# 12 VDC 8D vs: 6 VDC Golf Cart Batteries



## bigwalt (Jan 28, 2007)

I am restoring a 45' sailboat. It now is setup for two 12 VDC 8D batteries - but both of them are dead - so I need to replace them. Am I better off replacing them with new deep cycle 8D's - or replacing them with two sets of deep cycle 6 VDC golf cart style batteries? I'd appreciate any comments, recommendations


----------



## k1vsk (Jul 16, 2001)

There are so many opinions which is preferable that it gets silly listening to all the reasons and what-if's. Which would you rather carry, lift, install and replace when the time comes?


----------



## bigwalt (Jan 28, 2007)

Words of wisdom from K1 land ! Thank you ! I never gave the "logistics" much thought - but let me tell you - those dead 8D's were a real PITA to remove and take off the boat. 6 Volt lead acid deep cycle batteries have just moved to the top of my list !!


----------



## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Not only are the 6 volt golf cart batteries easier to move around but 2 golf carts will give you 220 AH or more and the 8D less AH.


----------



## DwayneSpeer (Oct 12, 2003)

Not only are the golf cart bats easier to handle I bet they are less expensive too. Just be careful. A friend bought and installed 4 golf cart batteries 15 months ago to find they were dead this Spring and he was unable to restore them. Turns out he got 8 volt batteries by mistake and didn't recognize it. His charger just ruined them over the winter.


----------



## captbillc (Jul 31, 2008)

i have two sets of 6V golf cart bats on my 30ft nimble. they work great. they were put in in 2002 & i expect them to last for a long time yet.


----------



## GaryHLucas (Mar 24, 2008)

I have a lot of experience with golf cart batteries. I used to build battery powered bench pusher machinery for commercial greenhouses, and also built watering machines that ran off of 8-6 volt batteries. My one customer had 132 batteries to maintain! The single most important thing you can do is buy a GOOD multistage charger. They used to get just two years out of every brand of battery they tried. I finally convinced them to buy some decent chargers, and we got a good price on them, because we bought 75 of them at one time. Now some of their batteries are almost 8 years old and still servicable. More importantly they are never found dead just when you need them.

Gary H. Lucas


----------



## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

I agree Gary - with any battery a proper charger will maximize their service life.


----------



## MJBrown (Apr 1, 2009)

Just replaced a pair of 4Ds with 4 Trojan T105s. Much easier to handle plus 450 AH vs the previous 380. Got them for $120 each from a small local golf cart supply business in the Phila area.


----------



## JonnyQuest (Apr 27, 2010)

I like the idea of the golf cart batteries as well for my future replacements. Do you need to replace them all at the same time? If one dies prematurely halfway through its life, will replacing that single battery drag down the other batteries or will the single replacement be adequate?


----------



## MJBrown (Apr 1, 2009)

Yes you should replace them all at once. If one fails then you can replace just it. Depending on the age and condition of them at the time of failure you would have to determine if there's a risk to replacing just one or not. Just my input. You may get better/different advice on this.


----------



## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

They should be all the same age. If not the older batteries will be overcharged and their life gets shortened. If charged properly they should all last equally except in rare cases.


----------



## donradclife (May 19, 2007)

If you have room (the golf cart batteries are a lot taller), you will be happier with the golf cart batteries.


----------



## JonnyQuest (Apr 27, 2010)

*gc batteries*



donradclife said:


> If you have room (the golf cart batteries are a lot taller), you will be happier with the golf cart batteries.


Batteries and charger replacement at the end of summer. Will relocate them to a taller spot. Maybe under the salon seats--easy maintenance access.


----------



## GaryHLucas (Mar 24, 2008)

My garden tractor (1970 GE Electrak) has 6 golf cart batteries in series for 36 volts. I have had a very difficult time getting the 6 batteries to live the same amount of time. I now have a charger with 3 12 volt outputs that charge pairs of batteries independently. So when a battery dies I replace in pairs to keep the ages balanced. That seems to work well.

I bought my last set of golf cart batteries from Walmart. They had to order them, but the price was like $75 each!

Gary H. Lucas


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I'd point out that the GC2 type golf cart batteries any of the name brand battery makers should be quite good and available in many places for $70 or so. Make sure you have decent access to the batteries, since you'll want to check the water levels regularly. If you have the room (height), you will probably want to buy WaterMisers or HydroCaps for the batteries, as that will minimize the need to add water to them.


----------



## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

sailingdog said:


> I'd point out that the GC2 type golf cart batteries any of the name brand battery makers should be quite good and available in many places for $70 or so. Make sure you have decent access to the batteries, since you'll want to check the water levels regularly. If you have the room (height), you will probably want to buy WaterMisers or HydroCaps for the batteries, as that will minimize the need to add water to them.


Where do you get 6v golf carts for $70! Cheapest I've seen is usually Sams club, and they're usually $85-$90 with a core trade. Trojan T-105s have dropped a bit in price as of late, cheapest I can see them for is ~$100 with core trade.

REVEAL YOUR SOURCES!!!


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Note, I didn't say Trojan T105, specifically because the Trojan T105s seem to be a bit overpriced compared to a lot of other comparable batteries.


----------



## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

sailingdog said:


> Note, I didn't say Trojan T105, specifically because the Trojan T105s seem to be a bit overpriced compared to a lot of other comparable batteries.


I cant find *ANY* brand for less than $85 lately...where do you see any brand for $70? I've seen T105s for $105 with trade, so given $85 from sams club or $105 for Trojans, i'm trending T-105s. But $70 batteries would tip me to be cheap....reveal your sources!!


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

IIRC, the Johnson Control built GC2 batteries are available for about $70 at Sam's Club. Battery World has the Deka GC2's for about $80. YMMV.


----------



## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

night0wl said:


> I cant find *ANY* brand for less than $85 lately...where do you see any brand for $70? I've seen T105s for $105 with trade, so given $85 from sams club or $105 for Trojans, i'm trending T-105s. But $70 batteries would tip me to be cheap....reveal your sources!!


Geez, sometimes living in the US has it's up side.

I coincidentally price T105's in Auckland just yesterday and was quoted NZ$355 excluding tax so basically $400 each. In US$ that amounts to *$290 each.*

And you guys think $105 is expensive!!!!


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Ouch, shipping them to the upside down part of the world must add a bit to the price. :laugher


Omatako said:


> Geez, sometimes living in the US has it's up side.
> 
> I coincidentally price T105's in Auckland just yesterday and was quoted NZ$355 excluding tax so basically $400 each. In US$ that amounts to *$290 each.*
> 
> And you guys think $105 is expensive!!!!


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

JonnyQuest said:


> Batteries and charger replacement at the end of summer. Will relocate them to a taller spot. Maybe under the salon seats--easy maintenance access.


If you are using your batteries less at the end of the summer, then why replace them then? Wait until the start of next summer. You'll have newer batteries, and you'll have the use of about $400 until that time.

Just my 2 cents.

Regards,
Brad


----------

