charge, but I like the EC better.

As for the OP's problem: Sounds like the battery needs replacing or his alternator isn't charging. To be honest: For minimal cranking, a standard deep cycle battery should be fine, IMO.

Jim