How Long Does a Pontoon Boat Battery Last?
Marine
- Sponsor
- OPTIMA Batteries
- Location
- Glendale, WI
Pontoon boat batteries might be one of those things you don't really think about until they stop working. Then all kinds of questions come up, including how long they usually last. If you're in the market for a new battery for your pontoon boat, you might be wondering how long you should expect it a pontoon boat battery to work, which is certainly a reasonable question. However, the answer is directly tied to three things- the type of battery you choose, how you use the battery and how you maintain the battery.
Pontoon Boat Battery Types
Most pontoon boat owners will choose between three types of battery technologies- flooded lead-acid, AGM lead-acid or lithium. There are also generally two types of batteries- those designed and warrantied only for engine starting and those designed and warrantied for both engine starting and deep-cycle use (like running your stereo while your boat is parked at a sand bar).
In terms of cycle life, quality lithium batteries generally offer the most cycle life, followed by AGM batteries and then flooded batteries. However, more cycle life also tends to come with a higher price tag up front. Cycle life may also not be the same thing as battery lifespan. We know of OPTIMA AGM batteries that have lasted 20 years or longer, but we don't know that anyone will ever see a 12-volt lithium battery last that long (most lithium battery brands haven't even been around 20 years).
Do you know anyone using a 20-year old lithium battery in their cell phone? Probably not. However, while lithium batteries work, they will offer far more cycle life than flooded or AGM lead-acid batteries, but you should do the math. If a lithium battery brand is claiming or promoting 4,000 cycles and you use your pontoon boat every Saturday, it may take 77 years of Saturdays to get through 4,000 cycles...if you even discharge the battery deeply enough each Saturday to consider it a cycle. The reality is, lithium batteries will degrade and stop working well before most people ever see that 4,000th cycle, if they're not cycling them on a much more frequent basis than once a week.
Pontoon Boat Battery Usage
We should also note that if you don't use the correct battery type for your pontoon boat, you may also see diminished lifespan. The most common example would be someone who uses a starting battery for both engine starting and deep-cycle use, like running your stereo system for hours on end with the engine turned off or running a trolling motor with an engine starting battery. If you plan to use electrical accessories for a significant amount of time with the engine turned off, be sure they are powered by a battery designed for deep-cycle use.
OPTIMA's BLUETOP batteries (except the 34M) are designed for both starting and deep-cycle use, as is our DP120 ORANGETOP lithium battery. OPTIMA's 34M BLUETOP is only designed & warrantied for starting use, so if you just use your pontoon boat to cruise around the lake in the evenings or on the weekends, that's the perfect choice. OPTIMA's DC150 ORANGETOP lithium battery is only designed for deep-cycle use, like a house battery or for trolling motors, so you shouldn't use it for engine starting.
The more deeply you cycle a lead-acid battery (flooded or AGM), the fewer cycles you will get out of it, so if you know you'll be deeply discharging your pontoon boat battery on a regular basis and you plan on using some type of lead-acid battery, we'd suggest using a battery with the most reserve capacity (Ah, not CCA) that you can find. Lithium batteries will offer the most cycles and the most availability of stated reserve capacity, but as we illustrated with the Saturday example, they are typically overkill for recreational boaters. Some other brands may not tell you that, because all they sell are lithium batteries and when all you have is a lithium hammer, everything looks like a lithium nail. Tournament anglers or fishing guides who spend 200+ days a year on the water will really see the most benefit from lithium battery cycle life, but if you need to have the loudest boat on the sandbar, lithium might also be the best option for you as well.
Pontoon Boat Battery Maintenance
Perhaps the single biggest factor to how long a pontoon boat battery will last is how the battery is maintained when it is not being used. The best practice is to keep a pontoon boat battery fully-charged whenever possible. For most lead-acid batteries, including the OPTIMA 34M BLUETOP, fully-charged voltage is about 12.6-12.8 volts. For the other BLUETOPs, fully-charged voltage is about 13.0-13.2 volts. Keeping your battery on a quality battery maintenance device while it is in storage or not in use is the best practice for maximizing battery performance and lifespan. That also ensures the battery is ready to perform when you need it next.
OPTIMA's ORANGETOP lithium batteries will measure about 14.0 volts fully-charged and if you do need to charge them with a stand-alone battery charger, it should be designed for use with lithium batteries (your boat engine can maintain voltage just fine). OPTIMA's ORANGETOP batteries also have convenient on/off buttons to turn off power and prevent discharge. You can also view battery voltage level, cycle life and other information on OPTIMA ORANGETOP batteries via the OPTIMA Lithium Bluetooth app.
Conclusion
You may see other sites suggest a specific number of years a battery will last, but as we've explained, without knowing what battery technology or type, how the battery is being used and how it is being maintained, it will be tough to offer such an estimate with any degree of accuracy. What we can tell you is to choose the battery that makes the most sense for your pontoon boat.
If your current battery is a flooded lead-acid battery and it worked for two or three seasons, we advertise that our BLUETOP AGM batteries can last up to three times as long as a flooded lead-acid battery. OPTIMA's ORANGETOP batteries offer exponentially more cycle life than our BLUETOP AGM batteries, but you need to be a serious boater to take full advantage of those performance benefits.
OPTIMA doesn't even offer a flooded lead-acid battery, but we'll tell you that's the right choice for your pontoon boat, if you don't plan on keeping the boat much longer or if buying an OPTIMA battery would double the value of your pontoon boat. If you plan to hang onto your pontoon boat for a while, OPTIMA's BLUETOP AGM batteries make a lot of sense for most pontoon boat owners. If your pontoon boat is the life of the party on the sandbar or you just need to have the biggest, most-powerful battery you can find, then OPTIMA's ORANGETOP lithium batteries are the right choice.
Pontoon Boat Battery Types
Most pontoon boat owners will choose between three types of battery technologies- flooded lead-acid, AGM lead-acid or lithium. There are also generally two types of batteries- those designed and warrantied only for engine starting and those designed and warrantied for both engine starting and deep-cycle use (like running your stereo while your boat is parked at a sand bar).
In terms of cycle life, quality lithium batteries generally offer the most cycle life, followed by AGM batteries and then flooded batteries. However, more cycle life also tends to come with a higher price tag up front. Cycle life may also not be the same thing as battery lifespan. We know of OPTIMA AGM batteries that have lasted 20 years or longer, but we don't know that anyone will ever see a 12-volt lithium battery last that long (most lithium battery brands haven't even been around 20 years).
Do you know anyone using a 20-year old lithium battery in their cell phone? Probably not. However, while lithium batteries work, they will offer far more cycle life than flooded or AGM lead-acid batteries, but you should do the math. If a lithium battery brand is claiming or promoting 4,000 cycles and you use your pontoon boat every Saturday, it may take 77 years of Saturdays to get through 4,000 cycles...if you even discharge the battery deeply enough each Saturday to consider it a cycle. The reality is, lithium batteries will degrade and stop working well before most people ever see that 4,000th cycle, if they're not cycling them on a much more frequent basis than once a week.
Pontoon Boat Battery Usage
We should also note that if you don't use the correct battery type for your pontoon boat, you may also see diminished lifespan. The most common example would be someone who uses a starting battery for both engine starting and deep-cycle use, like running your stereo system for hours on end with the engine turned off or running a trolling motor with an engine starting battery. If you plan to use electrical accessories for a significant amount of time with the engine turned off, be sure they are powered by a battery designed for deep-cycle use.
OPTIMA's BLUETOP batteries (except the 34M) are designed for both starting and deep-cycle use, as is our DP120 ORANGETOP lithium battery. OPTIMA's 34M BLUETOP is only designed & warrantied for starting use, so if you just use your pontoon boat to cruise around the lake in the evenings or on the weekends, that's the perfect choice. OPTIMA's DC150 ORANGETOP lithium battery is only designed for deep-cycle use, like a house battery or for trolling motors, so you shouldn't use it for engine starting.
The more deeply you cycle a lead-acid battery (flooded or AGM), the fewer cycles you will get out of it, so if you know you'll be deeply discharging your pontoon boat battery on a regular basis and you plan on using some type of lead-acid battery, we'd suggest using a battery with the most reserve capacity (Ah, not CCA) that you can find. Lithium batteries will offer the most cycles and the most availability of stated reserve capacity, but as we illustrated with the Saturday example, they are typically overkill for recreational boaters. Some other brands may not tell you that, because all they sell are lithium batteries and when all you have is a lithium hammer, everything looks like a lithium nail. Tournament anglers or fishing guides who spend 200+ days a year on the water will really see the most benefit from lithium battery cycle life, but if you need to have the loudest boat on the sandbar, lithium might also be the best option for you as well.
Pontoon Boat Battery Maintenance
Perhaps the single biggest factor to how long a pontoon boat battery will last is how the battery is maintained when it is not being used. The best practice is to keep a pontoon boat battery fully-charged whenever possible. For most lead-acid batteries, including the OPTIMA 34M BLUETOP, fully-charged voltage is about 12.6-12.8 volts. For the other BLUETOPs, fully-charged voltage is about 13.0-13.2 volts. Keeping your battery on a quality battery maintenance device while it is in storage or not in use is the best practice for maximizing battery performance and lifespan. That also ensures the battery is ready to perform when you need it next.
OPTIMA's ORANGETOP lithium batteries will measure about 14.0 volts fully-charged and if you do need to charge them with a stand-alone battery charger, it should be designed for use with lithium batteries (your boat engine can maintain voltage just fine). OPTIMA's ORANGETOP batteries also have convenient on/off buttons to turn off power and prevent discharge. You can also view battery voltage level, cycle life and other information on OPTIMA ORANGETOP batteries via the OPTIMA Lithium Bluetooth app.
Conclusion
You may see other sites suggest a specific number of years a battery will last, but as we've explained, without knowing what battery technology or type, how the battery is being used and how it is being maintained, it will be tough to offer such an estimate with any degree of accuracy. What we can tell you is to choose the battery that makes the most sense for your pontoon boat.
If your current battery is a flooded lead-acid battery and it worked for two or three seasons, we advertise that our BLUETOP AGM batteries can last up to three times as long as a flooded lead-acid battery. OPTIMA's ORANGETOP batteries offer exponentially more cycle life than our BLUETOP AGM batteries, but you need to be a serious boater to take full advantage of those performance benefits.
OPTIMA doesn't even offer a flooded lead-acid battery, but we'll tell you that's the right choice for your pontoon boat, if you don't plan on keeping the boat much longer or if buying an OPTIMA battery would double the value of your pontoon boat. If you plan to hang onto your pontoon boat for a while, OPTIMA's BLUETOP AGM batteries make a lot of sense for most pontoon boat owners. If your pontoon boat is the life of the party on the sandbar or you just need to have the biggest, most-powerful battery you can find, then OPTIMA's ORANGETOP lithium batteries are the right choice.