I'm now working with the shipyard and engineers who are doing the final
design and engineering for this vessel:

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/UMDconcept.htm

The electrical subcontractors were at the last meeting and I asked them
about using AGM batteries in the boat. They said they wouldn't consider
using anything else. I said, "Safety?"

They said, "No, better performance. The safety is just icing on the cake."

These guys not only design the electrical systems for very sophisticated
vessels but things like remote telephone switching stations and computer
server sites. A lot of the systems they design run unattended and a
battery explosion could create damages up into the seven figure range.

I'm sure that, if you like tinkering with batteries the way Larry does, wet
cells make sense as a hobby in themselves. There also may be some
advantages for boat spending long periods in remote parts of the world. For
most of us though, this is the most knowledgable vote I've heard yet for
using AGM's.

--
Roger Long