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They have heavier plates which is why thier better.

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Unless you are looking for hull performance & more top end speed....then a lighter battery would be better. Every 100 pounds equates to about a .5 mph (using Crouches Planing speed formula -- Speed (knots) = C / {sqrt(weight/hp)} )
I had a 300 pound friend who used to join me in our Fountain. I would tease him and call him my "2 mph friend" since that's about what he costs me in top end.

In any event....wish they could make those deep cycle batteries with the same heavy plate performance bur reduce their weight by about 1/4 of what they actually weigh--and still have the same deep cycle performance. Someday. For now I can just dream.

AsLan7 wrote: Sat Oct 28, 2017 10:40 am .

They have heavier plates which is why thier better.

I had a 300 pound friend who used to join me in our Fountain. I would tease him and call him my "2 mph friend" since that's about what he costs me in top end.

2 mph friend, that's awesome. Lol

So my garage stays around 40 or a bit warmer. Depending on outside temps. I was thinking of just leaving the batteries in the boat and charge them in there?

Big Block Power wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:13 pm So my garage stays around 40 or a bit warmer. Depending on outside temps. I was thinking of just leaving the batteries in the boat and charge them in there?

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I installed a battery quick disconnect switch on our Shelby. Unscrew the green knob and then keep a battery tender on her all year while in the garage. Works for us.

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I have always left the batteries in with a battery tender on. My brother does the same. Never had a problem in a unheated garage.

Hey Chatters, Look at your manuals on boats with the new Volvo 6 liter motors. Volvo says not to use deep cycle batteries. Don't know the whys??

gdane wrote: Fri Jan 25, 2019 1:12 pm Hey Chatters, Look at your manuals on boats with the new Volvo 6 liter motors. Volvo says not to use deep cycle batteries. Don't know the whys??

Only thing I can think of is that they often don't put out the cold cranking amperage that the starter motors want. It'll be interesting to hear if they say more.

Big Block Power wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:13 pm So my garage stays around 40 or a bit warmer. Depending on outside temps. I was thinking of just leaving the batteries in the boat and charge them in there?

I leave mine in the boat on a lift with the bilge heater which I think is set a little above 40 degrees. Leave the charger plugged in all winter, and don't have a problem. Of course most of the time it is above freezing here in winter.

Driller wrote: Fri Jan 25, 2019 3:18 pm

Big Block Power wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:13 pm So my garage stays around 40 or a bit warmer. Depending on outside temps. I was thinking of just leaving the batteries in the boat and charge them in there?

I leave mine in the boat on a lift with the bilge heater which I think is set a little above 40 degrees. Leave the charger plugged in all winter, and don't have a problem. Of course most of the time it is above freezing here in winter.

Hi Driller,

Do you still winterize in any (other) way, e.g., draining the engine, fogging, etc.? If I'm not mistaken, the lower unit will drain itself if left in the down position on the lift so, if the bilge heater kept the block and batteries on a tender warm during a freeze, this would be a great solution for being able to go out sunny winter weekends without de-winterizing...and the bilge heater would pay for itself in reduced (or eliminated) winterizing fees each year. Am I missing anything in my thinking?

Thanks in advance,
G

Photo, that sounds a bit too risky to me... I have a bilge heater and in-bilge batter charger,
and a 110-volt plug that powers both when connected with an extension cord. The storage
building isn't heated, and isn't close to where I live. A power outage during cold weather
(ice storm?) could result in a several thousand dollar repair bill.
Winterizing is pretty cheap. Other opinions?

Thanks for the feedback Okielaker! I'll be interested to hear others feedback too. If I went this route, I would have the same extension cord setup, but I'd be on a lift less than 10 minutes from where I live. Maybe I need to just figure out how to drain the block myself. Does the lower unit drain itself if the skeg is above the waterline in the fully down position?

G

Photo I know you guys mow the grass year around down there, but on the rare occasion when the temperature freezes you could find yourself in trouble. Driller lives in Austin as well and boats on Lake Travis, and he winterizes his boat in December or January I think? It's only for a couple months and hes back on the water.

There is a reason so many boats come out of Texas with a cracked block. If you drain the water in your motor and risers, and keep the heater on, theoretically you should be fine. It's that one instance that y'all have a front come through, the temps drop, and your tied up somewhere and can't get the the boat that will get you. I've been in San Antonio when it snowed. A few years ago my Dad was wintering down south in Donna when it snowed in the Valley, and I guarantee there were some cracked blocks from that front!

The easiest way is to pump RV antifreeze through with muffs on your outdrive. It takes about ten minutes and your done. But if it's on the lift this method might be difficult. The other way is to pull off the water hoses and pour it in. Lots and lots of video on YouTube. And yes, if your drive is lowered it should drain.

Thanks Ytmsn, that's super helpful!

G

photo, Im also located in Texas (houston/conroe) I don't winterize but keep an eye out for extended deep freezes. I keep my boat in un-climatized enclosed storage at out marina for the past few years but before that was on a lift year round. In the winter months I keep the block drained and a bilge heater in the engine compartment and at least once a month go up drop in the water and run the engine for a bit (pray for nice weather and I get an afternoon on the water!) If we are forecasting a deep freeze overnight, I'll run up to the marina, back in the boat on the trailer, run the engine for 15 min then drain and plug the heater in again. The heat leftover in the engine compartment will keep any remaining water from freezing unless we have a deep freeze for longer than 24 hrs (sub 32 degree weather for extended period doesn't happen here lol). When I kept on the lift I would use the same method essentially except for the forecasted deep freeze I would lower the boat so the lower unit was submerged as the lake water temp doesn't go below 45 degrees.

Forgot to say, I do as YT advises (pump RV antifreeze through with muffs on your outdrive).
A handy kit for getting the anti-freeze into the block can be had from Amazon for $43..
search for Camco antifreeze kit. With that and about 4 or 5 gallons of antifreeze (less than $20),
and 10-15 minutes (boat on the trailer), you're protected for the winter.

Be sure and get the environmentally safe kind of antifreeze (not ethylene glycol). I suppose you
could even do this with the boat on the lift. Any experience out there winterizing on-lift?

Be sure and drain any on-board water/waste tanks, and I like to have the bottom of the
bilge dry, as well.

Drifted off-topic, again... sort of.