Duracell 8Ds, Sams Club, $199

[john61ct]

More is always better for future proofing, but for flooded not going to accept over .2C

[GrowleyMonster]

Uh oh. The 40a charger just got vetoed. Going with the 30a. Should be okay.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by cottonsail

A Marathon Fl golf cart repair place.

Thank you, I just called a golf cart place not to far away and was quoted $130 each. I will be staying with the Trojans.

[Cheechako]

Yeah, but how much is your co pay and costs for the back repair? :>)

[Siberian Sea]

Last October I bought 4 new Trojan 105 for 115.00 each from a golf car repair place in Stuart Florida. I had no cores to trade in and the owner said don’t worry. If your looking for batteries it might behoove you to check a few local golf car repair shops, perhaps you might find a deal.

[sailingchiro]

A 4D Deka battery from NAPA cost me $350 4 years ago and now from a golf cart place the same DEKA battery cost me $150. Times are changing.

[Donald Bryden]

The first batteries I had on my boat were 6 volt golf cart batteries. They were purchased at Sams and they were excellent. Why not go with the smaller batteries where you don't have to deal with the huge size and weight of 8D's?

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Donald Bryden

The first batteries I had on my boat were 6 volt golf cart batteries. They were purchased at Sams and they were excellent. Why not go with the smaller batteries where you don't have to deal with the huge size and weight of 8D's?

Oh I would have! I went in thinking I was going to be pushing 4 GC-2s out the door but they were $125/ea instead of $85 which was the price for several years. So I went with the 8D size. Looking back on it, maybe the GC-2s were actually EGC-2, cause the next store, where I picked up the second 8D had GC-2 for $89/ea and yeah I would have definitely pulled the trigger on the $89 GC-2s. I figured for $125 I should be able to get T-105s. Well, I already had the first 8D installed and I wanted to have the same for the second bank for running in parallel and anyway the 8Ds will be okay.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Uh oh. The 40a charger just got vetoed. Going with the 30a. Should be okay.

Why nixed?

-Chris

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Why nixed?

-Chris

Lets just say mine are not the only hands holding the purse strings and leave it at that LOL. 30a will work.And I will still have full manual charging available with the Variac setup, and a couple of portable chargers onboard, as well. Day in and day out, the 30a smart charger will gitter done okay. After the alternator upgrade on the Westerbeast, I shouldn't need to bulk charge from shore power very often.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Lets just say mine are not the only hands holding the purse strings and leave it at that LOL.

Ah. Got it. Been there (still there), done that.

-Chris

[KP44]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Today we will hit the other local Sams Clubs and try to find another one, then I will have our two banks for the new-to-me boat.

But boy are those things a beast to handle by yourself!

They are a beast.
But I have an opinion to share about battery banks. One house bank and one dedicated engine battery (or bank). If you split into 2 house banks, it means smaller battery banks that can easily get drawn down to 50%, which shortens battery life. Use the same amount of AH from a bank that is twice as large and you are at an acceptable 75%. A dedicated engine battery and one house bank instead of two will give better service.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Now I love my GC-2 batteries. They are tough and long winded, and a very convenient form factor, and normally cheap as durt. Imagine my shock when I went into Sams for new start/house batts for my new to me Roberts 44 and the GC-2's that had been $85 for several years, are now $125! Okay, still cheaper than Trojans, with shipping, but I did not feel like spending $500 plus tax and core charge. Bottom shelf, one lonely 8D, also Duracell brand. Price: $199. The numbers made the sale. $250 for a pair of GC-2 that would give me about 220ah at 12v, or $199 that would give me 240ah+ at 12v. Probably won't last QUITE as long as the golf cart batteries, but budget constraints, which once would have made buying GC batteries a no brainer, now have me going with the big uglies. Today we will hit the other local Sams Clubs and try to find another one, then I will have our two banks for the new-to-me boat.

But boy are those things a beast to handle by yourself!

We repowered with Firefly 6 X 4 volt, 450 AH = 24 volts last November’s. So far, impressed. They also have standard auto configuration in smaller batteries. Be careful your alternator can tolerate 100% full load or use an external charge controller to limit the percent output or it will burn up. We toasted our 2.5 kw alt and replaced with a 35 amp alternator limited to 80%. Engine runs cooler too.

[Gerrycooper56]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Now I love my GC-2 batteries. They are tough and long winded, and a very convenient form factor, and normally cheap as durt. Imagine my shock when I went into Sams for new start/house batts for my new to me Roberts 44 and the GC-2's that had been $85 for several years, are now $125! Okay, still cheaper than Trojans, with shipping, but I did not feel like spending $500 plus tax and core charge. Bottom shelf, one lonely 8D, also Duracell brand. Price: $199. The numbers made the sale. $250 for a pair of GC-2 that would give me about 220ah at 12v, or $199 that would give me 240ah+ at 12v. Probably won't last QUITE as long as the golf cart batteries, but budget constraints, which once would have made buying GC batteries a no brainer, now have me going with the big uglies. Today we will hit the other local Sams Clubs and try to find another one, then I will have our two banks for the new-to-me


But boy are those things a beast to handle by yourself!

Yes the weight is an issue but how often do you change batteries? I have 4 x 8D AGMs and changing them out wasn’t such an onerous task. 3 batteries are below the cabin sole and once on a mat on the team and holly could slide easily to the forward cabin. A spinnaker halyard soon had the batteries up through the forward hatch so handling in reality wasn’t an issue.

[exMaggieDrum]

One of the scariest times of my life, worst than any gale I have ever been in (a few), was trying to get an 8D out of my boat up a steep companionway. A friend of mine is a guerilla and he did the last two after I freaked out on the first one. I will never, ever, go with an 8D again. I replaced FLS Rolls GC-2's in my last boat (old) with Lifeline GC-2 AGM's. If I had to recommend to someone or do it my self I probably wouldn't go with AGM's. But being a certified hater of anything to do with acid I went with lithium which is working out great for me. But that is a separate (and long) topic and not meant to hijack this thread - please. OP - since you have the 8D's in, use them and live in peace and then replace them with whatever when you get to that point. I am a big fan of GC-2's in whatever flavor floats your boat (mixed metaphors if I ever have seen them).