[Jest ol' Bill]

My main starting battery seems to be dead. It is only 2 years old.

I was thinking about a gell cell but saw that you need a special charger for them and was wondering if the gell cell would be ruined by being charged by the engine?

The engine is a 1998 Evinrude 130 HP but I have no idea of the voltage output of the alternator on it.

 

[champ204]

to charge a gel battery you need atleast a 10 amp charger. i have 3 opt. blue gel batterys in my champion with a 94 3.0 ltr evinrude and i have never had a problem once. i charge them with a 15 amp on board charger. and i have stayed on the lake as long a 4 days and still had juice.

 

[tempepops]

If you guys are talking Optima batteries, I think they are still lead-acid. They just use a new technology (spiral plates instead of flat plates) and high quality lead to make them more effecient. You can use a regular charger to charge them.
Mike

 

[Lone Ranger]

I have two Exide Orbital Select Deep Cycle gel type batteries for the trolling motor and a lead-acid for the cranking battery. The first two gel batteries were replaced for free by Checkers Auto after 9 months, as one battery was not fully charging. It still had plenty of juice though. It has been great not having to add anything to the battery. The manufacturer says I'm supposed to be using a slightly lower voltage charger (which I don't have), so I use the 3-bank charger that came with my Ranger. It charges at 15 amps and something like 13.7-14.2 volts. So the jury is still out on the gel batteries and how long they last by charging them with a slightly higher voltage. I think I could probably go 3-5 days using the trolling motor with one charge. Checkers had gel type cranking batteries also, but did not buy one yet. 8)

 

[Jest ol' Bill]

batteries

The voltage is what I was wondering about because I read that you need to use a lower voltage charger.

I have a 2 bank charger but have no idea what voltage it puts out that I use on my trolling batteries. I am going to try to find the book today because they aren't taking a charge properly either and they are less than a year old. I've replaced them 3 times now I think.

And my main cranking battery charges off the engine while it is running. And I don't know what that voltage is either. I figured someone was probably using a gell battery for their main battery and might know how well they held up in that situation.

 

[Boat Cop]

Optimas are not a gell battery, they are a round cell lead cloth type tech. they are awsome. i have used them for years. in a diesal truck i got 7 years out of one. True Gell cell batteries are real touchy so beware

 

[Lone Ranger]

I think a regular 10 amp to 15 amp charger is made to charge at e 13.7-14.2 volts. Like I said, the jury is still out on on Exide Orbital Select deep cycle gel batteries. I'll see how long the 2nd pair will last. They cost $160 each, which is a big owie! I've never run them down yet, they have a lot of power, and they require no water, which is worth something. I'll be interested in hearing more about the Optimas round cell lead cloth batteries that Boat Cop mentioned. Great input guys. 8)