The red optima will probably be fine for you. A traditional battery is weakened by repeated drain and charge cycles, like in an application where there is no ability to charge the battery (many smaller boats). For these applications, a deep cell battery is used because it is designed to handle repeated charge/drain/charge cycles. If you don't see yourself in this type of situation frequently, then a red optima will be fine.

Take care,
-Chris

 

moose-man,

This is copied from the FAQ at the Optima battery site:

12. What is the difference between your deep cycle and starter battery?
The OPTIMA deep cycle battery utilizes a different chemistry for the active paste material on the plates, and a slightly stronger acid. This chemistry changes allows for a much longer life in cycling applications, with only a slight reduction in power.

13. What does deep cycle mean?
Deep cycle means using the battery in an application that will typically discharge 60% to 70% or more of the batter y capacity. An automotive battery is an SLI (starting, lighting, ignition) battery. It's plates are designed to deliver maximum power for a short duration. Starting a car typically discharges an SLI battery only 1% to 3%. When an SLI battery is used in a deep cycle application, or in a vehicle with heavy accessory loads, the battery life will be shortened proportionally to how deeply it is cycled on a regular basis.



14. When should I consider a deep cycle?
Any time you need the battery to supply all the operating power for a vehicle or other device. Additionally, deep cycle batteries should be used in vehicles that have heavy accessory loads where the alternator cannot maintain the battery in a fully charged condition.


Hope this helps.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

I just bought an Everstart Maxx from Walmart. It's manufactured by Johnson Controls Battery Division.

It cost me $49 and has a 9 year warranty. The kicker is that it's a 3 year totally free replacement warranty and don't pro-rate until after 3 years. I've not heard of a battery with these warranty durations before and at $49 it's a heck of a steal.

I have an Otima for my boat trolling motor and it's great. I used to burn through a deep-cycle battery every 2 years and at about $100 each for a name-brand battery it seemed to make sense to go the Optima route since if it only even goes 2 years I save money. For my truck I could not justify the Optima route, especially since I ran across that deal at Walmart.