In spite of charging the battery twice since June and not using any power except one day for two hours with the autopilot, the battery would not hold a charge. As a result I decided to replace it with a lithium battery. I found a 20 AH lithium battery on Amazon for $65 delivered.
Battery power is only needed for the LED lights and the new Autohelm 2,000+. I use a Prostart for heading and speed. I have an old Garmin 76cx that I can use for a chartplotter if needed.
When I pulled the old battery I discovered the previous owner had purchased a marine starting battery, not a deep cycle battery. That is probably the reason the battery would not hold a charge in that it has been used as a deep cycle for the last couple of years. I am quite sure it was never charged by the previous owner.
