6v 230A Golf Cart Batteries?

[foobie]

Hey All -

The gremlins are afoot... and Frolic's many, MANY years old 12V batteries are toast. Time to replace them all so I have plenty of DVD power this summer for the junior crew members while we're on the mooring or on the hook.

Found this battery at the local Sams club after a lot of research on the web.

I was thinking about 4 of them @ $90.00 for the house bank. Is this a good deal, or are the Trojan 125's really required at almost 2x the price...? Please remember, I've got a limited budget for the next two years and need to balance sufficient-for-now vs. ideal-the-next- time-around. I've got a 40W solar panel on the bimini to keep them up while on the mooring. We're weekenders only (unfortunately) and I don't mind the idea of flooded batteries up here in the Northern Ches Bay where there's VERY little chance of a knockdown. Regular maintenance is fine by me too. 

Thanks in advance!

Steve


_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Duracell® Golf Car Battery


Model: Group Size EGC2
Item #:347631
6 Volt Golf Car and Motive Power Battery
12 months Free Replacement Warranty


$88.74

   

DESCRIPTION

Features:
Whether you need a battery for a personnel carrier, aerial lift, electric vehicle, golf car, boat, RV, floor scrubber, road sign, or any other application that requires deep-cycle power, this is the battery of choice. The biggest innovations lie inside the battery, where we use heavier grids, plates with higher density oxide and improved glass mat envelope separators. The result? Longer life cycles and superior cycle life performance. The exterior features represent powerful thinking as well. Engineers have designed a battery that is as durable and user-friendly as possible. The heavy gauge polypropylene cases have been specially engineered to take a pounding without damaging the cells. Twist-and-release vent caps make removing caps a snap, and we've maximized convenience by designing a new lifting system.


SPECIFICATIONS

20 amp hour rate:230
5 amp hour rate:174
6 amp hour rate:178
BCI Group Size:GC2
Minutes at 25 amps:448
Minutes at 75 amps:120
Volts:6

[Paulus]

Hi Steve, we have 4 trojan batteries plus a starting battery.  This is my 7 season with these batteries.  My wife and I live aboard for 3 months and spend most of our time at anchor.  We are pleased with these batteries.  When I bought them they told me that the life of these would be from 5 to 8 years, depending on the care. I check each cell for specific gravity every 2 to 3 weeks.

[Roc]

I bought Sam's Club 6v batteries a few years ago and use 4 of them for the house bank.  They've been doing fine so far.  I think they are branded "Energizer".  I use them for all house loads, and to start the engine. I have another "reserve" battery (WM group 24 starting battery) for emergency starting.

[Bill Asbury]

Had Trojans on previous C34 and replaced them with same at nine year mark with at least 50% capacity remaining & never a problem.
Haven't heard of golf cart batteries being sold under the Duracell brand.  Others on this board may have experience with Duracells.  Good luck!

[Dave Spencer]

Hi Steve,
I have 4 Trojan T105s on my boat (plus a starting battery).  When the day comes to replace them, I'd love to have an option to go with lower cost batteries with similar capacity like you found.  I believe you get what you pay for... to a point

Looking at the specs you quoted compared to Trojan T105s from their website:

SPECIFICATIONS                             Trojan T105

20 amp hour rate:230                         225
5 amp hour rate:174                           185
6 amp hour rate:178                           Not Stated
BCI Group Size:GC2                            GC2
Minutes at 25 amps:448                       447
Minutes at 75 amps:120                       115

These sound like perfect "sufficient for now" batteries, maybe even ideal batteries for you, especially given that you have solar power and aren't out for weeks on end.  A lot will depend on how the batteries are maintained.  Lots has been written on battery maintenance but if your solar panel is efficient and actually gets anywhere near 2 - 2.5A to your batteries for several hours each day and/or you plug in at a dock when your aren't sailing, they should last a long time.
I would get them if I were you, especially since you have said you aren't flush with cash at the moment.  Let us know how they fit and how they work over the first year or so. 
Good luck!

[mainesail]

That battery, the EGC2, is a Deka/East Penn battery and they are very good quality. Actually, to be specific, they are the SAME quality as the Deka/East Penn batteries sold at WM because the ONLY differences are the price and the sticker. WM sells them for more than double what Sam's does.

Since Sam's took on Deka/East Penn last summer, branded as Duracell, they have become one of my bigger wet cell battery suppliers. They may not be available in all Sam's Clubs but are in many.

I wrote about this last summer...

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=132350&#post836235

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

The Costco's here in Arizona are selling Interstate 6 volt batteries for about the same price as the Duracell's at Sams.

[PK]

Does anyone have thoughts on the batteries Costco sells.  I am not sure of the brand etc.. but know that they do sell a 6V golf cart battery.

[Stephen Butler]

We have had 4 golf cart batteries from Costco in our boat for 3 years without any problems.  They are Interstate brand, cost under $80 each, and have given us good service so far.  The boat is stored on the hard for most of the year with the batteries connected to a small solar panel.  Would recommend them to anyone looking for a lower price/more cost effectice solution.  Hope this helps.

[Mick Laver]

Hi all,
I recently checked the 6V batteries on the C34 we bought last October. These are Trojan 105s manufactured in July 2004 (date stamp G4 by negative pole) so, at nearly eight years old, I figured a replacement was in order. Here's the voltage and specific gravity of the batteries and each cell, after letting them sit for 24 hrs with no charger or load at ~75 deg F.

House batteries: A1 inboard fwd, A2 outboard fwd, B1 inboard aft, B2 outboard aft.

A1: 6.39 VDC, (1) 1.281 (2) 1.281 (3) 1.291
A2: 6.31 VDC, (1) 1.266 (2) 1.261 (3) 1.226
B1: 6.39 VDC, (1) 1.291 (2) 1.288 (3) 1.291
B2: 6.36 VDC, (1) 1.276 (2) 1.286 (3) 1.276

So the bottom line is they still seem to be good. At least for another season (A2 is suspect). I'm getting prices closer to $120 apiece locally, so while the Costco ones are attractive at $80 I'll probably pay the extra 50% for the Trojans. $160 amortized over 8 or 9 years ain't much for something so critical and with a proven track record.

[sailaway]

Steve  all battery's are good if you treat them right. I bought 3 deep cycle batteries at walmart close to my boat in a hurry. They are called everlast my friends call them never last. The battery's are 6+ years old and never let me down.I just checked them from the winter 12.6v on all 3. I leave them on the boat all winter with no charge. I do unhook the  + lead  and leave them fully charged in the fall. I also filled them with distilled water ever  spring.  I also mounted a battery near the engine just for starting it was a closeout from sams. Charlie

[PK]

For those for you that have placed 4 6v batteries in the compartment forward of the sink and used wet cell batteries...Did you form any sort of battery box around your batteries to contain spillage or did you not worry about that issue?  How big of an issue is it really?
Also, what route did you use to cable a reserve battery into the space under the aft berth?  Thanks

[Stephen Butler]

We could not find a correctly sized battery box for the 4 golf cart batteries.  Consequently, we removed the previous 2 boxes, installed a 3/4" piece of synthetic board for a base, found 2 nylon hold down straps at NAPA and bolted these to the base, and installed the batteries, strapping them down.  We then installed 4 lock screws to keep the fiber board top of the battey well in place.  Have had the USCG aboard and they found the installation okay.  We have had the boat over 20 to 30 degrees with no shifting.  Hope this helps.

[Ken Juul]

When I wired my start battery that is under the back bunk, I tried to go down the stbd side with no luck.  Ended up going from the ACR in the battery box under the sole to head then around the back of the engine to a new battery switch in the aft stateroom wall just aft of the engine compt then to the battery.

[Les Luzar]

I replaced two 27D batteries with three 27D Kirkland batteries from Costco in 2009 that I use as house batteries. I built a flat platform, got some battery frames from West Marine with handles and all 3 of them are mounted very securely in the battery compartment forward of the galley. I have never had a problem with these batteries leaking or their performance. I would rather have more batteries than adding battery boxes.