"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 25 May 2004 13:08:42 -0400, "Marty S."
wrote:
I'm shopping around for the right deep cycle battery for my use.. I have
a
12' jon boat with a 65lb electric motor for reservoir fishing here in the
Baltimore (Maryland) area. I'm looking at the tradeoff between weight of
the battteries and length of time on the water.

I was under the understanding that the difference between a Group 27 and
Group 24 battery is the number of plates and/or the size of the plates,
and
that all things being equal, that the Group 27 battery would give me
longer
time on the water.

Here's my question -- as I'm shopping for these batteries (Bass Pro Shop,
Wal-mart, Sears, Auto Zone, Boat/US Marine, etc.) I'm finding that some
Group 24's weigh the same as Group 27s (at Wal-mart and Sears I've gotten
scales from the housewares department and weighed the batteries in the
store!). At Wal-mart the batteries are the same weight but at Sears
there
is a 8-10 pound difference. The weights also don't appear to be
correlated
to reserve capacity, either.

Why would a Group 24 and Group 27 battery from the same manufacturer be
the
same weight??? And, since they are the same weight, why wouldn't the
reserve capacity be the same?
=====================================
Group 24 and group 27 describe the size of the battery case, not what
is inside of it. A battery that weighs more will almost always have
more capacity. My choice would be two 6 volt batteries wired in
series. Each battery by itself is a manageable weight and the two
combined will give you far more capacity than any group 24 or 27.

I would agree with the 6-volt thing with the following exception:
6-volt batts are heavier than you might think. Picking them up
Im always suprised how heavy they are. ;-)
Also, They last WAYYY longer than most 12 volt batts.


I buy 'em at Sams. Around $45.00

db