Re: Type of battery to use
i don't know the exact prices but $66 seems in the ballpark of what i remember seeing so i will go with the deep cycle 75 amp product, with the 525 marine cranking and the 405 cold cranking.. though i don't know what any of that means haha
does this seem like a reasonable fuse box for what i am trying to connect?
http://www.iboats.com/Blue-Sea-Fuse-Block/dm/*******.451500360--**********.334161036--view_id.44293
That's actually a real nice one. I might get that for My Daughter's boat as hers is the cheap flimsy one. Check the shipping though if it's very pricey you might find something similar locally. Radio Shack probably carries them but that iboats one probably won't corrode out because its made to be around water.
I'd go with that one but not if the shipping is like $10-12.
Both the boats we own are just short of 15 feet. Mine is 14' 9". If you have a side console model then you have room to mount that fuse block under the dash. For a tiller you mount it on the transom near your battery. That iboats one is also covered which is great if you have to mount it where it might get sprayed.
Most of the cheapies don't have covers.
You can start smaller outboards with the $66 battery with no problem. Bigger outboards need a starter type battery's bigger initial power shot when you turn the key. With bigger outboards each outboard has a specific battery requirement for starting purposes. A $66 dual purpose or trolling style battery is not going to last long starting a 200 hp Mercury Verado outboard.
If an electrical item you are using shorts out or corrodes you could short out your battery or it can get hot and the acid could boil out into the boat. The battery does not have a fuse. This is why you need to have everything fused that connects to it.
Also, get the $6 plastic battery box at Walmart for the size battery you are buying. If it ever does boil over it will go into the box and not eat through the boat.
Charge it in those plastic boxes with the cover off. Don't smoke around the battery like if you a charging it in your basement or garage. (don't smoke anyway, it's stupid
)
A few times a year pry up the two plastic covers (each one covers 3 cells) and check the water lever in each cells (not with a match
) only a flash light. look in the cell and it has slots on each side. The water level should be up to the bottom of the slot. When the water is high enough it has a concave look to it has it touches the bottom of each tube. It looks flat when it's too low.
As a battery charges it gives off a gas that is explosive hence no matches, smoking or charging in unvented spaces.
The slower you charge a battery the longer it will last you (like sometimes 5 years plus if you take care of it). In winter don't store it in a garage on the cement or on a basement floor or it can freeze and crack (can freeze quicker in a discharged state, so keep it charged) . Store it on some blocks of 2 x 4's to keep it off the ground. Buy a trickle charger (called a float charger at a place like Harbor Freight for like $10 and it will keep it charged all winter).
Welcome to the world of boating . . . doesn't matter what size boat you have . . . it ain't a cheap sport
Do a search on Google for battery tips and you can learn a lot about how they work and how to take care of them.
