Re: Redtop Optima okay to run with my boat?
Check this out:<br />
Optima Optima marine battery Starting vs. deep cycle <br />There are other places which go into more detail, but suffice it to say that if ever there is a question which is better, if it is used for more than starting alone go for the deep cycle if you have just one battery, and probably even if you run two. Why do ambulances and other emergency vehicles run optima deep cycle batteries for everything including starting? Because they will be there when the chips are down. Plain starting battery simply will not be. Starting battery will give a little more instantaneous "oomph", but the deep cycle will do almost as well, and will stay alive and useable far, far longer when discharged beyond ten percent. Every time you draw a starting battery down below that you're hurting it in the long run. Deep cycles can go down to perhaps 50% before starting to be damaged.<br /><br />A wild guess says that the main difference between the yellow top and blue top deep cycle Optima batteries (both have light gray case if they are deep cycle) is the location and style of cable attachments. Looks like the marine battery is the only one with screw terminals on top.<br /><br />Bottom line, can you use a red top? Sure, but it will be damaged in time. The deep cycle will thrive in that useage, but a red top will suffer. The other way around will hardly matter. This is why I still can't understand why (in most cases) people like to use the compromise marine starting/deep cycle combo batteries. They are trading away longevity and getting essentially nothing in return, IMO.
