Need batteries recommendation

[Cutter 30124]

The best way to tell is to look at the tags on the wires. Also, the four house batteries are obvious because they are connected together with short wires between them. Check the tags to the other two to be sure though.

If you need to identify the battery by a cable run, the best cable to check for me was the one that goes from the battery bank to the stern thruster. Then, you can check the schematic that came with your boat to identify which battery goes with the stern thruster.

I got six Duracell AGM for the great loop, and they've been good. 5000 miles, 1000 engine hours on them. Never a problem with the thrusters when we've needed them, or the starter.

Good luck.

If I may ask, can you please elaborate on which particular Duracell AGMs you used? Looking to replace 4 house batteries 2019 30CB. Lots here seem to prefer the Lifelines. Pretty sure mine are original Universal AGM. Also, which boat do you have, and do you run a generator?
Thanks!

 

[Midwest Jeff]

If you do go with AGMs make sure your converter is capable of charging them. They charge at a different rate than flooded. Honestly I don’t think agm are worth 3 times the cost over flooded. For the house batteries, lithium can’t be beat for capacity and speed of charging. Plus the cost of good quality lithiums has come down dramatically. But they cannot be used for starting.

 

[scross]

If I may ask, can you please elaborate on which particular Duracell AGMs you used? Looking to replace 4 house batteries 2019 30CB. Lots here seem to prefer the Lifelines. Pretty sure mine are original Universal AGM. Also, which boat do you have, and do you run a generator?
Thanks!

If you have AGM batteries now, the best replacements in my opinion are the Odyssey Extreme, X2 Power, Victron Energy or Lifeline AGM batteries.

Compare the CCA numbers for the starter and thruster batteries. Higher CCA is typically better for those roles.

You can’t mix AGM and Lithium batteries. Converting from AGM to Lithium is a really big deal that requires replacing/reengineering a lot of your charging system components and is $$$$$ expensive. Lots of threads on this forum about the huge effort required to convert to Lithium from AGM.

After a lot of research I replaced all our original Universal Power AGMs with the X2 Power AGM for our starter, house and thruster batteries. About $380 each for Group 31T size on sale at Batteries Plus.

To keep them healthy, I try to never let them go below 12.0 volts or 45% SOC. The easiest way to kill any AGM or flooded battery is to discharge it below recommended SOC minimums.

 

[S. Todd]

During the summer of 2023 I replaced all six of the original equipment batteries in our 2021 R29S with West Marine Group 31 Dual-Purpose AGM batteries.
We experienced improved performance and are extremely happy with them.
Made in USA, CCA 800, MCA 1000, 69 lbs, Model 15020258, MFG# WM8A31DTM, 105 Amp hours. No modifications needed to original installation other than additional mounting hardware because of the numerous cables that needed to be attached to the studs.