Lightweight battery for electric trolling motor?

AppleJax · #1 03-18-2013, 09:35 PM

With open water season approaching I have been putting some thought into some lighter battery options for my pontoon boat. I cant seem to find any smaller deep cycles batteries. I currently have a large energizer battery in a min-kota battery box. Does anyone know where I can find some smaller deep cycle batteries?

RavYak · #2 03-18-2013, 09:53 PM

I use an old truck battery in my boat lol, sucks big time for loading and unloading.

I don't know that there are smaller deep cycle batteries produced for marine specific use. There are the smaller SLA batteries but I don't know how long something like that would last on a trolling motor.

Maybe a motorcycle battery would work good enough, you can find them with deep cycle capacity and they might just be the right size. One of the guys at the fishing hole recommended I look into them when I was asking him about their SLA batteries.

AppleJax · #3 03-18-2013, 09:57 PM

Thanks Rav ill look into that. Found a lithium ion battery 13lbs online and just about choked when I seen the price....1300 bucks! Ive been running my 50lb thrust motor on the boat but im going to buy a 30lb to save on weight. Hoping I can downsize on the battery too!

pikergolf · #4 03-18-2013, 10:04 PM

Few sizes here,
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Boati...3Bcat104446080

RavYak · #5 03-18-2013, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pikergolf

Few sizes here,
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Boati...3Bcat104446080

Yeah they range from heavy to omg heavy lol.

pikergolf · #6 03-18-2013, 10:11 PM

Takes power to run a trolling motor, I can't imagine a motorcylcle battery running a trolling motor long. I run a small gel cell for my depth finder, I've gotten 3 full days but my charger said it was going down.

AppleJax · #7 03-18-2013, 10:16 PM

What's a good reserve capacity for a 30lb thrust motor? Would 90 do or should I be looking for 120? I guess the 40lb mark on the battery isn't too bad. Perhaps I can bank a couple smaller batteries?

pikergolf · #8 03-18-2013, 10:19 PM

You got me thinking now, here's a link to a discussion. Double wheel chair batteries are mentioned.
http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin...gi?post=767758

AppleJax · #9 03-18-2013, 10:28 PM

Thanks guys, I got some time to make a decision lol. Keep em coming!

BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES · #10 03-18-2013, 10:29 PM

AJ call the battery doctor in stabmonton he's just of argyl and 91 st .

AppleJax · #11 03-18-2013, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES

AJ call the battery doctor in stabmonton he's just of argyl and 91 st .

You make the big city sound so inviting! Ill give him a try thanks!

Blairh · #12 03-18-2013, 11:48 PM

I got a small battery for this reason...an expensive but small battery that would 'last me all day' according to the bp employee...ended up rowing home lol. Find a big one with a nice handle and your set!

silverdoctor · #13 03-19-2013, 12:59 AM

Been wondering about UPS batteries and how long they would last on an electric kicker. the cheap ones are 12v 10A/H and wouldn't last very long.

This one is a 50 A/H battery, 30 pounds.

http://www.batterybuyer.com/volt-rep...y-p-10386.html

Wonder how much it would last? What is the wattage rating on your kicker?

tallieho · #14 03-19-2013, 07:05 AM

i used a wheelchair battery for yrs. powered my 30lb thrust mtrguide on a 10' p/toon..got it from a battery dealer 52 sts.e. [forest lawn] battery world cost 125.00 with the charger..david blair put me onto the place[fishtales]

AppleJax · #15 03-19-2013, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallieho

i used a wheelchair battery for yrs. powered my 30lb thrust mtrguide on a 10' p/toon..got it from a battery dealer 52 sts.e. [forest lawn] battery world cost 125.00 with the charger..david blair put me onto the place[fishtales]

How long would it last you on the lake? Was it smaller/lighter than typical batteries?

Geezle · #16 03-19-2013, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleJax

What's a good reserve capacity for a 30lb thrust motor? Would 90 do or should I be looking for 120? I guess the 40lb mark on the battery isn't too bad. Perhaps I can bank a couple smaller batteries?

If you bank them they'll be just as heavy...and you'll have more items to deal with!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES

AJ call the battery doctor in stabmonton he's just of argyl and 91 st .

The guys at the Battery Doctor won't have anything of this nature.

AJ...check this thing out...it'll suit a couple of your other needs as well (booster/compressor) and has the posts on top to hook up your troller

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

edit: it's on sale now, but if you're not in a hurry they occasionally go cheaper

cube · #17 03-19-2013, 09:03 AM

You might try talking to the guys at Battery World.

http://www.batteryworld.net/

They have 6 locations around Alberta.

One point about your prospective new trolling motor. You already probably know this but just in case, make sure it has pulse width modulation aka (in minn kota) digital maximizer. they use less juice at slower speeds than those that use resistor technology.

Good Luck

Heron · #18 03-19-2013, 09:39 AM

Have had a wheel chair battery for a while on my 9th pontoon boat. Never really tested it as I have not gone that far. Meline lake some day! I have a little solar panel that I hook up but again I have not really put it to the test. Anyone else use solar panels to charge? Could you rely on that giving you a charge on the far end of the lake? My dream rig is a sailable canoe with electric motor backup.

cube · #19 03-19-2013, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heron

Have had a wheel chair battery for a while on my 9th pontoon boat. Never really tested it as I have not gone that far. Meline lake some day! I have a little solar panel that I hook up but again I have not really put it to the test. Anyone else use solar panels to charge? Could you rely on that giving you a charge on the far end of the lake? My dream rig is a sailable canoe with electric motor backup.

How many watts does your solar panel put out?
How many watts does your trolling motor draw?

in most cases you will find that solar panels of today are not worth the hassel unless you have a lot of space toput them.

cube · #20 03-19-2013, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cube

How many watts does your solar panel put out?
How many watts does your trolling motor draw?

in most cases you will find that solar panels of today are not worth the hassel unless you have a lot of space toput them.

As an example

Minn Kota Maxxum 55 lb thrust has a 50 amp draw at full

The Coleman 7.5 W folding solar panel from Canadian Tire put out no more than 0.625 amps per hour.

So if you look at optimal conditions full afternoon sun directly over head, no clouds, never in the shade, perfectly clean etc etc. you can expect to get at most 4.375 amps (52.5 watts)

4.375amps/ 50 amp draw/hr= 0.0875 hrs X 60 min/hr= 5.25 min

So charging for 7 hours under ideal conditions will get you an additional 5 min max of run time (at full).

( I am not an electrical guy and someone else can certainly do these calculation better than I can but I'm pretty sure you do not get meaningful run time increases until you put up some much larger solar panels)

EZM · #21 03-19-2013, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cube

As an example

Minn Kota Maxxum 55 lb thrust has a 50 amp draw at full

The Coleman 7.5 W folding solar panel from Canadian Tire put out no more than 0.625 amps per hour.

So if you look at optimal conditions full afternoon sun directly over head, no clouds, never in the shade, perfectly clean etc etc. you can expect to get at most 4.375 amps (52.5 watts)

4.375amps/ 50 amp draw/hr= 0.0875 hrs X 60 min/hr= 5.25 min

So charging for 7 hours under ideal conditions will get you an additional 5 min max of run time (at full).

( I am not an electrical guy and someone else can certainly do these calculation better than I can but I'm pretty sure you do not get meaningful run time increases until you put up some much larger solar panels)

Small solar chargers, you are correct, are not really for charging, instead just for keeping the batteries topped up ...... that sounds about right. Unless you build a roof 6 feet by 8 feet over your pontoon made of solar panels they are quite useless in this application.

Mutter87 · #22 03-19-2013, 11:28 AM

You need a big battery, I have a 30lb thrust motor from BPS and it draws 30 a/hr at any speed, so figure out how many amps your motor draws per hour and go off of that. For 10 hours I would need a 300 Amp battery.

Mudslide · #23 03-19-2013, 12:48 PM

Most of the deep cycle batteries list reserve minutes/capacity @ 25 amp draw. The bigger the battery the more reseve minutes you get.

"Reserve Capacity (RC) is a very important rating. This is the number of minutes a fully charged battery at 80 ° F will discharge 25 amps until the battery drops below 10.5 volts."

Buy the biggest battery you can.

waterninja · #24 03-19-2013, 02:44 PM

i use a small car battery for my trolling moter but also a small solar "trickle charger" from can. tire so it is constantly being re-charged. there quite small and don't take up much space. (believe me i know as i fish from a small canoe).

AppleJax · #25 03-19-2013, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mutter87

You need a big battery, I have a 30lb thrust motor from BPS and it draws 30 a/hr at any speed, so figure out how many amps your motor draws per hour and go off of that. For 10 hours I would need a 300 Amp battery.

I already have a big battery, 120 amp hours. That's the point of my thread, I'm trying to downsize. My boat is used on small lakes so swapping batteries is not a big deal I am willing to sacrificed life for weight. Also I think your calculations are way off. I have been running a 50lb motor for 4 years and have been getting up to 12 hours of use off it.

npauls · #26 03-19-2013, 07:05 PM

Do you already have the 30lbs motor?

If not and are looking to buy one I would look at getting one of the newer style ones with the electronic power control. It uses way less power and you could run a 50lbs motor.

I have an older style 32lbs thrust motor and find it eats batteries pretty quick.

I will be upgrading to a newer style one hopefully this summer sometime.

Just by using one of these newer style motors should help get a longer day on the water out of any battery you decide to go with.

Mutter87 · #27 03-19-2013, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleJax

I already have a big battery, 120 amp hours. That's the point of my thread, I'm trying to downsize. My boat is used on small lakes so swapping batteries is not a big deal I am willing to sacrificed life for weight. Also I think your calculations are way off. I have been running a 50lb motor for 4 years and have been getting up to 12 hours of use off it.

How many amps is it drawing? For 12 hrs it'd be 10 amps per hour.

Either that or my calculations and reading of battery amperage could be off. It is somewhat confusing.

AppleJax · #28 03-19-2013, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by npauls

Do you already have the 30lbs motor?

If not and are looking to buy one I would look at getting one of the newer style ones with the electronic power control. It uses way less power and you could run a 50lbs motor.

I have an older style 32lbs thrust motor and find it eats batteries pretty quick.

I will be upgrading to a newer style one hopefully this summer sometime.

Just by using one of these newer style motors should help get a longer day on the water out of any battery you decide to go with.

I currently have a min-kota 50lb with 36 inch leg. Im going to keeo it for the 14ft tinner at our cabin. I want to buy the C2 min kota 30lb with the 30 inch leg as the other one is way to big for my frog boat. You can check out my boat at www.onefrogtwo.com

AppleJax · #29 03-19-2013, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mutter87

How many amps is it drawing? For 12 hrs it'd be 10 amps per hour.

Either that or my calculations and reading of battery amperage could be off. It is somewhat confusing.

Honestly I have no idea, this electrical stuff might as well be in a different language lol.

BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES · #30 03-19-2013, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geezle

If you bank them they'll be just as heavy...and you'll have more items to deal with!

The guys at the Battery Doctor won't have anything of this nature.

AJ...check this thing out...it'll suit a couple of your other needs as well (booster/compressor) and has the posts on top to hook up your troller

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

edit: it's on sale now, but if you're not in a hurry they occasionally go cheaper

Your likely right but might know someone who does .