d cell battery for my 28

[saltshaker28]

I am not sure what d cell battery should be in my 28 te with a Yammar 315 in it when I picked up the boat to take it home for the first time the boat was dead as a door nail the charger was on from shore power I guess the broker was praying for one more start did not happen so they called an auto parts store and I got 2 new batteries don't know if they are the right ones can anyone help me out

[Capt Ron]

My 28 has two D-4's.

[Cape Codder]

Same here: Two 4D batteries

[Jack28]

I have a group 31 and a 4D

[Carl]

Mine is a 2006 Flush Deck and came with a 4D under the center floor hatch for starting, and a group 31 for the house under the starbord side hatch. (very hard to access) I have since added a second group 31 for the house.

[jcollins]

Mine has 3 group 31s. Two for starting, one for the house. Odyssey brand.

[saltshaker28]

Thanks for the info

[Butch]

Carl ,Being as you are the Electrical resident for this group, What type battery do I have It is long in the center under neath where I pull the big fish in. The other battery is small and hard to get to. I think the big battery needs replacing 5yrs old. I replaced the small one 2 yrs ago. your comments are appreciated!! Thanks

[Carl]

Butch, Do you really want me to believe that you pull big fish in? I believe the battery you are refering to is a 4D, and under the center hatch in the middle of the boat. The one thats hard to get to is a group 31 deep cycle. Dont forget to check and top off the cells with distilled water a couple of times during the season. Changing the batteries out every 5 years is a good practice, some do it every 3.

[Butch]

Some of those fish almost weigh what that 4D weighs...Well sorta..Guess I need 2 new batteries. Thanks Carl!!

[Veebyes2]

One of the best tools to have for battery maintenance is a battery load tester, $35-$45.

Also, boaters tend to go, well, overboard when it comes to batterys, especially the so called starting battery. In 03 sunk my Perkins 240hp powered workboat. We got it refloated in a few days but the damage was done to the battery & alternator. During the week between refloating & haulout I started the engine at least twice a day, everyday, as part of the regime to get the last traces of moisture out of the engine.

The battery that I had was a group 27 wet cell which was already a few years old. It started that engine those so many times during that week without so much as 1/2 an amp being put back into it. A group 27 battery, with less than 1/2 the amps of a 4D.

My A32 has 3 banks switched so any one, or combo, can be used for any purpose, house or starting.

We got along just fine for 13 years with our A27 on 2 group 31 gel cells.

[fairtide]

I just replaced the original 4D battery on my 2006 28TE. The smaller battery is a group 27 deep cycle unit that will also be replaced in the days to come. My battery selector switch is wired so that the 27 is Bat. 1 and the 4D is Bat. 2. The way that I was able to know that is by removing one of the batteries (disconnecting a cable works) and seeing which position on the switch resulted in either voltage or no voltage shown on the voltmeter in the cabin.
You can go nuts researching batteries and prices. There are several options such as glass mat, gel, and flooded cell all in the same size batteries. Costs can vary by lots. In addition, some batteries are called starting batteries, others are deep cyle, and some are hybrids.
The long and short of all this is that when you need new batteries, do some research and after you are thoroughly confused and concerned about cost and making fatal errors, just go to a place that is experienced with marine batteries, tell the folks there what you do with your boat (fishing, over-nighting without shore power, just running around with no stops, etc.). When they give you a recommendation, you can whip out the credit card and be done with it or you can go back to driving yourself crazy. My 4D cost $215 including sales tax and return of the old one. Some are several times that price.
A word of caution: A 4D weighs about 120 pounds and you should have someone with a good back help with the removal and installation of this thing. There should be handles on the ends. Use them after you find them hanging in the battery box.

[RicM]

I had an aging 4D in Time After Time and replaced it with 2 6V Deep Cycle batteries wired in series. They are MUCH easier to handle than a single 4D and cost about the same. Deep cycles are fine for starting as long as you buy enough CA or "Cranking Amps" to cover the starting requirements, and of course they will serve as excellent house batteries as well. I currently have a maintenance free sealed 4D as battery 2 and the 2 sealed 6V's as battery 1. Either one can start the engine easily, and either one will run the fridge and lights at anchor overnight with no problems. I rigged a simple battery monitor using my digital multi meter and created a cigarette lighter plug that attaches to a set of probe wires. Set up the meter on the helm, plug into the cigarette lighter and watch your voltage on the hook. The only thing this setup will not do is run the electronics without blinking off sometimes when you start the engine (like if you are drift fishing). Then I change the battery switch to "both" and that gives you enough stored power to run all electronics, start the engine and use the bow thruster without a "brownout".

[fairtide]

After reading all the contributions to this battery discussion, I take great pleasure in getting into my car, starting it, and then forgetting all about the battery. Of course I had nothing to forget, as I had not given it a thought to begin with. Some day, maybe, boats will be as simple as cars. I doubt it.