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c 22 battery
Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 10:21 am
by canoeman
just got the wires done and am wondering if anyone knows the proper size battery to use. no radio or starter on motor just bow and stearn lights and one on the mast. does it have to be a marine bat? sorry im new to this. thanks in advance, bob
Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 4:04 pm
by NoRush
I would definately go with a marine battery. I used an automotive battery for a while that I bought at Sam's Club. I returned three of them (of course, I didn't tell them what I was using the battery for) before I got sick of hauling that thing down the dock.
Car batteries are just not designed for the use and charging cycle of a sailboat.
It will be more expensive, but batteries are really heavy and will save you a lot of headaches later.
Jason
S/V Astraeus
Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 2:22 am
by EmergencyExit
Welcome aboard ! Tell us some details about your C22 !
NoRush is right, a car battery is designed to start your car (minimal discharge), then charge back up to its normal state. When they get a longer drain, they may not recharge as well, or if you drain it far enough, at all.
The deep cycle battery will handle being discharged longer and deeper.
A car battery is tempting since you can rationalize that you never will be out after dark anyway, and thats all you would need it for, believe me, Murphy's Sailing Laws will bite you and you'll be stuck somewhere at dusk, or all night, with no lights at all when the battery goes down fast.