Can a Gel Battery Run a Windlass?

Question:

Jeff, thanks for your videos! Always very instructive!  My new-to-me boat has the windlass wired to the house battery. I replaced the battery bank with Gel from AGM, and it seems the windlass is not getting enough power to retrieve the anchor/chain. I know I have to rewire to the starter battery (and run the engine) but can you explain if Gel would behave differently than AGM and why we shouldn't use house battery for windlass (and bow thrusters while we're at it) -thanks! - Philippe

Answer:

Either an AGM or a Gel battery should be able to run your windlass quite well. As you probably know Gel batteries are very particular about their charging profile requirements.  Is your battery charger custom set to the exact battery charging requirements set by the Gel battery manufacturer? Sounds like you might have a weak Gel battery or a bad connection at the Gel battery or it’s a coincidence.