Quote:
Originally Posted by BAD ORCA
Neither is Fisheries but no reason given. Just says 'manufacturer discontinued - out of stock.'
Looks like O.P.E. only has battery pricing and specs for lithium now.
Sorry for thread drift Sailorboy. I do agree though, I think it is worth noting for no other reason than to give someone new to Firefly's or batteries in general a heads up. Im sure there is still supply and stock floating around , and it would REALLY suck for some 'new to boating couple etc...' getting stuck with a couple thousand dollars worth of junk. |
Well, it is what it is, and I guess we can stop worrying about whether these batteries are worth it or not.
But, just staying, many of us are using the batteries still, and they’re certainly not junk.
Second, the company still has a warranty that is quite generous, full replacement in the first year then prorated for the next two, if they continue to sell batteries, or honor the warranty on those
sold, presumably they will honor the warranty unless they are out of business or if they change the terms.
In either case, the hypothetical “new boating couple” can make their decision accordingly, if they can even find them to buy. And it looks like they’re not being
sold, so this is all a moot point.
In my opinion, and at the risk of more thread drift, there are still issues to be worked out with “lithium” batteries in my opinion. Even with the troubles my
boat had with the fireflys (bad batch), the batteries are treating us right on our voyages and hopefully by the time the three of them are done, more of issues with new gen batteries will be worked out and I can put in a replacement. At that time I will need a new charger/inverter. But my
alternator controller can talk to a BMS and has
charger profile for lithium (Wakespeed). I’ve been future proofing as I upgrade.
A couple we are cruising with just destroyed a perfectly good
alternator because of the BMS shutdown on their lithium (or whatever advanced chemistry) and the controller couldn’t handle the situation properly. It cost them time,
money, and frustration in a foreign port (we are from the US). I’m sorry for them, but I’m glad other people are working out these design issues. As my cruising plans go forward, costs will come down, quality will go up, and standards will improve. I have some regrets going with these batteries, but if I add up all the costs, I am not all that far behind than if I’d gotten three Lifeline G31s.
But anyway, hopefully Ocean Planet can put an official message at some point so we can get real information instead of just screenshots and various rumors.
As to that “new boating couple” If I were outfitting a
boat today, I’m not sure if I would still go with new gen batteries, but I certainly would install a controller, inverter/charger, etc that could be compatible with lithium chemistry batteries in the future. If I had space (which I don’t) I would’ve just gone with golf cart batteries from the start, in my view that’s the cheapest, easiest, most flexible, and least headache of all the fancy options. Or, If I could afford it, perhaps I’d hire the best
marine electrician I could do design a proper lithium system from the ground up and to do the install, that’s probably what my insurer would want anyway.
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