Why optima blue tops

wakeboardin2k4 · Soul Rider Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 355 City: Wilmington

so most boaters love the Optima Blue Top batteries. I need to buy two batteries and am wondering why i should spend like 180-200 on optima blue tops? Im looking at other batteries with the same cold cranking amps and other things and saying why don't i get the 80 dollar battery and save some money?

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

If you can find a gel battery that's deep cycle and has a warranty like the blue top I'd go for it. There just aren't that many out there..

wakeboardin2k4 · Soul Rider Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 355 City: Wilmington

so thats the difference? Its a gel battery? What does a gel battery do that a normal battery doesnt?

Sinkoumn · Posted: Dec 19, 2006 6:01 am Post subject:

Check their site, they have all the info on why the batteries are the schnitzel.
Clicky

wakeboardin2k4 · Soul Rider Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 355 City: Wilmington

ok. I think I am going to get the D34M. That is the deep cycle and starting one. Then get the regular 34M as a backup for a starting battery so that I have one for running my system and then one as backup for just starting the engine.

I figure my system isnt that crazy. Its only 4 polk speakers, head unit, mtx sub and amp. Eventually going to add wetsounds but that will be a while before that happens. Got plenty of other things i need to buy for the boat before those.

Rhawn · Posted: Dec 19, 2006 9:54 am Post subject:

Interesting, I'm having battery problems, maybe I need to invest in one of these. I have a dual battery set up, and the damn thing wont hold a charge. One Deep Cycle, one starting battery.

vette74 · Posted: Dec 19, 2006 11:31 am Post subject:

Rhawn, If you have them linked parallel to each other the smaller battery will always draw power from the larger one. It could be a reason why it won't hold a charge.

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

wakeboardin2k4 · Soul Rider Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 355 City: Wilmington

maybe i will just do that wakebrad and get the two D34Ms instead of one D34M and one 34M

wesgardner · Posted: Dec 19, 2006 12:22 pm Post subject:

Another plus for the Optimas is they can be oriented on their side if need be whereas your liquid cell should probably stay upright (most of the time)
Rhawn, if your batteries are being drawn down with everything (or at least everything you know of) off, then you have a "draw" somewhere. Good batteries should hold their charge for a decent amount of time (weeks) if nothing is drawing current from them.

Rhawn · Posted: Dec 21, 2006 8:55 am Post subject:

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

Luke · Criminal Joined: 27 Apr 2003 Posts: 94 City: BAY AREA!!!

Your not looking at cold cranking amps, You need to looks at reserve capacity. It will usually show it with a standard energy draw. That is where they shine. West Marine or some golf cart batteries have a longer reserve, but can't be situated on their side or anything.

Rhawn · Posted: Mar 14, 2007 10:24 am Post subject:

Bumping this post, its that time. Time to throw down a huge chunk of change on batteries. Sad

Anyone have a best price dealer on Optima Blue Tops?

Or maybe even a comparable cheaper battery? Costco had some dual purpose gel batteries in the winter, gone now. Bleh.

wakeboardin2k4 · Soul Rider Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 355 City: Wilmington

It is hard to find a good deal on these bad boys. I have heard that costco has good deals on them but I just sucked it up and bought them from sears fro 190 each

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

I found a local hardware shop around here selling them for $112 a piece. It was a freakin steal. I went back a year later and they were back up to the $180 range. They said they had them mislabeled and were actually selling them under cost before. So that's my story of how I got 2 blue tops for $112 each.

Rhawn · Posted: Mar 14, 2007 12:13 pm Post subject:

Found a D34 for $175 Each - Free Shipping. Thats the best on the internet by far, from what I've found.

EDIT, the link might help

http://1st-optima-batteries.com/

vette74 · Posted: Mar 14, 2007 1:38 pm Post subject:

NAPA has knock off optima batteries. You might check them out.

Rhawn · Posted: Mar 22, 2007 12:25 pm Post subject:

My BlueTops were delivered today, yay!

I found a decent on-board charger for 70 bucks at Overtons.

Anyone know where online I can find an Isolator? Or a recommended brand for marine applications?

Rhawn · Posted: Mar 23, 2007 9:39 am Post subject:

I found a Guest isolator and 2 bank charger from Boater's World, no shipping again yay!. Not writing a story or anything, just posting what I found as far as best deals.

KurtInCincy · Addict Joined: 06 Mar 2003 Posts: 645 City: Cincinnati OH

I have a Guest isolator and one blue top and one non gel deep cycle for cranking.
Got 2 amps hooked up to the blue top that total 1100 watts. Haven't had any problems yet but more testing still needed. Only have a 4cyl motor so i'm sure it doesn't recharge very fast at all.
Only paid $160 for my Blue top at Batteries Plus last year.
You don't really need a cranking batt at all because deep cycles can crank well but crankers don't run electronics very well. So i got 2 deep cycles.

gene3x · Addict Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 759 City: Dallas

Has anyone ever used Stingers for a boat application? I think they typically use them in car stereo competition cars.

Matthew Edler · Newbie Joined: 09 Sep 2005 Posts: 39 City: St. Peters

Hollywood · Posted: Apr 11, 2007 7:51 am Post subject:

Matthew Edler, what difference does it make? That deep cycle hooked up to the stereo and/or starter is still getting charged by the alternator when running switchs and isolators.

Matthew Edler · Newbie Joined: 09 Sep 2005 Posts: 39 City: St. Peters

By using a isolation switch or a manual perko style switch, you can isolate your deep cycle from the rest of the system. Your altenator can now supply power for your stereo while running. If your altenator is not able to keep up with the load, get a bigger altenator, and for those of us that run subs your starter battery will be used for reserve spikes in current or using a cap for your more extreme cases will help with this. With a deep cycle battery the manufactures recomend allowing the batt. to be ran down to a lower charge before recharging. Hense the "DEEP CYCLE". They also recomend to recharge it at a slow rate. If your deep cycle is being used for a starter battery its not being allowed to be discharged since the alternator is giving it a constant charge, as well at a fast rate.

I have two group 27 deep cycles and one marine starter gell cell isolated with a perko switch. I start and run on my gell cell, when we stop to party we switch over to the two parallel deep cycles and can run the stereo all day. Before taking off I switch back to the gell (Knowing that you don't have to worry about the gell cell being dead since it was'nt being used is a sure thing). Once the deep cycles have been run down a bit I charge them with a 2 amp charge., thus extending the life of my batteries. We pay way to much for these lead blocks filled with water to just go and shorten there life. Sorry, guess I could have shorten this up.

2006Supra21v · Newbie Joined: 10 Feb 2006 Posts: 24 City: Austin

I actually went with a different brand of battery for all my stereo equipment called Kinetik and I have 3 of those. And I also have a standard Optima cranking battery so a total of 4 batteries.

I have a Perko switch so on my #1 spot I have the cranking battery and when I flip over to #2 I have 3 - High Current -Kinetik HC1800 amps running in parallel with one another. All 4 of them are hooked up to a "boatbuddy" charging system so all I do is plug that pupply in and go to sleep. The charger turns off when the batteries are full so I don't have to worry about them over loading.

Like Matthew above when I'm boarding I put the perko switch on "both" and let everything charge. But if I go in a cove then I switch over to #2 on the perko so I don't drain my main cranking battery.

I have 3 ARC Audio amps, 15 inch subwoofer, 6 inboard speakers, and a Wetsounds 3-some. I had the radio on the other day for 4 hours in a cove and it didn't drain my 3 batteries. One of these days I'll get around to testing just how long those 3 batteries will last me.

-Bill-

Rhawn · Posted: May 15, 2007 5:53 am Post subject:

I finished redoing my charging system. I now have 2 Optima Dual purpose gel batteries, an in-boat mounted charger, and a Perko switch. I bought an isolator as well, but oddly enough there is no straight charging lead on my boat. I assume the batteries get charged back through the positive starter cable.

Until I can locate and isolate the charging lead, I guess I just keep my Perko switch on all. I wired my amp straight to one of the batteries, but its only like a Punch 100 or something.

tmbrown · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 218 City: East Roseville

rhawn - your charging lead probably connects to your starter where your positive lead connects... that's the one you'd move.

Rhawn · Posted: Jun 28, 2007 7:15 pm Post subject:

Yep it did, figured that out right before I traded her in.