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Home>The Model Range>Care instructions>Battery
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It is useful to have two batteries on board the boat, one for engine start-up and the other for electrical appliances.
Many boat owners choose standard car batteries for their boats. They are relatively inexpensive and can be used safely for many years. Battery life is shortened by extended periods of inactivity, improper charging or excessive use of power.
Generally, car batteries are conventional lead-acid batteries that require constant checking of battery fluid level and proper ventilation of the battery space. When fluid level reaches its lower limits, battery cells are topped up with distilled water (never use tap water!)
The best batteries for use in boats are gel lead acid batteries, whose lifetime notably exceeds that of wet-cell lead acid batteries.
Maintenance-free batteries are also used widely today. They require no fluid top-ups at all.
Battery charge status can be checked by measuring the specific gravity with a hydrometer. This is a way to determine whether the battery needs charging. A battery’s ability to start the boat engine can be determined at a petrol station or battery maintenance service by means of a load test, in which a load is applied on the battery for a few times and the voltage drop is measured during the load period.
NOTE! If you store your batteries in the boat over the winter, it is a good idea to charge them a few times beforehand to improve their endurance against sub-zero temperatures.
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