Quote Originally Posted by huntersdad View Post
I read that CDI recommends not using agm or maintenance free batteries or it voids the warranty. And my regulator/rectifier is only to maintain battery voltage and replenish lost voltage by starting, not designed to charge the battery so i may have to get a separate cranking only battery. I have a deep cycle battery currently that I am using to start the outboard but also have all my electronics on it also. The more I read the more conflicting information I get, some say its okay to use the battery I have and then others say it's a no go. I was trying to keep my weight down and not have to get another battery since I already have 2 group 27 for the trolling motor and the current 27 I am using now.

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The reason behind that is because the charging system is unregulated, if ran for extended periods it can cause some electrolyte loss in the battery. Typically with those systems you will not see much at idle, but after running at speed for a good while you should see some voltage increase, often higher than 14v. If you're making a lot of short runs it may take a while to come up.