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I'm getting ready to purchase a battery and was wondering if there is a brand, type, or size that gets a positive review from others who have used them? I am liking the Wal-Mart Everstart marine batteries because of their price, but my better judgement says that I will get what I pay for in the long run. Thoughts?

I will be using this on my 17' Super Sport with a Johnson 90hp two stroke, minimal lighting, no trolling motor, fish/depth finder. I usually spend about ~10 hours on the water.

-Kurt

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Group 24 is fairly standard for most all use except for an electric trolling motor.
Group 27 batteries are heavier and not really needed for smaller Whalers.

I heard the Wal-Mart batteries are great but haven't tried one yet.

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I use Trojan batteries, don't know if they are available in you area though. Two group 24 ships power and a Costco group 27 for the ELEC-TRA-MATE reels.

http://www.trojan-battery.com/products/marine.aspx

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My last 2 boat batteries and 1 Suburban battery have been Wal-Mart. Not a bit of trouble from any of them [knocking on wood]. I keep a 6w solar trickle charge on the boats.

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We got 2 new Interstate Marine batt's last season and I left them in the boat all winter this year (usually take them in). They still had a excellent charge on them after 6+ months of sitting, ran the trim motor strong, and only took 2A on the charger....

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I bought two Everstart group 27 batteries for use in my 13 footer last summer. I realize this is overkill, but one is for the electric trolling motor and one is for the outboard. With these two batteries I can run the trolling motor for 8-10 hours, if my outboard quits. My boat sat idle for over 4 months, and the batteries came up to a full charge in 1/2 hour each. I`ve used them before and never had any trouble. I just put one in my car two months ago.If you travel and have a problem with a Walmart battery that is under warranty, There is a Walmart in about every town.

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I have an Interstate for over a year and I use a Minnkota for 3-4 hours and it still starts the Evinrude at the end of the day without any trouble. I think that it is the best battery that I have owned so far. I keep a 2 amp trickle charger on it when not in use.

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If you really want to go high end I run spiral cell sealed marine batteries by Optima Batteries. They last much longer and hold a charge for what seems like forever. They are expensive but smaller/lighter and definitely perform well. They can be mounted upside down if you so desire -- a lot of offshore race boats use them for their high vibration tolerance and the fact they are spill-proof.

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I have also heard good things about Optima batteries. Expensive but top of the line.

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You probably already know, the whole "which battery is best" thing is confusing. It's worse than tires when it comes to rebranding. Johnson Controls is a battery giant representing Duralast, DieHard, Everstart, Optima, etc. There are plenty of others. It's hard to know who the heck actually builds a battery. The Battery FAQ is a good source for general info (http://www.batteryfaq.org/).

That said, I've had good luck with Exide wet cells and with the Exide Orbital AGM. I've had poor luck with the Optima AGM and know several others who hate them. They are popular in the off-roading community where heavy demand is common. A lot of those guys really like them. I won't ever buy another Optima. .02

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I run two batteries, once for starting and the other for electronics.

I got a new west marine group 24 the other day for 60 bucks so I added that.

Up to then, I've used everstart batteriies for the last three boats and think they are fine. Keep em charged though; it does seem they have an issue with a partial discharge "memory"

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I had 2 Optimas fail on one of my Jeeps.

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I looked around quite a bit and settled on the Cabela's AGM's (a 24 and a 27 group) as a compromise. I was a bit worried about the Optimas because I have seen several negative comments like the ones here. There are lots of "generic" low dollar batteries out there.

The Cabela's ones won me because they had a really nice grey plastic housing that won't leave black marks on my non-skid when I slide them out of the tray under the seat. Since I have a 13 footer, I jettison the trolling battery when I'm not fishing. They also had bolts in the top for a better connection than wing nuts and studs. I'm planning to add a connector to facilitate that easier. Totally sealed and maintenance free helps as well. I will have to see how they hold up over time, but I've seen good reports.

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Thanks for all of the information. Optima's are out of my price range. I am going to pick up a Wal-Mart Everstart this weekend. I priced one at 61.94. I eventually would like to run dual batteries as I will hopefully be adding a trolling rig sometime this summer.

Thanks to all who commented.

-Kurt