What size battery?

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Cracker

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I finally found a suitable boat today, and am going to go pay for it tomorrow, and bring it home. I've been out of the boating scene for a while, and this is my first outboard.

It needs a battery for electric start and hummingbird (no TM yet). A mechanic I know said to get just a small 12 volt battery like a lawn mower would use to start the engine.

My question is this... What size (cranking amps, I guess) do I need?
What else do I need to know and/or consider?

This is a '99 2 stroke Evinrude. There is no battery in in now, we started it with a battery from another boat, so I have no idea what it has been running with.

Thanks for you help
 
I woudl not waste the time with the lawn tractor battery - you can run this with any car type battery (Starting Battery or "SLI" Starting, Lighting, Ignition) just fine, but a deep cycle marine battery will always work better, especially if you might run a trolling motor or pump in the future. Get a deep cycle


Found this that answers lots of battery questions:

https://marine-electronics.net/techarticle/battery_faq/b_faq.htm#7.7

Remember, deep cycle batteries will not have as many cranking amps Starting batteries are usually rated at "CCA", or cold cranking amps, or "MCA", Marine cranking amps - the same as "CA" True deep cycle batteries generally are not rated this way.


NOW TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION

Mercury recommends that you use 465 Marine Cranking Amps (MCA) or 350 Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) to start their 2 -stroke engines less then 75 hp. For a 15 hp engine you can go less then that
 
Thanks for the information, Esquired.

Next question, though, is... if the deep cycle starts the outboard, and little else right now ( except the depth finder ), wouldn't the alternator of the engine be sending a constant re-charge?? That is to say -- I thought it was best to run a deep cycle battery down instead of recharging constantly. I admit I may be wrong, but this is what I have always understood... that a battery (deep cycle) would become "trained" to NOT hold a charge.

I know that the answer may be in the link you offered, but I didn't have the patience to decipher it.

Thanks again
 
go with a 24 group it is a deep cycle starting battery and has good cca and a fair amount of reserve Min's
 
Cracker said:
Thanks for the information, Esquired.

Next question, though, is... if the deep cycle starts the outboard, and little else right now ( except the depth finder ), wouldn't the alternator of the engine be sending a constant re-charge?? That is to say -- I thought it was best to run a deep cycle battery down instead of recharging constantly. I admit I may be wrong, but this is what I have always understood... that a battery (deep cycle) would become "trained" to NOT hold a charge.

I know that the answer may be in the link you offered, but I didn't have the patience to decipher it.

Thanks again
Click to expand...

I don't think it needs to be run down to empty. Once charged it will always stay "mostly" charged and just be topped off. The humminbird will draw nothing for power.
 
Cracker said:
Thanks for the information, Esquired.

Next question, though, is... if the deep cycle starts the outboard, and little else right now ( except the depth finder ), wouldn't the alternator of the engine be sending a constant re-charge?? That is to say -- I thought it was best to run a deep cycle battery down instead of recharging constantly. I admit I may be wrong, but this is what I have always understood... that a battery (deep cycle) would become "trained" to NOT hold a charge.

I know that the answer may be in the link you offered, but I didn't have the patience to decipher it.

Thanks again[/quote

IN my experience with "deep cycle cranking batteries" just the opposite is true. The cranking battery always lasts longer because it is never totally drained over and over. Also, if you lack space, consider a group 34 battery.
Click to expand...
 
Deep cycle doesn't mean it should be cycled long and hard, just that it can handle being disharged deeper than a regular cranking battery. Also, Lead acid batteries don't develop a "memory" like Ni-Cad batteries do.
 

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