Starting battery in new boat.

[Lape0019]

Hey guys,

I really should have paid attention to this when I signed the papers but I was looking over my boat the other day and while at the dealer to select positions for my graphs and hotfoot, I noticed it is coming with a group 24 Quicksilver 24m7 battery which IMO, is too small.

Boat is a 2016 Z119c and it will have two helix 10’s and an 8 foot talon running off of the cranking battery as well as starting duties for the G2.

Specs of battery are:
800cca
1000mca
130rc (this is my problem)

My concern is that the 130rc will not be large enough to run two units, all pumps and talon all day and still give me the power I need to start the G2. I know I could place the graphs in standby but I don’t think that’ll help much in this scenario.

So:
1. What is your opinion of my situation?
2. A’s the dealer is saying this is the standar battery that comes with the boat, can anyone here tell me what came on there 18 and 19 footers? I was expecting at least a group 27 but really would have preferred a 31.

FYI, I specified deep cycle batteries so I’m not worried there.

Thanks!

[howieranger]

I do not know what would come with the boat from Ranger except for the last several years they have used Interstates. I would have the dealer install a 31 series battery with good specs, I prefer AGMs personally. Is the battery in the boat new or what was put in it in 2016? The Z531L that I have on order will come with a 27 Interstate but I have 4 new 31 AGMs in the garage to install when the boat is at the dealer for PDI.

And to add, if the boat does not have the battery disconnect/jump switch have one installed.

[jc2bg]

I have not heard of a model similar to a Z119 coming with a group 24 battery for years, but if your 2016 did, it was one of the last ones in America to do so. It is what it is, and not worth getting upset about, but for sure get a more powerful battery. Thankfully, the G2 is an extremely easy-starting engine, but with all the electronics on modern bass rigs, going marginal with a cranking battery is just asking for grief, and the 24 series is below marginal. I run a Z519 now—same hull—with a 225 G2. It has an HDS9 at the bow, an HDS12 at the console, and no poles or talons. My cranking battery is a Deka 31 series AGM. Could I have saved $100 and gone smaller? Sure, but I’ll save money elsewhere, not on the item that allows my livewells to run all day and starts my engine when it’s time to come in. I’d say at least 27 series, and preferably AGM type. With a credit for the 24 that you neither want nor need, the dealer should also be giving you a good deal on an upgrade. Now is the time to negotiate, and while still being as nice as possible, don’t lupisten to “24 series is fine.” It’s not.

[Lape0019]

Well, one thing I don’t think they were expecting was for me to already know so much about what I needed. I’m sure the “reserve capacity” conversation we had has already got them scratching their heads.

I’m not settling for the 24. I am waiting to hear from one of the owners (who sold me the boat) or the dealership. I don’t mind paying the difference between what they view as standard equipment but you’d think a boat that bug would come with a better cranked.

And fyi, this boat is a 2016 but it is new off the lot. It’s a leftover.

[jc2bg]

Sounds good. You may need to stay on top of things more than usual, because I’d be skeptical about their expertise at this point. However, they still have an opportunity to step to the plate for you. Everybody deserves a chance to make good.

[Lape0019]

I’m sure most of the guys there know a thing or two but I believe they will only care about the battery starting the motor. This dealership has been one of the largest ones around for a long time. The kicker is my buddy bought an RT188 from there and it came with a group 27 so I have a hard time believe a boat with 110 extra horsepower, weighs more, and has bigger graphs should come with a 24.

The owner had been more than fair so far so I have all of the confidence in world that he will make it right.

[Whiteboat]

You want a minimum of a 27 series and preferably a 31 series. The 24 series will get you stranded.

Dealers put the 24 series in them because they meet the minimum MCA and are cheaper.

[BoatBuggy]

You can tell what the "standard battery" is by looking at the size of the battery tray. I find it very difficult to believe a Group 24 is the standard for your boat.

A dealer who lets their customer drive away with anything less than a Group 27 AGM in a boat rigged the way you have it is not doing their customer any favors. That's a nice way of saying they are either incompetent or don't give a crap once they have their money or a healthy dose of both.

Get a 31 AGM.

[Lape0019]

i did pay attention to the battery tray. It’s for a bigger battery. The 24 didn’t even cover 2/3 if the tray. That was the main reason I asked.

I actually write “I hope that group 24 was placed in there just for testing as it isn’t big enough to meet the requirements of all day use for everything on my boat”.

[jc2bg]

i did pay attention to the battery tray. It’s for a bigger battery. The 24 didn’t even cover 2/3 if the tray. That was the main reason I asked.

I actually write “I hope that group 24 was placed in there just for testing as it isn’t big enough to meet the requirements of all day use for everything on my boat”.

The plot thickens. Good for you for your attention to detail. Being “picky” gets a bad name sometimes, but when I purchase a new boat, I have a list of checking points on my phone and go backwards and forward through that list before driving off the lot. And my dealer is exceptionally good. The more complex these boats get, the more chances there are for important items to fall through the cracks. I wish boat dealers were mind readers, but they aren’t. Sometimes they need our help in “getting it right.”

[Lou r Pitcher]

The high cranking amp 24 is perfectly fine for cranking your new G2 engine.

I'd keep it and simply add a large capacity AUX 'House' deep cycle battery for the boat electronics/talons. Include a Blue Seas 'Dual Circuit' switch and you can turn easily off both batteries during charging and someday combine them in an on water emergency if either battery ever becomes discharged.

TheG2 engine with adding the AUX battery option provides 25 charging amps to the added AUX battery and will go a long way to keeping both your batteries from ever becoming discharged and they will have longer lives more than paying for the investment.

[Lape0019]

While I hear you on adding another battery, I already will have 4 in the boat. I don’t care much for top speed but if I could get everything I want out of the 4 that will already be in there, that would be my preferred option.

And jc2bg, I really tried to go over everything with the dealer before we got to this point. I wanted to be as specific as I possibly could be when I bought the boat as I didn’t want incremental costs that would nickel and dime me to death when I picked up the boat which.is what is seeming to happen at the moment. Plans didn’t work out and I get that but this battery issue is driving me nuts. I really should have considered that myself way before this.

All in all, things never go as planned but i had planned everything out in a way to hopefully alleviate all of these little changes. Once I hear back from the dealer, I’ll post something up. I just find it really hard to believe that a 24 is “standard” equipment.

[Lape0019]

Well, talked to one of the owners today. I don’t know where the delivery and PDI supervisor got his facts from but the owner stated it will come with a group 2$. It will either be an interstate or a Mercury battery. I can live with this for the time being. I realize a 31 would be better and I’ll uograde it in a few years to that but the 27 will do for now.

[kah3710]

Get a31 never heard of a Ranger coming with24 maybe in Canada ? Dealers alot of times order the boat w/o batteries and then install the cheapest thing they can get by with

[BoatBuggy]

Well, talked to one of the owners today. I don’t know where the delivery and PDI supervisor got his facts from but the owner stated it will come with a group 2$. It will either be an interstate or a Mercury battery. I can live with this for the time being. I realize a 31 would be better and I’ll uograde it in a few years to that but the 27 will do for now.

If it's just a Group 27 cranking battery and not an AGM, be prepared to replace it within a year unless you like jumpstarting at the end of the day or making a 20-30 min big motor run to get the battery charged up before it gets to low to start on it's own. Cranking batteries don't handle the repeated discharges from today's electronics, livewells, etc. very well.

[dean c]

If it's just a Group 27 cranking battery and not an AGM, be prepared to replace it within a year unless you like jumpstarting at the end of the day or making a 20-30 min big motor run to get the battery charged up before it gets to low to start on it's own. Cranking batteries don't handle the repeated discharges from today's electronics, livewells, etc. very well.

I couldn't agree more...

[Nova Kaw 650]

Those that say a group 24 can't do the job have never tried it; but being a new boat, I would want to start with a bigger battery.
My group 24 AGM runs my motor, two HDS 10's, Structure Scan, a Talon, and the livewells all day long, and has now for 2 seasons. Plus our lakes are small so there's not much charging time with the big motor running.
That being said, it will take a good 6 hours to charge the battery at the end of the day, but it has never let me down or caused the graphs to shut down when starting the big motor.
And after saying all that, my next battery will be a group 27 for peace-of-mind.

[jc2bg]

It’s not my understanding that the OP’s original battery was an AGM. The AGM type offers significant performance advantages on boats with more or less constant current draw from electronics and live wells. So it is possible (Scott says that he is happy) that a 24 AGM will perform on a par with a 27 series conventional battery for cranking the motor and running accessories. 24 AGMs are rare, however, and would seem to be a niche commodity. We have reports practically daily of bass boat owners finding 27 and even 31 series batteries insufficient. A 24 wet cell (non-glass-mat) wouldn’t cut it for those guys.

[Nova Kaw 650]

It’s not my understanding that the OP’s original battery was an AGM. The AGM type offers significant performance advantages on boats with more or less constant current draw from electronics and live wells. So it is possible (Scott says that he is happy) that a 24 AGM will perform on a par with a 27 series conventional battery for cranking the motor and running accessories. 24 AGMs are rare, however, and would seem to be a niche commodity. We have reports practically daily of bass boat owners finding 27 and even 31 series batteries insufficient. A 24 wet cell (non-glass-mat) wouldn’t cut it for those guys.

True; I was going on the assumption that it was an AGM, seeing as it's only a group 24.

[Lape0019]

Correct, she’s a wet cell