Stark Power Lithium Ion batteries
 

Does anyone have any experience with the Stark Power batteries? These things would really shave off the weight if you replace all your batteries with these lightweight gems. Www.starkpower.com

On paper lithium ion batteries look like the holy grail, but they have issues that users need to be aware of. I haven't looked at lithium ion batteries recently, but there have been significant safety issues with them that have kept them out of boats. If you decide to go this route be very careful and do lots of reading on the subject before you pull the trigger. They are notoriously volatile and have been the cause of many of fires.


EDIT: I found this with a two sec search, I'm sure there's a lot more info out there...
http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/maga...ry/hazards.asp

Actually, these are the Lithium Iron phosphate variety LiFePO 4 that is not volital. Check it out closely, I'm not talking about the stuff in the Dreamliner. They are the real deal. I estimate I could lose 80lbs by just replacing my two current batteries. Someone with three or four batteries would save well over 100lbs.

So could hauling 10 gallons less fuel. A boat hauling 4 batteries is probably loaded with that much more stereo gear which also adds weight.
If trying for top end shootout style, strip the boat and run it. Weekend duties, run what is fun and wave if a boat inches past you because that is going to be the only difference in 100# of extra lead.

It seems like you would be foolish to waste your money on old outdated stuff when you can replace them when the old stuff dies. Nothing worse than buying a fast boat and loading it up with heavy accessories only to never attain your original best speed again. Heavy stereo gear is also outdated and should be replaced with new lightweight digital amps ect. I see it as no different than labbing a prop. Less weight, less horsepower needed to attain same speed.

My boat is faster with 10 gallons less fuel. It only holds about 50 or so gallons anyway.

In the drop down application box they only list small vehicles like mowers, motorcycles and jet skis. Dimensionally they are all designed for that type of service(6x3x5ish). No mention is made of boats, cars or trucks. The cross reference chart makes no mention of automotive group sizes. They don't list the reserve capacity and even the largest one (based on cca) has the lawnmower style (m6 female) terminals. That's for the start and ultra start line. The deep cycle products are storage batteries that can't start an engine, not sure if they'd be suitable for a dedicated house bank or not. At least that's how it looks to me after spending a few minutes on their site.

The largest one they offer is 125AH which is plenty for a big stereo and two would be even better, weight savings are nice but $1200 each just doesn't seem to be worth it. You can buy an odyssey for ¼ of the price. If the weight matters that much you are in a race or kilo situation and you don't have a stereo. Plus you need a special charger.

Then there are several red flags IMO:
"12V 125Ah Lithium-ion battery equals the performance of a 12V ~500Ah lead acid when using 1hr discharge rate and lower depth of discharge with longer life." So then why is it not rated 500AH??/

"Expect 8-10 years of battery life that will reduce your operating cost by half compared to lead acid." Yet only has a 1 yr warranty.

But hey maybe they are great, please buy some and test them and let us know how it works out. If they offered a longer warranty it might be worth it.

That $1200 125 Ah is a deep cycle though, right? Much heavier than the starting batteries at 40lbs (Optima lists the blue top at 38.4) and I'll bet it would die an early death as a starting battery. They seem to really be designed as storage batteries. Might be a good house battery. I believe the op was hoping to use the 3lb starting batteries for the huge weight savings.

I Run optima blue tops. Six of them. two sets of two in series for the turbines
two in parrel for the boat.
I have been in contact with Steve at Lithionics battery and i was really excited about these
i could go to one battery at 70lbs with multi voltages.
Hey guys dont need to tell ya less weight is more speed.
it all adds up!!! kinda Like collecting cash.
[IMG]http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/...psfuek2ajy.jpg[/IMG]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp2ivKqK1vI

Take notice how my post reads" was excited."
last months issue of boat builder they have a article on super capacitors.
absolutely no reserve but recharge in 30 seconds with
serious cranking amps. 22 lbs each
Now where talking!!!! I will post my results

I talked to the manufature for a long time. The reserve battery is 23-26lbs depending on models. The second to largest deep cycle is also a starting battery. The starting battery is tiny but packs a punch at over 1000CCA the key is the recharge rate which is incredible. They are recommended for marine and auto. Their website is not complete. You only need a special charger to charge if you are not charging from the alternator but then why would you need a charger for a battery that takes over a year to discharge 10%. I also talked to another company that has huge capacity batteries if you need. I will be ordering soon so I will keep you posted.

My name is Fred, I work for Shenzhen Leadyo Technology Co., Ltd. Leadyo is a manufacturer of lithium battery pack and battery management system in China. We can supply reliable LiFePO4 marine and RV battery with bluetooth communication function.

I know Steve personally and he is a stand up guy. I am also familiar with his company and have friends that work there. They even make batteries for electric powered parade floats at Disney. Granted that is not a boat but thats a lot of power.

Chris
Chris