Marine Batteries...........any good after 18 months?

[my v16c]

Would you expect a NEW marine battery which has been sitting without the motor being started for 18 months to be OK?
After a charge I'm sure it will be, but what about long term?
Cheers 16C

[Ally Jack]

Should be no problem

[Chas & Clarry]

Yep should be OK if our experience is anything to go by (if it was a good quality battery).

We did that a series of times with our last battery (a Sea Master) when we went through a patch of years where we fished once or twice then didn't fish for a couple of years then fished once or twice, then didn't fish for 18 months etc etc. over 7 years down the track that battery was still working faultlessly! We only replaced it when we bought a new boat and started fishing regularly again.

Tim and Trace

[gruntahunta]

My belief is a battery should never be left to go flat and that regular charging is the best way to get the longest life from a battery. Having said that 7 years from a battery that wasn't charged for the previous 2 years is extraordinary by Tim and Trace, surely a record for any battery.

[Chas & Clarry]

My belief is a battery should never be left to go flat and that regular charging is the best way to get the longest life from a battery. Having said that 7 years from a battery that wasn't charged for the previous 2 years is extraordinary by Tim and Trace, surely a record for any battery.

Yes we know...I should make clear that we are not advising that kind of abuse :-X but that battery was amazing. A guy in a battery shop said it was extraordinary too but the age of the battery was clearly marked...I am not sure that he believed we had treated it so badly and it still worked :-[

Tim and Trace

[Salad Fingers]

my last sea master battery lasted 7years or something. in 5 of those years the boat only did 20hours from brand new (prior to my ownership obviously lol).
it should be fine - but hey, if it's not just buy a new one when it starts loosing charge quicker, ~$140 job done.

[BillR1]

I am not trying to top any experiences others have had. I am just reporting how our batteries performed. They were seamaster batteries in our boat for 7 years so I thought I should replace them before they let me down. They were still working fine but I was just being cautious.
Well the son - in - law took one of the old ones and put it in his Commodore where it lasted another 2 years.
Sometimes we would leave the boat under covers for 3 - 5 months at a time between fishing trips and the batteries worked every time and I never charged them. Started the 115 HP OB every time. So batteries seem to have a long life in a boat whether it is used regularly or not.

Bill

[Shark Poker]

Hey Mate, Don't stuff around with it.
Especially if it is the only one on board.
Warranty is probably only 12 months anyway.
I used to run a 17C offshore, overnight with a single battery. No problem.
Fork out for a newbie and relax!
(Give the old one to a mate with an electric outboard)

[PADDLES]

hi 16C, it's a bit of a lottery with batteries, having one sit for 18 months is not ideal but it might be fine with a good charge. have you got a dual battery system? now might be the time to get one and then if it fails you've still got a backup.