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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Battery Of Batteries Is Ready To Meet Any Boating Need

Charlie Powell Special To Travel

Gaston Plante, a French physicist, is credited with producing the first rechargeable lead-acid battery in 1859. Even though outdoor recreation machines have changed radically since Plante’s time, lead-acid storage battery technology is still somewhat primitive - something easy to learn the hard way when your snowmobile won’t start.

Batteries are better than they were, say, 20 years ago. But the fundamentals and imitations of “secondary” batteries, those that release energy through chemical transformation, remain with us.

Lead-acid batteries are made up of a series of alternating metal plates and inert separators connected to two electrodes. Both plates and separators are covered in an electrolyte, usually a dilute solution of sulfuric acid that conducts electricity.

The simplest plate arrangement is called a cell. Modern 12-volt car batteries are made up of six, 2-volt cells.

Marine, or so-called deep-cycle batteries, look the same on the outside, but inside they have fewer and heavier plates.They deliver less power, but they can be discharged more completely and recharged more frequently without damaging the cells.

One common place where both types of batteries are used is in fishing boats. A standard battery is used to start the main engine. Deep-cycle batteries power trolling motors, electronics, livewells, and lights.

Hybrid batteries now combine the benefits of both types. They aren’t quite as good as the separate types, but for the person who absolutely hates worrying about different batteries, the hybrids enjoy a good and necessary market.

For optimum results choose a battery for its intended use. To start boat engines, get a starting-type battery. For additional capacity, consider multiple battery connections.

If more current is needed, connecting more than one battery in a parallel circuit raises the amperage.

Somewhat new are the so-called gel-cells. Developed in Germany by Sonnenschein Co., gel-cells are a lead-acid battery that is pressurized and sealed.

Gel-cells offer the advantage of being leakproof and maintenancefree except for charging. They’re already in race cars, wheelchairs, power tools, some boats, and other applications. On the downside, they’re more expensive and require a carefully controlled recharging device to prevent an explosion.

Improper recharging is the number one reason marine batteries fail before their time, according to Kathy Anglin, product manager for GNB, an Atlantabased manufacturer, distributor, and recycler of lead-acid batteries. Like batteries, rechargers are specialized, too.

“A typical battery charger intended for auto batteries charges fast but shuts off before a deepcycle battery is completely charged,” said Anglin. “A slow charger intended for deep-cycle battery charging is best and provides the longest life for the battery.”

Anglin says wise battery use involves four simple steps; installation, charging, maintenance and continual checking.

Maintenance includes remembering that batteries will gradually self-discharge, even when they’re not being used. Always recharge deep-cycle batteries when they fall below a 75 percent charge. Fully recharge batteries within 24 hours after use.

Terminals and contacts should be cleaned at least than every three months. Electrolyte levels should be checked frequently.

“Continually checking batteries will show the owner when a battery is nearing the end of its useful life,” said Anglin. “That advice holds for all cables and contacts, too.”