Reed Jensen

Call me crazy but I like automotive batteries better too. I've been told that deep cycle marine batteries were intended for electric trolling motors and are designed to release less power at a slower rate whereas an auto battery is designed primarily for starting engines and gives up more electricity at a faster rate. Ie: big surge of power to start a motor as opposed to slow little trickle to power a trolling motor. I've never had any starting issues with either. I had two very distinct and separate power systems on my boat. When I bought it used, it was a mishmash of wires going everywhere and the electrical system was jumped from one charging system to the other. I completely rewired the boat so that the port charging system worked only the port controls, tabs and trim pumps and the Starboard their stuff. The nav lights and cabin power were on the Starboard system. The systems could be switched at the battery switches so that if one battery was run down dead the other battery could easily start both engines.

Ric232

My battery had a 3 year warranty with a 12 month full-replacement period. I took the battery back to Autozone and, to my surprise, they replaced it with no questions asked. They did not even test it. I just told them it would not hold a charge. I fully expected that they would test it and tell me nothing was wrong. Then I would have to explain the "sulfation" process and try to convince them that it would die very soon.

My good experience was probably a direct result of my pitiful appearance when I arrived. When I walked into the store, I had a heavy-ass Series 27 battery in one hand, with my 2-year old daughters hand in the other. And she know how to work that bottom lip.