Hi Peregrine. Congrats on the 424. Nice boat. I have one of the first cousins, the 422.
Hard to beat a GC2, FLA golf cart battery. My opinion and experience they're the most bang for the buck, easiest to care for and handle abuse and neglect better than any other type of battery.
Several options as far as which brand. The Energizer is good. Can't go wrong with Trohan T-105s. Several manufacturers make good ones but can't remember them all. Penn I believe is one. The brand
sold at Sam's Club is good.
I have six GC2s from the local Battery Source store that are about six years old and still going strong.
One thing to be aware of with
AGM batteries. If you have plenty of
charging capacity or regularly tie up at a
dock with
shore power they can charge faster but generally don't last as long if you can't fully charge them on a very regular basis. Also a lot more
money than FLA batteries.
If you want to learn more about the different battery types I highly recommend reading the information on the
Compass Marine web site (forum
member Maine Sail). He maintains boat
electrical systems, tests batteries and chargers and is a
member of the ABYC.
Links to his articles.
Welcome To MarineHowTo.com Photo Gallery by Compass Marine How To at pbase.com
What Is A "Deep Cycle" Battery? Photo Gallery by Compass Marine How To at pbase.com