Summer is here, and if you are a boater, you will know how important it is to equip your boat with suitable marine batteries. However, there are many types of marine batteries on the market, how do you know which one is correct?

Choosing the right marine battery is more than just choosing a reliable brand that your customers can trust. Even the best battery depends only on its application and maintenance. Of course, the first thing to understand is the difference between the two most common types of marine batteries: start-up batteries and 12v deep cycle marine batteries.

What is a marine cranking battery?

The marine battery can be a starting battery, a dual-purpose battery, or a deep-cycle battery. They are usually a mixture of starting batteries and deep-cycle batteries. The lead sponge board is thicker and heavier than the starting battery plate, but not as thick as the real deep-cycle battery plate.

If you need a boat starting battery, a marine cranking battery is a good choice. When the ignition switch is activated, the cranking battery allows the ship to start by sending power to the engine. For this reason, these batteries are also called starter batteries. To start the motor, a short but strong burst of energy must be emitted from the battery.

Design features of cranking battery

The larger the surface area of the plates inside the battery, the easier it is for the battery to provide the necessary power. This is why the cranking battery has many thin plates; they increase the surface area and make the marine’s start as smooth and reliable as possible.

The same elements that make cranking batteries ideal for starting an engine also make them less suitable for continuous discharge or “cycling” use. This is why deep-cycle marine batteries are another necessity for boaters.

What is a 12v deep cycle marine battery?

Once the ship’s engine is started, it no longer needs the rapid and powerful burst of energy like the cranking battery. Instead, boats need continuous, reliable power to troll—including operating electronic devices such as sonar, GPS, and radio.

Design features of 12v deep cycle marine battery

This is where the deep-cycle marine battery comes in. There are several design differences for deep-cycle marine batteries or trolling batteries. A key difference is the battery plate: it has fewer and thicker plates, allowing the battery to provide continuous power output for a long time. The deep-cycle battery can be completely depleted and recharged multiple times, while the start-up battery cannot. Deep-cycle marine batteries are much less likely to overheat because their thicker plate structure can withstand high temperatures under high currents.

Why the same battery can’t be used for cranking and trolling?

Any boater wants to minimize the accessories and accessories of their vessel. But in the long run, this method will cost you more money and time. It is very difficult to combine the performance of the cranking battery and the deep-cycle battery into one battery. They are all deliberately designed to do completely different things.

When the cranking battery is subjected to continuously use (such as trolling), it will overheat and use up the available capacity. Similarly, when a 12v deep cycle marine battery is required to provide the burst of energy required to start the engine, it does not always work.
In other words, when you use two separate marine batteries, you usually get the best results and lowest operating costs.

Overview of cranking battery and deep-cycle marine battery

The cranking battery ensures that the boat can easily start and get out of water.
The 12v deep cycle marine battery can keep running and running electronic equipment under any conditions.

The third option (for some people): dual-purpose marine batteries

As with many rules-there may be exceptions. Some dual-purpose batteries can be used for boat starting and trolling at the same time. However, these dual-purpose batteries are not necessarily the right choice for every ship. Although they do mean buying and maintaining one less battery, as with many “two-in-one” options; they don’t always make a boat perform the same as two batteries.

For example, deep-cycle batteries can withstand multiple discharges and recharges, but cranking batteries cannot. Therefore, dual-purpose batteries are somewhere in between. Many cannot withstand the total discharge capacity well (the discharge capacity exceeds 50% of the available capacity).

Dual-purpose batteries are also more prone to overheating under severe conditions, which is certainly not ideal when the ship goes to sea. Nevertheless, if used and maintained properly, these types of batteries can be used well for short trips.

Conclusion

The starting battery is suitable for inboard or outboard marine engines, but if you need to power the trolling motor, please chooses 12v deep cycle marine battery. Ideally, you should have a battery for starting and an auxiliary deep-cycle battery for the trolling motor and accessories. However, if you can only install one battery on board, the battery you choose depends on the required power consumption.