RE: [A/S] TT Batteries

["Perry Joe Scudder" <perryjoe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Bob,
I put two Optima batteries in my 34' Limited in the spring of 2001 before
taking off to Alaska on the WBCCI Caravan. I also installed a 50 watt Solar
Panel to keep the batteries charged while parked in the storage lot, because
there is no power there to hook up to. I have not had one minute of trouble
out of that setup. I have stayed as much as 4 days with no electric hookup
on some of the caravans sense installing them. I also live in Wilmington,
NC, where it is warm enough to not need much in the way of winterizing. I
have used the battery / furnace setup to run the furnace on a 45 degree
setting for several days at a time when an early cold spell caught me short
of winterizing time. The batteries keep the furnace fan going as needed and
the daytime output of the solar cells keep the battery good for several
days.
I also have a 24' Boston Whaler Boat that I fish off shore for King
Mackerel, which has lots of electronics on board. I have two size 29 Life
Line AGM batteries in it. I did some research on AGM batteries and ended up
choosing the Life Line brand over Optima for the boat. It had nothing to do
with them being in a boat, they just had better specs than the Optima
batteries. They are expensive, at Batteries Plus anyway. I don't remember
exactly what I paid for the two in the boat, but remember them being about
$175 each for the size 29's. Life Line Batteries were developed for the
Military, and have excellent specs in all areas. My boat set in dry storage
for 10 months, and the batteries started the 175 HP engines with no problem
at all at the end of this long storage period.
I think I would use the Life Line brand if I had to replace the batteries in
the Airstream today, but will do my research again when that time comes. You
can bet they will be AGM technology of some brand though.

Joe Scudder
WBCCI 8624