J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment best replacement batteries?

When I had Rhapsody I bought two Group 24 sealed Lead Acid batteries from Walmart for $70 each. I replaced them after 7 years, because I thought it was a good idea, not that there was a sign they were loosing capacity. I had a Xantrex smart charger (Dual 10 amp) that was connected on the dock. When I sailed the boat I used battery 1 on odd days and battery 2 on even days to get equal usage out of them. Similar to Russ when night sailing I swapped to the other battery and started the engine to charge (then battery switch placed on all).

I left the batteries on the boat in the winter but stopped by once a month to top them off with the battery charger. If the batteries discharge the electrolyte will freeze and crack the case.