Offshoreonly.com - Odyssey Battery Upgrade

Offshoreonly.com (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/)

- Do It Yourself, Boating on a Budget (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/do-yourself-boating-budget-249/)

- - Odyssey Battery Upgrade (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/do-yourself-boating-budget/189146-odyssey-battery-upgrade.html)

Optima's are wonderful for fleet vehicles. We use them in all our trucks and every vehicle I own has them- except for the boats. In a truck, they'll endure heat, vibration and abuse for years. But they must be kept on a continual charging system or their life is VERY limited.

Noticed on the photo of your new Odyssey that it is an AGM battery. What's the Optima?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liquid Liability (Post 2594968)

if you can get one to last a full season you are really lucky. The Optima is a gel filled battery that is designed to be charged at 1.5amps. If you put a fully charged Optima in your boat and go to the water and do nothing but start the boat and drive it may last a year. But if you anchor, listen to your radio very much, run your nav lights or anything else that draws on the battery, when you start your motor the alternator will hit that battery with a 100 or 120amps, which over time will boil the gel in the Optima and reduce its ability to take and hold a charge which in essence kills the battery.

The problem with this scenario is that hardly anyone without a battery tender ever actually goes to the water with their batteries fully charged, so you are always fighting the overcharging issue with the Optima's. The Odyssey is a dry cell set up and is not as susceptible to the issues that the Optima's have and their warranty demonstrates that fact.

On the flip side, if you are running Optima's, I have a really nice 12 month old dual Optima billet battery tray for sale!!

Good know, thank you. Why does all thi sgret information come to these forums about a week after i buy something? Just my luck I guess.

The durability of the Optima has been the subject of many, many threads.

I can't believe anybody buys ANYTHING for their boat without first running a search on this site. Someone, somewhere has already taken the arrows in the back, regardless of what it is you have in mind.

I've got 4 Optima Blue tops...bought them at Costco for just under $700. With Costco's wonderful return policy, every two years I get 4 new batteries, no questions asked. :evilb:

One of the big problems with the Optimas is the plate winding that they use (round) seems to short out all the time. Put them in a boat that pounds across the water and you are bumming!!! I use the Stinger batteries (same as the odysey) in some of my stuff and they are insane. So much better then the Optima's. They are more money but I have never seen one go bad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audiofn (Post 2605694)

They are more money but I have never seen one go bad.

EXACTLY!!!:party-smiley-020:

Glad its working out for you. I have two of the 2150's and I have never switched to the second one. Come to think of it....I don't know if it is still in the tray!

I've got 99 problems, but a battery ain't one!!:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunderusone (Post 2606232)

Glad its working out for you. I have two of the 2150's and I have never switched to the second one. Come to think of it....I don't know if it is still in the tray!

I got 2 of the 2150's & I'm going on my 2nd season with them with ZERO issues.
If I can tear something up, it's been tore up. My batteries ain't one of those things.