The Best Pontoon Boat Battery: Starting vs Deep Cycle
Marine
- Sponsor
- OPTIMA Batteries
- Location
- Glendale, WI
There seems to be distinct camps of pontoon boat owners. There are those who primarily use their boats for cocktail cruises and those who use them as more of an all-purpose party barge- towing tubes and blasting tunes. There will be some occasional hybrid fishing pontoon boaters and others who don't fall into those distinct camps, but the vast majority of pontoon boaters we see can probably identify with how those boaters use their pontoons.
The cocktail cruise pontoon boat owners, primarily use the boats to cruise a waterway. Maybe they make a run over to a supper club or dock at a friend's house for dinner. All they really need is a reliable battery that starts their engine. For those boaters, we would recommend an appropriately sized OPTIMA BLUETOP. OPTIMA BLUETOPs come in three different group sizes, from the smallest battery to the largest, they are the Group 34, 27 and 31. We know the numbers don't match these sizes and we don't know why the BCI lists them that way.
Our Group 34 batteries come in two varieties- a D34M that can be used for both engine starting and deep-cycle use and a 34M that is designed only for engine starting. The 34M is the least expensive option of the four BLUETOPs and is often capable of starting engines up to 200 horsepower, but you should always check the recommendations of your engine manufacturer. If your pontoon boat has an engine smaller than 200 horsepower, but you may need some reserve capacity to run a stereo or some other electrical accessories with the engine off, then the OPTIMA D34M can give you 750 CCA of starting power, while also being designed for deep cycle use.
If your pontoon boat has a larger engine or more significant deep-cycle electrical demands, you would want to consider either a Group D27M or D31M BLUETOP. However, even those larger batteries have their limitations and at some point, you may want to consider an isolated battery just for engine starting and a house battery or bank of house batteries for your accessories.
What About Lithium?
OPTIMA's ORANGETOP lithium batteries come in Group 31 sizes for both dual purpose engine starting/deep-cycle and dedicated deep-cycle use. The Q31M-DP120 ORANGETOP can be used for engine starting with 1000 lithium marine cranking amps and 120AH of reserve capacity. By comparison, the D31M BLUETOP is rated 75AH and the superior efficiency of lithium batteries will allow you to use more of the rated capacity of a lithium battery than an AGM lead-acid battery.
OPTIMA's Q31M-DC150 ORANGETOP is the ultimate deep-cycle battery, offering 150AH of capacity. In addition to offering far more capacity than lead-acid batteries, OPTIMA's lithium marine batteries have vastly superior cycle life. However, the choice to use an OPTIMA lithium battery (or any other lithium battery) really comes down to two factors- how you plan to use the batteries and how often you plan to use the batteries.
If you take your pontoon boat to the local sandbar and blast music all afternoon long on a huge stereo system, while also powering on onboard cooler, then a lithium battery with significantly more reserve capacity makes a lot of sense. Likewise, if you run a charter boat that sees five to seven days a week of use, that amount of cycling is well-suited for lithium batteries. If your pontoon boat only sees weekend use a couple dozen times a year, then an AGM battery, like an OPTIMA BLUETOP is probably the right choice for you.
Safety First!
If you are considering a lithium marine battery for a marine environment, there are a couple certifications that should be mandatory for your options. The lithium marine battery should be IP67 rated against water intrusion. We watched some lithium brands try to enter the marine market with IP65-rated batteries or batteries with no protection against water intrusion at all. IP67 means the battery can be completely submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes. That's the certification you want.
Ask most experienced boaters and they'll tell you multiple stories about how they submerged their boat batteries- getting caught in bad weather, taking a big wave over the bow and even getting soaked while it was parked on a trailer in the driveway. Marine batteries can get submerged and you want a battery that can handle that scenario.
The other certifications you should look for are UL and IEC. All of OPTIMA's ORANGETOP lithium marine batteries have been tested and/or certified by independent third parties to the following applicable testing standards: UL 1973, UL 2580, UN38.3, IEC 62619 and IEC 63057. Google can get into the weeds on what all those testing standards mean, but they include a series of safety testing protocols for these batteries at both the cell and battery level.
If other lithium brands have such certifications, it is often only at the cell level. OPTIMA ORANGETOP lithium batteries also have UN38.3 certification, which means they are safe to ship. Our Group 31 ORANGETOP batteries have also completed the Bluetooth Qualification process. That means Bluetooth connectivity with your phone works like you'd expect it would, instead of a knock-off version that doesn't work on an Android phones or only works in Mandarin on iPhones.
Proper Maintenance is Key!
Regardless of the technology you choose, the best thing you can do to maximize battery performance and lifespan is to keep your battery properly maintained whenever possible. We're so confident this is true, we'll extend the free replacement warranty on your OPTIMA battery by a full year, if you purchase an OPTIMA D1200+ battery charger from us, when you purchase your OPTIMA battery.
The cocktail cruise pontoon boat owners, primarily use the boats to cruise a waterway. Maybe they make a run over to a supper club or dock at a friend's house for dinner. All they really need is a reliable battery that starts their engine. For those boaters, we would recommend an appropriately sized OPTIMA BLUETOP. OPTIMA BLUETOPs come in three different group sizes, from the smallest battery to the largest, they are the Group 34, 27 and 31. We know the numbers don't match these sizes and we don't know why the BCI lists them that way.
Our Group 34 batteries come in two varieties- a D34M that can be used for both engine starting and deep-cycle use and a 34M that is designed only for engine starting. The 34M is the least expensive option of the four BLUETOPs and is often capable of starting engines up to 200 horsepower, but you should always check the recommendations of your engine manufacturer. If your pontoon boat has an engine smaller than 200 horsepower, but you may need some reserve capacity to run a stereo or some other electrical accessories with the engine off, then the OPTIMA D34M can give you 750 CCA of starting power, while also being designed for deep cycle use.
If your pontoon boat has a larger engine or more significant deep-cycle electrical demands, you would want to consider either a Group D27M or D31M BLUETOP. However, even those larger batteries have their limitations and at some point, you may want to consider an isolated battery just for engine starting and a house battery or bank of house batteries for your accessories.
What About Lithium?
OPTIMA's ORANGETOP lithium batteries come in Group 31 sizes for both dual purpose engine starting/deep-cycle and dedicated deep-cycle use. The Q31M-DP120 ORANGETOP can be used for engine starting with 1000 lithium marine cranking amps and 120AH of reserve capacity. By comparison, the D31M BLUETOP is rated 75AH and the superior efficiency of lithium batteries will allow you to use more of the rated capacity of a lithium battery than an AGM lead-acid battery.
OPTIMA's Q31M-DC150 ORANGETOP is the ultimate deep-cycle battery, offering 150AH of capacity. In addition to offering far more capacity than lead-acid batteries, OPTIMA's lithium marine batteries have vastly superior cycle life. However, the choice to use an OPTIMA lithium battery (or any other lithium battery) really comes down to two factors- how you plan to use the batteries and how often you plan to use the batteries.
If you take your pontoon boat to the local sandbar and blast music all afternoon long on a huge stereo system, while also powering on onboard cooler, then a lithium battery with significantly more reserve capacity makes a lot of sense. Likewise, if you run a charter boat that sees five to seven days a week of use, that amount of cycling is well-suited for lithium batteries. If your pontoon boat only sees weekend use a couple dozen times a year, then an AGM battery, like an OPTIMA BLUETOP is probably the right choice for you.
Safety First!
If you are considering a lithium marine battery for a marine environment, there are a couple certifications that should be mandatory for your options. The lithium marine battery should be IP67 rated against water intrusion. We watched some lithium brands try to enter the marine market with IP65-rated batteries or batteries with no protection against water intrusion at all. IP67 means the battery can be completely submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes. That's the certification you want.
Ask most experienced boaters and they'll tell you multiple stories about how they submerged their boat batteries- getting caught in bad weather, taking a big wave over the bow and even getting soaked while it was parked on a trailer in the driveway. Marine batteries can get submerged and you want a battery that can handle that scenario.
The other certifications you should look for are UL and IEC. All of OPTIMA's ORANGETOP lithium marine batteries have been tested and/or certified by independent third parties to the following applicable testing standards: UL 1973, UL 2580, UN38.3, IEC 62619 and IEC 63057. Google can get into the weeds on what all those testing standards mean, but they include a series of safety testing protocols for these batteries at both the cell and battery level.
If other lithium brands have such certifications, it is often only at the cell level. OPTIMA ORANGETOP lithium batteries also have UN38.3 certification, which means they are safe to ship. Our Group 31 ORANGETOP batteries have also completed the Bluetooth Qualification process. That means Bluetooth connectivity with your phone works like you'd expect it would, instead of a knock-off version that doesn't work on an Android phones or only works in Mandarin on iPhones.
Proper Maintenance is Key!
Regardless of the technology you choose, the best thing you can do to maximize battery performance and lifespan is to keep your battery properly maintained whenever possible. We're so confident this is true, we'll extend the free replacement warranty on your OPTIMA battery by a full year, if you purchase an OPTIMA D1200+ battery charger from us, when you purchase your OPTIMA battery.