New owner questions on starting and batteries

[Flymitch]

So essentially the same crank amps as the other bands mentioned 1400 CCA. Seems deceptive at best. When I walked into a WM store, the one in Hermosa Beach, I noticed prices were way up there for most items. Brick and mortar store prices?

[oscarvan]

West Marine is the survivor "sticks and bricks" in the marine retail business. Boat US stores were the last to capitulate. Local chandleries are dying as the millennial heirs don't want to take over and mail order is nibbling at their heels. So the people that need it NOW or "don't want their info in the internet" have to go to WM who has the monopoly.

Their markup is substantial. I've known more than one person readying a (sail)boat to go on indefinite cruises that took a job there and fitted their boats out with very substantial discounts.

I don't know if your "electrical expert" got that discount, but if he did he made a lot more than "a few dollars" At the minimum he got the points on HIS WM Rewards program. On any account he was too lazy or unscrupulous to shop around and get a decent price for you.

[Boatsb]

West is moving to a higher price /price match model. They screw anyone who doesn't know how its played. They're also moving to a house brand so there's no price to match and huh louse brand is built to their spec (usually cheaper).


Find a good local source for anything you can before you have no choice. West is not doing well so if people were to replace them with locals they could fail and allow a new group of mom and pops cornwell run stores in.

[Avenger]

Just to put the information out there:

CCA - Cold Cranking Amps is rated at 0°F

MCA - Marine Cranking Amps is rated at 32°F

I guess on the assumption that you will not be starting your boat when the water is hard.

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Pardon the hijacking, but maybe this will add to the discussion.

Somebody school me on these two Deka 8 volt batteries, please.

Deka 819, group 983, CCA 510, MCA 625, Reserve 167@8 hrs., 119 lbs, $398 @ Pasco
Deka 8V195, group 981, CCA 980, MCA 1205, Reserve 170@8 hrs., 90 lbs, $249 @ Pasco

What would be my reasoning to go with 819 over the 8V195?

[Boatsb]

The 819 is the right battery for the box and starting.

If you're looking to save wait or your wallet go with the other ones and take your chances.

If it's a motor yacht probably but if you want to be able to turn the keys and snap those suckers over 100 miles offshore on a fishing trip think about the right battery

[Westfield 11]

I was faced with this decision last week and as far as I can tell the 983 is longer and has 30 lbs more lead. The tech says the 983 will last 5 to 8 years and the 981 will die after 3 to 5. I went with the 981’s since I was not sure of my charging system and didn’t want to burn up the expensive ones. If these last over 3 years, I’ll spring for the 983’s at replacement time. I was also told that the OEM battery was a 983 and that is why the fiberglass battery boxes are 2’ long. Another factor in my decision was that the 983’s would not fit the Todd boxes on the port side, the starboard engineroom has the OEM Fiberglas boxes and the 981’s need to be braced with filler blocks.

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

I understand what we're talking about. #29 more lead should equal more longevity and reliability. But (there's always a but) well maintained batteries of either model are going to crank you 100 miles off. And if she won't fire with paralleling in both banks, it's sounds pretty unlikely the difference between the two batteries would be a factor. Of course, there's always that unseen scenario. The foregoing not withstanding, you've probably got that genset online charging as a further redundancy. Having an inverter is also another factor to be considered; I don't.

As for the battery boxes, maybe they'd be sized for the batteries that were available at the time of manufacture. Were 8V195's available in 1983, for example?

I know everyone's got an opinion. I appreciate yours.

[Boatsb]

I understand what we're talking about. #29 more lead should equal more longevity and reliability. But (there's always a but) well maintained batteries of either model are going to crank you 100 miles off. And if she won't fire with paralleling in both banks, it's sounds pretty unlikely the difference between the two batteries would be a factor. Of course, there's always that unseen scenario. The foregoing not withstanding, you've probably got that genset online charging as a further redundancy. Having an inverter is also another factor to be considered; I don't.

As for the battery boxes, maybe they'd be sized for the batteries that were available at the time of manufacture. Were 8V195's available in 1983, for example?

I know everyone's got an opinion. I appreciate yours.

Both were available. Both still are available. 30% more lead. Heavier more durable plates that probably will withstand more abuse than the other.

It's always the cost vs use questions that bring up this kind of discussion. I'm not saying the more expensive the better but there is a huge difference in cost, weight and longevity.

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Both were available. Both still are available. 30% more lead. Heavier more durable plates that probably will withstand more abuse than the other.It's always the cost vs use questions that bring up this kind of discussion. I'm not saying the more expensive the better but there is a huge difference in cost, weight and longevity.

Not sure about longevity. Depends on use and how you take care of your stuff.