Has anyone tried AGM leakproof sealed batteries? They are supposed to last twice as many discharge cycles as a standard deep cycle without any maintenance or creation of hydrogen gas when recharging. They also are not affected by vibration or bouncing around in the they bow of your boat. And can be laid on there side etc. Cabelas has their own brand as well as the optima brand. Any opinions?
Mwal
What’s the cost on the AGM’s?
Cabela’s are $129 and $159 for group 27 and group 30. Optima are $169 to $199. My standard batteries get changed about every 3 years. Just wondering if added cost is worth it. Manufactures claim upto 7 years life.
Mwal
Unless you have some space limitations that would require mounting batteries on their side, etc., I don’t see the benefit in a battery that lasts twice as long but costs 3 times as much. I always had great success with the cheapie deep cycles from Fleetfarm or Walmart. $50 – 60 bucks depending on size and maintenance was minimal, to say the least. Keep them on an auto-charger and they’re always ready to hit the water. This spring I bought a used boat with a set of optimas for the front electric. It was a 3 year old boat and the optimas were toast. Wouldn’t hold a charge any more so they got replaced with batteries from Wallmart.
Unless there’s some other huge benefits I guess I would just stick with the cheapies. But that’s just me.
I have the Dual-Pro AGM and I wish I got them a long time ago. I love them. With the old lead acid Interstate batteries I had I wad to be careful not to over do it or they would drain in a day. Now with the same class battery but in AGM I can go almost two full days and still have juice if I need too.
I ordered mine direct from Dual-Pro and got a geat deal. Even after I paid the truck shipping it was cheaper than retail.
If you use the boat heavily like I do I recommend them. But if you don’t and you’ve gotten along fine with lead-acid the AGM’s probably aren’t worth the cost.
I run Dual Pro’s AGM batteries also . They hold their charge even after fighting wind all day or holding in current, they just don’t give up. My trolling batteries sit up in the nose on their side and take a beating. Had them for 2 years now and won’t go back to lead acids.
I’ve come full circle on this after having problems with a set of Dual Pro’s. My first pair lasted a couple months before they stopped holding a full charge. They were covered by warranty and the replacement set started to do the same thing this fall. I going back to interstate batteries.
What are you guy’s using in the Pro-Vee’s where the battery compartment is located below the center rod locker. It is somewhat of a hassle to get at this location, therefore I am thinking of installing the Cabelas AGM series because they don’t require the maintaince that a lead acid battery does.
I used to run Trolling Thunder AGM’s. $150 each. I got one year out of them. I was told certain chargers are not meant to charge AGM batteries. I have had great luck with Interstate and Trojan. I may only need to add water twice a year. 
I run my batteries harded than most. 12 hours a day. Often stretches of every day for weeks at a time. 150 – 200 days a year in the heat and in the winter at WELL below zero. Cheapies coupled with an on-board charger work for me and I don’t run out of power at the end of the day… unless I forget to plug in the charger the night before. 
I have to agree with James on this. I also run walmart batteries,everstart. I am on my third year with them and as long as I charge them they are good to go. Over 100 days on the water and very happy. I also like that if I do have a problem there is a walmart not to far away.
Ron
Thanks for the different opinions. My research agrees that I am better off with my standard deep cycle as I use the onboard guest charger after every use and never run out of power with my 24 volt system. Thanks for the input. This is why this site is a great resource for information.
Mwal
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