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Golf Cart Batteries

13K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  GaryHLucas 
#1 ·
So I have read in numerous places the graces of using golf cart batteries for your battery banks on your boat. Anyone able to recommend a certain brand or are they pretty much the same? Sharing your experiences with them would be appreciated as well.

Very interested as I am trying to get a few things in my head before I jump in the deep end of the pool with you other boat owners.

Thanks,
CB
:cool:
 
#2 · (Edited)
Trojan wet cell 6V golf cart batteries are tough and very reliable. I had one set that lasted 7 years and another that went another 7.

To get 7 years useful life you do need to properly size the bank for the loads it will be subjected to and generally take care of them....keep them charged, watered, checked occasionally for specific gravity in each cell, etc.

It also helps if you speak softly to them and complement them when they work particularily hard on a long passage. :D
 
#4 ·
Really - I dont know if the premium for Trojans vs normal 6v golf cart batteries is warranted. Most if not all batteries maintained properly (fluid topped up, equalized periodically, etc) will go for many years. Unfortunately, I've seen premiums of up to $60 per batter for Trojan T-105s vs Exide golf cart batteries at Costco or Sams Club. Considering I need/want 4...I just couldn't justify the premium especially considering I still need 4 battery boxes and a whole host of cables made of expensive battery wire (and this is if I make the cables myself).
 
#5 ·
I bought some Dyno brand 6v golf cart batteries in seattle 12 years ago. Got 6 years of very hard use out of them. Now on my second set of another 'no name brand" batteries and they are still going strong. Can't see paying the "premium" for Trojans either. keep em charged up, check the watar levels every 3 months and you are good to go. I'm also using 360 watts of solar, a wind generator and run an adler barber super cold machine for my refrigeration. Always have ice for my G & t's, beer always the coldest in the anchorage.
 
#6 ·
There is another thread on Sailnet about this topic. The Exide GC2 6 volts are apparently being used by more and more golf courses and they find them lasting as long as the Trojan T-105's - and for less money. Trojan is a good battery but it seems other brands are their equivalent.
 
#9 ·
$$ vs AH vs Brand Names

Since there's no such thing as "just golf cart batteries" and in fact they come in markedly different amounts of AmpHours... how does the group feel about the differences? Worth paying more for?
I can already see that many of you buy 'em as cheaply as possible, without regard to brand name or construction, and seem to get about a similar amount of years of use.

I ask because I have been using the higher-AH Trojans for our house bank. I got 5+ years out of the first bank and so replaced them with the same ones. What with prices going up so high I may be forced to shop around more the next time around.
What we have now are two of the Trojan T-145+, rated at 260 ah for the bank.
If I go with the T-105 (or a lower price competitor) the AH is only 225.
I like being able to run the whole boat, including the refrigeration, while on the hook for two days, and still have ample power to start the diesel.

Thanks for your help and for for documenting your experiences.

LB
 
#10 ·
Since there's no such thing as "just golf cart batteries" and in fact they come in markedly different amounts of AmpHours... how does the group feel about the differences? Worth paying more for?
I can already see that many of you buy 'em as cheaply as possible, without regard to brand name or construction, and seem to get about a similar amount of years of use.

I ask because I have been using the higher-AH Trojans for our house bank. I got 5+ years out of the first bank and so replaced them with the same ones. What with prices going up so high I may be forced to shop around more the next time around.
What we have now are two of the Trojan T-145+, rated at 260 ah for the bank.
If I go with the T-105 (or a lower price competitor) the AH is only 225.
I like being able to run the whole boat, including the refrigeration, while on the hook for two days, and still have ample power to start the diesel.

Thanks for your help and for for documenting your experiences.

LB
I dont think the T-105 are any higher amp hour than the exide gc-2h. T-145 is a different class altogether....and frankly having 4 GC-2 would give me ~450 AH in serial/parallel configuration and marginally less than the T-145...for a whole lot less money.
 
#11 ·
For those who plan on voyaging away from the US be aware that Trojan agents almost anywhere other than the US rape the buyers.

Here's an example: I have read on this board that folks pay US$85 per battery for T105's (and they whine that it's soooo expensive). In New Zealand, they cost about NZ$374 which in today's exchange rate is about US$290. And that ladies and gents, is EACH!!

So when you've done your Pacific crossing and your T105's are tired and you arrive in NZ, stand by to be comprehensively reamed for Trojan replacements.

I use Century Yeasu equivalent (not much less expensive but a little) - mine are now nearly 4 years old and still perfect so I agree with other sentiments on the board - Trojan comes with an international horse.
 
#15 · (Edited)
For those who plan on voyaging away from the US be aware that Trojan agents almost anywhere other than the US rape the buyers.
If you're going to get screwed while abroad, a trojans are a good safety precaution in any event ;),

....almost forgot...this is a family-oriented site....back to batteries...

....as most people realize shipping batteries from a factory in the US to far away islands is expensive. Customs duties and VAT will also add to the cost of "imports". I saw a 30% price differential on a battery between two stores in the same store chain but on different islands in the Caribbean, with the lowest price some 25% above what I'd paid for the same battery in the US. I eventually got a replacement Trojan battery from a dealer in the USVI for just a bit more than the US price. The difference was shipping.

If you're headed off cruising to small islands far away and you're batteries are likely to pack it in while you're away, it may make sense to buy new batteries before you leave.
 
#12 ·
i think the Trojan held up better to neglect. go with a off name though and do your monthly checks, and i think you will end up almost same life, but quite a bit more life outta ur wallet.

Olsen34- excuse my ignorance..you dont have an isolater for ur house/engine batts? is this common on big banks?
 
#14 ·
"Isolating" parts of this thread



This thread has been about the cost/benefit ratio of various brands of GC batteries, but........
"Isolaters" could be the subject for a different thread... and probably has been (and will be into the future).
I still use the 1-2-all stock switch to keep the banks separated. Our house bank is a pair of T-145's and the separate emergency/starting battery is a single 12 volt spiral cell AGM. They are charged together while on shore power. The charger vendor OK'd that, given that the charge curves are similar for flooded and AGM.
Others here may do this differently; their solutions are just as valid as mine.
:rolleyes:

Cheers,
LB
 
#13 ·
In the early spring I actually had to replace 2, T-105's that were very old. I opted for the Sam's club golf cart batteries. After finding a problem with a negative cable connector things have never been better!
 
#16 ·
As for shipping batteries, also need to realize that they are considered hazardous materials. All the regulations and fees that go along with that would be added in to the cost. I work in logistics management, laptops are considered hazardous due to the batteries....
 
#17 ·
I believe most wet-cell lead acids get shipped without the acid and thus are not hazardous until they are filled and charged at the point of sale.
 
#18 ·
is 7yrs normal?
that's short..sorry..but my 8D starting battery I bought in 2005 is still in use..
sure it didn't start out starting small diesel sail boat engines..think 8.2L school bus use.
for the passed 6 yrs..when it wasn't starting, it run a 3KW inverter to run 120V power tools from all day long(engine off)..long story short the bus died..but I moved the battery to full time use running the inverter. its kept charge by solar and AC power..

My dad run Trojan golf cart batteries for more than 10yrs in a golf cart..If I recall it was closer to 20yrs..

so something is going on...
maybe the rocking motion of the boat..its not the pounding..
-dkenny
 
#20 ·
Aren't golf cart batteries considered traction batteries?
 
#22 ·
You might also try Interstate batteries. I think I read some place recently about them now being the largest supplier of golf cart batteries. Anyway, I've purchased maybe 100 or so of them and they seemed to give pretty good service IF you are using a good multistage charger!

Gary H. Lucas
 
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