What’s the best cranking battery and size to use on a 115-150 hp motor? Also are you looking for more cca’s or mca’s?
What’s the best cranking battery and size to use on a 115-150 hp motor? Also are you looking for more cca’s or mca’s?
1999 Sprint 277 Pro
115 Mercury
Lowrance Electronics
CCA. MCA is a marketing gimmick invented to make the battery sound bigger.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
Your manual will give you an idea of size. However, if you have chart plotters they eat up juice so you may need to go bigger.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
I worked with several battery manufacturers in my career as an engineer working on submarine and nuclear missile batteries and charging systems and am very familiar with all of the standard test methods employed in battery manufacturing. MCA is not a standard. There is no industry standard test method. You need to talk to engineers, not marketing people. MCA is a marketing gimmick, not a battery spec.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
You dont need a cranking battery. Get a group 31 deep cycle and use for your trolllng motor and also your big motor and accessories. I have done it for years, works great and saves you the added cost and weight of another battery.
Mca is measured at 32° cca is measured at 0°. Mca is only higher due to the testing temp. And is essentially only marketing given most boats are not out on the water with temps below 32°.
CatFan is far more credible than your sources as he has no dog in this hunt. Don't believe half of what you hear from manufactures. I am a old timer Master Auto Tech with 53 years in the field specializing in electrical and I cant think of a instance that I have ever took exception to his statements, I would consider him one of the very best sources in this subject matter
Thank You Leon Pugh
Not saying MCA is anything but marketing, but in my younger days there was about a month before freezup when the air was frigid and the water still open. Even the 2 cycles were pretty stiff turning over. If you have a barely big enough battery at MCA numbers you might want to pay attention to the difference between MCA and CCA. In northern climes(and probably anywhere) one should get a CCA rating at a minimum for your motors spec's. Too cold to take the chance of getting stranded, not too many people out to help in that situation. Bob
Tell me where has a slow movin' once quick draw outlaw got to go
I'm confused over whether the issue is that no battery manufacturer ever does actual testing for MCA at that temperature or it is just a factor of CCA or different manufacturers have different factors for MCA...LOL If it is a bogus specification, why do they use it for the battery specifications for the engine requirements?
Wes
Helix 10 MSI+,MDI+,Ultrex IPilot
2023 Phoenix 818
Never assume there's a tomorrow
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
I wouldn't limit that to just Mercury either...LOL
Wes
Helix 10 MSI+,MDI+,Ultrex IPilot
2023 Phoenix 818
Never assume there's a tomorrow
You look in the specifications of your outboard, then buy a battery that has at least the same CCAs (I agree with CatFan that MCA is a completely rubbish standard, more likely to confuse the buyer than help him) and at least the minimum Ahs recommended. The lather is sometimes overlooked, but since the regulators in outboards tend to be somewhere between ok and crap, using a small battery will just lead to overheating that battery. Typically you want at least 95Ah on a modern outboard that charges 30-40-50Ah.
Then look at LifePo4 for running the rest of the electronics on your boat. Make sure you are sitting when you check the pricing. ;)