Trolling motor battery preferences

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BackwaterNH

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Mar 28, 2012
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Location
Lake Winni, NH
I am curious what batteries you guys prefer. I have tried the Everstart batteries from Wal-Mart with not much luck. They don't seem to last very long. I have a good charger and use a Minn Kota 55lb motor. I have run out of warranty freebies so now I am looking at other brands. They are about double the price of the Everstart which tells me I shouldn't have purchased one in the first place. Haha. Also I have looked at a few solar chargers/ tenders and like the idea but have no experience with them. Any info or advice?
 
4 seasons ago, I picked up an Everstart because I heard from aquaintances that they were the best deep cycle for your buck. Have had zero problems so far. Keep the water level maintained(add distilled water only....AFTER charging.) and be sure to drain the battery quite far before charging. Don't charge every time used, this will wear them out quicker! Starting season 5 on my battery, will see how it goes....I only expect 4-5 years out of any battery, just like the one in the truck.
 
Thanks for the tips. Maybe I charged it too often. I thought I should be able to get 3 or 4 seasons out of a battery. I think I'll charge the ones I have then have them checked at my local shop, I don't have a load tester. Hopefully one of them is still good.
 
I use Decka Marine,but the secret of long battery life is a really good quality charger. I have a Minn Kota and it is plugged in 24/7 when I am not using the boat.
 
I like Stowaway because of how long their life is. They last for a long time if they are kept charged and full of distilled water.
 
gillhunter said:
I use Decka Marine,but the secret of long battery life is a really good quality charger. I have a Minn Kota and it is plugged in 24/7 when I am not using the boat.

I'll second that.
 
bassin4fun said:
and be sure to drain the battery quite far before charging. Don't charge every time used, this will wear them out quicker!

They should be charged after every use. Never let them sit for any period in a discharged state. All mfg recommendations say to charge immediatly after use and NOT to deeply discharge them.

I have two of the walmart group 29 and have been performing fine. I have read of others and they seem to have high failure rates. if the new battery has same issues, best to check your charger and make sure it is putting out the right voltages for the stages.
 
Just an FYI, Wal-mart doesn't warranty their deep cycle batteries anymore. You get a bad one now and it's just tough noogies for you.

I just replaced my very last Everstart I'll ever buy. It lasted exactly a year. I replaced it with a Cabelas brand deep cycle that comes with an 18 month warranty. This is a sealed battery that needs no service. Yes it cost twice as much as an unwarrantied Wally battery, but there wasn't a core charge for my old batt. either. I figure if I get 2 years out of the Cabelas batt. that's one less time I have to fool with pulling the thing out of the boat.
 
I use Optima Blue tops for my trolling motor. I am very pleased with it. Just 2 weeks ago I trolled up river for 4 hours, trolled back down river, then bowfished for an hour and still had juice. Total time running the motor was probably close to 7 hours.

They are expensive, but their warranty is very good.
 
I was looking at the optima batteries. I put one in my Deere 1050 about 7 years ago, still perfect. I want to get one of the MinnKota chargers but pretty sure the Mrs. would scalp me if I bought one. She caught me eyeballing boat stuff when we went to the Cabelas in Scarborough. Gave me 'the look'. 'Nough said dear. Haha
 
I've used wally world TM batts for several yrs now, they last anywhere from 3-5 yrs for me, I plug up the OB charger on my tracker PT175 until it's fully charged, then hook a BatteryMinder (BM) up to it which helps with the sulfation (sp??) process. I've paid anywhere from $75-90 for the wally worlds, and if they last 3 yrs, then its only $25/yr for me to have a TM that works. I was skeptical of the BatteryMinder but they seem to work as advertised IMO, I have a HD bike and the battery was/is old and sorta weak, so I plugged the bike up to it and let stay hooked up to the BM for a full winter (Nov -April) and it seems to start better than before I started using the BM on it. I bought another one for use on the boat in the other garage, so...my $.01....
 
I didn't have any luck with walmart batteries either.

I started buying Cabelas AGM, and I couldnt be happier. They last forever and hold a charge extremely well. My buddy and I fished for 6 hours in high winds, and I had my 55lb trolling motor running nearly nonstop. When we got back, I hooked up the charger and the battery still had 75% charge (31 series).

They're awesome batteries. If you compare the specs (and price) they beat optimas. They just don't have the sex appeal.
 
Dyeguy,
I saw those batteries in the Cabelas fishing calatog. Have to take a look at them next time I go to the store.
Thanks for the input guys!
 
I bought my battery from menards. Its an exide nautilus. So far an awesome battery, lasts all day and not too expensive.
 
I use 2 interstate group 27. Bought one last year and added another this year with a minn kota charger (220d) and 2 minn kota 55 lb tm. One an I-pilot pd and the other an endura c-2.

So far no problems with interstate.
 
I'm on my 3rd AC Delco 27 deep cycle in three years. For some reason they keep dieing on me. I'm very dillegent on trickle charging, float charging, and load test before I hit the water. Two times now, I've gotten stuck on the water. #3 is another 1year free replacement. I don't reccomend AC Delco...and I'm kinda shamed to admit, I'm an AC Delco dealer, and I'm telling you this. :? The car batteries are great. Just don't put anything in the boat.
In the mean time, I bought an Interstate 29 and plan on using the new AC as a back up. The interstate will make it's maiden voyage tomorrow.
 
i use a brand named MK, the deep cycle one i use is supposed to be for a wheelchair. its a sealed gel type and its the best battery ive ever seen. i can fish with it from dawn till dusk and it doesent go dead, even with wind( i fish a lot of lakes with no wake 5mph limit and use the bow mount(mk pd 55) 99% of the time). they are a bit pricey( i paid 279.00) but this will be its fifth year in use and it still goes all day. so really for the price and lifespan it is a no brainer because i spent way more than 279 over 5 years using cheap batteries,,,,
 
I own a drag car. 2 years ago I bought a 16v AGM battery for it, along with "The V" battery charger. Works well. The charger is DESIGNED for AGM batteries only, works for 12v and 16v.

Anyway, I pulled the Optima red top out of the race car and used it in my boat. I charge it up after each use with "The V" charger. And this time of year, I use the boat about once a week...more often soon as the nights are getting warmer and I can go after work.

I run ONE battery. 1542 boat, 25 Yamaha 4 stroke Electric start, nav lights, courtesy lights, Q beam, and Motorguide W45 wireless trolling motor. Ran the trolling motor almost 7 hours straight last Monday on lower speeds (trolling/bass fishing) and the outboard motor started right up when I was too sunburned to fish any longer.

And to think that I bought that Optima in Feb 2001. IMO, hard to beat an Optima battery.

Next project...going to try the 16v battery on my old hand control trolling motor. Should be interesting but I am not expecting anything out of the ordinary as ALL of the 12v accessories (datalogger and all) in the race car work find on 16v, which charges at almost 19v when the charger is plugged in. Headlights are brighter, taillights are brighter, and the E-fan sounds like it's cleared for take off.
 
turbotodd said:
I own a drag car. 2 years ago I bought a 16v AGM battery for it, along with "The V" battery charger. Works well. The charger is DESIGNED for AGM batteries only, works for 12v and 16v.

Anyway, I pulled the Optima red top out of the race car and used it in my boat. I charge it up after each use with "The V" charger. And this time of year, I use the boat about once a week...more often soon as the nights are getting warmer and I can go after work.

I run ONE battery. 1542 boat, 25 Yamaha 4 stroke Electric start, nav lights, courtesy lights, Q beam, and Motorguide W45 wireless trolling motor. Ran the trolling motor almost 7 hours straight last Monday on lower speeds (trolling/bass fishing) and the outboard motor started right up when I was too sunburned to fish any longer.

And to think that I bought that Optima in Feb 2001. IMO, hard to beat an Optima battery.

Next project...going to try the 16v battery on my old hand control trolling motor. Should be interesting but I am not expecting anything out of the ordinary as ALL of the 12v accessories (datalogger and all) in the race car work find on 16v, which charges at almost 19v when the charger is plugged in. Headlights are brighter, taillights are brighter, and the E-fan sounds like it's cleared for take off.


hey turbotodd, a few questions....

1. do you know what a new redtop equal to yours costs now?

2. have you ever checked the voltage after a trip like that?

3. do you think its a good idea to run a 16 volt on a 12 volt system?

4. is the battery 11 or 2 yrs old? you said 2 years ago you bought an agm batt. and v charger for your drag car and said you pulled the same battery out of your drag car and put it in your boat and ran it all day. and then to think you bought that optima in feb 2001. im confused i think....

if i were you i would not run a 16 volt battery on your boat or on anything designed for a 12 volt system, now im no electrician but im sure they have the 12 and 16 volt batteries for a reason and its not so that the user can decide he needs or wants a few more volts its because they are designed to run two different systems. this much i do know, running that 16 on your trolling motor is a bad bad idea. its a 12 volt motor for a reason, its designed to be ran by a 12 volt battery and also trolling motors are designed to run off a deep cycle so it gets slow steady voltage to the motor and if your running a drag car with that battery thats like your trolling motor sticking its fingers in a wall socket.

oh and why do you think people dont use deep cycles to start their outboards? because you would kill your battery because its not designed for it.

dont take this like im saying your not smart because thats not my intention, just trying to maybe explain something to you that may not have fully understood.....
 

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