Ok, I know it's more than likely this question and has been answered with great debate and personal preferences but I'd like to know, which is the best battery to run in a boat?  I'm kicking around an Optima, how do they stand up when compared to prices?

I bought my boat with an "ENERGIZER" battery in it , it sat outside for two years . Still works . Now if I could only get my last 2 "OPTIMA" batteries to hold up like that . Now lookin for 2 mini batteries for a confined space.

-beerjet-

... Costco ...
but if I recall they have a very generous return policy there.

I get my vehicle batteries from Costco; keep my receipts; when the battery dies out before the warranty, which they always do, I pull receipt, return and get prorated portion; I actually pull the battery in their parking lot, exchange it, and install the new one right there.
Except for doing the exchange in the parking lot, should work just as well for deep cycle marine batteries.

For confined spaces..... Kinetic Marine Deep Cycles. They are tits. When the battery finally dies in my boat, that's what will replace it. Put them in any position, no leaking. Mount them upside down if you want, they just work all the time every time.

So, will the billet aluminum battery boxes work with these?

Greg is right, he is also fortunate enough to have the OLD Optima's which were in fact worthwhile. The new ones have A LOT of issues. I've had 3 go bad, a yellow top and two red tops. My friend had a blue top go bad too.

I bought my Optima from a fellow stereo shop and they exchanged it with no questions when it took a crap on me. They said Optima doesn't even ask questions they just replace em.....

Johnson Controls has the contract for most major label batteries (Interstate, AC Delco, Die Hard), I was recently told they build the Optima batteries now and will soon be building them in Mexico.

Thank you NAFTA for taking MORE away from America for cheap labor.

this is getting to be really a bad thing....pretty soon they will be putting "made in southren America" on everything.....bunch of crap..........

OUR government is working fast to make us one big American Union like they did or trying to do in Europe.

Using two 6 volt batteries wired in series will give a lot more cranking amps than two 12 volt batteries can.  Also a good 6v battery can have near 650 life cycles (run down/recharge) compared to only 150 on a 12v battery.

The problem with using two (golf cart) 6v batteries is they are very heavy compared to 12v batteries and might not like the rough service of a marine application  (I'll have to ask if there is a marine grade 6v battery available).

At my shop we change out a lot of 12v deep cycle batteries for 6v deep cycle batteries in RV's because the 6v batteries work so much better for that type of application.

Thank you!!

Using two 6 volt batteries wired in series will give a lot more cranking amps than two 12 volt batteries can. 

I have been corrected on this.  Two 6v batteries do give more amps but it is amp hours and not cranking amps.  Most deep cycle batteries are not good cranking batteries (lower amps for a longer amount of time, not high amps for short time).

I now bow my head in shame 

Either way, buy a cheap battery and a good rope 

Well, I guess I'll just buy the marine blue Optima and hope for the best.  Now, who's the wiring guru?   

At least you can admit when youre wrong it takes a big man to..................................... ...ah forget it!

I'm pretty good at accepting when I'm wrong.  If you ask my wife I'm always wrong