What are the Consquences of Using an Automotive Battery on a Boat?
Marine
- Sponsor
- OPTIMA Batteries
- Location
- Glendale, WI
You have a boat with an engine that needs starting and you have a battery to start that engine, but what if it's a car battery? Can you use that automotive battery on your boat? That's a pretty broad scenario, but in general, it's probably fine to use an automotive battery on a boat. However, there are things to consider when doing that.
The first is that many boats have threaded terminals to connect electrical cables to batteries. Most automotive batteries come with SAE-style posts, which means you may need to buy some terminal adapters to make your automotive battery work in your boat, but most quality auto parts stores carry those in inventory.
The second thing to consider is how the battery is used in your boat. Most automotive batteries are for engine starting and not deep-cycle use. If you are using an automotive battery to start an engine, it'll probably work just fine. However, if you are using it as a house battery, it should be designed for deep-cycle use and some car batteries are, like OPTIMA YELLOWTOPs, but many are just designed for the shallow cycling associated with engine starting.
You should always make sure the battery in your boat is securely-mounted in a battery box, according to local regulations and whether the battery in your boat is used for starting or as a house battery, the best thing you can do to maximize battery performance and lifespan is to keep your battery fully-charged whenever possible to at least 12.6 volts. OPTIMA makes a full line of chargers and maintainers that do a great job of charging & maintaining 12-volt lead-acid and lithium batteries, including flooded and AGM lead-acid batteries.
The first is that many boats have threaded terminals to connect electrical cables to batteries. Most automotive batteries come with SAE-style posts, which means you may need to buy some terminal adapters to make your automotive battery work in your boat, but most quality auto parts stores carry those in inventory.
The second thing to consider is how the battery is used in your boat. Most automotive batteries are for engine starting and not deep-cycle use. If you are using an automotive battery to start an engine, it'll probably work just fine. However, if you are using it as a house battery, it should be designed for deep-cycle use and some car batteries are, like OPTIMA YELLOWTOPs, but many are just designed for the shallow cycling associated with engine starting.
You should always make sure the battery in your boat is securely-mounted in a battery box, according to local regulations and whether the battery in your boat is used for starting or as a house battery, the best thing you can do to maximize battery performance and lifespan is to keep your battery fully-charged whenever possible to at least 12.6 volts. OPTIMA makes a full line of chargers and maintainers that do a great job of charging & maintaining 12-volt lead-acid and lithium batteries, including flooded and AGM lead-acid batteries.