Victron AGM Super Cycle Batteries

I have heard good things about them. Well priced when compared to the Lifeline AGM of similar size and they are lighter. I rarely have ever heard any bad things about Victron in general.
 
I’ve heard good things about them. I’ve been told they are close to firefly battery performance on an AGM battery.

I know of a C28 who upgraded to them and they appear to work well.


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I upgraded my C-28 with two 125 AH Victron Supercycle Batteries last year. These gave me 250 AH of capacity, which I am comfortable discharging to a higher depth of discharge (DoD) than my previous AGM batteries. For example, at 60% DoD and 250 AH, I have 150 AH of usable capacity and I could probably stretch it further as needed.

I was working on installing quite a few upgrades last March prior to a trip in April. After completing the other work, I found myself in quick need of new house batteries as my batteries were not performing as expected, likely after 3 years and a few accidental 100% discharges which is damaging to batteries.

Submariner had invested in Firefly batteries in the past which had made claims of handling 100% DOD (Depth of Discharge) cycles without damage. Long story short, those batteries were not only expensive but did not live up to the claims made (they failed) and distributors are not selling them anymore. Submariner has now gone Lithium which is a major redesign of the boat's electrical systems, not to mention quite expensive. Going Lithium is great for those who have more demanding power requirements and the money/time to invest in retrofit.

However, for myself and many other boat owners, the SuperCycle batteries are an excellent option. They make similar claims to the Firefly batteries (tested to > 300 100% DoD cycles), but back it up with the quality control and well regarded brand name recognition of Victron. I expected to pay a premium over normal batteries for these claims, but I was pleasantly surprised to be able to pick up two 125 AH batteries for $330 per battery (prices likely vary, check S3 Maritime in Seattle).

Installing the batteries was mostly drop in replacements. I had to modify the C-28 battery tray by re-trimming some of the plastic (it was already trimmed down some). The terminal connections are also horizontal versus vertical which can be a little bit challenging with the existing battery cables and terminal configuration (thick cables). The batteries are nearly identical in size to stock batteries, maybe a just few mm larger.

Overall, I think most people should consider upgrading/replacing their batteries with SuperCycle batteries. I could even add more batteries for more capacity if I was so inclined. So far they have lived up to my expectations but I haven't had them for a long time.
 
Thank you guys, this is very helpful!
I was wondering about terminal style change from L Terminal (which is what factory installs - UB121100L) to Bolt M6 style. Sounds like it's challenging but doable.
 
I just installed these yesterday on my R29. The terminals were quite a pain. If you only have two cables running to a post its fine, but for others I went to Fisheries' and bought and "L" bracket adapter for 3 of the batteries. Much easier with 3 or 4 cables. A longer bolt works too.

Pro tip that you all may already know, on my boat if you remove the refrigerators you get a great view of the wiring and better access. I discovered this after about 3 hours and a lot of swear words.
 
On my boat I have (I think) the same bank configuration with lots of thick cables. Thanks for the tip Gary!
 
I’ve looked at these as house bank replacements.
Specifically, I was interested in the Victron Energy 12 volt 170 AmpHr size. Using two of these batteries would give you the capacity of three standard 110 AmpHr batteries.
At 99 pounds each, they are quite a bit heavier than a pair of your 75 pound each typical Group 31 sized AGM batteries. But still lighter than three of the typical Group 31 AGM batteries would be in total.
As to fit, the VE AGM 12-170 AmpHr batteries are 13.2” by 6.8” by 11.0” tall. A Group 31 battery is typically 13.0” by 6.8” and 9.44” tall. There are inexpensive battery trays that will fit the VE AGM 12-170 battery if your stock Group 31 sized tray is a tad too short. In my C-28, the extra 1.5” of height of the VE AGM battery is not an issue.
Not due for replacing my house batteries for a few years but the VE AGM batteries are definitely on my short list when needed.
 
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